WITH the big truck and trailer brands again under the one roof, plus further expansion of activations and entertainment in the nearby South Bank Parklands, the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show is shaping up as the biggest and best in the event’s storied 55-year history.
And with just five months until the doors open for the four-day trucking extravaganza, to be staged May 18-21, 2023 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC), you can now secure your tickets to the event at brisbanetruckshow.com.au.
Buoyed by record demand for new trucks in the lead up, key brands including Volvo,
Mack, UD, Hino and Isuzu are all set to return for next year’s show, joining stalwarts Kenworth, DAF, Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, Fuso, Western Star, MAN and Iveco.
And the big brands will have a slew of new products on show, some publicly for the first time, including Kenworth’s new K220, MAN’s new TGL, TGM, TGS and TGX models, the Fuso Shogun 510, and Western Star’s new X-Series models.
Arguably the biggest showcase of electric trucks will also be on display, including the full range of Volvo’s all-new Volvo FL and FE Electric medium-duty models, SEA Electric’s
300 and 500 Series, and potentially Mercedes-Benz’s eActros, which is set to begin local trials in early 2023.
Not to be left behind, Australia’s world-class local trailer manufacturers are also set to showcase the latest innovations in trailer design – including new product reveals from the likes of CIMC/Marshall Lethlean and Robuk Engineering.
Connecting it all together, a record number of parts and accessories suppliers, and technology providers, are readying to unveil a raft of product advances that are playing an increasing role in delivering on the 2023 show’s key themes of innovation, safety, sustainability and
knowledge.
Continuing the show’s evolution into a week-long festival of all things trucking, the event will once more extend well beyond the walls of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) into the nearby South Bank Parklands and beyond.
With the support of Tourism and Events Queensland, the Brisbane City Council and South Bank Corporation, Little Stanley Street and Stanley Street Plaza again will be closed to traffic to showcase an ever-expanding line up of innovative trucks and trailers.
Following its success in 2019 and 2021, there’ll also be an abundance of activities and entertainment in the Parklands, supported by the precinct’s retailers waiting to welcome visitors with a plethora of great drinking and dining options (look out for our upcoming guides to the best places, bars and restaurants to visit while in Brisbane).
Also at South Bank, the industry Careers Centre and National Apprentice Challenge will maintain their new home in the Piazza, where the wider community will be able to see for themselves the high level of skills and diverse range of rewarding career paths on offer in Australia’s heavy vehicle industry.
And in a return to its roots,
the big yellow machines will return to Brisbane’s iconic Ekka showgrounds – where prior to 2011 they were a key part of the Queensland Truck, Trailer and Equipment Show, with the 2023 Heavy Equipment and Machinery Show (HEMS) again running alongside the Truck Show from Thursday to Sunday. The show is held in conjunction with Civil Contractors Federation Queensland (CCFQ).
HVIA Chief Executive Todd Hacking says the response to the show’s strategic expansion has been “fantastic” – as has the support of Platinum Partners NTI and TruckAssist, Gold Partners BP and Wurth, Diamond Partners carsales and trucksales, Supporting Partners Energy Australia and Morris Finance, and Heavy Vehicle Industry Week Partners Bris-
bane City Council and the Queensland Government.
“All of that success is a reflection on the leadership shown by so many of our exhibitors who did such an amazing job of showcasing the values of their companies and our industry to the broader community,” said Hacking.
“The opportunity to showcase our industry in this spectacular location provides the perfect opportunity to share our story with the community in a tangible and lasting way. We are extremely grateful to the Queensland Government and the City of Brisbane for coming on board to enable this initiative to come to life.
“They recognise that the Brisbane Truck Show is a vital Queensland business, tourism and cultural asset, recognised internationally amongst the
world’s leading industry business events.”
Now ranking among the world’s leading transport industry events, the Brisbane Truck Show has come a long way from its humble beginnings back in 1968 when 21 truck, trailer and component manufacturers and suppliers came together at Haulmark Trailers’ premises in Rocklea.
