Owner Driver 351 April 2022

ownerdriver APRIL 2022 #351

DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL

OWNERDRIVER.COM.AU

War reaction

Truck makers freeze Russia out See page 8

Undercover Kenworth Sneak peek at new K220 See page 12

Volvo’s vow

Committed to keeping Wacol working See page 46

ANZAC TRIBUTE Ozwide’s Western Star B-triple salutes green and gold veterans

18

56

63

APRIL - MAY CATALOGUE OUT NOW! Offer ends 31st May 2022 or while stocks last. Terms and conditions apply. See Catalogue for details.

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HEAVY HAULAGE IS IN OUR DNA Designed, tested and manufactured in Australia, Kenworth’s range of heavy duty trucks offer you the strength and durability required to handle the most demanding operating conditions.

Reliable on and off the highway and purpose-built for high GCM applications, the Kenworth K200, T659, T909 and C509 give you flexibility of design with a range of heavy duty axles and suspensions to suit the task at hand.

Wherever the road leads, whatever the load, Kenworth has the power to deliver.

For your heavy duty needs speak to your local Kenworth dealer or visit KENWORTH.COM.AU Images for illustrative purposes only.

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A P R — M AY 2 0 2 2

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TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

|

EXTENSIVE DEALER NETWORK

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 April to 31 May 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.

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Contents #351

APRIL 2022

24 18 TAKING THE TOW ROAD

18 updated N-series light-duty line-up will simply entrench its market dominance in Australia

Saudi Arabia and Sweden. It is, however,

revealed a man disappointed by

One-truck owner-operators Andrew Johnson and Donna Norton transform a Kenworth T409 SAR car carrier into a customised South Australian heavy-duty tow truck

only a temporary measure

circumstance but totally confident

24 AVENUE OF LEGENDS

“I didn’t want to do interstate, nope, never.”

Complete Trucks’ Sebastian Spadaro, one of many local sponsors, donates his 1986 W model Kenworth to the Shepparton’s revamped Museum of Vehicle Evolution

of a more resilient future

50 BETTER THAN BEFORE An informal interview with Volvo

56 THE ‘EYES’ HAVE IT

Group Australia chief Martin Merrick

The swathe of safety features on Isuzu’s

61 THE MISSING LINK

Isuzu Australia insiders still yearn for a model capable of adding heavy-duty leadership to its light and medium-duty mantles, as operators chief Andrew Harbison reveals in this frank interview

32 TRUCK OF THE MONTH In a bid to acknowledge Australia’s heritage, and a nod to his late World War II serving grandfather, Ozwide Freight’s Luke Ashton turns his Western Star 4900 into a colourful tribute truck

46 VOLVO VOWS TO KEEP WACOL WORKING

32

Volvo Group Australia has confirmed it is importing fully built-up trucks from

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4 APRIL 2022

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WE ARE JUST BLOWN AWAY

BY THE FUEL ECONOMY”

MATTHEW WANT WANTS TRANSPORT OWNER

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ownerdriver

behind the wheel Greg Bush

EDITORIAL Editor Greg Bush Ph 0408 780 302 E-mail Greg.Bush@primecreative.com.au Senior Journalist Ben Dillon Ph 0423 312 298 E-mail Ben.Dillon@primecreative.com.au Technical Editor Steve Brooks E-mail sbrooks.trucktalk@gmail.com Contributors Warren Aitken, Robert Bell, Frank Black, Warren Clark, Cat Fitzpatrick, Rod Hannifey, Michael Kaine, James Phipps, Ken Wilkie Cartoonist John Allison

PRODUCTION Production Co-Ordinator Cat Fitzpatrick Art Director Bea Barthelson Print IVE Print

ADVERTISING Business Development Manager Hollie Tinker Ph 0466 466 945 E-mail Hollie.Tinker@primecreative.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS Ph 136 116 Fax 02 9267 4363 Web magshop.com.au Reply Paid 4967, Sydney, NSW, 2001

EXECUTIVE GROUP CEO John Murphy Publisher Christine Clancy COO Zelda Tupicoff Operations Manager Regina Fellner Trader Group Sales Director Brad Buchanan

Owner Driver is published by Prime Creative Media 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Telephone: (+61) 03 9690 8766 www.primecreative.com.au ISSN 1321-6279 OwnerDriver magazine is owned by Prime Creative Media. All material in OwnerDriver is copyright and no part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. The Editor welcomes contributions but reserves the right to accept or reject any material. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information Prime Creative Media will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

Opinions expressed in OwnerDriver are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by the publisher unless otherwise stated.

The quiet deliverer

I

ncessant rain along Australia’s east coast has created havoc for our road transport industry. Trucks stuck behind flooded roads around the NSW northern rivers region has caused major delays in the supply chain.

On a minor first world issue, the constant rain, intermingled with a few days of sunshine, has caused vegetation to grow like wildfire. Talk about watching the grass grow – you can almost see it sprouting right before your eyes.

So, as soon as the clouds take a break, it’s out with the lawnmower to tackle the ever-decreasing areas of lawn that exist in suburban blocks nowadays.

Increasing fuel prices don’t play such a big part here, but the convenience of owning an electric mower means not needing to head down to the local servo every so often with your jerry can.

For motorists, going down the electric path is becoming a more attractive proposition. For commercial vehicle owners and operators, the lure of electric vehicles, despite the initial high outlay, has become a solution worth considering for around town deliveries.

Long-haul trucks powered solely by battery are still some years away, although hydrogen fuel cell electric freight trucks are more likely to become the alternative fuel of choice. Hence the recent announcement of a “hydrogen highway” along the eastern seaboard, thanks to the Victoria, NSW and Queensland state governments.

However, expect to see but not hear more local delivery electric trucks doing the rounds around cities and suburbs. No noise means night-time deliveries may go ahead without curfews and, importantly, without upsetting the neighbours.

The savings are worth looking at. According to Bill Tsouvalas, CEO of online financial brokers Savvy, a 22-tonne truck covering 300km without freight, will cost around $189.61 in diesel. The cost of powering an

electric truck in comparison would be between $14 and $42, based on off-peak tariffs for a depot-based fleet. This represents a saving of 77.8 per cent.

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the Electric Vehicle Council are both strong proponents of electric trucks. But, as the ATA points out, of the 58 electric trucks available in North America, Europe and China, only 14 are available for the Australian market, mainly due to our weight and width constraints.

Additionally, the ATA is asking for electric trucks to be exempt from stamp duty.

Looking at the bigger picture, there’s also the issue of fuel security, which has been brought home following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Back in suburbia and middle-class motorists driving around in petrol and diesel vehicles can only look on longingly at their well-heeled neighbours cruising around in the latest Tesla.

But imagine the wonderment and delight on the faces of the general public seeing their freight delivered, whether it’s to the local shopping centre or even to their own homes, in an almost noiseless, environmentally friendly fashion. That will be a pleasing outcome to all concerned.

