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tions are heavy-handed grabs for “Banningheadlines. trucks from cit ies should be second place to encouraging their owners with incentives and assistance.”
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“The idea of banning trucks from capital cities is bonkers,” said NatRoad CEO Warren“ThereClark.is no market for
“The opening chapter of the report is a dead giveaway – it says that people love home deliveries and stocked super market shelves but that trucks that make these possible are ‘hard to “Paintinglove’.trucks as the en emy is counter-productive in theClarkextreme.”said that NatRoad’s national research shows that 98 per cent of people regard road freight as an essential industry and 99 per cent consider it im portant to the economy.
electric or hydrogen trucks in Australia yet so forcing an industry out of the country’s most populous cities is mad.
umes.“Whenever capacity is in creased on the rail network, road freight operators benefit because ultimately they are tasked at both ends of the rail line haul. Whether it be by rail or road, freight must be moved safely and productively, and the Victorian Government’s ongoing investment in the intermodal freight network is welcome news,” he said.
ing increasing the depth of crushed rock supporting tracks and assessing and upgrading culverts and bridges on highuseThecorridors.V/Line works have de livered higher tonnage capacity at four grain terminals on the broad-gauge freight network from 19 to 20 tonne axle-load (TAL).“This is a smart investment in developing Victoria’s freight
Clark said the rest of the report was patchy, at best. To help Australia meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2050, The Grattan Institute is also calling for the federal gov ernment to impose binding sales targets for zero-emissions trucks, starting at 2 per cent in 2024 and gradually increas ing to cover most new sales by 2040.“NatRoad supports mov
“(This) is the equivalent to removing more than 3700 trucks off Victoria’s road net work,” Scurrah said.
“The larger capacity created from increasing the weight tol erance of these crucial rail net works has many positive reper cussions for our supply chains including greater certainty of supply and the potential for transport cost savings as a re
2 NEWS FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
VICTORIA’S peak transport body welcomes an announce ment from the state’s port and freight minister Melissa Horne to increase capacity across freight-only broad-gauge rail lines,Under the announcement, operators on the Sheppar ton-Tocumwal rail freight corridor will be able to carrier heavy loads thanks to works completed by V/Line includ
“Hauling more bulk grain by trains means fewer trucks on country roads, improving safety and reducing emissions.”
sult of productivity gains. “Ultimately, consumers benefit from these investments because the standard of liv ing we have come to expect from having regular access to high-quality, fresh produce is enhanced.”Anderson reiterated that other forms of transport also benefit from the rail freight network being able to carry heavier loads and greater vol
City ban proposal blasted ‘bonkers’
Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah said the company had moved 200,000 tonnes of grain on the Shepparton-Tocumwal line in the past 12 months.
truck
“There should be subsidies for those who move to Euro VI to accommodate reduced pay load. This needs to occur with all technical and economic is sues clearly set out and dealt with in a carefully planned way.“Nowhere does it call for the abolition of the 3 per cent stamp duty on new truck purchases which should be the first thing to go to drive a move to alternative fuels.”
NatRoad says The Gratton Institute call for a ban on city trucks is out of touch with reality.
Clark said The Grattan Institute was vocal in seeking
A proposal to ban pre-2003 diesel trucks from Sydney and Melbourne within three years would devastate the heavy ve hicle industry and push the price of essential goods sky high.That’s the reaction from the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) to a recent report released by aca demic ‘think tank’ The Grat tan Institute which says trucks are exposing Australians to “deadly air pollution”.
ing to Euro VI emission stan dards,” added Clark. “That should be accompanied by mass concessions on axles.
“It shows that about twothirds (68 per cent) will make a trade-off of waiting longer for goods, accepting less va riety, or paying more to help make road freight more envi ronmentally sustainable.”
network and makes the exist ing rail infrastructure more productive and efficient,” said Victorian Transport Assocation CEO Peter Anderson.
“Some of its proposed solu
‘The equivalent to removing 3700 trucks off Victoria’s roads’
as
a move to trucks with wider dimensions, but silent on gen eral lack of fit-for-purpose reg ulation for trucks that remains a drag on productivity.
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) welcomed the news that 13 of 17 ATA proposals in its ‘circuit-break ing’ Road Transport Act are fully, or substantially aligned with proposals in the report. But said productivity and access remain a problem in a recent bulletin of its own to members.TheATA Council also supported a proposal to min isters that the implementa tion of the Kanofski review recommendations be split into two paths:
• Monthly rego charges to be considered by all jurisdic tions.
• A path for minor and governance amendments. These amendments would be introduced into the Queensland Parliament in 2023.•A major reform path for the review recommendations that require further consid eration or regulatory impact analysis.Thecouncil agreed to ‘con certed action’ to encourage ministers and governments support this ‘split’ approach, amid fears that otherwise, the HVNL may not be amended for years.
added to adopt electronic work
• The object of the law to continue to include produc tivity.
• Regular review of penalties and enforcement practic es – likely a new approach to overall risk profiling and lower/removed penalties for minor offences.
• Improving PBS.
• Exploring a business case for opening up as-of-right key parts of the National Road Transport Network is proposed.
• Codes of practice to be de veloped by the NHVR rath er than industry.
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• Improved tech and data standards.
“If a driver does not recti fy administrative errors at the roadside this should lead to is suing a penalty infringement notice.”Kanofski said infringe ments for work/rest breaches should shift from focusing on specific incidents to focussing on overall breach risk profiles.
“Ministers resolved to consid er a streamlined workplan in September 2022 that would guide work through to the end of 2023, with a focus on heavy vehicle safety and productivity, decarbonisation and a more consistent ap
enforcement would also focus on imme diate risks, not historic of fences, with regular reviews of penalties and practices to determine a new approach to overall risk profiling.
MORE flexibility for fatigue management and new fitness to drive requirements are just two major driver-related re forms that transport ministers have supported in the latest Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) roundtable.
• More detail will be lowered to regulations and codes of practice.
Consultant Ken Kanofski, inset, has put forward a range of proposed changes to the HVNL.
• A legal requirement for NHVR to consult industry.
safety and productivity in the heavy vehicle sector, said a communique.Thesuggested reforms in clude more flexibility for the fatigue general schedule, in cluding a 10-hour break reset option, with the idea being floated to possibly expand fa tigue laws to include all 4.5t + vehicles.Thismeans BFM and AFM will essentially be come merged so operators can demonstrate better risk management systems to get more flexibility, while fatigue record keeping will be moved to regs to make it easier to change prescriptive require ments with incentives to be
• Raising general access from GML to CML, 19 to 20m length and 4.3m to 4.6m (subject to a RIS).
Fatiguediaries.
• Operators can rely on offi cial networks maps rather than gazette notices.
• Vehicle classifications to be moved to regulations.
Kanofski also said that the commercial standards in Australian Fitness to Drive (AFTD) Guidelines should be upgraded to include riskbased screening tests for dia
He added that all heavy vehicle drivers should be re quired to have regular med icals against the standards as part of the driver licensing process.The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Asso ciation said it looks forward to participating in work to progress the proposals that also include:
• Delegation of powers to the NHVR Board and a review of the Board skills mix.
proach to the national infra structure pipeline,” the min isters’ bulletin added.
The proposals were part of an array of changes put forward by independent con sultant Ken Kanofski, the former CEO of NSW Roads and Maritime Services, that could become part of the next HVNL.Ministers agreed to release Kanofski’s report, and to progress a package of prop ositions recommended by Kanofski that will improve
“The rectification of ad ministrative oversight at the roadside should be the prima ry mechanism for addressing administrative errors,” the Kanofski report says.
• New head of power to es tablish Heavy Vehicle Safety Obligations.
Sweeping new changes proposed in heavy vehicle law overhaul
• Adopting a Tasmanian-style access system.
• A national audit standard.
“A fatigue breach risk pro file would consider both the number and severity of in dividual work/rest breaches, and the fines for administra tive offences should be pro portionate with the risk.”
• A singular voluntary ac creditation system run by NHVR.
• A new power for prescrip tive requirements and spe cific offences for off-road parties.
with the national law.
Thedriver.”onlyelement that West would like to change is that at present trainees must be at least 20 years of age, in accordance
QTA CEO Gary Mahon.
“We haven’t been able to of fer anyone any form of qualifi cation apart from being able to get a truck licence or a forklift licence, or a DG licence, where as this way, they go through the program, they’ve actually got a piece of paper to say they’ve got an apprenticeship through the industry, which is great.”
That makes it more chal lenging for the industry to en tice school leavers, unless the operator can bridge the age gap with ancillary transport educa tion and tasks.
If that means bringing in truckies with the right skills from overseas to plug the gap, West says he’s all for it.
“It’sare.okay to have a licence to steer it, but that’s about 10 per cent of the task when you’re a truck
John West has been pushing for a truckie apprenticeship for the last four years.
4 COVER STORY FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
“In two years, these people will be so much safer on the road it won’t be funny,” said West.“They’ll have the skill sets they need to operate a vehicle. At the moment, I can go and
After a two-year apprentice ship with the right tuition, the ory and practical with the guys who have got the experience, West is confident graduates will be “good operators”.
BY JAMES GRAHAM
But he’s most excited about the sustainable, long-term ben efits that an apprenticeship pathway – which officially came on-line in Queensland earlier this month – now offers the industry.
“We want people when they leave school, that’s when we want them, 17, 18.
do a B-double course, get a li cence, but I’ve got no bloody idea about how to tie the load on, or what my fatigue require ments
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“They didn’t earn us a dollar for those 13-14 weeks, but they were paid and we put them on all sorts of courses; crane courses, forklift courses, load restraint courses, safety cours es, all that, and we developed them.”
Apprenticeship pathway applauded by bosses
South Wales and Victoria to put it through now,” said West.
He’s been championing that cause for longer than most, be ginning with his own in-house, self-funded apprenticeship pro gram that brought younger, inexperienced entrants through to the stage they could drive a truck, then a crane truck, and “everything else”.
“It’s now been up and run ning in Tassie for a month and the Northern Territory as well, and we’re waiting on New
“It’s a great thing for the industry, it really is, and it’s recognition of the industry of how important they are which I think is fantastic.
TTA executive director Michelle Harwood.
Meanwhile, West, along with a “lot of other people in the industry”, including Gary Mahon, the CEO of the Queensland Trucking Asso ciation (QTA), kept pushing for a more formal, nationwide scheme.That finally got the tick of approval when the then PM Scott Morrison announced the news at the John West depot in Brisbane last December.
“I’ve done that with our guys [trainees]; one of them rode his push bike to work
Although the finer details of the curriculum and how the apprenticeship program will roll out are still being finalised with the RTOs, West is rapt with the two-year term.
YOU only need to look at the alarming numbers to under stand why transport boss John West was celebrating more than most after the announce ment that Queensland now has an official pathway to a truckie apprenticeship.Byhisown calculations, there were 24,000 truck driv er jobs advertised on the east coast of Australia when Big Rigs checked in with the Bris bane-based managing director of John West Logistics, which has more than 250 trucks across Australia and New Zea land.West tells us that he has 2025 of those parked up from his own fleet at any one time due to a shortage of drivers.
While there are more details still to be ironed out, the QTA’s industry skills advisor Camilla Elmes tells Big Rigs it shouldn’t be a big transition for the registered training organisations (RTOs) to deliver the apprenticeship
QTA CEO Gary Mahon said the apprenticeship model was developed by the associa tion on behalf of industry and received widespread support gained through extensive con sultation with employers, driv ers, and industry stakeholders, more than 90 in all.
“We just have to work out how we take best advantage of it because as an industry we’re not all that connected with the formal vocational education training sector.
John West Logistics has up to 25 trucks parked up at any one time due to driver shortages.
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our compliance and licensing requirements, so we’ll use it for dangerous goods licensing, to achieve some productivity benefits through fatigue man agement, but we haven’t really used it to embed it within our broader industry workforce de velopment model.”
Harwood said she also sup ports a growing push amongst her peers to have truck driving placed on the skilled migration program, which they see as an invaluable stopgap while ap prenticeship numbers build.
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• There may be other subsidies or incentives available to employers which can be confirmed by an SupportApprenticeshipAustralianNetworkProvider.
“Our members simply can’t find the people. It’s also the churn across businesses that has become even more promi nent than what it has previous ly been with drivers hopping between different businesses, and the competition we have from so many other sectors, like construction, and so on, continues to erode the tradi tional base that we would nor
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“Even if we get skilled mi grants over the line we will still need to put them through something like Jobs Ready.”
• The apprenticeship is subsidised under the User Choice funding program in Queensland and attracts Priority 2 funding subsidies. There will be a co-contribution amount required. How much will depend on the training provider. Individuals who have been declared as belonging to a Priority Population Group (individuals of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, non-English speaking backgrounds or who have a disability, impairment or longterm condition) will receive 100 per cent of the contribution.government
BRISBANE
“We’re keen on anything that provides us with some im mediate relief in terms of the challenges that we’ve got from a workforce perspective,” she said.“A number of our mem bers really rely on new arrivals into Tasmania, and they find it quite challenging that we’ve not had as good access as what we’ve enjoyed in the past.”
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She has a Seek jobs alert set up on her computer, and every day she gets notifications for another 20-30 driving roles ad vertised in the state.
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mally recruit from.”
Belowtraining.are more details from Elmes for those considering signing on.
when he first started because he didn’t have a licence.
To counter concerns that has incited around safety, Har wood says that responsibility falls on the industry to provide “good, solid” job ready train ing. She points to the QTA’s Jobs Ready Program (see page 27 for more) and Tasmania’s HVDL-plus model as prime examples of what can be done in that field.
“This is a significant step towards sustaining the future workforce in the road freight industry with truck driving now offered as a professional trade.”Mahon said the apprentice ship will add to other work force attraction strategies that are needed to solve the labour shortage, such as the QTA’s proposed Jobs Ready Program.
DEALERS
“The Heavy Vehicle Driving Apprenticeship is long awaited recognition of the level of skill truck drivers require and must develop to be a safe and com petent operator,” said Mahon.
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“At 20, I personally believe we are going to lose a lot of people before we get that op portunity.“ButI’m hoping that will change in the years to come because at 17-18 they’re an adult. “They can drink, they can drive, they can do whatev er they like, so why can’t they, with the correct training, drive a heavy vehicle?
• Employers may also be eligible for a discount on the workcover premium and payroll tax rebates for their apprentices.
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“It’s Michelleridiculous.”Harwood, execu tive director of the Tasmanian Transport Association (TTA), has the same concerns around the 20-year age requirement as West.“That is an issue because it means that we can’t actually try and bring people into driving roles until they meet those age requirements, and as we know, we’ve often lost them to other industries by the time they’ve reached that particular age,” said“WeHarwood.havean opportunity to try and influence that through the review of the licensing model at the Meanwhile,moment.”Harwood said the TTA and its members are busy nutting out how the new ly ratified apprenticeship path way in the state will differ from the longstanding traditional al ternative, the Certificate III in Driving Operations.
COVER STORY 5BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022
“We use it primarily to meet
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The sooner the better, as far as Harwood is concerned with Tasmania hurting on the score of driver shortages as much as any other jurisdiction.
• Employers who engage an apprentice in an occupation not on the ApprenticeshipsAustralian Priority List (which heavy vehicle occupations are not) may be eligible for a Hiring Incentive payment under the IncentivesApprenticeshipsAustralianSystem.
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He now works for a small Picton based transport com pany and says it’s a good gig with a good boss.
“I didn’t realise I had made the mistake in my logbook, my boss didn’t realise either so I sent it back for review. We’re only human and that’s the part they don’t understand. If someone has gone four hours over their logbook, then yes, I agree with fining them. But if it’s 15 minutes or a line not marked, if it’s a minor breach, give them a warning instead of just dishing out fines after fines.“I remember when first started with the logbooks, I was making the same mistake over and over and didn’t real ise, the guy who stopped me actually showed me what I was doing wrong – and guess what, I’ve never made that mistake again.”
I’VE NEVER KNOCKED SAFETY AND WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY, YOU’LL NEVER GET AN ARGUMENT FROM ME, BUT WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO FINE SOMEONE FOR A MISTAKE THEY MADE SIX MONTHS AGO, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THEIR FATIGUE?”
A new road law comes into play in Queensland from September 16, 2022, aimed at helping to ensure the safe ty of emergency roadside
Thoseworkers.failing to move over and slow down when pass ing emergency roadside workers could now be slapped with a $431 fine and three demerit points.
Reduced speed limits
Speed limits through some of WA’s busiest intersec tions will be reduced in a bid to help reduce the number and severity of crashes that occur at these sites.
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Work is underway to pro gressively change all im pacted intersections, with 66 to be completed this fi nancial year.
“Now when I go down Picton Road I need to keep a 60m distance in front of me, but if a car jumps in front of you, then what do you do? We’re over regulated and un derpaid for what we do. I can make more money driving a forklift, but the fact is that I love my job and love what I do. “My boss doesn’t push us, he’s really good with us. The stress of the job doesn’t come from the customers any more,
it comes from the regulators.”
Trailersments. designed for use in road train combinations are constructed and specified to be able to withstand the significantly higher loads and stresses to which the brakes, tow couplings and drawbars are subjected, said the reg
6 NEWS FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
The first in his recent spate of fines was $592 for a half hour breach in his logbook. What was so odd about this fine was that the alleged breach occurred on March 2, however the fine
Nicholas Long says he’s had enough, after copping three hefty fines in four weeks.
The maximum speed limit at all traffic light intersections across the state will be re duced to 70km/h over the next two years.
And as issues with find ing drivers continues to bite, Long says he wouldn’t per sonally recommend the job to anybody even though he still loves it and is passionate about the job.
didn’t arrive until mid-July. “I don’t know if it was a random audit, but it was apparent ly something to do with the cameras, so then they audited my boss and got the yellow copies from him. That’s how they found the breach. They shouldn’t be able to pick up fatigue breaches from a cam era,” said Long.