These days, it is, by far, the biggest business event the road transport industry holds in the Southern Hemisphere – and recognised among the best, with the 2019 event named ‘Australia’s Best Corporate Event and Best Exhibition, Trade or Consumer Show’ in the Australian Event Awards; while the 2021 show took out the ‘Best Live or Hybrid Congress, Conference or Exhibition’ gong in the 2021 awards.
Those accolades have only served to inspire more energy to further improve the show for both exhibitors and visitors, he says.
“Our industry exhibitors do an extraordinary job raising the bar every show and 2023 will be no different,” Hacking says.
“On display is a fantastic array of products, from the very latest trucks and innovative trailer designs, to components, equipment, accessories and ground-breaking technology solutions.”
WITH Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympics, the Brisbane Truck Show is emulating the iconic torch relay – but with a unique twist
Sunny the koala earned its name from the Brisbane Truck Show logo.
The crest has been part of the logo for two decades and is instantly recognisable to most folks from the trucking industry no matter where you might hail from across Australia.
So, settling on a name for the new Truck Show mascot was not an arduous or contentious task.
“Given Brisbane was recently announced as the host city for the 2032 Olympic Games, we were inspired to follow its lead and emulate the iconic
torch relay – with a twist,” said organisers.
“In the lead-up to the 2023 show, Sunny will be dropping through to visit as many of the near-300 exhibitors as possible.
“We will be tracking Sunny’s progress as he goes, checking out what unusual forms of transport he might be subjected to, and what interesting activities he gets up to.”
Exhibitors have been enthusiastic in putting their hands up to host Sunny. Their ideas for giving Sunny an experience that is unique to their brands are irresistibly novel.
“However, we can’t give too much away – you’ll have to follow his journey on the show website, through our newsletters, and social media.”
ed up by the recently crowned ‘International Truck of the Year 2021’ TGX model – will make its first big Australian-event debut at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show.
The TG range is just what MAN was looking for; an efficient, innovative and good-looking range of trucks to compete in the competitive Euro truck market in Australia.
The MAN brand, through its local distributor Penske Australia, is trying to reconnect with the Australian market by offering that ‘next-gen’ truck that’s more tool than toy.
A LOT has changed in the 55 years since this first show, then known as the Queensland Truck Show, and as we move towards the upcoming event, it could be just as defining as that first show back in 1968.
Five months out from the 2023 show, we are knocking at the door of the next generation of the truck, where automation rules, electricity and hydrogen replace diesel, and safety and other technology smarts reign supreme.
The 2023 show will undoubtedly be an important next step in this evolution, says show organisers Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia.
Penske Australia’s Executive General Manager of On-Highway, and HVIA board member, Craig Lee, agrees.
He believes truck manufacturers and importers are on the cusp of the most fundamental shifts in heavy vehicle automotive technology ever.
“The next 10 to 15 years are going to change the trucking landscape in a way that has never happened before,” Lee said.
“Major changes are occurring across the fleet in how technology is applied to improve
fleet performance, for greatly improved safety outcomes and to improve our environmental impact.”
As you walk the halls of the 2023 event and check out the latest trucks on show – from those powered by traditional internal combustion engines, like the Mack Anthem, Kenworth K220 and Freightliner Cascadia, to the greatest array of electric and hydrogen powered vehicles ever on show – think to yourself what will the trucks evolve to by Truck Show 2025?
To highlight how far trucks have come here are some of the new models expected to be on display in 2023.
While the anniversary Legend SAR on display in 2021 stepped back in time to pay homage to an icon, the future of Kenworth trucks is certainly to be found in the recently released Kenworth K220.
The K220 is the brand’s most technologically advanced truck and will sit front and centre of its stand at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show.
The most noticeable change to its predecessor, the K200,
is the operating environment. Stepping inside the K220 cab, you’ll find a more modern interior fitted with a 15-inch high-definition display as well as a new eight-inch audio-visual navigation unit that has smartphone integration. However, it still feels and looks like a Kenworth inside.
PACCAR Australia has also updated the automatic transmission, with the new K220 swapping out its previous Eaton Ultrashift for the new Eaton 18-speed Endurant XD Pro automated transmission. An 18-speed Road Ranger box is still available.
Safety-wise, the company says the K220 has the largest range of active and passive safety options ever offered by Kenworth Australia and includes adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, side object detection and collision mitigation.