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6 APRIL 2022

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30/3/2022 1:21 pm

BUILT FOR SUCCESS THE FUSO SHOGUN

With a low tare weight of just 6950kg on the 6x2 ‘s and 7600kg on the 6x4’s, and an 11.5m length pallet able to handle 14 pallet applications; the Fuso Shogun 360 is the heavy hitter, that’s not so heavy. Pair this with its powerful 6-cylinder 7.7 Litre twin turbo Daimler engine with a gutsy 360 horsepower and an impressive 1400Nm of torque and you’ve got yourself a truck that can get the job done, and some.

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17/3/22 4:15 pm 28/3/22 8:59 am

The Goods

NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Truck manufacturers freeze Russia out Truck makers have banded together to exert pressure on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine

Truck makers including Scania, Daimler and Volvo have turned a cold shoulder in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with sales, parts and manufacturing capabilities frozen.

Daimler Truck says it will suspend production and parts supply to Russia’s largest truck maker, Kamaz, with which it has a joint-venture agreement for production of trucks in Russia.

This halting of business is to have immediate effect according to Reuters, which cited a Daimler internal memo shared with the news outlet.

Mere months after its spin-off from Daimler, Mercedes-Benz Group is also reportedly looking to divest it 15 per cent share of Kamaz according to German newspaper Handelsblatt.

Volvo has suspended all operations at its production facility in Kaluga, Russia, about 180km south-west of Moscow, as well as freezing sales of truck and cars.

The Russian Volvo factory employs about 700 people and, since opening in 2009, has produced more than 30,000 trucks, the majority of which being FH, FM and FMX models.

“We now have a bit more clarity on sanctions and security in the region … this means all operations in Russia end,” a Volvo spokesperson told Reuters.

In line with parent company Volkswagen, Scania has also suspended deliveries of vehicles and spare parts to Russia, with the Swedish truck maker’s media relations manager Erik Bratthall saying: “Relations with clients are important for Scania but the values of Scania were more important in this regard.”

This corporate confluence to put economic pressure on Russia is not limited to truck manufacturers either with companies such as Toyota, Apple, Nike, Boeing, Ford, General Motors and Harley-Davidson also announcing curtailed business operations with the country.

TOP RIGHT: A Freightliner Century Class cops the big freeze on a Russian highway BELOW: Volvo’s Kaluga plant is around 180km south-west of Moscow

8 APRIL 2022

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SCRAP FUEL EXCISE, SAYS FCAI Automotive industry body the Federal Chamber for Automotive Industries (FCAI) says now is the ideal time for Australian politicians to replace the current fuel excise system with a broad-based roaduser charge scheme.

The FCAI describes the current fuel excise system as “ineffective and antiquated taxes on Australian motorists”, instead calling for a pay-per-kilometre method that covers for soaring fuel prices.

The body implores Australian politicians to examine the merits of the road user charge scheme, which it believes could become a progressive step in national tax reform.

“Since the release of the FCAI’s discussion paper on road user charging, some state governments have announced plans to introduce a road user charge for the owners of electric vehicles as part of their zero emission strategies,” FCAI chief executive Tony Weber says.

“Our view is that governments can take this further and apply a road user charge to all vehicles regardless of their engine type.

The FCAI reiterates that a road user charge “is not an additional tax on motorists”.

Instead, it can replace registration charges, fuel excise licence fees and luxury car taxes, presenting an opportunity to reduce large bureaucracies required to administer these taxes that the body describes as “inefficient”.

“State and territory governments are beginning to adapt to the changing nature of mobility in Australia, including the rise of

electric vehicles that do not pay fuel excise.

Applying road-user charges more broadly and scrapping taxes like fuel excise and the luxury car tax will ensure that all motorists are paying an equitable amount to use Australia’s road network,” Weber says.

The discussion paper released by the FCAI outlines pathways available to governments for taxation reform, particularly considering equity when it comes to rural and regional travel.

“We need this reform to move Australia’s road tax system from last century and ready it for the future of motoring,” Weber says.

“Australians want a future that can provide clarity, simplicity, fairness and value to their wallet. There is no better time than now to bring this future into reality.”

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

New recruits for driver health program Three new ambassadors, including two women, have been added to OzHelp’s Health in Gear program for 2022 The OzHelp Foundation (OzHelp) has announced its Health in Gear Ambassadors for 2022, who it says will help raise awareness of the program and the importance of truck driver health and wellbeing.

There are three new ambassadors – Kate Beck, Ian (Eno) Taylor and Sally Tipping – joining two continuing ambassadors, Rod Hannifey and Lyndal Denny.

The ambassadors come directly from the transport industry with first-hand knowledge of the challenges drivers face on and off the road and are passionate about improving health and wellbeing in the industry.

OzHelp CEO Darren Black said he was incredibly pleased to welcome new and continuing ambassadors, noting their skills and experience, and generosity in volunteering their time to support the Health in Gear program.

“Ambassadors play a big role, sharing their knowledge, using their networks and channels to help get the word out, and connecting us with the industry and drivers. We look forward to working with them,” Black says.

Well-known interstate truck driver,

ambassador and president of the National Road Freighters Association, Rod Hannifey, will continue bringing his decades of experience to the role.

“The safety of truck drivers has been my priority – and that’s more than road and vehicle safety. It’s about having adequate rest stops to sleep well, having access to facilities to eat well, and having industry specific support options like Health in Gear to handle the challenging aspects of the job if it becomes too much,” Hannifey says.

Ambassador, heavy vehicle driver and CEO of Women in Trucking Australia, Lyndal Denny, says the health and well-being of the nation’s truck drivers is critical.

“Until recently, the industry’s focus has been on driver safety,” Denny says.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of a program that looks at the equally important flip side of the coin – heavy vehicle driver mental health and wellbeing.”

Truck drivers are reported to be the second highest occupation group at risk of suicide, after construction workers.

OzHelp’s Health in Gear program, funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative supported by the federal government, is now in its second year of program rollout and was developed in collaboration with truck drivers, their families, and industry representatives.

The program offers a range of resources including roadside Truckie Tune Up health checks delivered by an OzHelp wellbeing support worker and nurse at popular rest stops and service stations, a 24/7 phone support line, a website with health tips to stay well, and an engaging podcast series, Share the Load.

In addition, the OzHelp Foundation has announced a partnership with Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds (HHTS) that will see its Health in Gear truck driver wellbeing program delivering jointly with the HHTS roadshow.

To access support, truck drivers and their families can head to the Health in Gear website at www.healthingear.com.au.

Top right: Rod Hannifey with the Health in Gear team at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show Above left: Women in Trucking Australia CEO Lyndal Denny Left: Sally Tipping is one of three new 2022 ambassadors for Health in Gear

10 APRIL 2022

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More women needed in transport job, says NTC The National Transport Commission (NTC) has announced that a new national initiative, to showcase women in transport and tackle some of the negative perceptions of a career in this fast-growing industry, is now up and running.