Trailers not ‘fit-for-purpose’
NHVR safety and compli ance officers are reporting a significant increase in road train combinations us ing trailers that don’t meet the minimum safety require
The next fine of $1487 came after part of his num ber plate was obstructed by a kangaroo. “I came across Queensland and mowed a roo over. Half of it went un der the truck and half went over the number plate. It got picked up on a camera at
$3566 in fines has another truckie ready to ‘hang up the boots’
Though he’s still driving at the moment, he’s planning on giving it up next financial year. “I’ve still got a few more hundred thousand kilometres in me before I hang up the boots, but I’m losing the in terest and the passion for the job. I’m just over it. There’s no respect between drivers, people don’t help each other anymore. The mateship is a lot harder to find.
“The rule is simple – if you see flashing lights at the roadside, move over and slow down,” said Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey.
“I still want to be involved in the industry but I’m look ing to get away from driving. I’ll always have something to do with trucks because it’s always been my passion. I might still drive locally to get my fix. But after the last three fines I thought I’m done, why do I bother doing it.”
If that wasn’t enough of a blow, another fine of $1487 arrived in the mail soon after for following too closely to the vehicle in front. He was carrying permit designed scaf folding, which was 4.8 metre oversize, between Wollon gong to Yatala, so required an escort. That vehicle in front of him was his pilot driver. “This happened on Picton Road and the vehicle in front of me happened to be the pi lot vehicle. The camera said I was 17.66 metres behind him – it’s supposed to be 60 me tres. While yes that’s the legal stopping distance for a large vehicle, if you leave that gap between myself and the pilot, you’ll have five cars cramming in in front of you. I had a pilot in front and behind me. How are you supposed to maintain that gap? I was oversize and under escort,” he said.
“My step son is 22 next year. He was saying he want ed to be a truck driver but I told him to get a trade first. Now he’s a plumber and makes more money than me as a fourth year apprentice. He doesn’t want to be a truck driver any more, that’s music to my ears.”
The new rule applies to am bulances, police cars, fire trucks, and transport en forcement vehicles, as well as breakdown assistance providers such as RACQ, tow trucks and assistance vehicles.
New Queensland road rule
Bendemeer, NSW. The fine states that it’s an unregistered/ registerable vehicle class C in NSW. So I’m fighting an unregistered vehicle charge, when in fact the vehicle was registered. I sent that into get reviewed and it got rejected. When they rejected it, I con tested it. In my eyes, when I go to court I’m not fighting a blocked number charge, I’m fighting driving an un registered vehicle. $1487 is more than I earn some weeks. That’s what I’m tired of,” ex plained Long.
BY DANIELLE GULLACI
NICHOLAS LONG
AFTER 19 years as an owner operator, Nicholas Long, 39, got rid of the last of his trucks last year. “The cost is what made me get rid of them all. Trying to find quality drivers was hard too, but the cost of fuel and freight rates means you’re always fighting to stay on Now,top.” after receiving three fines in the space of just four weeks, equating to a whop ping $3566, he has plans of soon throwing in the towel for Growinggood. up, it was all about trucks. “My dad is a carpenter and my whole fam ily is in the building game, but all I ever wanted to do was be a truck driver. I was
It’sulator.also published informa tion to help operators and other parties in the Chain of Responsibility to understand the specific requirements for these trailers.
Long says the fine is pend ing decision but if they re ject it, he plans to argue it in court. “But the cost of fight ing the fine outweighs the cost of the fine itself. That’s the problem,” he added.
IN BRIEF
“I’ve never knocked safety and when it comes to safety, you’ll never get an argument from me, but when you’re try ing to fine someone for a mis take they made six months ago, how does that impact their fatigue?
that kid who always bought truck magazines. I started in a van many moons ago,” said Long.Based in Sydney, at one stage Long was running four trucks. “You try and keep up with all your mechanicals and then with all the other costs, there’s just no money it. There’s a really fine line and with fuel being up the way it is, it makes it hard.”
According to the NHVR, the number of road train com binations using trailers they shouldn’t be is on the rise.
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NEWS of Janus Electric, the NSW start-up transforming diesel-powered prime mov ers into electric heavy-haul ers, opening its first chargeand-change battery station in Brisbane this month, sparked plenty of commentary from the sceptics and believers.
But Don Evans wasn’t con vinced.“It’s all right to show what electric vehicles can do etc but we are currently in a situation where we have not so sure of electricity supply so therefore
it out. I had a passion for this industry and in a few years it got destroyed. Good luck to those sticking it out.”
RUN WITH CONFIDENCE
Said Chris Kropp: “Turn the power off to the house, please ,so I can charge the truck ,,and
EDITOR JAMES GRAHAM
TRUCK & TRAILER PARTS
OUR story about Adelaide truckie Tim Collins quitting driving due to safety concerns incited an outpouring of sup portSaidonline.Gary Huckstepp: I could never understand how some training companies can advertise that they do “one day” licence upgrades. How can someone be trained in all aspects of heavy vehicle driv ing in just one day?”
Ian Wright said he likes the apprenticeship driving scheme that’s just got the green light: “Used to be called an offsid er, but qld has introduced it.
Charlie Maguire said that the transport industry was a profession once with great ca maraderie and a great industry that he was proud to be part of. “It has deteriorated to something I was glad to retire from.”Adds Ashley Britton: I am on my final trip today. I’m out until some government sorts
Janus Electric charges aheaddon’t feel safe out there anymore’
in the real world,,,to run all these vehicls,where is the power coming from.....the power grid we have NOW, can’t handle , what we have now...”
The freshly-charged batteries are installed in a matter of minutes.
Like to see the curriculum, be all about legislation, probably. I would like the legislators, who make all these logbook rules, hop in a truck and sup port a family of four for three months running interstate.”
yetleftIndustryoutagain
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO READER CORNER? EMAIL US AT EDITOR@BIGRIGS.COM.AU
8 OPINION
HOT WEB TOPICS
WHAT did the industry get out of it the hyped-up Jobs and SkillsUnlessSummit?there are still back room deals going on as I write this, not a whole lot from what we know so far.
If there is a win, it’s that an independent body to set en forceable standards got the tick of approval, but just how that will work remains to be seen.
meritorpartsonline.com.au MERITOR® AFTERMARKET
Terry Seymour writes: “Your time slot is 3am but the loaders mucked around and you are a hour late. Will you be able to fit in to get your change battery, or will your urgent freight have to wait until day shift?”
To the naysayers, Ned Kel ly countered with: “Y’all really trying to find issues and poke holes in this…… I’m sure “the first petrol station” didn’t solve all the transporting woes either but it was certainly a start.”
those of you espousing the wonders of clean green energy wake up we are still going to need coal fired power houses for quite a few years yet.”
Truckie Tim Collins reluctantly sold his K100 due to safety fears.
Yes, there is more money for apprenticeships, but no in dication that’s being funnelled into transport. Yes, more skilled workers are coming from over seas, but again none will be headed into truck cabs because we’re not on the skills priority list. Pensioners were given the green light to earn an additional $4000 this financial year which had the potential to pave the way for mentors. But what does an extra $80 a week get you? And are systems set up to cap italise on that?
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10 NEWS FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
JAMIE ROBERTS
Truckie successfully appeals $5452 border fine
Jamie Roberts has successfully appealed three out of four fines.
“I’ve always worked hard all my life and to get fined for going to work, that was probably the biggest kick in the guts you could get. It really hurt. And over $5000 for an individual was really steep.”Thankfully for Roberts, the border breach fine was completely quashed. “I didn’t think I’d walk free, I thought they might have just reduced the fine, so I was really pleased with the outcome,” he Surprisingly,said.this isn’t the first time Roberts has had to appeal a fine. He has been able to successfully appeal three out of four fines.
The next fine was for travelling on a Hillston road in a B-double. “The road was no longer B-double rated, which I didn’t realise. I took that route and got fined. They said they get A-doubles and B-doubles coming through that road all the time, and that’s when I asked why there aren’t any signs up. Their response was: ‘Can you imagine how much that would cost?’”
The plan was for Roberts to pick up a load of wine while in Mildura to trans port to Melbourne. “But as I progressed across into Mildura, they pulled me up. I got out of the truck and handed them my border pass and logbook. They asked if I had any other border passes, which I didn’t. They told me that my border pass was in sufficient and I needed to be able to keep up with the reg ulations,” said Roberts.
Mildura and camp there for the night, then they’d arrange for the tyre to be fixed and find me a load,” explained Roberts.
“At the start of Covid our company director gave us a border pass which had no date on it. Because I hadn’t been into Victoria and it had no expiry date, I thought it was fine to pass the border.”
Magistrates’ Court on Mon day (August 29) via video link.“I was ropable when it happened. My boss said he’d take care of it so they put in a letter of explanation that went nowhere, but when I read it, I didn’t think too much of it – I wasn’t sure if they were trying to throw me under the bus,” Roberts said.“In court, I told them I had left my previous em ployer. I felt very let down by the company and the way they handled it all.
BY DANIELLE GULLACI
IN September last year, things came crashing down for Jamie Roberts, 51, when he unknowingly crossed into Victoria from NSW with an outdated border pass, just days after new restrictions had come into play.
I’VE ALWAYS WORKED HARD ALL MY LIFE AND TO GET FINED FOR GOING TO WORK, THAT WAS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST KICK IN THE GUTS YOU COULD GET. IT REALLY HURT. AND OVER $5000 FOR AN INDIVIDUAL WAS REALLY STEEP.”
That fine was just shy of
At the time, lockdowns were in place in both states.
That was until he was intercepted by police while crossing the George Chaf fey Bridge from Buronga (NSW) into Mildura (Vic toria) and issued with a whopping $5452 fine for a border breach.
The Cootamundra based truckie’s usual route was within NSW and he had a border pass on him that had been issued by his employer, so he thought all was fine.
“I was working with a general freight company and had taken a load of fencing material from Newcastle to Broken Hill the day before. At Broken Hill, I realised I had a slash in one of the tyres, so I called the boss and he told me to head towards
“I told them I’ve been living in the truck, to which they said that there are signs everywhere. But the signs don’t tell you which permit youRobertsneed!” was determined to fight the charge and ap peared before the Mildura
$700 and Roberts took it to court. “I represented myself and got off it, but had to pay around $180 for court fees, plus I lost a day off work, so you don’t really get let off, it still costs Anotheryou.”fine came af ter accidentally missing the Mt White Heavy Vehicle Checking Station. “I acci dentally missed the turn so I turned around as soon as there was a safe opportuni ty. I went in there and they did the logbook check. They said you may still get a fine from the overhead signs. It
Seconds later you can see the driver jump from the moving vehicle, moments before the truck hits the wall, without sus taining any injuries.
“There’sRoberts.aspeed limit of 80km/h there. The next time I was there, I did an experiment and got the am ber light at about the same point – I was doing 60km/h and had to use excessive braking force to pull up on that white line. Had I tried to brake that other time, I would’ve ended up in the middle of the intersection.
was my own silly fault so I went in and explained the situation. I had just been hit up the back by someone too. I took that to court and they said you admitted your fault, did all you could to rectify it and they threw it away with no court costs.”
There’s just no common sense in it at all.”
Shortly after the lights are con nected, the trailer brake releases.
Since the signage was erect ed, however, reminding oper ators to apply the park brake prior to exiting the vehicle, Connell said there hasn’t been a repeat and he’s heard nothing but positive comments from yardConnellusers. said the Wagga Wagga Council should also be congratulated for taking the ap proach of consulting the drivers first about the problem.
“The fact it is already there now means there is nothing we can do about it.”
“I’m surprised that no one has been killed there. I could see the problems before they even opened the thing.
“But it shouldn’t have been built that way in the first place.
“They’ve also potentially saved someone’s life.”
minding drivers of the need to engage the parking brake.
The problem is exacerbated by the natural 5-10 degree slope at Tarcutta, which can have di sastrous results, as illustrated in this CCTV clip from the site that Connell shared with Big Rigs.In the edited footage below you can see a driver exit the cab after connecting the trailer.
“Some sort of reminder like that is not going to go astray,” said Hannifey. “Blokes are busy in there running around, they’re not really thinking, I think that’s a good idea, just to bring it to the front of people’s minds.
The last in the latest string of fines was from a red-light camera in Port Botany. “I was in an A-double, tow ing 86-tonne. It was one of those situations where you had to decide to either brake or go. The camera got the rego off the rear trailer. I was
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going to contest that to, but realised I buggered up the court date, so I got the fine,” explained
A new sign at Tarcutta has so far stopped further incidents such as the one pictured in the inset.
AFTER three ‘runaway’ truck-trailer combinations at the site, the custodians of the busy Tarcutta changeover yards in NSW were in search of a solution before someone was seriouslyWaggahurt.Wagga City Coun cil, which has responsibility and ownership of the Transport NSW designed and constructed assets on site, reviewed multiple solutions to alleviate personal, asset and vehicle damage mi nimisation, but many of these were dismissed due to financial limitations.Council requested assistance from Statewide Mutual, NSW Local Government self-insur ance mutual. Regional Risk Manager Damien Connell as sisted council in developing a much more cost-effective and simple solution – $6000 worth of parking brake reminder sig nage for remote supervision.
Council investigated and discovered all incidents at the changeover yard were caused by driver error of not applying the park brake to the prime mover prior to attaching trailer config urations’ air supply lines.
Interstate truckie, and high-profile road safety advo cate, Rod Hannifey, welcomed the addition of the signage re
“It was a terrible design on that slope, there was no need for that. The entrance in and out is badly designed for a B-double. You’ve virtually got to go on the wrong side of the road to get out of the thing.
$6000 spend making the Tarcutta changeover safer
NEWS 11BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022
“It’s a great example of local government getting it right and they haven’t wasted ratepayers’ money,” said Connell.
“I was disappointed we weren’t consulted more in the build after waiting 30 years to get it. I’m sure we would have improved the safety of it.
Some well-known names, and some not so well-known, but equally deserving and coming from all areas of the trucking industry. There were several posthumous induc tions as well which were quite
Silence in front of the me morial wall as you take that in.
The posthumous inductions brought a tear to more than one eye.
What a privilege to meet some true industry legends
The very first K125CR to roll off the production line in Bayswater Victoria in 1971 is there on display. To be able to stand right beside it and touch history is a feeling I can’t re ally explain. Walking around the site it’s hard to not be impressed by the variety and quality of the displays.
The stunning Roger Goss Oshkosh cabover ready to hit the road.
After a Covid-enforced hiatus, truckies from all over Australia converged on the Red Centre for a celebration to remember.
Plans for alterations and ad ditions to the site, the addition of the Alice Springs RSL mil itary collection and the Ghan Railway exhibits have expand ed the scope and interest in the site and point toward a sustainable continuing future.
I arrived out at the muse um early after lunch on Sat urday so I could spend some more time looking at the ex hibits before the 3.30pm com mencement of proceedings. I spent some time looking at original Joe O’Brian Diesel Dog cartoon panels. There has to be several hundred of them. Yet another trip down mem ory lane. Old school truckie humour at its best.
Vesty
A Jim Cooper designed Powertrack prime mover was one of the six new additions to theShellcollection.donated their “Grey Ghost” an Acco service truck that raced around in the dark ness repairing fuel pumps etc. A Leyland Super Hippo with a drill rig mounted on its rig id body and a rare twin steer UD that once carted eggs. The Gilbert T650 that sat behind the stage for the inductions and a magnificently restored Mack in Lloyds North livery in memory of Byron ‘Bonza’ Bonney that really did steal the show.The Road Transport Hall of Fame has been through a bit of a rocky period over the last several years. Covid has affect ed visitor numbers just as with any other Changesvenue.to the manage ment team and concerns over the financial future of the mu seum have raised questions about the continued viability of the site. It seems we can be reassured the Road Transport Hall of Fame has a strong fu ture.Rex Mooney and Nick Prus have worked diligently to en sure this. The hall will be out of administration by the end of October and a new manage ment committee is due to take the reins in November.
A huge thank you is also due to the donors of new ad ditions to the collection of his toricWevehicles.mustdo what we can as an industry to preserve the
12 FEATURE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
WHAT a weekend: August 26-28 saw a huge number of truckies, families and friends head to Alice Springs and the National Road Transport Mu seum for the annual Festival of Transport and the Road Trans port Hall of Fame inductions.
Around 350 people packed the hall to witness the 31 in ductees for 2022 collect their medallions along with another 24 held over from the small ceremony of last year.
CEO Jacquelene Brother ton made the opening speech welcoming one and all.
2022 has been a roaring success. The management, sponsors, staff, volunteers and loyal supporters all deserve a hearty round of applause for their efforts.
The author next to the first K125CR to roll off the production line.
Over to the left the Vesty Rotinoff ‘Julie’ powered by a massive Rolls Royce engine. Bonnet longer than a 909. Sliding doors and more gear leavers than most blokes have
Of course, the ‘Truckies Breakfast’ was the order of the day and it seems you just can’t have too much bacon.
ever seen. She’s reported to be the only remaining example in theUpworld.on the walls hang trail er curtains that many of us would recognise; Thompsons promotional curtains and one from the original Rod Han nifey Transport Industry Ve hicle. Cat and Shell. There’s so much to take in. The stage where the inductees will re ceive their medallions and the hundreds of seats for the guests are all ready and wait ing.After lunch we headed over the road to the races to view the running of the Cummins Cup, race one on the card at the Alice Springs Turf club. Fashions on the field were pretty casual, not what you’d expect to see at Flemington or Rose Hill. Wide-brimmed hats, comfortable shoes and a cold beverage made more sense on a warm day. Qualis, ridden by LJ Miller, was fast est over the distance and took home the trophy.
emotional and brought a tear to more than one eye.
a
PODCAST HOST MIKE mike@ontheroadpodcast.com.auWILLIAMS
through the Wall of Fame.