This is by far the most modern Kenworth truck ever and brings the brand in line with what its competitors are doing. Like most things Kenworth, the K220 will be hugely popular.
Thanks to its historical link with Brisbane, Western Star has had a long connection with the Brisbane Show.
Last show, Western Star paid tribute to the first-ever Western Star released in Australia in 1983 by painting one of its latest 4800 models with a special tribute livery with a blue cabin, red chassis, and heritage pearl white highlights.
The nod to history was special and had countless Star groupies flocking for photos.
Fast forward to the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show, and we will see a new Western Star released, and arguably just as important as that original 1983 Star unveiled all those years ago.
The new Western Star 47X, 48X and 49X series trucks are on their way Down Under, and the people of Brisbane are set to get a glimpse of the ‘modern’ Star.
The new X-Series from Western Star will be the first all-new Star for quite some time and will come with the latest Detroit DD13 through to DD16 engines as well as a new lighter cabin design with a modern interior.
With a menacing new design, and an appetite to succeed like the Western Stars that have come before, it’s safe to
say the eventual launch of the new X-Series trucks from Western Star will have the Brisbane Truck Show buzzing.
As a brand, MAN can claim it is one of the oldest in the game. The German trucking giant has been making trucks since 1915, and with the recent release of its new TG (Truck Generation) range – the first newly-developed MAN truck in two decades, it’s ready to push the envelope on the next generation of trucks just like it did more than 100 years ago.
The new TG range – head-
Fuel economy is the TG range’s bread and butter, with the option of engines ranging from the 250hp D08 to the 640hp D38 Euro 6e engine (with various options in between).
The TG’s Tipmatic gearbox shift system also uses software to determine the optimum moving off and gearshift strategy in all situations in conjunction with load and inclination detection. MAN was a part of the first generation of trucks and with the TG series, it seems it’s ready for the next generation of commercial vehicles.
Our latest generation of trucks come with an impressive range of technologies that operate behind the scenes to monitor traffic situations, perform pre-emptive measures, and help reduce the risk of a collision. From the Electronic Stability Program to Active Brake Assist 5, these innovative safety features often go unnoticed; acting as invisible guardians that help keep the driver, their load, and other road users safe. Trucks that are safer are also more efficient, as they help relieve the driver’s workload and limit unnecessary vehicle downtime.
and Mercedes-Benz are trademarks of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.
Watch our invisible guardians in action.
our advanced safety systems.
The Cascadia is a huge step in innovation and technology in comparison to previous Argosy and Coronado truck models. It’s shaken the stereotypical buff, yank truck appearance and instead opts for a modern, sleek, aerodynamic design like its sibling Mercedes-Benz and its impressive Actros range.
Under the bonnet, the Cascadia offers the 13- or 16-litre Detroit Diesel engines, which are reportedly good on fuel, and inside the Cascadia you’ll find a cabin filled with lush, soft-touch materials that resemble the interior of premium car brands.
sions to ensure effective operation in extreme temperature conditions.
Freightliner, together with other Daimler Truck Australia brands Fuso and Mercedes-Benz, make some of the most modern, technologically advanced trucks in the world, and has demanded from itself the need to keep evolving the ‘truck’ for the future – the results of which will be on display at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show.
Continued from 34
After many years of success in the US and many years of additional testing here Down Under, the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show was where Daimler Truck Australia finally lifted the curtain on its impres-
sive Freightliner Cascadia. The camouflaged “winter soldier” test unit Cascadia proudly stood on the stand, giving Australians their first glimpse of what is now the flagship Freightliner. Two years later at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show, punters could put in an order.
Freightliner left no stone unturned to make sure the Cascadia was right for the Australian market, and reportedly built numerous prototypes to test new components and systems locally, while also simulating millions of road kilometres with cold chamber and hot room ses-
Collaborations don’t get much better than rock legend Jimmy Barnes, Mack Trucks and Rotary Australia. Together, the three combined in 2019 to create the inspiring ‘Working Class Mack’, a special limited-edition Mack Super-Liner that was auctioned off to raise funds for drought-affected farmers.