Australia’s infrastructure and transport ministers agreed to the National Women in Transport initiative to improve the gender balance within the transport sector. The NTC says it is progressing a series a national-level actions as part of this initiative to increase the number of women working in transport and create a more inclusive modern transport industry. This includes bringing together a network of senior women transport leaders to showcase the work of women in transport in both the public and private sectors.

NTC CEO Dr Gillian Miles says Australia is experiencing an infrastructure and transport investment boom and needs people with the skills to deliver it.

“If we’re not ensuring women are part of the transport industry, and comfortable in it, we have an economic problem as well as a social one,” Dr Miles says.

The NTC says Australia’s transport workforce is ageing and predominantly male.

Combined with historic levels of investment in transport, more women are urgently needed to work in the industry across a broad range of skills and in leadership roles.

According to ABS data, women currently make up 50

NTC CEO Dr Gillian Miles

per cent of the labour pool, but make up only 27.4 per cent of workers in the transport, postal and warehousing sector. That figure is reduced to around 20 per cent for land transport alone. Only 4.5 per cent of transport CEOs are women and the pay gap of more than 16 per cent is above the average gap of 14 per cent.

Diane Brown, deputy secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, says Australia’s infrastructure and transport ministers have asked officials to increase participation by women across the transport sector.

“The National Women in Transport Initiative is designed to drive productivity and profitability benefits that will come with increased gender balance within the transport sector. Increased participation by women in the transport sector will have flow-on benefits for business, industry, and the whole economy,” Brown says.

As well as the dedicated website and speaker bureau profiling women leaders launched in March, over the next year the National Women in Transport program will also publish key transport workforce data and deliver a series of events to connect industry leaders.

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29/3/2022 2:45 pm

THE TRUCK AUSTRALIA TRUSTS

Turns corners with ease, as well as heads.

Getting from A to B isn’t always as easy as it used to be. Busy roads, complex jobsites and unforgiving highways all test the driver like never before.

Thankfully UD Trucks feature a superior turning circle that makes light work of tight corners and tight situations. And while they’re famous for their maneuverability, UD Trucks are also getting noticed for their smart, sophisticated design, both inside and out. Plus, the well-designed interior enhances driver visibility and operability, ensuring maximum safety and comfort.

For over 85 years, UD Trucks have delivered ultimate dependability.

No wonder this is the truck Australia trusts.

Going the Extra Mile To find out more, contact your UD Trucks dealer on 1300 BUY A UD or visit udtrucks.com/australia Follow us on Proudly part of Volvo Group Australia

OWD 351.indd 11

28/3/22 8:59 am

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Kenworth K220 set to break cover

Exclusive spy pics show the forthcoming Kenworth K220 under the cover of darkness ahead of June launch On a Friday night in early June, in a suitably festooned hangar at the Archerfield airbase in Brisbane, Kenworth will take the wraps off a new model and in the process confirm our long held suspicion that it has been working on a significantly restyled, refined and heavily revamped version of the seemingly ageless K-series cab-over.

As OwnerDriver first reported late last year, the newcomer is called the K220 and, according to Kenworth, the official launch of the much anticipated new model represents ‘the next level’ in the ongoing evolution of its redoubtable cab-over.

Despite its best efforts to keep the truck’s development a closely guarded secret, we’ve actually been aware for some time that Kenworth engineers and designers have been busily stripping back the existing K200 in a concerted effort to devise ways to improve and enhance the cab-over’s features and appeal.

Specific details are currently

harder to find than political propriety but reworks of external styling cues and internal features will almost certainly be among a swathe of new and improved updates, enhancements and driver convenience elements.

On the outside, we wouldn’t be surprised if there are hints of a family resemblance to the T610 and T410 conventionals, just as we won’t be surprised if the K220 is first to offer Eaton’s new Endurant XD automated transmission.

Whatever, there’s little doubt the new model will deliver compelling evidence of the extraordinary design and engineering capabilities that exist within Paccar Australia.

As we reported earlier: “It would not be unreasonable to suggest that after so much effort and expense over recent years in development of dramatic new Kenworth conventional models – T610, T410 and the retro Legend SAR – Paccar Australia’s brains trust would now

be heavily focussed on its cab-over class led, of course, by the evergreen K-series.

“It is, after all, well over a decade since the launch of the all-conquering K200 which, as Kenworth defined it, was ‘more a complete transfusion than just a shot in the arm’ for the iconic K-series.’”

However, it remains to be seen if the evolutionary step to the K220 will be nearly as great as the leap that marked the massive jump from the antiquated and awkward K108 to the far more user-friendly and refined K200.

Will the K220, for instance, offer an advanced safety package as standard equipment?

It was a question that found more shrugs than answers among several sales people we asked, with one wit cynically suggesting: “It’s a Kenworth mate, everything’s an extra.”

Time will tell, soon enough.

– Steve Brooks

Above: Spotted! The K220 on a recent secret outing under the cover of darkness Below left: Kenworth K200. Soon to be superseded by the new K220

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

New Energies servo for Geelong Australian Renewable Energy Agency in support of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in heavy fleets opposite Viva Energy refinery

The federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced that it will provide funding to the tune $22.8 million to Viva Energy Group Limited (Viva Energy) to develop, build and operate the New Energies Service Station located in Geelong, Victoria, to support the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) in heavy fleets.

ARENA states that the project will be built opposite Viva Energy’s petroleum refinery and incorporate a 2MW electrolyser along with hydrogen compression, storage and dispensing infrastructure. The service station will also include 150kW electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities.

ARENA says the funding will go towards both the renewable hydrogen and EV infrastructure, as well as to subsidise the purchase and operations of 15 hydrogen FCEVs to help fast-track FCEV uptake. ARENA funding for the FCEVs will be paid upon the delivery of the vehicles.

An artist’s impression of the New Energies Service Station in Geelong

Viva Energy’s $43.3 million project will allow for the procurement, delivery and operation of the hydrogen FCEVs to utilise renewable hydrogen from the New Energies Service Station.

Viva Energy hopes to add traditional diesel refuelling on-site over time to allow drivers to witness FCEV charging.

ARENA points out that all vehicles will be purchased and owned by project partners. Toll Group, ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia, Cleanaway and Barwon Water are said to have made a commitment to purchase hydrogen FCEVs for their fleets, which include prime movers, wastewater and municipal waste collection vehicles and buses.

The location of the project adjacent to Viva Energy’s Geelong refinery is said to provide a number of benefits including a high level of visibility due to its proximity to major arterial roads and being within an existing industrial area, as well as access to high voltage

infrastructure and recycled water from the nearby Barwon Water recycling plant for the production of hydrogen.

“The experiences of Viva Energy and fleet vehicles using the renewable hydrogen produced onsite for refuelling will provide valuable insights into the operation of different types of hydrogen FCEV heavy vehicles,” ARENA CEO Darren Miller says.