The Rotinoff by huge Rolls Royce engine.
‘Julie’ powered
Over the 21-year part nership, Shell Rimula has recognised over 1700 distin guished members of the road transport community.
We must do what we can to preserve the memories and hand down the stories shared in Alice Springs. Photos: Mike Williams
memories and hand down the stories. We stand on the shoul ders of giants. It’s been my privilege to get to see the hall and meet some true industry legends.Youcan contact me via @ theoztrucker on twitter, On The Road Podcast (@otrpod castaus) on Facebook or go to ontheroadpodcast.com.au to leave a comment and see links to the show, or email me directly cast.com.au.mike@ontheroadpod•Turntopage14forthefulllistof2022iconsandinductees.
Entering the pavilion that will play host to the Saturday afternoon induction ceremony on the right is the Roger Goss Oshkosh cabover hooked up to a set of Cleveland trailers looking every bit as if it’s about to head out the gate on a mis sion. It probably could too.
Transport Women Austra lia kicked off the celebrations with a well-attended breakfast.
Shell will continue to high light the contributions our industry has made and hon our Australia’s trucking heroes
Jim Cooper was named an Icon of the industry.
variety and quality of the for mer kings of the road on dis play.Everything from a Mod el T Ford to the very latest Kenworth prime mover. I was lucky enough to find myself alone in the Kenworth pavil ion and able to stand there and appreciate the history.
This was my first taste of what would become an unfor gettable weekend of humour, storytelling and education for me.After breakfast it’s time to walk around and take in the scale of the museum.
It’s difficult to explain the
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Victoria – Barry Alan Knee
frequently mentoring young people in the industry, in cluding his own son who assisted in moving the largest mobile crane in the country at the time, in a dual truck operation.
Dandenong resident, Barry Alan Knee, is a proud truck owner and operator, often of fering his services to help pri mary producers in need and giving back to the commu nity. He has been working in the transport industry since he was 19, when he started working full-time with his father for the family business, Barry Knee Haulage.
WA – Lionel Frances Ward
Ross and John Dow from SA were unable to attend in person.
Prus.Laszlo
2022 Shell Rimula Wall of Fame Inductees:
Queensland – Laszlo Bruzsa
NSW – Steven Woodward
Based in Geraldton, Lionel Frances Ward has been in the road transport industry since 1973, starting. out when he was only 16 years old. Over his years in transport, he has gained a solid reputation as a very safe driver with an accident-free record despite driving a triple road train millions of kilometres across some of the country’s rough est roads.
carting a range of products on various makes of trucks across Australia. Nudging 77 years of age, Primo is still working in the indus try, standing testament to his deep commitment. Al though he now relies on his sons for jobs that require greater physical activity, Pri mo has no plans to fully re tire.
‘The Quadfather’ Bruzsa from Queensland (centre).
14 FEATURE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
Barry Alan, Kathy and Peter Knee from Victoria.
SA – Ross and John Dow Ross Dow and John Dow are managing directors of their company Hi-Trans Express, which they run from Ade laide. They ensure their busi ness is an industry leading force with proactive technol ogy, safety and sustainability commitments. They have also inspired and enlisted the next generation of Dows in the Hi-Trans Express busi ness, paving the way for their family legacy to continue well into the future.
NSW – Primo Martignago Primo Martignago, from Horsley Park, has a wealth of experience in the industry,
WHITMORE
Local Brisbane resident, Laszlo Bruzsa, has been in strumental in the implemen tation of innovative and more freight-efficient heavy vehicle combinations like B-doubles and AB-triples, which now represent the norm in terms of productivity and road safe ty. He is an internationally renowned authority on heavy vehicle technology, road safe ty and the complex interplay of heavy vehicles and road ways, and has received many awards and accolades for his achievements.
[l-r] Nick Lubransky, Primo Martignago, and Hall of Fame GM Nick
Hazel ANNETT Peter BRUZSA Laszlo BYRNES Ronald ANDREWS Maxwell ARTY Raymond BARTY Leonard BONNEY Byron CUTTER Sidney DEANE John DICKERSON Joe DOW Ross BYRNES Barbara CHARLES Larry COCKBURN Edward CUTTER Jeffrey Robert CUTTER William GILL Larry HAILES Brian HALLIWELL Noel HAYTER David Thomas HISCOCK Stanley HOPPER Kenneth JOHNSON Adrian KNEE Barry KNEE Kathleen KNEE Peter MATTHEWS Sydney MARTIGNAGO Primo MOLLOY John NORTON Brian NORTON John SCHRAPEL Lesley SHIELLS Peter STEWART Ivor STEWART Donald TAYLOR Denis TORY Douglas WARD Lionel WHEARE Denis WOODWARD Steve BYRNES Barbara CHARLES Larry COCKBURN Edward CUTTER Jeffrey Robert CUTTER William GILL Larry HAILES Brian HALLIWELL Noel
ANDREWS Maxwell ARTHY Raymond BARTY Leonard BONNEY Byron CUTTER Sidney DEANE John DICKERSON Joe DOW Ross DOW John FOWLER Keith HICKS Gerard JOHNS Colin KELLY Leo LAMPRELL Terence LEAHY James McAULIFFE Kevin MULLANE Raymond NEWLAND Beverley PFEIFFER Barry PICONE Robert PURTILL Geoffrey PURTILL Ian PURTILL Keith REDDING Peter SMITH Edward
Steven Woodward, who is based in Kiama, began his driving career in the 1980s. He has been involved in some of the biggest heavy haulage moves in the coun try and has become a master of multiple truck and ‘pushpull’ operations. Woodward has developed a unique and highly specialised skill set. Aways keen to share his knowledge, he is known for
Lionel Frances Ward from WA (centre).
Steven Woodward from NSW (centre).
AMONG the inductees to the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at the 2022 National Road Transport Hall of Fame Reunion in Alice Springs last month were those who were named Icons of The Industry. Icons from each state were celebrated for their lifetime service to the Australian road transport industry.
Icons of the industry celebrated
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU16 EVENTS
rial Truck Show was held as part of the Wondai Show, in Queensland’s South Burnett region. It took place at the Wondai Showgrounds on Sat urday August 27.
Rural truck show honours local trucking legend
Photo: Black Thunder Photography
The show was named in honour of local transport legend Col Porter, who passed away last year.
“The entire show went real ly well. We had trucks coming in all the way from Brisbane and Beerwah. Everyone who came really enjoyed it. I think the community was happy to be able to get out and catch up at this sort of event again, after it being cancelled the previous two years.”
Truck of the Show went to Laurie Williams of Anywhere Truck & Machinery Heavy Towing, for this 2000 model Western Star 4900.
his wife Marie. He managed to grow his business from one truck, to 33 prime movers and 90 Intrailers.May 1990, he became the first person in Queensland and the second person nation ally to introduce B-doubles with stock crates.
Porter’s foray into trucking began in the 1960s when he began driving part-time for a livestock carrier. He bought his first truck, a four-ton cab-over Bedford, in 1968 and from there Porters Transport was born, which he ran alongside
Williams of Anywhere Truck & Machinery Heavy Towing, with his 2000 model Western Star 4900. Coming in a close second was runner up Clint and Robyn Whitaker from Whitaker Brahman Charbray Charolais; while Les Fish at Gleich Contracting Pty Ltd received the Encouragement award.“There were three judges on the day and all it came down to between the Truck of the Show and the runner up was that one
Truck of the Show went to Laurie Williams for his 2000 model Western Star 4900.
Winner in the Best Bling category and overall runner up was this Kenworth T410SAR from Whitaker Beef. Photo: Black Thunder Photography
Truck show organiser Bree Retschlag said that following his passing, it was fitting for the show to pay tribute to his legacy.The Col Porter Memo
“Col Porter was quite well known within the transport industry in the South Burnett area here. My husband’s grand parents knew his personally too and had travelled around Australia with him and his wife Marie. We thought this would be a nice way to honour him,
especially since he is such a big icon within the area,” Ret schlagTheexplained.event attracted 26 trucks, with 12 awards handed out on the day.
This Kenworth Legend W900SAR scored first place for Jason Protheroe from Guse Transport Services in the 0-3 Years award category. Photo: Black Thunder Photography
AFTER being cancelled for the past two years, the Won dai Truck Show returned with a new name this year, in hon our of local livestock transport legend Col Porter, who passed away in April 2021.
“The Porter family came down and presented the awards. Col’s wife Marie, daughter Leanne, sister Heath er and her daughter Donna were all there on the day,” add ed Retschlag.Thebiggest award, Truck of the Show, went to Laurie
Show organiser Bree Retschlag, Leanne Porter, Truck of the Show winner Laurie Williams, Marie Porter, and the show’s ground coordinator Josh Retschlag. Photo: Gotcha By Karl Photography
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Photo: National Road Transport Hall of Fame
The Truck of the Show 2022 Trophy was kindly donated by Retschlag’s On Farm Butchering.
This Gleich Contracting trio of Kenworth T659s made a grand entrance, taking first place for Best Fleet. Photo: Black Thunder Photography
was a brand new truck and the other was 22 years old. The condition that truck was in for its age really made it stand out,” Retschlag said.
CATALOGUESEP–OCTOUTNOW! trpparts.com.au/catalogues FREECALL* 1800 TRPART (877 278) ONE PHONE NUMBER TO CONNECT WITH 57 DEALERS AUSTRALIA WIDE Prices herein are recommended selling prices for both Privileges members and non-members, inclusive of GST. Recommended selling prices are a guide only and there is no obligation for Dealers to comply with these recommendations. Freight charges may apply. All items have been included in good faith on the basis that goods will be available at the time of sale. Prices and promotions are available at participating Dealers from 1 September 2022 to 31 October 2022 or while stocks last. * Calls from Australian landlines are generally free of charge whilst calls from mobile phones are typically charged based on the rate determined by the caller’s mobile service provider. Please check with your mobile service provider for call rates. We are unfortunately experiencing shipping delays which means some products may not be in store on the advertised on-sale date. We are trying our best to limit these delays and at the time of publishing, advertised product sale dates are correct; however, they are subject to change due to factors outside our control. SUPPORT.GENUINEPEOPLE.GENUINE BRAKE CLEAN $FROM49.50 Quick drying solvent-based degreaser for brake parts & general parts around the TRPBC5workshop$49.50 5L TRPBC20 $130 20L TRPBC200 $1,196 200L MULTI CLEAN $FROM10 All Purpose TRPMC750citrusWater-basedCleanerwithnaturalsolvents $10 750ml TRPMC5 $21 5L TRPMC20 $70 22L TRPMC200 $550 200L WIPER BLADE $27 600mm wiper blade with 8mm WW600B8Brubber CRYSTAL CLEAN $FROM10.50 Spray & wipe cleaner suitable for glass, chrome & stainless steel Window tint safe TRPCC750 $10.50 750ml TRPCC5 $21.50 5L TRPCC20TRPBC20TRPMC20 TRPCC20 LOAD RESTRAINTS $FROM13.20 TRPLB8MM $36.30 Ratchet loadbinder - 7-8mm Complies to AS/NZS 4344 TRPLC8MM $60 8mm x 9m chain kits with grab hooks Complies to AS/NZS 4344 TRPRS12M $25.80 50mm x 12m, 2,500kg lashing capacity, complete with hook, keeper & 2 protective sleeves Replacement straps available - Part No. TRPS12M Complies to AS/NZS 4380 TRPS9M $13.20 Replacement strap 50mm x 9m TRPS12M $19.80 Replacement strap 50mm x 12m TRPRS12M TRPLC8MMPeter Mammarella – Manager TRP Somerton, TRP Ballarat, TRP Geelong, VIC Q: How do you engage your local market to ensure their needs are met? A: For us, we are dedicated to building relationships out in the field, and we do that through our outside sales reps (OSRs). We have had some challenges in the last couple of years, primarily with COVID, but once again our outside sales reps are out visiting customers, listening to their requirements, and ensuring that we are meeting their needs. We’re actively out there pursuing customer feedback and doing what we can to put the right levels of service in place. On top of this, we have our promotions, our range guides, we’re stocking more parts than ever, and we’re continually growing from the feedback we’re receiving from our customers. Q: What is important to our customers now, more than ever? A: Availability is really important to our customers, as is back-up support – knowing that we’re there to support them – and, of course, relationships. When I look at our customers, I see that over the last six months, they’re really crying out for that support from us. They need us to be there for them as much as we need them to be there for us, and that’s what we aim to do. TRP Somerton (Kenworth DAF Melbourne Group) 2/15 Cooper St, Campbellfield VIC 3061
We also installed a stereo so we could listen to Alpha Blokes podcast on the bash. Altogether with the car, mechanics, stereo, RWC and rego we’ve spent a good $10,000 for the “88 Astra to be bash ready.
ALMOST as soon as Amelia ‘Milly MC’ McNamara first heard from a friend about The Variety Bash, a manic 10-day fundraiser to help Aussie kids who are sick, disadvantaged or living with a disability, she’d committed boots and all.
sored us by buying us the bash car.90h Nation and Steven Rog er together donated us a C509 Centurion Drake Model to raf fle to raise money to reach our fundraising goal.
Helping give Aussie kids a fair go
Agnes Water Auto Mechan ics worked on the car for 5 weeks to have it ready for us in time for the bash.
How did you raise the $8500 entry?
At first, it was daunting because I had no idea how I was going
Tell us about your ‘bash’ car
I found a 1988 Holden Astra on Facebook marketplace that had already been used previous ly as a bash car, so the majority of the specs were done to the car that saved us a bit of time and money, but it needed a lot of work mechanically done to it to even pass a RWC.
to raise $8500 or if anyone would sponsor us.
If you’d like to donate to the Vari ety, and support bash car “HVY HAUL #1207” please visit Milly MC’s donation page
However, being a part of the trucking industry, and known in the industry, I figured my best bet was to ask people/com panies in the industry to be our sponsors.Tomfrom Ace Heavy Haul age was our very first sponsor and soon enough we gained more sponsors: Heather Jones (Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls), Planthaul Heavy Haulage, TJM Earthworks, Ryan Northcott (HQ Blingman), SJH Heavy Haulage (Top Tier Sponsor), Mahers Heavy Haulage, The Jake Brake Kid, RMPS, Lucky Inger Designs, and a truck deal ership that wishes to be kept anonymous.RMPS (Ron McNamara Pilot Services) generously spon
The pair set off from Winton with 149 other teams in a wide range The Variety Bash is not a race or a rally. It’s an adventure with mates. Our advice is based on practical and proven knowledge of the needs and challenges facing the transport industry. As a full service brokerage, we provide you with a competitive analysis and review of your business operations, meet with you face to face, simplify the insurance jargon, and manage your claims. TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS INSURANCE. UNCOMPLICATED. Midland. INSURANCE BROKERS transport@midlandinsurance.com.au midlandinsurance.com.au 1300 136 055 - Principal PartnersMidland Insurance Brokers
What’s involved exactly? Each car commits to raising $8500 to help kids in need, which is raised by sponsors for your bash car, donations and fundraising.
18 FEATURE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
The long-time heavy vehicle pilot for her father’s business Ron McNamara Pilot Ser vices (RMPS) quickly roped in truckie Sam Hill, who has run his trucking business, Hills Group Sunshine Coast, for the last five years, and is the me chanical whiz of the team.
Along with 149 other teams in a wide range of 30-plus year-
Mahers Heavy Haulage also generously offered to give our bash car a makeover and smashed out a paint job the weekend before the bash to bring the “88 Holden Astra alive with a “Ferrari Red”. It unfortunately does not make the car any faster.
Lucky Inger Designs creat ed my ‘MILLY MC’ logo for the bash car and the colours of the logo and the car really complements each other and stands out. A truck dealership that wishes to be kept anony mous sponsored us $500 and
Kenworth Merchandise do nated hoodies, beanies and stubbie coolers, which we were so grateful for as the stubbie coolers kept our rums cold and the hoodies and beanies kept us warm in the cold rainy weather we’ve been experiencing on the trip. With the help of our spon sors and donations we were able to raise $11,500 for Qld Vari ety, which collected a record $2.3m in total this year.
Tyrepower Bundaberg looked after us by ensuring we had a wheel alignment and new tyres on our spares to get us through the 10-day trip.
With sponsorship from a generous array of industry backers, two good friends swapped heavy vehicles for a tried and trusted Holden Astra, and an adventure of a lifetime.
Sunshine Coast truckie Sam Hill and Queensland-based heavy vehicle pilot Milly MC jumped at the chance to help raise funds for disadvantaged children.
We caught up with Milly MC on a rare rest day before the final push to the finish line to find out a little more.
old vehicles, they set off from Winton in their trusty Astra on August 29 bound for Yeppoon on September 7, via the iconic Birdsville horse races.
orlot/MillyBashandTovarietybashqld.com.au/hvyhaul.https://followourbashcarjourneyseeourphotosoftheVarietyfollowheavy_haulage_piMConInstagramand/Facebook.
Not even the 11th-hour de fection of the friend who’d first got Milly MC keen due to work commitments could derail this dynamic duo.
the Eye Van back out helping indigenous communities af ter being severely impacted by Covid.“The Eye Van was impacted through Covid when the indig enous communities closed to prevent transmission. During that time the Eye Van was uti lised by rural hospitals to run outpatients Ophthalmic Clin ics bringing much needed treat ment to Central Queensland,” she“Nowsaid. the indigenous clinics are resuming and so it is great to have it back out on the road, bringing world-class facilities to rural and remote communities preventing avoidable blind ness.”Since the first clinic in 2013, the St John’s Ambulance Eye Van has travelled 600,000 ki lometres around rural and re mote Queensland and country Victoria.
The team behind the ini tiative who head out to rural communities every 8-12 weeks
Fuel efficiency gains are a winner for Adelaide fleet
Based in Adelaide, Dia mond Brothers’ early history was centred around car car rying, but it has evolved into a dedicated interstate general carrier with a keen eye on cus tomer service and operational efficiencies.TheDiamond Brothers fleet services all east coast capitals as well as Perth, in predominantly B-double and B-triple applications.