It wasn’t just any old Superliner though, the Work-
ing Class Mack was specially painted to represent album artwork from Barnes’ iconic 1985 album, Working Class Man.
The Super-Liner featured had the MP10 16-litre engine under the bonnet as well as the Mack mDrive 12-speed
automated manual box and 58
Brisbane Truck Show attendees were lucky enough to see the Mack on display at Volvo Group Australia’s activation in the Brisbane CBD, bringing that rock-and-roll edge to the extravaganza.
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By far one of the most important trucks ever to grace the Truck Show, the Mack was auctioned off by Pickles, with $80,000 from the proceeds going to the Rotary Australia drought relief program.
While the Mack Superliner may be the most iconic Mack truck to ride the roads in Australia, it’s the company’s new Anthem model that will set its future course.
The next-generation Bulldog is here and the Anthem is that for Mack. Just take a look at its sleeker, more aerodynamic design in comparison to the big, and muscular, Macks that have come before it.
After years in the US, the Anthem finally arrived in Australia in 2021 – had it not been for Covid, the Anthem would have been on display in full at the previous truck show but will now have its first major Australian outing at the 2023 event.
The Anthem has a keen focus on safety and comes loaded with the Bendix Wingman Fusion safety system as standard.
It is also one of the most fuel-efficient Macks ever, thanks to tweaks to the MP8 engine and the mDrive transmission, which now talk more seamlessly to each other, and its new aerodynamic cabin.
Speaking of cabins, you’ll find plenty of room inside the Anthem. In fact, the new stand-up sleeper has 35 per cent more space than previous cabins with the intention to provide the operator with a more comfortable rest experience.
The Anthem is still ‘Mack’ enough to appeal to rusted-on Bulldog lovers but will also provide the luxuries that come with modernisation.
With Mack’s parent company Volvo Group leading the way with the latest technologies, it’s safe to say that Mack is in safe hands for the future.
ISUZU
The year 2022 marks 50 years of operation for the Isuzu brand here in Australia, and it’s because of trucks like the classic SBR model that the
company has fared so well.
Speaking of SBRs, do you remember when Isuzu found one of its old classic 1979 SBR 422 with 1.3 million kilometres on the clock and decided to restore it? The process took Isuzu Australia’s Product Development Department two years to complete and the results were pretty spectacular.
The interior and exterior were fully restored. All rust, dents and blemishes were removed, a fresh coat of white paint was applied and a custom-built body with a Tasmanian oak floor fitted, leaving the 43-year Isuzu in a near-original state.
It’s trucks like the SBR that have made Isuzu one of Australia’s top-selling truck brands, however, when compared to the latest N-Series
trucks, the poor old SBR is now a museum piece.
The latest N-Series light truck range is by far the most sophisticated and advanced Isuzu to date. Inside you get a 10.1-inch infotainment screen with Apple and Android connectivity, transforming that standard bleak light interior into something a bit more user-friendly.
Safety is key with the new N-Series, with the range adopting Isuzu’s newest safety technology ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems).
Autonomous emergency braking that can detect pedestrians comes as standard, as does lane-departure warning, traffic movement warning, distance warning and stability control.
Head-to-head with the SBR, the N-Series has 149190hp from its four-cylinder engine compared to 132hp from its 5.8-litre six-cylinder diesel.
As mentioned before, the N-Series has a suite of safety features and technology compared to the SBR’s simple seatbelts. Let’s not make a habit of poking fun at iconic old trucks, but it certainly proves a point, the new N-series – which we suspect will be front and centre at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show – is a next-generation truck.
Organisers are giving 10 Big Rigs readers a chance to win a VIP double pass to this year’s show.
To be in the draw, all you have to do is email us at editor@bigrigs.com. au before midnight on December 31, and tell us what you’re looking forward to seeing most at this year’s show and why.
The VIP passes are valid for any one day but also includes entry to the Heavy Vehicle & Equipment Show on the same day and a seat on the free shuttles between venues.
If you really want to impress that special truck fan in your life, splash out on ‘the golden ticket’, entry to Club BTS 2023, a new initiative for the Brisbane Truck Show’s biggest fans.
Event Manager Noelene Bradley says the strictly limited intake comes with a range of special benefits.