“This project will be a key opportunity for early uptake of commercially viable hydrogen and a service station model that could be replicated across Australia as the price of electrolyser technology drops.”

Viva Energy CEO Scott Wyatt adds that Viva Energy will work with long-term customers to demonstrate the role that hydrogen will play in the future of transport.

“This project puts hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road to prove their value in day-to-day commercial operations while reducing the carbon footprint of the heavy vehicle transport we rely on every day.”

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50 O’Connell St Smithfield NSW 2164 Bob Singh 0415 605 846 14 APRIL 2022

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TWU seeks fuel relief for owner-drivers TWU NSW says contract carriers operating under set rates are now out of pocket due to diesel price rise The ever-increasing cost of diesel is causing a financial crisis for contract carriers (owner-drivers) in the road transport industry, says the Transport Workers Union (TWU) NSW branch.

Supporting the carriers, NSW TWU has filed a claim in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission for an increase to rates paid to essential ownerdrivers carrying freight under the General Carriers Contract Determination.

The TWU says rates that contract carriers are being paid were set was when diesel costs were around $1.23 a litre. Now they are averaging $2.18 a litre at the pump.

Richard Olsen, NSW state secretary of the TWU, says Trucks fill up with over-priced diesel at Hexham, NSW

the union is going to the courts to seek relief for owner-drivers under extraordinary circumstances.

“The inaction from the federal government, who should be finding a way to relieve transport operators, has forced our hand,” Olsen explains.

“As an industry representative we are hearing first-hand the financial burden owner-drivers are under.

This is why the TWU is in the courts, seeking relief. In light of past performance, we currently do not trust that the varying levels of government will adequately respond to the needs of the transport industry.

“The transport industry needs direct, targeted support for those who need it most – truck drivers and transport

operators who are trying to keep alive, safe and viable small businesses whilst continuing to carry the goods,” Olsen says.

The TWU points out that every litre of fuel that goes into a truck attracts a 44.2 cents per litre fuel excise. It says removing that could be the first step in helping transport operators stay on track financially.

The union says everything is being moved by a truck, with owner-drivers carrying fresh produce, general freight, parcels, furniture and more.

It adds that, as small business operators, they are absorbing the increasing costs of doing the job. It says that this also places increasing pressure on their ability to maintain safe vehicles while covering a growing list of increasing expenses including Transurban toll road costs, insurance, finance costs on their vehicles and now diesel.

“Owner-drivers are no longer working to support their households, they are simply working to pay the costs of getting the job done in delivering the goods,” Olsen says.

The TWU in NSW says it is seeking a practical response from the federal and state governments as transport is a critical industry.

“It is unacceptable that the federal government is absent in offering relief to small business operators driving our economy forward,” the TWU NSW says.

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29/3/2022 2:49 pm

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey

Flying our industry flag Despite a lack of trailer sponsorship, the new TruckRight Industry Vehicle has hit the road

T

he new TruckRight Industry Vehicle (TIV) is on the road. I will come to it and all who helped a bit later but for the minute I want to talk about advanced technology and Kenworth trucks. Now, many of you would have seen the last TIV. It was on the road for 10 years and, like this one, many sponsors contributed product and other forms of sponsorship for the truck and/ or trailers. Kenworth had just launched its EBSS safety package when it hit the road (and this was actually listed on the curtains) and it included ACB (active cruise with brakes), ATC (automatic traction control) and ESP (electronic stability program). Yes, it was and still is an extra to buy when you order a new Kenworth but I had that and more.

Kenworth included it in the spec and I used the active cruise that also included an early version of automatic emergency braking. This would not bring you to a full stop but still intervene if it thought you were about to hit something. I found the active cruise worthwhile and simply saw it as another driver aid.

The automatic traction control only activated a couple of times and the electronic stability control was there to protect me from myself.

There were many things I added to the truck over time, some of which Rod Pilon did not know about specifically (and how many owners would give a driver that level of autonomy with their truck – thank you for this Rod Pilon). Later, while having lunch with Rod about the next TIV, he said: “If I could get a Kenworth with all the safety gear of the other trucks, I would buy you another one.” I, of course, said: “I already have all that,” which surprised him a bit.

It was something we had never really discussed before.

This leads to a conversation a couple of weeks ago when I was at Kenworth Shepparton getting a problem sorted on the new TIV. It seems there was a wire down to two strands and it was not only causing me grief but making me tear the last of my hair out, having waited so long to get it on the road and then have an issue. It was soon found and sorted so, now, the TIV will go on for the next five years.

I was explaining the problem to a fellow standing there with his 909. A mate had stopped and said: “Where is your new one?” (His brand new 909 was about to be delivered). He replied: “Out the back, I get it next week.” Saying

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there had been an issue with the ACB, he asked what that was. I explained “active cruise with brakes”. His reply quite surprised me: “Can you get that stuff on a Kenworth?”

Now either Kenworth has perhaps not marketed it as well as it could or owners simply have not sought such technology, believing it is only available on European trucks. Kenworth may well have followed with windscreen curtains, smart wheels and the like, although without airbags it is still behind some of the Euro offerings. However, Kenworth is made here and as owners and drivers we can influence its efforts if we push and want such advancements.

Many of you would have seen the latest Kenworths in the US. They are exceptionally sleek, big sleepers and have all the tech you could want. But we can’t have them here for our length laws.

Truckers in the US live better, generally have better facilities and certainly you might well agree have better trucks, specifically the bunks. I believe there should be consideration given to a longer prime mover. We do not have enough rest areas or the facilities we need so if we had decent sized bunks we could live happier, safer

ROD HANNIFEY, a transport safety advocate, has been involved in raising the profile of the industry, conducting highway truck audits, the Blue Reflector Trial for informal parking bays on the Newell, the ‘Truckies on Road Code’, the national 1800 number for road repairs proposal, and the Better Roadside Rest Areas Group. Rod is the current president of the NRFA. Contact Rod on 0428 120 560, e-mail rod.hannifey@bigpond. com or visit www.truckright.com.au

BELOW: Rod Pilon: 2022 marks 50 years since Rod Pilon Transport was founded

and certainly more comfortably on the road.

I recognise the authorities’ concerns with creep, yet, if done right, and only for the prime mover, it could be made available.

Some have tried. Western Australia has a slightly longer length available, except for the fact no one could go there without serious effort until February.

It has what many would say fairer laws and rules for drivers to allow them to manage their fatigue.

INTERIM TRAILERS Next month I plan to list all who have contributed to the new TIV. It is a bit different from the last and that was certainly the intent. I have committed to do at least another four or five years with the truck. It will soon have an interim set of trailers recognising Rod Pilon Transport’s 50 years. Once I can get a trailer manufacturer to participate I will have a set of matching trailers to take to shows to fly the industry flag when I can. However, it will always be a working truck.