“I’ve noticed it’s a lot friendlier truck, you’ve got the space, you don’t feel like you’re squashed, the Anthem seems to be just more driver friendly.“Asa linehaul driver I do spend a lot more time on the road than I do in my own bed, the Anthem has got the comfort, it’s got a nice bed room, nice comfortable seats and it’s got the space, it’s a good truck to be out on the road and away from home in. I think the Anthem is going to be a game changer.”
Some of these conditions require treatment every eight weeks to prevent vision loss – this is challenging particu larly with the elderly who, in
UD Trucks partners with the Eye Van
Cherbourg based artist Venus Rabbit credits the Eye Van with restoring her colour vision, allowing her to paint in colour again. Mark Morrissey is behind the wheel of the UD Quon Eye Van.
Long term Diamond Brothers driver, Andy Price, is fan of the Mack Anthem too, “I’ve been in the Anthem for over a year now. I find I’m actually less fatigued than I would if I was driving a more conventional truck,” he said.
UD Trucks Australia’s partnership with the Eye Van (formerly called the IDEAS Van) involves providing and maintaining the prime mover
that pulls the mobile ophthal mology clinic. The IDEAS Van was independent before merging with St John’s Am bulance in January this year and becoming known as the Eye“UDVan.Trucks’ mission is ‘to challenge for better life’ so the partnership with the Eye Van is an extremely fitting one for the brand,” said Lauren Pulitano, vice president, UD Trucks
“A lot of trucks would kick and buck like you were riding a horse but the Anthem is a lot smoother to drive.
UD Trucks Australia’s partnership with the Eye Van involves providing and maintaining the prime mover that pulls the mobile ophthalmology clinic.
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Diamond Brothers already has a couple of Mack An
• Dr Rowan Porter, who has been the ophthalmologist on the truck since 2014 as well as the designer of the inside of the vehicle and the clinical advisor to the Eye Van.
“UDAustralia.Trucksis part of Vol vo Group Australia, Australia’s largest heavy vehicle manufac turer, who have been partners with the Eye Van since its in
“We have better fuel econ omy with the Anthem. Fuel efficiency is important for two reasons, one is obviously the cost of fuel and you want to keep your costs down as much as you can. But it’s also about your carbon footprint as well, so that’s been good for us also,” McDermid added.
In recent years more and more Mack Trucks have been welcomed into the fleet.
PULLED by a UD Quon GK 4x2, the St John’s Ambulance Eye Van is the first of its kind in the world, designed to sup port rural and remote com munities.TheEye Van is being used in an effort to substantially reduce blindness and visual impairment amongst Aborig inal and Torres Strait Islanders with diabetes. Since its incep tion in 2013, it has treated over 5500 people.
• Mark Morrissey, who has been the driver/van operator since 2014.
DIAMOND Brothers Trans port has been operating for close to 70 years, with its fleet heading all over Australia. Given the vast distances trav elled, the fuel efficiency gains being achieved by the latest additions to the fleet have certainly impressed.
•includes:Founder of the Eye Van, Lyn dall De Marco, St John Am bulance’s general manager of ophthalmology programs.
20 NEWS FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
ception in 2013, providing a vehicle for their mission for the past 10 years. A UD Truck has been supplied for the Eye Clinic to utilise since 2019.”
up the front, the ride in the Anthem is incredible.
Kym McDermid, CEO Diamond Brothers Transport.
live in rural and remote com munities. One in three will experience vision loss which is preventable or treatable in 94 per cent of cases when diag nosed in the early stages.
many cases, aren’t able to leave their community to get the re quired care.
A well-known Aboriginal artist, Venus Rabbit, had signif icant eye problems but attended the Eye Van and subsequently was treated for cataracts. “Now I can paint in colours,” she said.
Kym McDermid, CEO Diamond Brothers Transport, is a keen supporter of the bull dog brand, “Mack in Austra lia has an incredible amount of history, I was brought up with massive Macks carrying Buntine road trains all over Australia.”However, McDermid said it’s the new generation of Mack Trucks that have really impressed with their efficien cy and “Withperformance.over50 years of Mack being made here in Australia we have the Anthem that is a new generation, not only does it look fantastic it does the job too,” he said.
De Marco said it is great to have
thems on linehaul work, with a few more on order.
“The Quon GK 4x2 is one of the safest and most com fortable trucks in its class. UD actually stands for ultimate dependability, so the reliabil ity of the Quon makes it the ideal truck to tackle the harsh terrain and reach patients in remote rural communities,” PulitanoDiabetesadded.and glucose in tolerance affects 50 per cent of the Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander adults who
“With the eight-airbag sys tem on the rear and the par abolic leaf spring suspension
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Tom is firm in the belief that the International prod uct has always been a smart choice.“Pound for pound, the In ters are still a good thing as I can fix them and you keep the maintenance up to them and away you go.
Towing a drop-deck trail er with ramps, the T-Line prime mover was purchased out of an auction.
WHILE the Internation al brand name is no longer represented in the new truck marketplace, for Tom and Letitia Harrington, the In ternational product keeps the wheels of their business turning across a large part of the Riverina in New South Wales.“Ihave always had a bit of a passion for the old In ternationals, and we have a truck for every job - they all have their specific use - they all run pretty much all year round,” explained Tom Har rington.
The Atkinson tows a su per-dog, mainly hauling
gravel and sand and Tom reckons the old ‘Silver 92’ hums along pretty well for its “Weage. will get 32 tonne on it, it’s a bit allergic to hills but its good out here on the flat country! We have a bit of country at Tocumwal, so it sings on its way out there –it’s still a comfortable truck to drive.”Keeping the Atkinson honest are a pair of Cum mins powered 2700 Series T-Lines, a 1992 rigid with a tipping body and a 1996 prime mover, both of which have also stood the test of time as Tom detailed: “The T-Line tray was original ly an army fuel tanker and had only done 110,000 k’s when we got it. We took the tank off it and Nixon’s in Wagga put a tipping tray on it. There’s nothing wrong with it - everything like the air conditioner and so forth works properly still. It’s a bloody handy truck.”
“He bought it brand new on the farm at West Wyalong and it will do up really well one day - I will spend a bit of money on it and it will come up a million dollars,” he said.
Given the choice of the two to jump behind the wheel however it’s an easy decision for Tom: “The At kinson is my pick. Just get in and send it - it’s a beauty! She’s pretty bloody good.”
The RSS operation is proof that older, well-main tained trucks can still be good servants for many years and it would seem that the trucks working in the Har rington’s business will be out earning their keep for a num ber of years to come.
“We have a truck for every job”: The RSS fleet is a versatile operation. “Just get in it and send it!” The
“We got the Atkinson off
is Tom’s pick of the fleet.
Tom and Letitia Harrington reckon they are on a good thing with their Internationals. Atkinson
Inters holding court in the Riverina plentytruckswell-maintainedproofoperationRiverinaislivingthatolder,stillhavetooffer.
This
A TRUCK IS THERE TO MAKE YOU MONEY, NOT HAVE YOU WORKING MAKING MONEY FOR THE TOMTRUCK.”HARRINGTON
business wouldn’t survive without the trucks,” Tom ex plained.ForTom, the Internation al connection stretches all the way back to his grandfather’s 1954 model AS154, which is currently sitting in the shed at the RSS Culcairn depot, with a restoration on the cards in the future.
The RSS trucks lined up at Culcairn: [L-R] the 1996 T-Line, 1992 T-Line and 1986 Atkinson.
“My father had an ACCO 3070 with a little GM in it which he used to cart all the wheat with on the farm also, so it all sort of started from there.”Also in the RSS fleet is a 2013 Kenworth SAR which is painted in the yellow co lours of its previous owners, Daisy’s Landscape Supplies of Melbourne.Havingclocked over 1 million kilometres, the SAR often works in tandem with the Atkinson on the sand and gravel haulage.
22 FEATURE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
BY DAVID VILE
The cab and so on was pretty ratty so we gave her a respray and a new tipper body. ‘Spider’ (David Webb) over in Wodonga does all our GM work and has done for years, he fixed the engine up and he reckoned it was one of the best ones he had seen in a“Thewhile.gearbox has just been done with an overhaul on the springs next up and we should get another 10-15 years out of that.”
“They are good Australian made trucks, and they are not costing us a lot of money to run. It’s nice to have nice new ones sitting in the shed, but a truck is there to make you money, not have you working making money for the truck.”
“We use it to pick up grass and hay off farms, being a 1996 model, it was one of the last of them built, and now they are pretty rare to find. They have proven the test of time they are still a good-looking truck on the road,” he Employingsaid. a staff of six, RSS operates with a 300–400-kilometre radius of Albury-Wodonga, working as far afield as Echuca, Lee ton, Ivanhoe, Orange and Canberra.Assuch the transport tasks differ and versatility is a key factor for the Harringtons trucks.“They are a necessity for our business, and they are all used just about every day one way or the other. It just takes the hassle out of organising someone to deliver stuff - our
Operating as Riverina Sporting Services (RSS), the Harrington family un dertakes the construction of tennis courts and sporting arenas, with the company’s fleet of four trucks all utilised across various aspects of the business.Three out of the four trucks in the RSS fleet orig inated at the International Harvester plant in Dande nong, and despite their ad vancing years are all solid trucks with plenty of work left to give, with a 1986 At kinson tipper at the top of the pecking order.
a farmer in Queensland, it has an 8/92 Detroit in it,” explained Tom.
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Volvo Group Australia pres ident and CEO Martin Mer
mental credentials and perfor mance, all while showcasing the possibilities of EV technology,” said Tony Fairweather, SEA Electric’s CEO and founder.
“This is why Volvo Group have signed up to the Paris Agreement. We are commit ted to the science-based targets initiative and our targets to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 have been ratified by the SBTI.”
The first all-electric aviation refueller in Australia is now in operation in Brisbane.
The next-generation electric refueller, a SEA Electric SEA 500 EV, was commissioned by Air bp and will hold 16,000 li tres of Jet-A1 – a key aviation fuel.Using Lithium-Ion batteries and digital charging mecha nisms, this is the first all-electric aviation refueller in Australia.
All onboard pumps and functions are also fully electri fied on the refueller.
GMP Law is investigating a class action and the compensation could potentially be a significant proportion of the purchase price of the vehicle. There is no risk or cost to you for being a class Theremember.isnorisk or cost to you for Ifregistering.youhaveowned a Hino vehicle made between 1 January 2003 and 2 August 2022 you may be entitled to significant Todamages.register please vehicles.EmissionsFueltheHinowww.hinoclassaction.com.auvisit:misreportedPerformance,Efficiency,andoftheirCLASS ACTION AGAINST HINO
Volvo Trucks says it collect ed feedback from the field to
for the “SEAvehicle.Electric is proud to be partnering with Air bp on this world-leading project, which sets the standard for environ
“This has resulted in a more human centric approach to
THE fire sector got an ad vanced look at the first new Volvo FM Crew cab delivered to the industry at a national fire and emergency services exhibi tion in UnveiledAdelaide.atAFAC 2022 on behalf of the ACT Emergency Services Agency, this Volvo FM crew cab has been specially de signed and equipped, front to back, with the needs of the fire fighter top of mind.
help achieve this,” said King.
ipates the electric refueller will reduce bp’s operation and maintenance costs when com pared with similar diesel-fu elledMinisterrefuellers.for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Develop ment and Local Government Catherine King attended the official event to mark its start of operations“TheAustralian Govern ment is committed to working with industry to cut emissions right across our aviation opera tions, and this is a fantastic ex ample of how technology can
Thistrucks.latest adaptation sees the bulk of the energy for the truck devoted to the fuel deliv ery task, rather than propulsion
24 NEWS FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
Designed to operate for a full day with overnight charging, Air bp also antic
“The government congrat ulates Air bp on its successful commissioning of this new electric refueller, and looks forward to working with in dustry partners to further abate carbon emissions in
create the safest, most comfort able and innovative vehicle for those tasked with protecting the community during times of crisis.Akey focus during the de velopment of the Crew Cab was to create a working environ ment that makes a firefighter’s job easier while also supporting the health and well-being of their teams in the challenging conditions they face.
Australian aviation.”
emergency vehicle design, with new standards in performance, ergonomics and driver safety,” said Volvo in a media state ment.The vehicle unveiled at the show is equipped with a Euro 6 emissions compliant 11L Vol vo engine, and fully automat ic transmission with leading safety features, making this a fit-for-purpose solution for the emergency services sector.
Volvo Group Australia president and CEO Martin Merrick was on hand to unveil the truck.
This system has previously been adapted to electrify a wide range of ancillary functions, such as the hydraulic systems found on refuse vehicles, ele vated work platforms, tippers and tilt trays, or the cooling units found in refrigerated de livery
Australia’s first all-electric aviation refueller
“We are already establishing a unit within my department to work across government and with industry to drive down domestic transport sector emis sions and the upcoming avia tion white paper will consider how to transition the sector into a net-zero world.
rick was on hand to unveil the vehicle.“We’re aware it’s been a very tough few years for this sector and we continue to see the devastating effects of climate change,” said Merrick.
THE Australian Government has welcomed the entry into service of a new all-electric re fueller at Brisbane Airport.
Volvo boss unveils new fire truck at Adelaide exhibition
PUD driver Darren Cartner.
Senior claims and subcontractor administrator Melissa Crain.
BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022
Darren Cartner has been a local PUD driver at Follow
Through an unrivalled network and dedication to providing an industry-lead ing service, Followmont has created security and stability for their team. But what they pride themselves most on is the family culture that’s felt throughout the business.
years with Followmont and I was really comfortable know ing that my position was there when I returned to work and Followmont provided the flex ibility my family needed for work-life balance,” said Crain.
“We invest in developing our team and their career pro gression, and have people at Followmont who have worked their way from assisting on the rollers to now being regional managers.“Itdoesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, or where you come from, it’s about the right attitude and living by our family values every day,” he said.
Your chance to join the Followmont family
Thirty-eight years on, Fol lowmont Transport employs almost 1000 people across Queensland and NSW, and continues to grow. With 22 owned and operated depots in major cities and rural towns, Followmont services every cor ner, supporting local commu nities and delivering life-saving medication and household goods. Keeping the shelves stocked for local businesses and making sure the large retailers have everything you need, is all in a day’s work for their team.
“The support you receive at
Followmont Transport managing director Mark Tobin.
Mark Tobin commented that the business is all about giving people an opportunity.
BACK in 1984, a two-men, one truck operation started something that has grown into Queensland’s largest fami ly-owned transport company.
Townsville workshop manager Reece Lynam.
mont for over 11 years and always wears his Followmont badge with pride.
ternal people and culture team and business partners located in every region, looking for people to join the family who have a can-do attitude and care about the work they do, how they treat their customers and their fellow teammates. With roles in various locations from Cairns through to Sydney, they’re on the hunt for linehaul and local drivers, heavy vehicle mechanics, operational and head office staff.
“Our team are our Follow mont family, our investment in people, in equipment, in our depots, is all about providing a future for our people and creat ing a self-sustainable transport business.“For us, the most import ant thing is that we develop a culture where our Followmont family enjoy coming to work every day and will do for years to come,” said FollowmontTobin.Transport re cruit all year round with an in
For Melissa Crain, the flexi bility that was offered when she returned from maternity leave is what helps create a family culture.“I’ve been looking after the claims department over my 10
“For me it is special working at Followmont as I have been able to fulfill my passion. It has provided me with the freedom to do a variety of things in the way of charity work and look after specialised customers,” CartnerReecesaid.Lynam, workshop manager from the Townsville depot, started with Followmont in 2012 and hasn’t looked back.
Followmont is second to none. It’s a great environment that encourages people to grow, and invests in their equipment. Our workshop in Townsville is amazing, the team love coming in each day and getting to work with Macks, Kenworths and UDs,” he said.
Join the Followmont fam ily for a rewarding career with a strong, stable, and indus try-leading employer that is pas sionate about their people. You can get behind the wheel today as the recruitment team is look ing for several professional driv er roles in both Queensland and NSW. For a full list of current opportunities contact recruit ment on visitmont.com.au,recruitment@follow0736084663orfollowmont.com.au.
the industry’s future.
SPONSORED CONTENT DRIVING AUSTRALIA 2.0 25
Managing director Mark To bin knows that the people are the secret to the company’s suc cess and puts everything back into their development and supporting business growth for
“I was attracted to Scania because of the level of inno vation in the trucks and I am looking forward to working with Scania’s hybrid and EV powertrains when I qualify.”
Once qualified with a Cer tificate III in Heavy Com mercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR31120) or Certificate III Automo tive Electrical Technology (AUR30320), there are mul tiple career paths to follow within Scania, both in Aus tralia and within the global network.AScania apprentice be comes a member of the 50,000-strong global Scania family, backed by the TRA
2023
Apprentices are directly employed by Scania at one of its nine capital city branches.
If you are interested in any of these roles, please contact John Markham via email at @tollgroup.comjohn.markham or phone 0402 965 715 to discuss further. The Role INDUSTRY LEADING RATES OF PAY & SUPERANUATION OF 15% ROSTERS THAT PROVIDE WORK/ LIFE BALANCE IF YOU WANT TO LEARN FUEL WE’RE WILLING TO TRAIN THE RIGHT PEOPLE
as well as face-to-face train ing at Scania’s Dealer Sup port Centre in Melbourne. Apprentices may also join the Scania global Top Team workshop competition which takes place every two years and in which Australia has been a regular global winner andScania’sfinalist. earn-while-youlearn approach pays above award wages, there are flex ible working arrangements, and apprentices can accelerate their learning to gain qualifi
teamwork in the workshop is very strong, and the qualified technicians go out of their way to help you out,” he said.