“This is the gold pass version of entry to the show with only 100
memberships on offer,” said Bradley.
“We’ve had enquiries from regular attendees whose pilgrimage to the show is one of the highlights on their calendars. With Christmas coming up we know that these memberships will go like hotcakes.”
Club BTS 2023 membership includes a multi-day pass to the show along with unique merchandise, gifts from exhibitors and vouchers for use around the show. To secure your membership jump on www.truckshow.com.au/ clubbts.
BY GRAHAM HARSANT
HVIA is going full steam to make the 2023 event bigger and better than ever. The truck manufacturers - apart from Scania I’m told – will be back displaying their wares to convince you that their product is where you should place your backside.
I was lucky enough to visit the Hanover Truck Show in Germany earlier this year, so one man’s comparison as to how they do things in Europe may be of interest.
Hanover, or IAA Transportation as its termed, is the biggest truck show in the world with one pavilion taking up close to the same footprint as the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. And there are 21 of them at Hanover! If you think that your tired after a day walking around the Brisbane Truck Show then don’t go to Germany.
Based on past Brisbane shows – and probably the upcoming one – the difference in the two was stark for one major reason. Electricity! (There was another which I’ll come to)
The European truck market is dominated by six companies and eight brands: Daimler Truck (Mercedes, Fuso),
PACCAR (DAF), Volvo, Traton (Scania, MAN), Stellantis (Iveco) and Renault. Ford also still has a presence on the continent. All these companies, and a strong Chinese contingent at the IAA concentrated on battery powered trucks from last-mile delivery through to Mercedes’ new Actros prime mover capable of a (fully loaded) 500km range – enough to satisfy over 60 per cent of Europe’s requirements.
How dominant was electricity at Hanover? 80 per cent dominant. Mercedes for example had only two diesel powered trucks on their massive display. The Ford stand had only two trucks on show – both electric. If memory serves me correctly the entire Chinese contingent was electric. All other manufacturers went mainly electric as well, and I’m not talking Canter/Sea Electric-sized vehicles. These were all Big Bangers. Hanover was also awash with electric powered trailers to go with those electric prime movers – a logical progression in spreading the power load. I’d love to see some of those at Brisbane
We will of course see some electric power in Brisbane. Fuso will no doubt be there with
their electric Canter – hopefully the 2nd generation which is a massive leap forward in design, range and type of drive line. Daimler Truck – like all OEM’s I tried to speak to - are playing their cards close to their chests, but the word is they have an electric Actros (rigid) here for
evaluation.
If so, expect it to make an appearance at Brisbane. I drove this truck in Europe and it was amazing – for its size alone apart from anything else. Daimler also have a couple of eEconic refuse trucks running around for evaluation with the latest elec-
tric drive system which houses motors and diff in one unit.
Garbage trucks are an ideal recipient of electric power with their slow speeds and constant stopping. Expect to see them there. Otherwise I have no doubt there will be a healthy display of good old diesel product on their stand.
What the Europeans call ‘long distance’, we’d call a run down to the corner shop and whilst electric will certainly find its place for last mile delivery, it’s got problems with the miles needed to be covered here (Janus is of course developing their variation on the theme with plug in batteries).
There were a bunch of companies at Hanover displaying the alternative to electric. I refer to hydrogen. The development in this arena is gathering pace at breakneck speed with multiple fuel-cell designs on show. I’ve no doubt this is Australia’s answer for long distance driving
in the absence of diesel, and it would be great to see some of these products on display. Guess we’ll have to wait until May to find out. It would be an education if Cummins brought their hydrogen display here from Europe.
The other difference I referred to earlier between Hanover and here is the absence of bonneted trucks over there (two drive axles is also a rarity). Aussies love the bonnet but I’m predicting that the hero truck on the Kenworth stand will be the new high-tech K220 cab over.
Hino refused to divulge any details of their show plans, so I’m figuring they’re planning something. Other companies are also staying mum. Whatever turns up at Brisbane, I know there’ll be something for everyone, that there’ll be more than one surprise, and that I’ll not have to walk near as far as I did at Hanover to see everything. Bring it on!