A couple of those I approached were unable to work with both myself and my sponsors supplying their product. So, if you make tautliners and want to be a part of the last TIV and promote and support our industry in a unique way, please give me a call.

To all who have been affected by the floods, I hope you recover quickly and get back to work. Yet again we will be called on and expected to deliver everything for all. We carried and supported WA when it had no rail service, just as we carried and fed and supported Australia during COVID, yet our National Freight Protocol seems to have hardly been worth the paper it was written on.

Again, we were given more rules and restrictions and for each different state and each week and all ruled by those who did not have to do so themselves. Yet again, we will “Deliver for Australia”.

“The electronic stability control was there to protect me from myself.”

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operator profile

TAKING THE TOW ROAD Andrew Johnson and Donna Norton have taken the plunge into the world of owner-drivers, transforming a Kenworth T409 SAR car carrier into a customised heavy-duty tow truck in South Australia.

Warren Aitken writes

T

hough our publication is named OwnerDriver, the old school persona associated with that turn of phrase is harder and harder to find, mainly because ownerdrivers are too busy to stop and chat. So, when the opportunity did arise to meet a young passion-driven family having a crack, I wanted to find out more.

What makes this story even more exceptional, though, is that the single truck at the centre of this family’s endeavour is a tow truck. Andrew Johnson and Donna Norton are living in the ‘City of Tow Trucks’, naming their operation Wombats Heavy Towing. It’s still a business in its infancy but, after a couple of years, it’s really starting to forage. Sorry, I meant flourish – thought I’d try a little wombat humour.

A couple of things I need to clarify – yes, all those Lonely Planet tour guides and online travel pages refer to Adelaide as the ‘City of Churches’, but I disagree. When I was there recently I honestly saw more tow trucks than churches. Red ones, orange ones, purple ones … it was like a tow truck version of a Benetton ad. It’s definitely the ‘City of Tow Trucks’.

Among all the tow trucks I spotted was a sharp Kenworth T409 SAR with a wombat on the side. My interest was piqued and, in a completely non-stalkerish way, I followed

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“I hadn’t done road trains and just wanted to go do road trains.”

Opposite bottom: Wombat Heavy Towing’s Donna Norton and Andrew Johnson with their revamped Kenworth T409 Left: Plenty of places to hide all the tools and equipment needed to get the job done

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“The bush tracks teach you a lot about driving.” the wombat to get some more information. I’m so glad I did because it led me to the lovely Donna Norton and her partner, the extremely experienced (I’ll elaborate soon) Andrew ‘Wombat’ Johnson.

Metal guru

Top, L to R: It’s not just the exterior of the old car carrier that’s been overhauled. Andrew and Donna gave the interior a complete makeover as well; The 2012 Kenworth T409 SAR, formerly a Patrick car carrier, has been transformed into a tow truck Above: Truckworks was instrumental in helping Andrew and Donna on their way to ownerdriver land Above right: Custom cut steps are just another of the stunning finishing touches Opposite middle: Wombats Heavy Towing specialises in rescuing buses as well as trucks

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As already mentioned, Andrew and Donna are the owners and operators of Wombats Heavy Towing. The company is a single truck outfit with the aforementioned 2012 T409 SAR, an ex-Patrick car carrier, that was refurbished and turned into a tow truck.

The company is the culmination of Andrew’s career in the tow truck business, starting as a metal fabricator before spending time in several increasingly larger tow trucks.

His experience included time behind the wheel of one of Australia’s biggest tow trucks up in the North Queensland city of Mackay.

However, Andrew’s transport lineage isn’t your standard ‘follow in my father’s footsteps’ kind of story. The family ties to transport were more manufacturing than behind the wheel. His father owned Superior Sleeper Cabs back in the day.

Andrew started in the industry at Truckworks in Adelaide, the company synonymous with building big eye-catching tow trucks. That was back in 2005, and from within Truckworks’ workshop Andrew learnt a lot about building and repairing all manner of vehicles, especially tow trucks. He also learnt that he really didn’t enjoy being in the workshop.

With Truckworks’ support Andrew gained his heavy vehicle licence and would often go and assist on different jobs.

Eventually he downed tools completely and picked up the keys as a fulltime tow operator.

“My first one I drove by myself was a Kenworth T350,” Andrew recalls. “It was just doing single or truck and trailer work. It was a 25,000lb [11-tonne] wrecker.”

Truckworks really only dealt with the heavy towing side of things, hence once Andrew was licensed he had to go straight into the big stuff. Years of building, repairing and assisting meant he had the common sense and acumen to handle that responsibility.

From the T350 he soon progressed to the bigger 4900 Western Star and, subsequently, the bigger tows. Next move up involved a change of truck, a change of location and a massive change in climate from Adelaide to Mackay.

Andrew left the Western Star behind and jumped into one of Australia’s biggest tow trucks, a Mackay Heavy Towing twin steer, tri-drive Kenworth T408.

“Every time I’ve left somewhere it’s to gain more experience,” Andrew explains. His story so far makes it clear he’s a man yearning to learn more and advance his skills.

That drive for experience saw him facing the challenges of

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recovering some much larger vehicles in some much stickier situations. I don’t mean that metaphorically, the humidity in Mackay meant he was literally in much stickier situations.

Eventually, Andrew returned to his beloved South Australia where he opted for a complete change of pace.

“I just wanted another experience, I hadn’t done road trains and just wanted to go do road trains,” he says.

That experience was courtesy of Wayne Betts and saw Andrew count up a fair few kilometres as he steered a Mack Super-Liner all around South Australia doing remote work moving pipes, hay and general station equipment.

From there, Andrew spent some time working for Farley Riggs in the oil and gas industry. His road train experience came in handy moving its gear around and gaining valuable experience on roads rough enough to make the Bruce Highway look almost comfortable.

“The bush tracks teach you a lot about driving and how to look after the truck,” Andrew says.

It also meant experience in handling all manner of equipment.

“I feel like I could jump on anything now and be able to move it,” he says, though he’s quick to add: “I definitely wouldn’t be the best operator, but I could get it done.”

Having a go Andrew had experienced a lot at this stage of his career. He’d worked for a couple of different bosses but, all the while, the desire to be his own boss had been fermenting away in his mind.

“The idea of not slaving away for someone else, wearing myself out for me rather than someone else,” is what Andrew says was the appeal of

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undertaking such a huge commitment. The idea had always been in the back of his mind and, right in the middle of the unseen pandemic that is COVID, he had an opportunity thrown his way.

A phone call from Lyndon at Truckworks Adelaide led to a mighty big discussion between Andrew and Donna. Numbers were crunched, pennies counted and the decision was made by the couple to back themselves and have a go.

Lyndon had called with an ex-Patrick’s truck, just a cab and chassis and plenty of opportunity.

The good thing was the years of experience working at Truckworks meant Andrew was able to

get in and build it himself, taking six months to construct his own custom tow truck.

“There’s heaps of custom stuff on there,” Andrew enthuses.