To find out more, career/apprenticeships.html.itcareers@scania.com.aucontactorvisscania.com/au/en/home/
Scania begins search for its apprentice intake
cation in under four years.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU26 DRIVING AUSTRALIA 2.0
Scania Australia’s manag ing director Manfred Streit added that the company’s ap prentices are some of its most highly prized assets. “We’re nurturing the next genera tion of technicians who will play a critical part in our industry’s technology trans formation as we journey to a Zero Emissions future for our trucks, buses, and ma rine and industrial engines and gensets,” he said.
Toll embraces and celebrates a variety of cultures. We continue to build a business that reflects the values of equality, built on the knowledge and understanding that everyone is welcome including the First Nations Peoples, and those of all ages, genders, and abilities. Women are actively encouraged to apply.
“It has been very enjoyable working at Scania. They want you to be hands-on as soon as possible and there is a good deal of mentoring. Even the boss comes to check on how I am doing,” he said.
TON Group, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, one of the world’s premier automotive original equipment manufac turers.Third-year apprentice Max Davies is based at Sca nia’s Campbellfield branch in Melbourne and says the pro cess so far has been smooth sailing.“You’re treated like a real person, and you are learning all the time, gaining experi ence all the way. The sense of
In Sydney at Scania’s brand-new Eastern Creek workshop, Justin Quach is also in his third year and said he came to Scania with no
All applicants must be entitled to work in Australia and be prepared to undergo a criminal history check, pre-employment medical and/ or drug & alcohol testing as required.
Toll Group have full time permanent opportunities for experienced MC/ HC drivers and new drivers wanting to expand their career path for our Fuels Business operating nationally. Benefits: • Permanent Full Time Opportunity • Great hourly Rates and allowances • Career advancement and training opportunities • Safety Obsessed Culture • Modern Fleet with replacement programs • Varying Rosters to provide a work/ life balance • 5 Weeks A/L Skills & Experience • Current MC/HC driver’s license • Current Dangerous Goods (DG) license preferred • Experience in bulk fuel is preferred, but all training will be provided • Basic Fatigue Management accreditation preferred • Experienced MC and HC Drivers Working at Toll At Toll Fuels we are proud to be a leading logistics provider of bulk liquid, you name it we do it from Metro service stations, Jet and Avgas to Mine site distribution with local and linehaul options. Immediate Starts Available in Sydney Fuel Driver Opportunities NATIONALLY
SCANIA has begun the search for its next group of apprentices, with 20 appren ticeships being offered as part of its 2023 Whetherintake.it’son-the-tools in the workshop, or marshal ling parts to feed to techni cians, Scania offers a variety of apprenticeships in Austra lia designed to lead to a re warding career working with its advanced range of trucks andDirectlybuses. employed by Sca nia at one of its nine capital city branches, apprentices work with cleaalreadytingmodernabletemscomputerisedgines,inindustry-leadingstate-of-the-arttechnologyheavytrucks,busesandenusingfactory-provideddiagnosticsystoensureefficient,reliperformance.Scania’scompany-ownedworkshopsusecutedgetechnologyandaretransitioningtowardsbattery-electricdrivenvehifuture.Overfouryears,apprenticeswillcompleteindustry-accreditedtraininginassociationwithTAFEs,comprisingon-the-jobmentoring,factory-suppliedguidedlearning,
diesel engine knowledge, but nevertheless was very keen to become a technician.
Scania apprentice Justin Quach of Eastern Creek.
“We have a small team at this workshop, and we all get on well. You are expected to get your hands dirty. I was doing services at the end of the first year, and my biggest job so far has been rebuilding a gearbox by myself.”
QTA says action needed to fill truck driver roles now
Join usGovernmentwww.qta.com.au/join-usappointedIndustrySkillsAdvisorforTransportandLogistics Helping you navigate tight PersonalisedturnsServiceTailoredSolutionsGenuineConcernReliableSupport Employment Relations | Policy & Compliance | WHS | Training & Skilling
Under the current licensing systems, there is no recogni tion of the value of industry ex perience, acquired knowledge and responsibility associated with operating a heavy vehicle. This prevents competent driv ers attaining upgraded license levels without serving the set periods for upgrades. These set
BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 SPONSORED CONTENT DRIVING AUSTRALIA 2.0 27
into secure employment. This program based upon the Curriculum Framework designed by industry is strongly supported by commercial road freight operators committed to taking on drivers that have been through a competency-based system and emerging with job readyWeskills.need government to act now and fund the QTA Jobs Ready Program to secure the future of the road freight in dustry.
Followmont has innovative training and leadership programs to support its diversive workforce.
WHILE road infrastructure will be challenged by volume, the road freight industry con tinues to be challenged by a lack of people to resource their businesses. The road freight in dustry is in urgent need of an injection of experienced heavy vehicle drivers to address the ongoing driver shortage. A via ble job ready employment pro gram that will ensure the road freight industry has the capa bility to meet the future growth
This program addresses key issues confronting the Queensland road freight in dustry with the supply and training of job ready quality drivers into safe, long-lasting employment in a dynamic, innovative, and future driven industry.Employers want safe, com petent, job ready candidates who view the industry as a ca reer of choice that offers finan cially stable employment with long term prospects.
workforce in the industry. This will also contribute to an elevated public view of the importance of the role that professional drivers perform to keep trucks on the road de livering freight to all corners of the country. The program will aim to provide people of all ages looking for secure employment in a vitally im portant industry with the op portunity to learn new skills, upgrade skills or re-train in a new industry and transition
QTA Jobs Ready Program. It will provide a solution that can be achieved in the short term. This program will produce competency based skilled li censed heavy vehicle drivers of a quality that will satisfy employ ers who are desperately needing to fill positions. These prospec tive candidates will be job ready to a standard set by employers.
and demand of road freight movement in Queensland needs to be funded by govern ment.While we commend the government for approving the Heavy Vehicle Driver Appren ticeship in Queensland and providing a formal pathway for drivers to train, this is a more longer-term solution to a prob lem that needs addressing now.
All Purpose Transport are industry leaders in training and skilling with all staff holding a minimum Certificate III qualification.
The Queensland Trucking Association has developed the
periods do not mean a driver has actual driving experience. As an industry we can do much better with some government support for an industry led, employer driven driver training program.Aprofessional driver devel opment/job ready program will provide a solution to the driver shortage for employers who are needing to fill the ongoing va cancies in their businesses due to the growing freight task as well as the impacts of an ageing
M: 0418 832 339 E: jamie_mcdonald@linfox.com
management. “They’ve got your back,” William said of the management team. “They provide not only all the train ing you need but they also sup port you in your role, so you can pass on your experience around safety to learners.
Whilst both Sean and Wil liam have the sort of attitude that the Amstrongs team looks for, neither of them had pre vious formal experience in training and assessment before coming on board. One of the great perks of a training role with Armstrongs is that the business provides compre hensive on-the-job-training, putting its trainers through a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, as well as ongoing professional truckingArmstrongsdevelopment.DriverTrainiscurrentlyrecruitingdrivertrainerswithatleast12monthsofheavyvehicledrivingexperience,avalidheavyvehiclelicense,andtherightmindsettobeagreattrainer.TheyarelookingfortrainerstojointheirThomastownandtheirTruganinacampuses,bothlocatedinVictoria.IfyouthinkyouhavewhatittakestobecomeavaluedmemberoftheArmstrongsteamandwanttoworkwithanorganisationthatpridesitselfondevelopingpeople,headtothecareerspageonarmdrive.com.au.
Truck driver trainer Sean.
Having also gained expe rience behind the wheel of a heavy vehicle in a full-time transport industry role, Wil liam used this complementary experience to land a training role with supportteamWilliamArmstrongs.lovesArmstrongs’cultureandthestrongthatcomesfrom
M: 0428 424 002 E: robert_coulthard@linfox.com Jamie
A CAREER in heavy vehicle training can be enormous ly fulfilling. Interacting with different people daily, helping people achieve their goals and developing the safe heavy ve hicle drivers of the future are all great reasons to become a trainer.Sean and William are two truck driver trainers with award-winning heavy vehicle training and licensing special ists Armstrongs Driver Ed ucation. Both highly valued members of the training team, Sean and William each made the leap from driving heavy vehicles to training drivers and haven’t looked back.
Full-time training positions available Competitive salary and better work-life balance Training and professional development provided Recruiting in Thomastown and Truganina, Victoria Armstrongs Driver Education has been producing safe, confident heavy vehicle drivers for over 50 years. Looking for a Rewarding Career Change? ➡ For more information, and to apply, visit the Careers page at www.armdrive.com.au We are currently recruiting trainers and assessors with the right attitude, a valid heavy vehicle license, and over 12 months' driving experience to join our team! Coal wash ex South32 Westcliff Colliery to a road project at Spring Farm in the Macarthur region Monday to Saturday, day shift operation Good rates which are subject to a weekly fuel variation TRUCK & WANTEDVEHICLESSUBCONTRACTORDOGANDDRIVERSFOR12MONTHSOFHAULAGEWORK Rob
to see it’s all about quality.”
Training the safe heavy vehicle drivers of the future Coulthard McDonald
For five years, William ded icated his spare time to volun teering with the L2P Program, which assists young Victorian learner drivers who don’t have access to a supervising driver, to gain the experience needed
Since then, Sean has been training drivers for Arm strongs at all vehicle levels: from light rigid all the way up
“You only have to look at all of Armstrongs’ five-star reviews
Truck and bus driver trainer William.
Fourteen years ago, Sean came to Armstrongs to do a forklift training and licensing course. After an Armstrongs team member noticed that Sean had a knack for help ing the other students in his forklift course, along with an ideal trainer’s attitude, they approached him about con sidering a role in training.
said, “Good heavy vehicle training is so important for road safety: for driver safety, but also for the wider commu nity.”Moving from a background in driving heavy vehicles on the road into training, Sean knows he made a good move. “I love the training role, espe cially seeing the faces of peo ple when they actually achieve getting their license,” Sean said. “It’s a very fulfilling job.” William is a newer recruit to the Armstrongs team and has been training with the business for eight months at the Truganina campus in Vic toria. William also came to the with the perfect attitude and a trainer’s mindset.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU28 SPONSORED CONTENT DRIVING AUSTRALIA 2.0
“THE transport and logis tics industry is predicted to continue to grow, and it will require well trained and moti vated employees to support this growth.”With this statement in mind the Victorian Transport Association (VTA), embarked on developing a program that would deliver a pathway for new entrants to the transport industry to be trained as Job Ready long-term employees in freight and logistics.
• Transition to Transport is an intensive one-day, nine-mod ule course that will provide those new to the industry with in-depth knowledge of the supply chain, logistics,
and
transport operations and as sociated regulations;
10-day training, mentoring and ‘behind-thewheel’ instruction experience to new heavy vehicle drivers.
Keys to a rewarding career in transport
TO LEARN MORE VISIT www.vta.com.au/driver-delivery/ or call 03 9646 8590. With the Australian freight task on track to triple by 2050, the road transport industry is busier than ever. We need motivated, competent, young people to join the industry, with a satisfying and rewarding career as a transport professional available to the right people. The Victorian Transport Association’s Driver Delivery program is an intensive eight-day course that trains participants in this highly skilled profession, and then puts them in paid employment with a transport operator. Participants will achieve a solid foundation of driving skills, confidence and the competency of operating heavy vehicles safely. Specific training is provided in: • Occupational Health & Safety • Cabin Drills • Load Restraint • Road Craft • Fatigue Management • Loading Docks Driver Delivery is supported by the Victorian Government, with tuition fully subsidised. Upon successful completion, the VTA will facilitate interviews with transport operators to help secure employment. • Metropolitan Driving • Rural Driving • Risk Reduction Techniques • Vehicle Inspection • Chain of Responsibility DRIVER DELIVERY your key to a rewarding career in transport
BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 CAREERS DRIVING AUSTRALIA 2.0 29
• Our two-day Warehouse Training is a two-day special ised training program that provides the individual with a basic knowledge of ware house functions, safety and environment.What’sunique about these programs is that they produce job-ready candidates and have the support of the VTA to place candidates in paid trans port work, along with profes sional mentoring to assist their transition into the workplace.
The mentor relationship is quickly established to ensure candidates concerns and needs are addressed, and they are giv en a clear understanding of the timelines, responsibilities, and expectations.Likelymany industries, there is presently a significant shortage of workers in the transport industry, so if you’re looking for a new career path in freight and logistics contact the VTA on 03 9646 8590 or vta.com.au/driver-delivery/.vta.com.au/freight-training/visitor
The Freight Workforce
• Driver Delivery is a 10-day training, mentoring and ‘be hind-the-wheel’ instruction experience to new heavy vehicle drivers. Individuals completing the Driver De livery Program will obtain a Heavy Rigid licence and will learn advanced driving prac tices and principles;
As a complement to the program, the VTA continues to offer a range of training that can lead to careers as transport industry professionals:
Project introduced earlier this year demonstrates the benefits of quality training individuals who can bring real value as safe, competent and professional transport workers. The proj ect is creating over 125 jobs in the transport and logistics in dustry, providing a sustainable pathway into Heavy Vehicle Driving, Forklift Driving and WarehousingCandidatesroles.are supplied by Jobs Victoria and focus on women, women over 45, In digenous people, new migrants and people under 25. The program provides the project manager and participant ample opportunity to understand the values and expectations that exist in the transport industry and determine their readiness and commitment before the provision of any training.
• Our Forklift Training Pro gram is a 5-day training pro gram which includes both practical and theory training;
Forklift training is a 5-day program that includes practical and theory.
Driver Delivery is a
AUSTRALIA’S heavy vehi cle industry is planning and building the vehicles and tech nology to deliver our current and future needs, with hun dreds of Australian and inter national companies involved in the manufacture, distribu tion and support of trucks, trailers, technology and their components.Wealso deliver: innova tion, sustainability, technolo gy, and diverse and rewarding career paths.
candidate’s A desire to uphold the Arrow company mantra of ‘Service Matters’ FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL OR TEXT 0432 232 891 For specificinformationadditionalandrequirementscontactPaul 0409 905 042 WANTED4OwnerDriverswithflattoprigidvehicles DTS is a specialised Transport Provider located in Newcastle and is seeking to engage 4 Owner Drivers with flattop rigid vehicles having a minimum tray length 0f 8 metres. The work will be predominately intrastate with crane on and off. Can be based in Sydney, Central Coast or Newcastle other areas in NSW also considered. Excellent rates and conditions with weekly payment terms.
A lot of people come to us with really interesting, dif
Qualified technician Evan Jones, above right.
I felt like I was paving the way for women and making it easier for them to get in.
I found that I really en joyed training younger ap
prentices, so I transitioned into a trainer and assessor role.We give apprentices the background knowledge and the skills, to have the confi dence and the ability to adapt.
ferent problems. Getting the opportunity to solve those, in a creative new way, and de veloping new things is a great experience.Somequalities you should take on when starting a ca reer: Grab any opportunities to learn from people that have been in the industry for a while.Spend time with them, and just soak up as much in formation as you can. It’s a great industry to be involved in; it’s a big industry - just give it a go.
The heavy vehicle industry has a vast number of oppor
Stacey Davies | Network optimisation manager | Daimler Truck and Bus
It could be your future too!
Evan Jones | Qualified tech nician | VCV Brisbane North
Get in and do the things that make you feel uncom fortable, because that’s where
Rob Smedley | Managing di rector | Smedley’s Engineers
We thought it might be in teresting for you to hear from a few people that work in dif ferent roles in the heavy vehi cle industry.
Smedley’s Engineers managing director Rob Smedley.
Network optimisation manager Stacey Davies.
petition. Then I was the first female to win.
One of my proudest achievements, I was the first female to ever compete in the National Apprentice Com
No day is the same as the last; I could be doing servicing, diagnostics, major repairs or even some field service work.
you’re going to learn the most. Do the tasks that you’re a little bit nervous about. Ask questions along the way be cause everyone will give you a hand.
My role contributes to the company by increasing the number of return customers. If a customer has a great ex perience, they are more likely to return to purchase a new product.Myfavourite thing about Daimler is the culture. We have great people, and it re ally is a great environment to workWithinin. the heavy vehi cle industry there are just so many opportunities for youngThispeople.hasbeen the best job in my 10-year career, and I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.
Much more than just a job
Louise Azzopardi | Trainer and assessor | WesTrac
Trainer and assessor Louise Azzopardi.
I teach the younger ap prentices the skills I’ve learned over the course of my appren ticeship.Ifyou want a career in the industry, the first and prob ably most important quali ty you need is the want and drive to do the work.
My first position was as a heavy vehicle mechanical ap prentice at Cummins.
If you are considering a role in the heavy vehicle in dustry, give it a go.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU30 DRIVING AUSTRALIA 2.0
Get on board here: truckjobs.online.
tunities available and even the chance to work anywhere around the country.
I contribute as part of the team, doing my bit to have trucks prepared efficiently and to a high-quality.
TAFE Queensland’s rep utation for quality training is a key reason that more than half of apprentices studying a Certificate III in Heavy Com mercial Vehicle Mechanical Technology (AUR31116) in Queensland are studying at the organisation.