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COOL classic trucks will again be a feature of the Brisbane Truck Show, with the Heritage Truck Association Australia (HTAA) planning to stage its big annual event on the weekend of May 20-21, 2023 at Rocklea Showgrounds.
HTAA’s Michelle Wilkie says the association is hoping to once again see the showground at capacity, filled with all different makes and models of trucks, tractors, cars, utes and machines. The showgrounds are just 15 minutes’ drive from the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC).
The return to the Rocklea Showgrounds follows the committee’s difficult decision to cancel HTAA’s annual show in 2021 for the second year running due to COVID restrictions – but one that ultimately had a silver lining with a “oncein-a-lifetime” offer to display a number of its members’ vehicles in a prominent location on the ground floor of the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show.
In what turned out to be among the most popular exhibitions at the event, members displayed 12 classics: a 1946 Ford Jailbar ‘Roxanne’ painstakingly restored by show partner NTI, a 1948 Chevrolet Loadmaster, a 1954 International AR110, a 1962 Mack H673 ST, a 1970 International Loadstar, a 1971 Mercedes Benz 1418 LS, a 1972 AEC Marshal, a 1973 Kenworth W924, a 1975 Bedford KMR/XT5, a 1975 International D1310, a 1978 International 3070B, and a 1986 Kenworth W925 SAR.
“It was certainly a once-ina-lifetime opportunity for our club to be an exhibitor at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show. The amount of interest from other exhibitors and the public in the heritage truck display was wonderful to see and gave another dimension to the show,” Wilkie says.
“Being a first-time exhibitor, the process was daunting at first but all went smoothly,
from bump in to bump out and everything in between.”
Wilkie says the exceptional response to the exhibition reflects an increase in interest in historic trucks in recent years, a trend also mirrored by steady growth in the number of trucks on show at its events as well as HTAA membership.
“These historic trucks are a piece of our history and if not
restored, we will lose those pieces of history,” she says.
“There is a passion to keep the past alive for the men and women who started the transport industry, along with those wonderful hard-working old trucks that worked on not-sogood roads. Many travelled extraordinary distances on highways throughout Australia.
“Some of these vehicles
THE big yellow machines will return to the former long-time home of the Brisbane Truck Show in 2023 at Brisbane’s Ekka Showgrounds.
Previously the Civil Construction Field Days, the new and improved show will be presented by Civil Contractors Federation Queensland (CCF QLD) at the Royal International Convention Centre and Showgrounds from May 18-21, showcasing the latest innovations for the civil construction and infrastructure sector thanks to naming sponsor Pickles Industrial.
Its new ‘forever home’ sees the big yellow machines return to the Ekka, where from 1983 to 2009 they were a key part of
the Queensland Truck, Trailer and Equipment Show. The event was renamed the Brisbane Truck Show when it shifted to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in 2011.
CCF QLD CEO Damian Long says the new venue delivers a platform for a bigger and better show in 2023 and beyond.
Presented alongside the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show, the event is expected to attract more than 6000 attendees and in excess of 80 exhibitors over the four-day showcase.
The 2021 show – which ran over three days at Hamilton Northshore – featured around 60 of the industry’s most wellknown companies and drew
some 3500 attendees, significantly up on the first Civil Construction Field Days created by CCF QLD in 2019, a two-day event which was hosted at the Pickles Industrial site at Archerfield with approximately 40 exhibitors and 900 attendees.
Following the success of its official partnership with Brisbane Truck Show, including reciprocal ticketing and free shuttle buses, Long says he anticipates significant growth in the show again in 2023.
“There are great synergies between the Heavy Equipment and Machinery Show and the Brisbane Truck Show, so we are thrilled to partner with them again for 2023 to provide Australians with access to
both heavy equipment, trucks and everything in between by just purchasing one ticket,” he said.
Positioned on the doorstep of the show’s official hotel, the 4.5-star Rydges Fortitude Valley, the new site is also conveniently placed in the lively and stunning heritage of the world-class Royal International Convention Centre and the Brisbane Showgrounds Precinct, with access to The Tivoli music venue and the city’s newest and most exciting restaurant and bar precinct, King Street, and on the fringes of Fortitude Valley, Brisbane’s entertainment quarter.