“Like the dash panels, I pulled all of them out, painted all those. The guards in behind the front wheels are custom made.”

That’s just a couple of the custom touches.

One of the first jobs, and one he chose to leave in the capable hands of the Truckworks team, was stretching the chassis. An extra 1.8 metres were added to accommodate the big Century KB55 towing body that came from the US.

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“There’s the easy road and the hard road.”

“The best way to explain it is, in America they have rotators, right? Well, this is the underlift off a rotator spec truck.”

When it went on the Wombats’ Kenworth it was the first KB55 in Australia, giving it an exceptionally long reach.

The factory-fitted Cummins ISX had been rebuilt not long before Andrew and Donna got their hands on it, however the rear end wasn’t quite as well presented. To start with, Andrew had all new brakes and bearings fitted. After draining the front diff and being left with over a litre of fluid that can only be described as ‘tar, if tar was having a very off day’, it was decided to redo the diffs as well. All the shackle pins were gone in the front end so the front looks pretty much new now. Then a couple of new wiring looms were fitted, as the little T409 SAR would spit out electrical gremlins like we wish a pokie machine would. After that it was basically a brand-new decade old truck.

The final issue was the cosmetic approach to the truck.

Having worked for companies with paint schemes bright enough for the international space station astronauts to spot, Andrew went the other way, keeping it simple and clean.

“I just wanted something stylish and subtle,” he admits.

“I’d rather drop 30 grand into equipment at the moment than on a paint job.” That doesn’t mean it can’t look good.

Custom made step boxes by Andrew’s brother Simon at Simon Built in South Australia add a touch of uniqueness.

Different tanks on either side would never fly with ‘Mr Symmetrical’ (Andrew’s admission), so he customised the tanks and then had them wrapped so both sides to look identical. By the end of the six months, not only did the truck look nothing like an old bogie drive car carrier it performed nothing like an old bogie driver car carrier either.

All this building and speccing of the big T409 SAR was done with immense forethought by both Andrew and Donna, though they weren’t taking this owner-driver thing lightly.

“I had in mind what I wanted to do, I wanted to focus on towing rather than recovery,” Andrew says.

“If you do recovery you really need a holding yard, which I don’t have. If you go and clean up a B-double or something you need crews to do the clean-up, then you’re forking out thousands to crews.” It showed the couple had really planned this thing through.

That leaves Wombats Heavy Towing concentrating and thriving in the moving of vehicles and towing of breakdowns. That also leaves Wombats Heavy Towing with a phone that never gets turned off. That’s what

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From top: The big underlift is the main drawcard of Wombats’ Kenworth; Just like the marsupial, this wombat is nocturnal when the need arises Above: Simple clean lines and a smooth classy shine are what really sets this tow truck off Below: Andrew designed and built these stunning guards to fill in what is often a large gaping hole behind the steer axle

makes this company such a family owner-driver business.

Andrew might be the one rolling out of bed with keys in hand, but Donna is already downstairs with the jug on and the job information ready to go.

“You got to have teamwork,” Donna says.

“If you didn’t have teamwork it would be a tough road.”

The company is still only in its early stages. However, when you are kicking off in the middle of a global pandemic, you really are making life difficult. Even Andrew admits that.

“There’s the easy road and the hard road, I think I took the most difficult road,” he laughs.

Nonetheless, they are following their dream with passion and they are making it work. It’s a tough life as an ownerdriver these days, so I tip my hat to them both.

Wombat origins But wait! Did you really think I would sign off without enquiring about the wombat in Wombats Heavy Towing? Hell no! Before I explain I want you to browse through the photos and concentrate on the photo of Andrew. Then mentally put yourself in the shoes of someone helping to install a big electrical sign out the front of Truckworks in Adelaide.

You find that the cord for the welder won’t reach around the garden, so you ask: “Andrew, could you bring the cord through the garden, mate?”

Like a good employee he gets down on his hands and knees and crawls through the garden. At the same time the boss’s brother-in-law comes out, hears some rummaging, glances into the garden and screams: “God damn, I thought that was a wombat!” True story. From that day on, Andrew became wombat and eventually Andrew and Donna became Wombats Heavy Towing. Well done, guys.

ownerdriver.com.au

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28/3/22 8:01 1:30 am pm 29/3/22

trucking heritage

AVENUE OF LEGENDS S

With the recent revamp of Shepparton’s Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE) came the opportunity for Complete Trucks’ Sebastian Spadaro to not only donate a stunning 1986 W model Kenworth but to also honour his father John – a key industry figure from the local area. Cat Fitzpatrick writes

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hepparton transport businesses have come together, showing their community spirit and passion for the industry by sponsoring the Victorian Goulburn Valley centre’s revamp and expansion of the old Shepparton Motor Museum.

MOVE is one of Australia’s largest regional museums of collectibles, covering everything from bicycles, clothing and telephone technology to cars, bicycles, motorbikes and, of course, trucks. It was the trucking side of transport, and a group of local industry enthusiasts, that formed the catalyst for the museum’s evolution.

As well as helping fund the renovation, Complete Trucks, managed by Sebastian and Kristy Spadaro, has also supplied a 1986 Kenworth to be put on display as well as funding a banner highlighting the contribution Sebastian’s father, John Spadaro, made to the local industry.

Complete Trucks is a used truck, trailer and construction equipment business that started off as a transport company in 2008/2009, where Sebastian worked with his dad, carting goods.

“My father passed away on the job back in 2014 and I basically

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took over the reins and moved forward, to honour the name,” Sebastian explains.

A family-run business that has, on average, 30 to 40 trucks on site at a time, as well as an interstate low-loader operation, the Spadaros say they are helping to “keep Australia moving”.

For Sebastian, however, the museum has not only offered the opportunity to honour his father, but the old school generation of truckies and their families in general. He says the renovation has been fantastic and that the museum reflects the goals of those who came before him.

“Deadline, pride and mateship,” he says of the values of those who plied the roads back in the day.

“Deadline – well everyone had a go, they made sure the load was in at a given time. The boys did it rough back then, given the road infrastructure was nothing like now, and the same with the trucks with their [low] horsepower and the lack of technology,” he reminisces.

“The pride and mateship – well everyone prided themselves on doing their best. You know, everyone would leave their depot on a Sunday afternoon and all of the mates would gather together at the truck rest stops, have a meal together, have a laugh together, and never lacked in giving a helping hand.

“If someone was struggling with a flat tyre or broken down, there was always someone there to pull up to give them a hand. So, they were different times, it really was. There was a lot more bonding due to the fact that we didn’t have the telephone technology – people always made the effort to gather together in certain places.

“As for my father, he started in the early ’80s with one truck. At his peak I think he ran about 50 or 60 trucks at one given time, doing interstate transport haulage. And he was well recognised

by JNH Loading Agency, which was a Melbourne loading agency organising the structure of loading and subcontractors for the bigger companies.