It is not only school-based
are trained correctly, “Safety is paramount in the transport industry, and quality training ensures the workers maintain ing vehicles are doing so in a way that is safe,” he said.
them secure a worker for years to come in a tight labour mar ket. School-based apprentices typically spend one-two days per week working with their employer and the other days at school.Withthe transport indus try set to evolve in the coming years, Jenkinson says it is more important than ever to ensure mechanics and technicians
Easter Group Pty LtdEaster Group Pty Ltd Easter Group, located in Wacol, provides time sensitive road transporting solutions to many companies throughout Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. We are a family owned business, operating since 1976. We currently have the following positions available: OPERATIONS ALLOCATORS You will be required to work on a rotating roster including Previous Operations experience preferred. MC LOCAL, LINEHAUL & 2-UP (Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Based) Come and work for us as we are committed to: • Training and further education On offer are permanent full time and roster positions including paid leave entitlements and public holidays. Drivers will need to be available to be scheduled for work falling across the 7 days of the week. • Hold a current MC licence (minimum two years) of the HVNL and Load Restraint To apply for the Operations/Driver positions please contact your resume to WORKSHOP MECHANICS & TYRE FITTERS WANTED (Brisbane based only) To apply for Mechanic positions please forward your resume to Workshop Manager via email to employment@kseaster.com.au Richers Transport operates the company's head office in Maryborough Queensland. Our company is a prominent carrier into the Wide Bay region, established since 1935 All drivers are paid under the terms of our Collective Agreement. Trip rates plus pick up and drop fees are paid. Drivers are paid weekly and superannuation is paid at 10% of OTE. Applicants are required to hold a current, appropriate class licence. Applicants must provide a 5 year traffic history printout. Applicants will undergo previous employment checks. Our company has a strong health program and consent for drug and alcohol testing is a mandatory condition of employment. If your skills and experience match the criteria, please email hr @ ric h er s.c om .au or call 07 41 21 2525 during normal business hours Permanent MC Long Distance Drivers Ba se d : B r is bane We are currently seeking experienced full time MC drivers for our Long Distance Operation. • No overnight express work. • Two consecutive nights home each week. • Modern fleet and equipment. • Long Distance runs mostly Sydney and Melbourne. General freight experience required. Permanent HC/MC Shorthaul positions also available
apprenticeships that TAFE Queensland offers, with more entry-level, Certificate II courses on offer for students to complete with no employer required.“The Certificate II courses are great for high school stu dents who have shown an in terest in the trade, and have a heavy focus on working safely within a workshop and with heavy commercial and mobile plant vehicles,” Jenkinson said. These entry-level courses are most students’ first foray
Many businesses are see ing the benefit of taking on school-based apprentices though, especially in helping
BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 SPONSORED CONTENT DRIVING AUSTRALIA 2.0 31
The apprentices train ing with Queensland’s most trusted training organisation will be key to the growth of the transport industry over coming years, especially as it evolves and begins to incorpo rate more hybrid and battery electricBusinessvehicles.manager of heavy automotive training at TAFE Queensland’s Acacia Ridge trade training facility, David Jenkinson, reported great in terest in transport industry careers coming from young people.“The number of school stu dents who are now looking at heavy automotive or mobile plant courses to go with their high school study is grow ing,” said Jenkinson. “It’s up to businesses now to take on school-based apprentices early to secure a keen worker.”
CAREER starters across Queensland are choosing to take on apprenticeships that support the transport indus try, with TAFE Queensland boasting almost 1000 appren tices currently studying heavy commercial vehicle/trailer and mobile plant courses.
“TAFE Queensland up holds a strict teacher to stu dent ratio that every student gets adequate time with the teacher and equipment and learns the industry best prac
tices that will keep workers and the drivers they support safe,” Jenkinson continued.
Nearly 1000 apprentices are currently studying heavy commercial vehicle/trailer and mobile plant courses at TAFE Queensland.
Career starters choosing transport apprenticeships
into the trade, and as such are an important time for learn ing the correct and most safe methods of working on vehi cles. TAFE Queensland focuss es on ensuring future workers are starting their trade journey with good safety habits.
THE NUMBER OF SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ARE NOW LOOKING AT HEAVY AUTOMOTIVE OR MOBILE PLANT COURSES TO GO WITH THEIR HIGH SCHOOL STUDY IS GROWING. IT’S UP TO BUSINESSES NOW TO TAKE ON DAVIDSECUREAPPRENTICESSCHOOL-BASEDEARLYTOAKEENWORKER.”JENKINSON
RTO 0275 CRICOS 03020E | PRV13003 ENQUIRE TODAY 1326_TQ_BigRigs_FullPage_380x262_Sep_2021 Get your career moving in the transport industry with a INDUSTRYOURapprenticeship.school-basedQueenslandTAFEDEDICATEDFACILITIESAREDESIGNEDTOMEETNEEDSNOWANDINTOTHEFUTURE. SCAN TO LEARN MORE OR GO TO TAFEQLD.EDU.AU AND SEARCH ‘SCHOOL-BASE APPRENTICESHIPS’
NEWS 33BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022
THE newest dealership in the Australian Daimler Truck net work has achieved Elite Sup portDaimlerCertification.Trucks Brisbane was constructed with a com
lished a strong and highly competitive position in the Australian market over 40 years in specialised logistics,”
ROCKINGER RO500 AUTOMATIC TRAILER COUPLING • RO500 The Universal 50mm towing hitch • Coupling and jack knife sensor option • No dust ingress due to sealed head unit • Low maintenance through special grease filling • Easy to service through ROCKINGER modular system • High load rating. Includes vertical load capacity www.jostaustralia.com.au
“Its ability to handle larger items sets it apart from others sired by both SMEs and large corporates and has benefitted from the recent acceleration of
It features a 36‐bay work shop with two 29-metre B-double pits, a shaker and roller tester, three wash bays, three Express Assessment bays, an external hardstand for 126
ment, and we are all so very proud as it has taken a lot of focus, drive and passion and tinues to get better and better,”
tification is carried out by an independent assessor. Features such as customer amenity, communication and responsiveness are among the elements that make up Elite
Newest dealership achieves top honour
Joyall 11R22.5 A805 mixed-road drive.
INTRODUCED to the Aus tralian market in early 2018, Joyall Tyre is a new commer cial tyre brand that offers customers superior quality truck tyres suitable for Aussie road conditions at affordable prices.After being tested and used for linehaul, urban, regional and mining applications in Australia for over five years, Joyall has developed a prod uct line that is comparable with many renowned brands in both quality and perfor mance.Drive tyre is Joyall’s best-selling product category including popular patterns such as A805, A501, B878, A802Theetc.Joyall 11R22.5 A805 drive tyre was developed for triple road trains running mostly inland, thanks to its reinforced bead and sidewall, extra-wide footprint as well as special cut and chip resistant treadMeanwhile,compound. the Joyall 11R22.5 A805 drive tyre
For more information, please visit the website at joyalltyre.com.au.
has been approved for Per formance-Based Standards (PBS), making it suitable for the majority of PBS vehicles in Australia.Aleading waste manage ment company in Sydney has tested the Joyall 11R22.5 A501 regional-haul drive tyre on an eight-wheeler front lift garbage truck. The vehicle does double shifts and is con stantly averaging payloads of up to seven tons.
For real value for money you can’t go past a Joyall drive for triple, quarry or mining applications.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU34 SPONSORED CONTENT TYRES
than a major recap brand.
Tyres to tackle all Australia has to throw at them
Joyall A501 drive tyres re corded final mileage of 31,401 kilometres over 107 days and achieved a CPK (cents-per-ki lometre) of 20 per cent less
Moreover, the TPMS truck sensors make easy work of tyre inflation pres sure and internal tempera ture checking – both of which not only help save fuel and keep tyre costs down but, more important ly, save lives.
Safety first Road safety is always Joyall’s first priority, and Joyall Tyre highly recommends Pro mata brand truck TPMS sensors. No matter wheth er you are hauling a single semi-trailer, B-doubles or triple road trains, Joyall drive tyres will give your prime mover excellent trac tion on all kinds of tough ground including the mud,
Joyall Tyre only uses the best possible raw materials, and celebrated eight years’ of successful partnership with Belgium-based leading glob al steel cord supplier Bekaert thisTheyear.Joyall drive tyres in particular are well suited to the rough road conditions in Northern Queensland as well as Western Australia.
quarry and mining sites.
Other than A805 mixedroad drive tyre and A501 re gional drive tyre, Joyall also provides a number of off-road drives in the 295/80R22.5 and the 315/80R22.5 such as A903 and A802, which work exceptionally well in quarry and mine applications.
Joyall 11R22.5 A501 regional-haul drive.
Joyall Tyre only uses the best possible raw materials.
THE JOYALL DRIVE TYRES IN PARTICULAR ARE WELL SUITED TO THE ROUGH ROAD CONDITIONS IN NORTHERN QUEENSLAND AS WELL AS WESTERN AUSTRALIA.”
For a free copy of Aussie Pumps guide to tanker pump selection, including chemical compatibility charts, please contact Australian Pump In dustries. Visit aussiepumps. com.au. tank, and pump combos fulfilling vital role
cartsEVERYBODYareindispensable for a wide range of vital applica tions. Whether it’s roadworks, dust suppression, water supply to towns in drought or fire fighting, these truck, tank and pump combos fulfil a vital role for Onetransport.company, Australian Pump Industries, has focused on this important industry sub-section to produce a range of pumps that can handle al most any water or even other liquid transfer applications. The company began by sup plying 2” and 3” Honda pow ered pumps to water cart op erators.Today, they’re major sup pliers of a complete and com prehensive range of water cart pumps that provide flows up to 2200lpm, pressures as high as 75psi and have a range of features that lend themselves particularly well to this vital application.
capable of handling solids in suspension. A front opening port, mounted below the suction intake enables the operator to clear blockages or chokes without dismantling pipework or any section of the pump itself.
According to Aussie Pumps’ chief engineer, John Hales, the first requirement is the pump should be self-priming. That feature means the tanker can, depending on the situa tion, refill itself without any auxiliary water supply equip ment.Self-priming means no priming devices, no priming of the suction hose, but rath er, just pulling up at a creek, river or dam and refilling the tanker using the pump to draft“Ourwater.pumps can handle lifts of eight metres vertical for filling tankers, something that most other pumps can’t do,” saidTheHales.company has come a long way in its evolution, be ing able to now offer heavy-du ty cast iron self-priming semi trash pumps that will han dle not just clean water, but
Aussie Pumps is a major supplier of a complete and comprehensive range of water cart pumps that provide flows up to 2200lpm. Its pumps can handle liquids as diverse as diesel fuel, whey, specialist applications, effluent and sewage pump-out. Aussie’s GMP range is available in cast iron, NiAl bronze or even 316 stainless steel. The truck,
Up to 50,000, Aussie has the pumps “As this application grows, we see tankers up to 50,000 litres servicing remote loca tions, including mines, as well as providing stock water in times of drought. Where required, they will handle other liquids as diverse as diesel fuel, whey (a by-prod uct of milk) and even in spe cialist applications, effluent and sewage pump-out,” said Hales.Aussie Pumps works with tanker fleet operators all over the country as well as Aus tralia’s biggest tanker OEMs. They get terrific feedback about applications they nev er would have imagined, including carting seawater, liquid fertiliser and lots more.
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Common applications for tankers or rigid chassis tank ers, with capacities of 8000 litres to 25,000 litres, include water transfer, roadworks, mine dust suppression and can even double as drought relief water supply tanker pumps in times of drought.
“We know that’s because of the drive being totally en closed and the elimination of service and maintenance work on rear mounted pet rol or diesel drives. Hydraulic drives are also popular be cause they utilise the power of the vehicle engine, giving the drive to the pump a vir tually unlimited amount of horsepower. That can be a big advantage in an emergency,” said Hales.
pump?
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU36 SPONSORED CONTENT
silty liquid as well, without damage. These pumps incor porate a stainless steel wear plate and a big open impeller,
The Aussie GMP range is available in Honda petrol, diesel engine or hydraulic drive. Although the com pany makes big quantities of petrol and diesel drive ver sions, hydraulics are becom ing more popular.
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obviously a priority. We went looking for government fund ing and were told that we either have to “put up, or shut up”.
After all, one-in-four Vic torian truck registrations are in Shepparton and surrounds. And if that’s not reason enough to have a truck museum there, then I don’t know what is.
“That meeting put the idea back front and centre with trucking legends, Sam Sali, John Taig, Ken Keating, Lloyd Mawson and others coming on board. Raising the funds was
That shed was 700m2 and became The Shepparton Mo tor Museum – increasing to 1200m2 a couple of years lat er. Fast-forward to 2017 and a group of local transport oper ators had come together with a goal of building a transport museum. Peter Hill, executive officer of MOVE takes up the story.“They got it off the ground but had lost a little bit of steam.
glory. The red colour of this truck is actually from Toyota. Gerard drove through Shep parton one day, saw it, loved it and had Kenworth paint it in that colour – an inspired choice.
The last of the CAT-pow ered Kenworths
The museum abounds with trucks of all makes. There’s Sam Sali’s lovely old Dia mond T, used to transport the family’s fruit to market; there’s a 1948 Thornycroft Amazon – a beast of a ma chine. Foden is represented with a 1954 FG pumping out a massive 102bhp. There’s Mack, Mercedes, UD, Albi on, Dodge, Ford and much, much more.
Kalafatis White Road Boss is a stunner
My former employer John Kreskas met with Jim Andre onatis one day and asked what was happening with the truck museum. Kreskas knew noth ing about it so Andreonatis filled him in on the rich truck ing history of the area and the people behind it.
38 FEATURE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
The impressive new complex now houses some of the most storied trucks in the industry.
Andreonatis had a few roof trusses left over from a job he’d done at the SPC Factory Sales building in Mooroopna. Some friends approached him and suggested he build a shed to house some cars and other ‘stuff’.
Next to the 908 is Gerard Hicks’ 1986 W925, proba bly the biggest and best truck on the road at the time. The truck has been painstakingly bought back to its original
The result is a building covering 9000 m2 and those trucking families are now rep resented at MOVE in the Hall of Legends.Thenames Sam Sali, John Taig, Ken Keating, Lloyd Mawson, Ted Phillips, Va sil and Chris Rendevski, and many others, will live on as pio neers of trucking in and around the Goulburn Valley.
“So we went to local truck ing families and asked for a fi nancial commitment. In fairly short order we’d raised $1 mil lion which enabled us to go to Federal, State and Local Gov ernment for further funding.”
ents’ farm at Bunbartha. As the need for more powerful trucks arose, Ted approached Brian Thompson (now Gra ham Thompson Kenworth) and ordered the first ever Kenworth to be delivered outside Melbourne. The Cabover K125 was delivered on Christmas Eve, 1978, and now takes pride of place in the Kenworth Legends Hall at MOVE.
Just down from Ted’s Ken worth sits another, this time a grey 2008 model T908. With a mere 600km on the clock, its owner determined to buy one of the last CAT powered Kenworth’s. Bought to tow his float and show truck, the latter has not been completed so he generously agreed to put it into MOVE.
Do not think that the mu seum is all about Kenworth though. One of the most stunning displays is the Ka lafatis family’s 1980 White Road Boss. Words and photos cannot convey the detail that has gone into restoring this classic and frankly, it would be worth going to MOVE to view this truck alone.
This Chev tells a story
Rendevski International C1600 Butterbox.
Kalafatis White Road Boss. Phillips Transport’s K125. The 1948 Thornycroft Amazon. Kenworth T908. A 1927 Chevrolet tipper. The 1986 W925.
Since it officially opened in 2021, the MOVE Museum in Victoria has quickly established itself as a major industry attraction.
Rendevski 1980’s SAR, one of the quickest Further along sits one of the quickest trucks in the Goul burn valley in its time – Ren devski’s 1980’s SAR. Peter Hill should know because in another life he hurtled it up and down the Hume High way. The truck was recently found in a paddock and has been moved to the museum in all its original glory.
Foden Amazon
The story of The Muse um of Vehicle Evolution, or MOVE, begins back in 2012 when a group of collectors of cars and other memorabilia ap proached one Jim Andreonatis.
IF Echuca is known as the town Where All The Rivers Run, then surely Shepparton in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley should be known as the town where All The Trucks Run.
In all its unrestored glory stands a 1927 Chevrolet tip per. Easy to miss amongst the Big Bangers, this was Maw son’s first truck. It would head out every morning, 16 miles from Cohuna – two fellows with a pick and shovel, and they would break up gravel, shovel it by hand into the tipper and bring it back into Cohuna. The only comfort it had which is now gone was a straw and horsehair seat. I am assured by the boys at Maw son is that if I put some pet rol in and cranked it, it would start. This truck tells a story, warts and all.
Phillips Transport’s mile stone K125
BY GRAHAM HARSANT
Ted Phillips founded his trucking business at his par
Must-sees at Shepparton shrine to trucking legends
Gerard Hicks’ 1986 W925
Rendevski International C1600 Butterbox Rendevski’s first Internation al, a blue C1600 Butterbox bought in 1970 sits in the museum as a reminder that these trucks, originally built for the army they were a main stay (along with the Benz) in the area. Tough as nails, these trucks offered no frills. Fitted with 282 cubic inch diesel the truck produced an under whelming 89 horsepower and carted Rendevski grown fruit to market.
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ing life, starting out in his earlyFortwenties.Fiona, getting a start in the early days of her career wasn’t as easy as she’d hoped.
Fiona’s interest in trucks was sparked when she met Norm.
All of their loads are double
40 DRIVER PROFILES
“I never thought I’d get into trucking – far from it. I used to be a horse-riding instructor,” revealed Fiona. “When I met the other half in 1992, that’s what got me interested. I went in the truck with him quite a bit for about 12 months and I thought, I can do this, so I got my truck licence in 1994.”
of their plans to retire, how ever life had other things in mind.“At the time we were both driving solo, running to Bris bane on opposite legs to each other, so we were only seeing each other one day each fort night. We were getting ready to retire so thought we would
Fiona and Norm Christy
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
FIONA CHRISTY
and triple road trains. “We do a lot of mining equip ment and a lot of hot shot runs. We’re the only team towing triples at the compa ny. We don’t have to be home for anything and they know that, so we don’t care how far we go or how long we’re away for,” she added.
Based in Rochester, near Echuca, on the Murray Riv er, the couple have worked for GKR Transport since 2010, doing two-up ever since and carting mining equipment and other goods from the company’s Mel bourne depot to destinations all over the country – with places like Perth, Cairns, Darwin, Port Hedland and Karratha being among the regular runs.