As well as free shuttle buses from the Brisbane Truck Show
have been lovingly restored to their original glory and create a spectacular display. There is a pride and passion by all members in their vehicles.”
Held on the third weekend in May every year at Rocklea Showgrounds, the annual event has experienced strong growth in the volume of exhibitors showcasing their trucks, tractors, machinery and stationary engines.
At the last show in 2019, more than 200 trucks were on display and the showground was at full capacity, Wilkie says.
“On average we would see approximately 1500 attendees through the gates each day,” she adds.
With a motto ‘Keeping Old Wheels Turning’, the HTAA was founded in 2002 when an ad was placed in The Courier Mail seeking interested parties to attend an inaugural meeting where the idea was floated to form a new club to promote the preservation of heritage trucks
and associated memorabilia.
The club kicked off with 13 foundation members and membership now sits at an impressive 470 financial members.
The first HTAA show was held on July 26, 2003 at Mt Gravatt Showgrounds, before moving to Beenleigh Showgrounds in 2006, and on to Rocklea Showgrounds in 2013. This year’s rescheduled 2022 show was held on October 1516 at Beaudesert Showgrounds.
The HTAA also stages club runs every month plus members attend other clubs’ events, including the Yesteryear Truck & Machinery Club at Wauchope, the Kingaroy & District Vintage Machinery Club, and Toowoomba & District Old Machinery Society.
Most recently, in August HTAA’s members attended the Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, where trucks parked alongside old aircraft in the grounds, providing a rare treat for old machinery buffs!
every 30 minutes, the new venue offers plentiful parking onsite. It’s also less than a 10-minute walk from Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley train stations
and close to numerous other public transport options.
For more information on the show visit heavyequipmentshow.com.au.
THE future of the industry is dependent upon policy decision makers challenging orthodox thinking to create real
step changes. This is what the industry needs now. It is no coincidence that in the last three decades the highest for labour productivity growth was the nineties. This was the decade of persistent and significant road transport reform.
At the recent QTA Road Freight Industry Awards, we were fortunate to have Dr Craig Challen SC OAM as guest speaker. He is well known around the world for his role in the rescue of 13 young Thai soccer players. He openly said if risks weren’t taken to challenge normal rescue protocols and practices, all those trapped would have perished. There was no question as to whether they were going to be rescued, it was just a matter of how that was going to be achieved. The challenge for government and regulators is embracing reform that genuinely shifts the dial on the safety and efficiency of the industry.
Our members challenge us
to deliver relevant and practical services that make a difference to their businesses. Our membership investment supports our leading advocacy role which ultimately benefits the entire road freight industry. Our appreciation for our operator and sponsor members who support the QTA is greatly valued.
In 2023, we are excited to be delivering our leading truck driver training program funded by the NHVR Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative. This innovative program will inject drivers with an existing HR licence into employment and be put through 160 hours of on-road driving with a driving mentor. Combined with theory on essential safety and compliance awareness, this program will prepare job ready drivers to a standard set by employers. This is an ideal path to set these drivers to complete a Heavy Vehicle Driving Apprenticeship which was approved in Queensland
in October. We must also increase awareness of the career opportunities in the industry. To tackle this, we will roll out the first of our Get in2 Transport and Logistics industry tours in 2023. Kicking off in North Queensland, school career guidance officers and students will come together with industry to engage more young people in the industry. These two initiatives form the basis of our Workforce Strategy and specifically our Heavy Vehicle Driver Pathways Plan.
We will also commence
our First on Scene Incident Response training around Queensland funded by the Motor Accident Insurance Commission. With an overwhelming expression of interest response, this course will provide valuable training and awareness for truck drivers who are often the first person on the scene of road accidents in regional and remote areas. This is a progressive collaboration between the industry, Queensland Police Service and Queensland Ambulance.
We will also continue the
Livestock Handling Workshops in Queensland with the next course to be held in Charters Towers in February.
With other significant issues such as establishing all-weather national freight lanes, increased investment in the Inland Freight Route among other road investments, progression to a low carbon environment, and the ongoing issue of labour shortages, road user charges and the industrial environment, the year ahead provides plenty of challenges for us to tackle.