“He was well known in the industry – pretty much known as a

legend to be honest, and I believe his name should be a part of that museum and that’s why we’re funding a sponsorship towards the museum.

“My father was a very, very inspiring person and, basically, I had a good teacher. No two ways about that,” he adds.

Sebastian says the donated 1986 W model is an iconic model in the Kenworth range, as it was back in the ’80s.

“As much as there are many different brands, from Mack to Ford Louisvilles as such, the Kenworth always had that upper edge in terms of holding together and parts availability, and they were here in Australia.”

Asked why he chose that particular truck for the exhibition, Spadaro explained that, having grown up around W model Kenworths, there’s a strong emotional attachment.

“We bought that together,” he said of the Kenworth that is now on show.

“Dad was still alive when we purchased that truck. It was a project that we were both doing up together. Unfortunately, he never got to see the finished result, so I hope everyone can see it.”

Local history The Shepparton Motor Museum started life around 2012 with a 1,200 square metre facility that had a number of local cars on display. However, as MOVE executive officer Peter Hill explains, there was a group of local transport people who were looking at starting a truck museum to celebrate the rich history of transport in the region. The two entities got together in 2017 and the spark was lit for the idea of MOVE. “The first thing we needed to do was to raise money locally before you go through levels of government to ask for sponsorship,” Peter says.

“So we went to local transport families and asked for donations from each one of them. We managed to raise $1 million and, with that million, we went to state, federal and local governments and we were able to get enough from grants and funding to complete a $6.2 million renovation, through COVID, which we opened in September 2021.”

The initial 1,200 square metres was expanded to just under 10,000 square metres and, despite the pandemic complicating travel plans, business has been booming.

“Just prior to Christmas, the numbers that we were getting

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“The boys did it rough back then.”

Top: MOVE executive officer Peter Hill with Complete Trucks’ Sebastian Spadaro and the donated W Model Kenworth Above, L to R: It’s hard to top the classic Kenworth interior; Shepparton’s Museum of Vehicle Evolution (MOVE) now incorporates the trucks, cars, bicycles and motorbikes of yesteryear Below: The late John Spadaro. Photo supplied

Photos by James Phipps

APRIL 2022 25

29/3/2022 5:07 pm

“There are stories around each one of the trucks.”

Top: Part of the classic truck lineup at Shepparton’s Museum of Vehicle Evolution Above: Sebastian and Kristy Spadaro with their children. The Spadaros were one of the new museum’s sponsors Right: Peter Hill says one of the museum’s major draws is the Kenworth Dealer Truck Pavilion

through the doors were where the business case said we’d be in four years’ time,” Peter says.

“We’re really impressed with how strong the visitation has been and nearly 65 per cent of visitors are visiting from more than 100km away from us, which is really good as well.”

Kenworth pavilion A major draw for the museum has been the Kenworth Dealer Truck Pavilion, which houses between 30 and 35 prime movers and other commercial vehicles. Pride of place among these gleaming machines are the stories of those who drove and cared for them.

Hill says the museum’s Avenue of Legends, recognising Shepparton’s cog in the transport industry, is about the people who were initially approached and asked for funding for the expansion.

“So, in that area, each one of them has a floor-to-ceiling banner, some photos of their business, the history of their business, and a quote from the owner,” he explains.

Sponsored by Kenworth, Volvo and Freightliner, the three companies have donated trucks for the display, but there are also highly personal trucks donated by the families whose stories are being told, such as the Spadaro’s 1986 Kenworth.

“Complete Trucks were a great example of what we’re trying to celebrate here – a family business that’s grown from something pretty small to something that’s a significant business in the region,” Peter says.

“I mean, given the way things are with the lack of new trucks at the moment, Complete Trucks are certainly becoming a very popular business in the region! But the Spadaro family are well known in transport, have a good history in transport in this region, and Sebastian’s father, John, was a legend.

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“Sebastian recently told me that he wanted to come on board and get one of those banners and celebrate the history of the Spadaro family. So very, very important. Everyone in the legends are family businesses – there are really no multi-national businesses in Shepparton.”

With time marching on, Hill emphasised that it’s important to capture now the stories of those involved in the formation of Australia’s trucking industry, and transport in the local area, and preserve it for future generations.

“A lot of these legends are in their 80s and some have passed, so it’s really important I think that we’re getting their story and hearing their story – recording it not only for their families [but also visitors to the museum].

“It’s a really joyous thing to watch those guys stood in front of their family banner and celebrate the history. So, it’s very important that we’re capturing it now.”

And it’s not just trucking families who are enjoying the striking trucks on display, with Hill saying that visitors who may have come to look at the cars end up drawn to these beasts of the road.

“A lot of people I think would like to go and have a look at a truck – they’re a big, shiny, exciting-looking thing – but the last thing you’re going to do is pull up in a truck car park and start walking around a truck with a driver sleeping in the back.

“So, this gives them that opportunity where they can really get close to them. Again, there are stories around each one of the trucks – they can hear the history of the renovation or the history of the business, etc. It’s bringing people together,” he explains.

If patrons fancy getting behind the wheel, there’s also a simulator where they can virtually drive a truck around Shepparton.

“We put it in mainly for the kids, but we’re finding the fathers are quickly pushing their sons and daughters out of the way and jumping in and having a go themselves!” Peter smiles.

“We try to change the collection every three to four months.

We need it fresh – we need people to come and look at what’s happening at MOVE, not come and say ‘that’s exactly the same as was it was last time it was here’. We want local people to have this as a destination not only for themselves but for their visitors when they come and have a look around Shepparton.”

ownerdriver.com.au

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Your Say

Letters to the Editor need to be typed or clearly handwritten and be no more than 500 words. Letters should include name, title (e.g. owner-driver, manager) and city for publication, unless otherwise requested. Letters may be edited for clarity or space.

Please be concise, so we can offer more people an opportunity to express themselves.

SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

greg.bush@primecreative.com.au or mail to 11-15 Buckhurst St, South Melbourne, Victoria 3205 We prefer letters by e-mail, but handwritten letters will be accorded the same opportunity to be published.

Foul facilities

For the last 11 years I have personally experienced filthy toilets and showers at truck stops and roadhouses operated by fuel companies all over Australia.

While there are facilities which are a pleasure to use, there are many which are not.

Numerous complaints have been reported to the staff of the sites, but return in a week or a month, nothing has improved. The public image of many of the fuel companies is disgraceful.

Truckies and road pilot drivers use these facilities. These drivers are away from home for many days, even weeks, and depend on these sites for showers, toilets and meals.

The Heavy Vehicle National Law and the Regulator insist drivers take breaks as specified in the Work Diary.

As a road pilot I have been abused for using the facilities, because I’m not a “truckie”. This is not an isolated incident. The trucks and pilots refuel at these facilities at the end of the long day or at specified breaks. They depend on being able to enjoy the services on the route, but are often very disappointed, and prefer to leave the filthy place.