On the contrary, 64-yearold Norm has been driving trucks for most of his work
Norm came from a family background in aviation but found his passion in trucks.
Asked how they go spend ing so much time together in the truck, Fiona responds, “Headphones in and I spend a fortune on audio books! Even though we’re in the truck together 24 hours, we don’t spend a lot of time to gether because one is sleeping while the other is awake. We’d probably kill each otherwise.
Their work takes them all over the country, with the majority of the runs being to mine sites.
WHEN I MET THE OTHER HALF IN 1992, THAT’S WHAT GOT ME INTERESTED. I WENT IN THE TRUCK WITH HIM QUITE A BIT FOR ABOUT 12 MONTHS AND I THOUGHT, I CAN DO THIS, SO I GOT MY TRUCK LICENCE IN 1994.”
Fiona and Norm Christy have been doing two-up since joining GKR Transport in 2010.
Truckin’ In The Outback
“Wenow.used to go up the Strezlecki Track every week but don’t do it as much now. That road is pretty bad. The worst we’ve had is one time where it took 18 hours to do 500 kilometres. It was pretty rough that day.”
Fiona’s first trucking job was carting tomatoes for a lo cal company in a 1418 Mer cedes Benz, a far cry from the brand new 2022 Kenworth T610 the duo was handed the keys to in March. “Be fore that we were in a 909 for eight years and I didn’t want to get out of it because I loved the truck and had been in it for so many years. But then we got this truck and it’s the best thing I’ve ever driven. The smoothness, the quietness and all the room inside,” said Fiona.
“We like going different places. I don’t mind going up north, I love going to Port Hedland and Karratha be cause it’s quieter. But going across the Nullarbor is be coming like the Hume High way
wind down and give two-up a go. It nearly killed us in the beginning because neither of us could sleep when the truck was going. We thought we weren’t meant for this,” FionaThenexplained.in2011, Rochester endured the worst flooding ever recorded and the cou ple lost everything. “We lost our whole house. We were in Perth at the time so only had the clothes we had packed –we didn’t end up retiring,” sheTheexplained.couple pushed on and have now been doing two-up for the past 12 years. And, as you’d expect, there are a few pretty funny stories to tell, including the time Fiona ac cidentally drove off without her“Ihusband!pulledup at a servo to go to the toilet, then got back in the truck and left Norm behind. I didn’t realise he had gotten out of the truck too,” she laughed. “I got about 5km down the road before I realised and because I was in a road train, I couldn’t just quickly turn back around. I pulled up and about 5 min utes later a car pulled up behind me. Norm got out just shaking his head. Now whenever he leaves the truck he leaves the door open so I don’t do it again!”
“At first I didn’t think we could do it. We had a trial run with a previous compa ny. Norm asked me to come with him. I had never driven an auto truck before. When I got in at Cobar, he felt me slow down and asked what was wrong. I said I could see sparks coming out and he said, no you’re alright. As soon as I put my foot down, the steer tyre came off the truck!”
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“We have at least another 12 months and then we can hopefully retire but I think we’ll miss it. We go on hol idays now and I can’t wait to get back to work. I love our circle of friends we get to mingle with. The only downfall of this sort of job is that you don’t get to have a social life because you’re never home.”
Fiona and Norm originally started doing two-up as part
The duo bring decades of experience to their current two-up gig.
IF you asked Fiona, now 57, if she had any interest in driving a truck before she met her husband Norm, the answer would likely have been a definite “no”. But now, after three decades be hind the wheel, she says she’s still loving life on the road.
“The hardest part back then was getting a job and being accepted by everybody else. No one wanted to employ a female truck driver,” she ex plained.“You’d get somewhere, and they’d go and talk to the bloke instead of talking to me about my load. I felt like I had to prove myself all the time, but I enjoyed the knowledge that I could do it better than many of them!”
While it’s certainly been an interesting ride for these two, they’re planning on hanging up the boots in the not-toodistant future.
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IF we as individuals, owner drivers and small fleet oper ators want to see real funda mental change in this critical ly important road transport sector, we need to come to the realisation that we need to change.Weneed to ask ourselves, how do I see myself as an as an owner-driver or a small busi nessHowoperator?doIsee my role in this critically important industry, what contribution do I make in keeping Australia moving, keeping Australians alive?
I learnt a long time ago that if I wanted something to change, I had to change my self.
NOTHING WILL CHANGE IN THIS GRAHAMINDUSTRY.”COTTER
As
GURU
As owner driver and small fleet operators we need to demand the Remuneration we deserve to keep our vehi cles and equipment properly maintained, to work sustain able hours to ensure that we are not pushing ourselves
Do I give myself the Rec ognition I deserve for the job I do?Do I give myself the Re spect I deserve for the Job I do?Do I expect the Remunera tion I deserve for the job I do?
A truckie’s best 3 Rs to recite before turning the key
For far too long own er-drivers and small fleet operators have been sold this perception by the me dia, the politicians and the bureaucrats that we are a curse on the roads, and we are an ignorant bunch of yobbos who kill innocent people. The sad part of it all is that we have bought into the belief and the time has come for us as individuals to change this belief we have of ourselves.Asowner-drivers and small fleet operators we need to demand the Recognition
FLEET
JOB
As owner drivers and small fleet operators we need to remind yourselves every time you step into a truck. I Recognise what an amazing job I do. I Respect myself for the dedicated individual I am. I deserve to be Remu nerated in a manner that makes me and my business safe and Unlessviable.youas owner-driv ers and small fleet operators begin to believe in yourselves and the critical job you do nothing will change in this industry.Ifyou want something to change, change yourself and become your own best cheer leader and start telling your self every day what a bloody amazing job you really do. AND SMALL OPERATORS BEGIN TO BELIEVE IN THE CRITICAL YOU DO
UNLESS YOU AS OWNER-DRIVERS
owner-drivers and small fleet operators we need to demand the respect we deserve from the general public. Remind yourself of the 3 Rs every time you step into the cab.
BUSINESS GRAHAM COTTER Author of
or our drivers to make ends meet. We need to be fairly compensated for the thank less, demanding job we do.
of the road transport sector is largely focused upon
we deserve for the amazing job we do keeping Australia moving. We don’t jump in the cab of a truck to kill and maim but to keep millions of Australians alive.
The8.1
the risk-taking behaviour of drivers (such as driving whilst fatigued, drug use and speed ing), and consequent enforce ment mechanisms. It is the committee’s view that there are insufficient efforts to address the underlying systemic causes for such behaviour.
heavy vehicle sector is one of the most dangerous industries in Australia, with an average of 180 deaths per year and an in creasing number of hospitalisa tions. These workplace injuries, traumas and deaths have im mense social and economic im pacts on drivers, their families, businesses and the general pub lic. The economic cost of road crashes alone equates to $27 billion per year, with approxi mately 1500 crashes resulting in hospitalisation and a further 11,000 crashes also leading to
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YOURSELVES AND
As owner-drivers and small fleet operators we need to demand the Respect we deserve from the general public, the politician and the bureaucrats for the job we do. As individual we are no different than any of them. When we get behind the wheel of the truck we want to come home to our fami lies and loved one the same as everyone else.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU42 COLUMN
Let me share a couple of items from the recent Senate Committee findings on the road transport industry.
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I know I speak about this often and it’s been proven not only in dealing with the loss of Mum but also an incident in the immediate aftermath.
2018 when they first joined the Women Driving Trans port Careers Initiative, now steadily added to their total since then adopting their own programme.Transport Women Austra lia Limited are proud of this program and the companies who have been a part of it since inception of the joint venture with Wodonga TAFE and Volvo Group. amazing friends, as the Whitmores.
Please, you need to be very wary, but it also shows that there are still wonderful peo ple in the world, and we need to be grateful for them.
such
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er was perfect, food was great and ABC radio was in atten dance to do some interviews.
Everything was well organ ised; Nick, Dee and the rest of the staff and volunteers at the Hall of Fame did a wonderful job.On Saturday afternoon at the induction ceremony Hazel Whitmore from Whit more Bus Group was induct ed into the Hall of Fame and TWAL could not be prouder than myself and her son Ja mie. I also got to witness the induction of David Hayter who I know from my days at the Livestock and Bulk Car riers Association and Adrian Johnson with whom I was friends back in the 1970s when I was growing up in NorthTheBourke.Saturday night leg ends dinner was a fun night for everyone involved, with some of us all dressed up and some coming straight from the inductions but there was great food, lots and lots of laughter, a wardrobe mal
Lots of wonderful people at Festival of Transport
I’m so grateful for such
Among the inductees was Hazel Whitmore, pictured here with Viva Energy’s Nick Lubransky, left, and Nick Prus. Photo: LinkedIn/TWAL
44 COLUMN
WOMEN IN TRANSPORT JACQUELENE BROTHERTON Chair of Transport Women Australia
my bank accounts, which left me in Alice Springs with no access to money and $7 in my purse to get through Satur day, Sunday and transiting via Adelaide.Fortunately for me, I work in the trucking industry and have amazing friends and knew that nobody would let me go away without money or to go without anything really; that all I needed to do was ask or even not ask and just describe my situation and this proved to be true as my friends, the McMillans, the Hayters and the Whitmores offered money to make sure I got home with cash in my purse until the banks sorted out the issue with the hacking of my bank account.
Returning from Mum’s fu neral I left almost immediate ly for the Festival of Transport
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
in Alice Springs to host the Transport Women Australia Limited opening breakfast at theThefestival.program includes the Cummins race afternoon and the opening drinks at Stuarts Kitchen on the Friday night. However, after the breakfast I felt a need to retreat to my motelAfterroom.getting up on Satur day morning I had a phone call saying there had been sus picious activity on my bank account.Unfortunately, the caller who was advising me of the alleged suspicious activity was the actual scammer. After lots of questions and a couple of phone calls, and my naturally suspicious mind and lack of trust, I contacted the bank, cancelled my cards, and froze
The Festival of Transport itself is wonderful, the break fast was a huge success, lots of wonderful people, the weath
function, and a few minutes on the On the Road podcast with Mike Williams. All in all, catching up with a friends and acquaintances from around Australia, A fabulous weekend!Ithen hibernated for the week only emerging for the Australian Freight Industry Awards on Saturday night as a guest of the NHVR.
TWAL was truly fortu nate to have two finalists for the awards, Louise Azzopardi in the Young Achiever cate gory and Alex Fraser/Han son Australia in the Female Leadership category. Cara Spencer accepted the win for Alex Frazer/Hanson Austra lia for the Female Leadership Award, while Louise was un successful, a fabulous young woman from Linfox Logistics – Claudia Jennings took out theWeaward.arejustly proud of Alex Fraser and Hanson Austra lia who have brought a huge amount of young female driv ers to their companies since
WHAT a rollercoaster life has been since my last column. Dealing with the death of my mother has shown what a wonderful industry I come from and how important your family and friends are.
fox, ACFS, FBT Transwest, Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation, National Road Freighters Association, state and terri tory industry associations, academic experts and other transport stakeholders, saw an urgent call for reform for Australia’s deadliest indus try.Now, in the recent job summit, Employment Min ister Tony Burke has provid ed a welcome commitment to set enforceable standards in transport through the
The TWU has also se cured a Fuel Levy for driv ers under the General Car riers rates, we review that monthly. Members looking for their rate increase, can call our Members’ Service Centre on 18000 729 909 TWU members have campaigned consistently for years to create a system that
The federal government has taken the transport roundtable consensus and developed it into a proposal to empower the Fair Work Commission to set enforce able standards.
Recently I was with own er operators as they stood on the grass outside the Wool worths Distribution Centre. Over the past year, cost re covery for these drivers has been getting harder.
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again in October.
Fair Work mentedcameachievingthiscollectivethetransportindustry.ableenablewillforEnforceableCommission.standardsalltransportworkersleveltheplayingfieldtoasafer,moresustainandviabletransportItisagreatfirststep,workersacrosscountrywillbreatheasighofreliefatpositivesteptowardslife-savingreform.ThetransportindustrytogetherandpresentasolutiontoEmployMinisterTonyBurke
can support transport busi nesses and workers to thrive.
to create a safer, fairer and more sustainable transport industry for all participants, including gig workers cur rently locked out of the in dustrial system.
In terms of cost relief, the TWU has recently made a case for significant increases in the General Carriers Con tract Determination rates, for vehicles three tonne and above. These new rates will commence on 3 October.
They have tried to raise these issues with Toll man agement, but received no response. With diesel prices climbing higher, these own er operators, small business operators, are looking at an increasing level of financial pain.Without relief, for some, their small business faces closure. Drivers across the transport industry have become weary of being ig nored when it comes to cost relief.Don’t even start me on Transurban Tolls, they go up
If passed into law, this will save businesses, it will save lives, and it will change lives.
Taking a
Last month a show of unity between hundreds of employee and owner truck drivers, couriers, rideshare and food delivery workers joined nationwide convoys alongside industry groups and employers in support of reform.The industry stands by them. A recent trans port round table involving the TWU, Woolworths, Coles, Uber, DoorDash, Toll, Global Express, Lin
Richard Olsen takes up the fight for Toll truckies at the Woolworths DC in Sydney. Photo: Colin Henderson stand for truckies
For these owner opera tors at Toll, a win, the power of union. The company af ter representations has com mitted to supporting cost recovery for drivers by com mitting to correct the rate for fuel charges in the unit/ hourly rates owner operators receive. Toll will work with the TWU and owner oper ators to finalise a new rate.
TWU members have always taken a stand, on the ground and in the air. Wherever there is a need to enforce standards, ensure fair rates for operators, or deal with safety issues, you will find members in the fight.
male Leadership Award;
AFTER a three-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, it was a pleasure to host the Aus tralian Freight Industry Awards at Crown Melbourne on Satur day, September 3.
• Linfox Healthcare Opera tions Manager Claudia Jen nings, winner of the Young Achiever of the Year Award;
• CRT Group owner and chairman Colin Rees, win ner of the Personality of the Year Award;
• Wettenhalls, winner of the Best Practice Safety Award; and
more women than men – since 2021.Knorr-Bremse demonstrat ed innovation of global signif icance in winning the Applica tion of Technology award, with its iMass Heavy Vehicle OnBoard Mass system providing
Award winner Claudia Jennings makes her way to the stage.
• Alex Fraser Group Com munications Manager Cara Spencer, winner of the Fe
Among the winning nom inees were people like Linfox’s Claudia Jennings for her amaz ing work on the company’s roll-out of vaccines in eastern
Australia, SEA Electric for their investment in Australian-made and sustainable electric trucks, representing the future of road transport, and Qube, for a road train operator program that has introduced 130 train ees to transport – including
• Knorr Bremse Australia, winner of the Application of Technology Award;
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The judges were impressed with the depth and breadth of the submissions from small, medium and large operators and suppliers to our industry.
SEA Electric vice-president Asia Pacific Glen Walker.
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
Our winners this year were:
46 COLUMN
• SEA Electric, winner of the Sustainable Environment Award;
• Qube Bulk Pty Ltd, winner of the Investment in People Award.Surpassing a record number of nominations lodged in 2020 – when the awards were pre sented virtually – over 60 nom inations were submitted this year from all over Australia, which is a fantastic endorse ment of what it means to win or be nominated for an Austra lian Freight Industry Award.
VTA COMMENT PETER ANDERSON CEO, Victorian Transport Association
CRT Group owner and chairman Colin Rees with wife Val after being presented the 2022 Personality of the Year Award at this year’s AFIAs.
Industry lauds transport’s best and brightest
Close to 700 people gath ered to recognise and celebrate the achievements of the win ning and shortlisted transport operator and supplier compa nies and individuals across a range of categories, which is a stunning result considering this time last year Melbourne was locked down, with significant restrictions on personal move ment in the community.
[L-R] Michael Roche, Anita Pomales, Rachel Michaud, and Chris Dudfield from Knorr-Bremse Australia with their award.
Wettenhalls general manager safety Jason O’Kiefe accepting the Best Practice Safety Award, as VTA CEO Peter Anderson looks on.
Melira Lister and Simon Wheeler accept the award for Qube.
Col is a worthy recipient of this coveted Personality of the Year accolade for his decades of service, and the respect he commands as a true industry professional.
our awards presentation. The awards will be back bigger and better in 2023, and we’d welcome a nomination from you or your operation.
Every one of our winners and finalists should be proud of their accomplishments, and particularly that they were achieved during a time of great
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strong benefits to the wider freight and logistics industry, whilst Wettenhalls was rec ognised for its driver on-board ing, induction, and simulation program that demonstrates excellence and Best Practice Safety.Our Female Leadership Award winner Cara Spencer has shown a strong commit ment to improving diversity, with a focus since 2018 on upskilling women and sup porting them in long-term em ployment.Through her work with Alex Fraser Group and Trans port Women Australia, Cara has been instrumental in a training program in with Volvo Group and Wodonga TAFE, which to date has trained close to 40 new drivers. A wonder ful achievement for an indus try desperate for professional drivers.Our 2022 Personality of
COLUMN 47
of every transport worker that has stood up and served our communities over the past three years, and it was terrific to recognise that in person at
the Year Award recipient Colin Rees is a legend of the trans port industry and has a history in transport stretching back to 1954, where he witnessed his mum Betty establish “South Suburban Taxi Trucks” with 200 pounds on the family’s kitchenFromtable.these beginnings Col established Colin Rees Timber Transport, which became Col in Rees Bulk Haulage and later CRT Group. His reputation for innovation and custom er service along with spotless equipment and presentation remain with Col to this day. His innovation in bulk con tainers and packaging kept lo cal producers competitive with imported product.
challenge and uncertainty in people’s professional and per sonalTheirlives.endurance, commit ment and effort are reflective
Cara Spencer accepting the Female Leadership Award for Alex Fraser Group & Transport Women Australia.
Flinders Highway relief
A small percentage of these rest areas have cameras so there is some chance the morons re sponsible may end up facing charges.Butin the remaining cases, witnesses are relied upon to identify those responsible.
A picture of the wagon which is on public display was
This historical wagon is on display at Kojonup, WA.
It is situated along Tasma nia’s northern Bass Highway between Nine Mile Creek and Reynold’s Road with work to finish in late October.
roads up yonder close due to the wet Theyseason.travel in two four wheel drives with small alu minium dinghies tied to the roofs as well as lots of food, small tents, fold up crab pots andUpbait.north they take on board some extra fuel and purchase a liberal sprinkling of amber fluid – strictly for hy dration purposes, Spy is told. But they have to be careful to ensure they don’t end up at places where an Alcohol Man agement Plan is law.
So it is with additional angst that truckies are out raged when they hear of them beingOvervandalised.thepast month Spy
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
Flow-on effect
The surrounding areas produce wheat and other ce real crops including organic, conventional and genetically modified.
Annual fishing pilgrimage
There have been five cafes I know of which closed in the period with resultant loss of small business jobs.
Spy was checking recent re cords to determine which highways truckies I had spo ken to this year rate amongst theSurprisinglyworst. to me the winner hands down was the Flinders Highway which runs west from coastal Townsville to Cloncurry.Manydrivers rate it dan gerous to drive on because stretches are “up and down”. They especially nominate the 100km section between Hughenden and Richmond as a major problem.
In the next hour around 20 truck drivers pulled up to check their loads and hook up andHoweverunhook. not one truck ie was checked, much to the delight of our heavy vehicle mates.Every single one of them had a joke or words about the vans which were a hot topic of conversation.“Goodto see the caravans are also being checked to en sure they are abiding by the laws,” another driver told me.
Rest area disgrace
At Kojonup which is 256 km south-east of Perth, WA, along Albany Highway in the Great Southern region, there is a half scale model of a wool wagon from the early days.
The subject was a nearby enforcement and education blitz by traffic cops and scalies at a well-known venue where trucks hook up.
A sign in NSW advising where rest areas located.
Hardly surprising when I consider more than half the truckies I speak to nominate fishing as a favourite pastime.
The fire trucks on Hamilton Island.
He described somebody he had spoken to at a rest area as a “curmudgeon”.Notwanting to seem like an uneducated fellow Spy let that go through to the keeper. However after he left, Spy could consult Mr Goo gle quick enough to find its meaning.“Thedefinition of a cur mudgeon is a cranky, ill tem pered individual. An example of a curmudgeon is a person who is always angry and never socialises with others,” it ex plained.Soas the old saying goes, “We learn something new ev ery day.”
It celebrates the impor tance of the wool industry to the town and has been around since 2001.
Cafés continue to close around Australia with many former owners blaming the recent big
“I have no doubt they would be able to handle fire if they occurred there but of course everybody hopes there are none,” he said.
We all know that there is a genuine shortage of truck friendly rest areas for truckies around this vast country.
Do you ever ponder about how road transport operators delivered their goods long be fore motorised vehicles?
has heard of numerous in stances of vandalism being carried out at these in different states.Some of the acts make you wonder how the culprits can sleep at night.
placement has been complet ed; and the nearby property entrance has been realigned andThecompleted.majority of the base of the truck rest area has been established and trialled for clearances when entering from the weighbridge site, as was noted by a passer-by who saw a B-double trialling the site for entry and exit along with parking. Access to the weighbridge has been blocked off.The base area needs further finish or upgrades as it is still gravel; and the toilet block has not yet been started.
The good news is that gov ernment funding has been set aside to upgrade the Flinders.
Hamilton Island is part of the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland. It is approxi mately 887km north of Bris bane and 512km south of Cairns.
Academic-minded truckie
To say that truckies get annoyed if vans stop off there for any normal period of time would be an understatement.
These six lads hail from Wollongong and Newcastle and have been making the long journey for most of the past 10 years.
The early economy of the town was initially dependent on cutting and transporting sandalwood, and kangaroo hunting.Butby the mid-19th cen tury the wool industry began to boom and by 1906 the shire had 10,500 sheep. By 1989 the shire had seen over one million sheep being shorn.
Van checks humour truckie
Island safety
The new rest area has been designed to hopefully have drivers always keeping the en trance clear when they park.
SPY ON THE ROAD WITH ALF WILSON
48 SPY ON THE ROAD A truck cruising along the Flinders Highway near Pentland. Police set up this blitz on vans.
are
An interstate driver who got to have a romantic weeklong hol iday on Queensland’s Hamil ton Island was impressed with the Scania and Isuzu fire en gines he saw.
Whilst doing an interview with a truckie whom I met randomly at a roadhouse he unexpectedly produced a word Spy had never heard of.
As we go to print, the new bus stop and parking area re
The upgrade was reported in a recent edition and Spy had asked drivers down the Apple Isle way to keep an eye out for, in poet Banjo Paterson’s words, “movement at the station”.
Old wagon popular
Overdue upgrades in sight for unpopular Qld highway
The keen photographer snapped a pic of the fire trucks next to a police car.
Work has commenced on the upgrade of the strategically placed rest area at Howth in northern Tasmania.
increase in fuel prices.
“It appears there is a big par ty going on over there,” a middle-aged truckie told Spy when he pulled up at a break down area in late August.
It is the ideal time to travel for what they describe as rec reation before the mostly dirt
“When the fuel went up so did prices for supplies such as food and coffee which was a result of freight rises. It has been a big flow on effect,” one café owner told me.
sent to Spy by a truckie who was in the area for the first time.Kojonup had been an im portant staging place on the road to Albany, and in 1837 a military post was established there for the protection of travellers and the mail.
Most of these had been running at a profit, albeit a small one, often however the fuel hike was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I asked one of the café peo ple for an example of how the extra cost impacted her.
The rest area incorporates the old parking area and school bus stop and there will be 12 bays for B-doubles to park.
“I was charging $15 for bacon and eggs and had to put that up to $18 and many customers wouldn’t cop it. They had increased mortgag es with interest rates going up and electricity to rise. So they stayed away,” she said.
A group of NSW drivers are making their annual fishing pilgrimage to the Gulf of Car pentaria of the far north.
The first farms in Kojonup were set up by soldiers with settlement grants.
Tasmanian rest area
As a reward the keen an glers usually catch lots of crabs and fish species which make good eating when they get backTheyhome.even get to meet truckies travelling with sup plies to many remote commu nities.Such a trip is also taken annually by other interstate truckies Spy knows of.
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Hawker has been truck driving since he was 22 and can’t imagine doing anything else.
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“It was some years ago up at Innisfail when a fellow walked in carrying bananas and he called me Chub be cause I am a big bloke and it has stuck like glue. A lot of people wouldn’t know my full name,” he Hawkersaid.rates the western Flinders Highway between Hughenden and Cloncurry and the Gregory Develop ment Road along the Charters Towers to Clermont route as the worst he gets along.
“I have been with this com pany for some time and they are good,” he said.
His other recreation is his trusty Harley motorbike which he does the odd tour on with other bike riders.
“They are both very rough in places,” he said.
The Townsville-based truckie was driving a Volvo F16 with an automatic gear box and powered by a 600hp motor for Hill’s Tankers, which has its headquarters at Beresfield in NSW.
ENTHUSIASTIC driver Scott ‘Chub’ Hawker looks set to spend the remainder of his working life as a truckie.
Stop-offs Hawker rates highly are the Torren’s Creek Hotel out west and the Bel yando Roadhouse along the Gregory Development Road.
“No, I haven’t seen that or even heard about it,” Hawker said.Originally from Victoria, Hawker arrived in Queensland
“I have delivered a load of fuel from Townsville to Bowen which is about 200km south, down the Bruce Highway and now I am doing local work,” he said.Iasked Hawker under what circumstances he was given the nickname of Chub.
50 DRIVER PROFILES
tending to a trailer at the Townsville Port Access Road pad.“I have been a truck driv er since I was 22 and can’t see that changing as I love the
drivers and the Torren’s Creek Hotel has a truck room as well,” he said.
Over the years several truckies who have stopped off at the Torren’s Creek have claimed a Yowie or hairy man creature inhabits the nearby Burra Range and has been seen late at night.
15 years ago and previously worked for Direct Haulage for almost five years.
Nuggety Hawker stands at 173cm tall and said that was neither an advantage or disad vantage in his job.
His favourite meal is chick en parmigiana and outside work when he gets days off Hawker will sit and enjoy a coldie at the aptly named Wa
“They both look after us
termark Hotel, along Towns villeFromStrand.there patrons can en joy a scenic view of the blue Pacific Ocean with Magnetic Island in the distance.
Scott Hawker
Scott Hawker drives a Volvo F16 for Hill’s Tankers.
Truckin’ In The Tropics
Hawker has some impres sive tattoos too.
When Big Rigs saw the 37-year-old recently, he was
“I am also into caravans and might do some travelling in one later on,” he said.
job,” he said.
with Alf Wilson
Craig Hyde Simon Poletti
The rivers and creeks of
DRIVER PROFILES 51
That doesn’t mean Hyde will be celebrating his 50th birthday and even though he may look that age, he is actu ally“I62.have been a truckie for 49 years and love the job,” he said.Big Rigs saw Hyde tending to his load when parked up at the BP Cluden Roadhouse.
A former Kiwi, Hyde ar
tiful Burdekin abound with many species of edible fish
“Roads in New Zealand are winding, narrow and hilly when compared overall with those in Australia,” he said.
Hyde works for Burke Management Services based at Hattonvale and was driving a Freightliner Argosy.
with Alf Wilson
The sister towns of Ayr and Home Hill are identified as being major centres at the
HydeHydesaid.was hauling several Army vehicles picked up at Townsville’s Lavarack Barracks and bound for Sydney.
“This company is the best to work for. Their trucks are maintained always and if you want anything I ring the boss John and he organises it,”
Truckin’ In The Tropics
BURDEKIN based Simon a truckie on and off for 30 “I usually go to the Haugh ton River or Morrisey’s Creek chasing Barramundi when in
A South Sydney Rabbitohs supporter in the NRL, Hyde said the worst road he has been along is the Tanami Track.
When he’s not behind the wheel, Simon Poletti enjoys going fishing.
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rived in Australia from across the ditch in 1979.
WITHIN the next year Craig Hyde will become a member of the “nifty fifty” club of the road transport industry.
Hyde likes stopping at the Charley’s Creek Café at Chin chilla and the Belyando Cross ing Roadhouse, rating the ser vice, food and facilities as great.
Share your truck pics to win with Shell Rimula
Darcy Richardson snapped a pic of this shined up T909 under the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne. It’s his mate Hori’s truck, who drives for Ares group.
52 READER RIGS
Each month, the Big Rigs team will choose a #PicOfT heMonth, with the lucky win ner receiving a $500 Shell Coles Express Gift Card.
Ranga Zach snapped this shot of the Corbets 2018 K200 Big Cab he drives – right after a full wash, wax and polish.
Reader Rigs proudly supported by
Nicholas Dolan sent this shot of the Kenworth T610 he drives for Blenners Transport, while stopped on the Mitchell Highway, bound for Melbourne.
Stuart Greig shared this shot of a Blu Logistics tanker undertaking farm milk collection in Bridport, Tasmania.
Gurudev and Erice shared a snap of this DAF 530hp, which runs Perth to Port Hedland.
Tytec driver Stacy Olsen heads westbound at Iron Knob, SA.
SHELL Rimula has partnered with Big Rigs in a big way – so now there’s even more reasons to send in your best truck shots.
Dean Rickard hauls an oversize load of rainwater tanks to Broken Hill.
Keep an eye out for our reg ular posts on the Big Rigs Na tional Road Transport News paper Facebook page, calling
for your best truck photos and add yours in the comments, or email them to editor@bigrigs. com.au.Don’t forget to include a brief note about the truck and where the photo was tak en. We’ll feature some of the best photos in each edition of Big Rigs Newspaper, with one winner announced each month. Keep those amazing truck pics coming!
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022 BIGRIGS.COM.AU
When the going gets tough, truckies keep everyone going
BIGRIGS.COM.AU FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022
Jayden Perry snapped this shot, all shined up after the seventh wash for the week, at the Somerton yard.
Robert Hull spends another day “rolling around the desert”.
READER RIGS 53
Andrew Boxsell and the triple head northbound out of Pardoo Roadhouse.
“Cloudy in Melbourne with puddles and shine.” Thanks for sharing another great shot Filip Schubert.
That’s a mighty big load. Steve Bottom shared this shot, hauling a 793D Yandi to Mount Keith Mine, WA.
Danny White shared this great photo of the 30m A-double he steers for Riordan Fuels, carting fuel across Victoria and southern NSW.
Wainwrighht Henry from SNL Logistics sent in this snap taken during “another awesome day on the road to Albury”.
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Plenty of impressive rigs are expected to make their way to the Gold Coast Truck Show. The Lights on the Hill memorial service and convoy remembers those who’ve lost their lives. Photos: Facebook
Aside from the truck event, there will also be live music,
Castlemaine Rotary Truck NovemberShow 26-27, 2022 Castlemaine, castlemainetruckshow.comVictoria
The annual memorial convoy offers drivers and their families an opportunity to get together with other truckies while celebrating the contri bution that truckies make to
you
Save the date for these major industry events
Dane Ballinger Memorial Truck NovemberShow19, 2022 Bathurst Showground, bathursttruckshow.com.auNSW
The Queensland Trucking As sociation’s annual awards aim to celebrate those in the state’s road freight industry who have displayed excellence, dedication and commitment to their roles. This year’s event will feature guest speaker Dr Craig Challen OAM, the Australian cave diver who was instrumental in saving a soccer team of 12 boys and their coach in the 2018 Thai cave rescue.
The Ivanhoe Dry Times Truck, Tractor, Car and Bike Show makes a comeback, raising money for local community groups and projects.
Touted as the largest truck and motorbike convoy in the Southern Hemisphere, the Illawarra Convoy raises funds for individuals and families affected by potentially life threatening medical condi tions, together with charities that work with these people, and local hospitals.
The Gold Coast Truck Show will see trucks of all sorts rolling in for an impressive display. Entry is $25, which includes passengers, trophy
Illawarra illawarraconvoy.com.auIllawarra,NovemberConvoy20,2022NSW
This is the 34th year for the annual Castlemaine Rotary Truck Show, which celebrates the important contribution of the trucking industry, with entertainment on offer for the whole family. Event proceeds will go towards local youth and community projects.
QTA Road Freight Industry OctoberAwards 8, 2022 Royal International Con vention Centre, brisbanefreight-industry-awards-qta.com.au/events/qta-road-Brisbane
Lights on the Hill Convoy October 1-2, 2022 Gatton, lightsonthehill.com.auQueensland
Held over two days, the event will be a celebration of heritage trucks, tractors and cars. The weekend will feature trade stalls, and food and refreshment vans. Entry is only $5 and children under 14 are free.
NOVEMBER Brisbane Convoy For Kids November 5, 2022 Brisbane, aubrisbaneconvoyforkids.com.Queensland
HERE’S a look at some of the trucking events to add to your calendar in the coming months.
the country. The convoy will take place on the Saturday of the event and the memorial service will be held on the Sunday at the Lake Apex Memorial wall.
After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the Urana Vin tage Rally will see vintage enthusiasts come together to celebrate the trucks, cars and machinery of times gone by. While White and Interna tional were the feature truck brands at the 2018 and 2019 events, this year the focus will be on Mercedes-Benz.
September 17-18, 2022 Hawkesbury Showground, Clarendon, groups/613874182126665facebook.com/NSW
Held in conjunction with the Clarendon Classic Rally, this event will feature a display of Kenworths new and old, working and retired, restored or original. It’s touted as the largest gathering of Ken worths to be seen in Australia. There will be rides, tractor pulls, food and collector stalls, as well as historic trucks, cars, steam powered vehicles and trade stands. Join the Clarendon Kenworth Klassic Facebook group for updates.
Ivanhoe Dry Times Truck, Tractor, Car and Bike Show October 1-2, 2022 Sahara Oval, Ivanhoe, NSW Show-1348021992012877Tractor-Car-and-Bike-hoe-Dry-Times-Truck-facebook.com/Ivan
Urana Vintage Rally October 15-16, 2022 Victoria Park, Urana tagemachineryclubincfacebook.com/uranavinNSW
This fun day out for truckies and their families helps to raise money for River’s Gift and SIDS research.
Matty Hillcoat’s Truckies’ Day OctoberOut8, 2022 Gympie coatstruckiesdayoutfacebook.com/mattyhillShowgrounds
Heritage Truck Association Annual OctoberShow15-16, 2022 Beaudesert com.auheritagetruckassociation.QueenslandShowgrounds,
Convoy For Kids Goulburn November 19, 2022 Goulburn, com.auconvoyforkidsgoulburn.NSW
Convoy for Kids Goulburn provides support for local children with cancer, terminal illness and permanent disabil ities, by providing financial assistance to their families. For the first time in two years, the Convoy Carnival Day will be run in its entirety, with a Guinness World Record attempt for the largest parade of trucks, entertainment and plenty of kids activities.
This truck convoy runs Lara pinta to Redcliffe, followed by a fun-filled family day, which will include truck awards, live entertainment and a spectac ular fireworks display, all to raise money for a very worthy cause.
nominations and judging for awards across various categories.
Have got an event you’d like included? Email all the details to editor@bigrigs.com.
This event promises plenty to do for the whole family, with over 200 market stalls, food stalls, entertainment and kids rides. The annual Bathurst Swap Meet Car and Bike Show will also be held as part of the same event.
OCTOBER
Gold Coast Truck Show October 23, 2022 Mudgeeraba Showgrounds, goldcoasttruckshow.com.auQueensland
a tractor, and plenty of food and drink. All proceeds go towards local community groups and projects. Gates open from 10am. For more information, contact Allan Carmichael on 0447 953 982, or Lonni Grimwood lonnigrimwood@gmail.com.on
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