Social media posts have detailed reports and photos of the worst toilets and showers.

Obviously, the staff of these sites don’t care, or can’t be bothered, to clean and provide polite, professional service.

There are numerous complaints reported on social media such as Facebook’s ‘On The Pads SA’, and ‘Trucks Food And Showers Australia Wide’ groups. I believe some of the fuel companies should be ashamed of their sites and the staff managing these properties should be brought to task.

The transport industry has the support of Western Australian Senator Glenn Sterle who is endeavouring to plead to the fuel companies to lift their standards across Australia. The truckies are too busy to fight for better facilities, so advocates have taken on the responsibility of getting this situation upgraded.

Consider the following challenge: • How does that “clean” fuel get to the tanks and bowsers?

• Ok, then how do the supplies get to the cold room and storage?

• How many litres do they sell every day?

• How much of that is diesel for the trucks which bring the supplies in?

• How many coffees, meals or snacks do they sell to truckies?

So remind me again, why truckies and pilot drivers don’t deserve clean amenities? Pilots fuel up and eat too.

Christine Thiel Self-employed pilot vehicle driver Salisbury, SA

Glenn Sterle Senate Report

In specific regard to recommendation 6: • adopts national guidelines for the design and placement of heavy vehicle rest areas

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vehicle drivers. Take the scenario where a frig van parks adjacent to a general freight vehicle at a rest stop. The latter driver completes their allocated rest period, relocates from the bunk to the driver’s seat and records the rest break in the driver log as sleep time. The driver then departs the rest area and drives some say 30km before involvement in a single vehicle fatal accident.

Crash investigators on reviewing the deceased driver’s log assume the driver falsified his log, totally ignorant of the fact the driver incurred extremely poor quality sleep at the last rest stop. Unfortunately, crash investigators do not follow up on any such possible contribution due to vehicle tracking limitations. However, with present day telematics and fleet tracking resources, it should now be readily possible to identify what trucks were present at a truck stop and when. Furthermore, the same resources can now confirm the driver’s recorded rest time log details.

When travelling along the Hume Hwy it is pleasing to observe at rest stops frig van drivers attempting to park remote from other vehicles

“Some of the fuel companies should be ashamed of their sites.” for major highways and significant freight routes • work with all states and territories to mandate heavy vehicle-only rest areas.

The writer suggests that additional segregation occur. In particular, heavy vehicles hauling refrigerated vans should have dedicated secure rest areas with key pad/ card operated boom gates on the approach and departure to these dedicated rest areas, respectively.

In these areas drivers should actually sleep in cabins at least 100m remote from their vehicle. Any refrigeration problem encountered whilst the driver is remote from the particular vehicle should be alarmed by mobile telephone to the driver.

This compares, to my knowledge, to the requirement that coach drivers sleep remote or be completely relieved from coaches as recommended by the Coronial Findings into the 1989 Kempsey Coach accident which claimed 35 lives.

This suggestion is advanced based on the postulation refrigerated van drivers exhibit a higher crash rate than do other heavy vehicle drivers due to driver fatigue resulting from grossly deficient quality sleep. Indeed this postulation should be thoroughly and accurately investigated by segregating single heavy vehicle fatal accidents into frig van and non-frig van populations.

It is also expected the close proximity of a refrigerated van unit to non-refrigerated heavy vehicle/s at a rest stop also severely erodes the sleep quality experienced by the latter

as best they can. However, in some cases, insufficient space is available or multiple frig vans park in close proximity or they are forced to park relatively close to the haulage road.

How on earth can a HV driver get quality sleep parked in some cases some 5 metres from passing HVs and generally high speed LVs? It just so happens the writer has first hand experience of sleep disturbance and/or poor quality sleep caused by frig vans in close proximity. Notably by residing nearby to a local community grocery store. Sleep on Friday mornings is suddenly terminated by a delivery frig van arriving sometimes as early as 4.30am. Most annoying, the frig van is not unloaded until 7:15, at which time the store staff become present.

The frig van consistently departs at 7:30, provided it arrives prior to 7:00. It is a complete shame the early arriving driver gains absolutely no driver log rest time benefit despite the store providing safe off-road parking facilities.

Furthermore, this weekly repeated experience makes one wonder how the driver can possibly tolerate the refrigeration module’s grossly excessive noise emissions. The same also suggests that all refrigeration modules be manufactured and maintained to the strict noise standard of 70dBa (household air conditioner). Louder units may in fact be contributing to the single heavy vehicle fatality statistic.

Advanced with intent to improve HV driver safety both frig and non-frig units.

Arnold McLean Keiraville, NSW

ownerdriver.com.au

29/3/2022 2:53 pm

TWU Michael Kaine

Undercutters thwarted In a world first win for owner-driver couriers, AmazonFlex has been forced to pay a set rate

T

hrough a decade-long Transport Workers Union (TWU) New South Wales campaign to get fair pay increases for owner-driver couriers, AmazonFlex has been brought kicking and screaming into the fold and held to account for the substandard pay and conditions it has been imposing on drivers it says are independent contractors.

This is a major blow to Amazon’s game of underpaying drivers using their own cars to deliver parcels under the independent contractor model widely exploited across the gig economy.

In the US this same gig model is being used in trucking through Amazon Relay – with truck drivers picking up work through an app at low rates set

by Amazon.

In the landmark decision by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, ownerdrivers of vans with a carrying capacity between 1.5 and 3 tonnes will be entitled to a rate of at least $43.74 an hour, phased in over three years from March 1.

AmazonFlex drivers using their own cars will for the first time be entitled to a rate of $37.80, over the next three years.

At a company that provides no capacity for drivers to negotiate rates but instead issues a ‘take or leave’ block of work with payment determined by Amazon, this will be the first time in the world that AmazonFlex will have minimum conditions it cannot go below.

If Amazon Relay attempted to start up in NSW it would also be covered

by Chapter 6 legislation, which would

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prevent Amazon from using its gig loophole to undercut owner-drivers and transport operators.

SWALLOWING TRANSPORT This first step in NSW challenges the gig economy approach of taking work off reputable transport businesses, including owner-drivers, by severely underpaying workers it says are independent contractors but who have no say over their pay or conditions. This level of protection should not exist only in NSW. The threat the gig economy poses to trucking has been closing in for years, stepped up with Amazon’s unchecked arrival into Australia in December 2017.

Since then, the federal government has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Amazon Effect crushing transport supply chains.

There is a long way to go to take on Amazon’s ruthless goal of swallowing up industries like transport.

Amazon is the second largest global retailer and largest e-commerce company in the world.

Despite its gargantuan footprint growing by the day, and its mission to reduce delivery times beyond the realms

MICHAEL KAINE is the national secretary of the Transport Workers Union of Australia. Contact Michael at: NSW Transport Workers Union, Transport House, 188-390 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. twu@twu.com.au

“Amazon has been busy embedding its exploitative models into trucking.”

of possibility, trucking work contracted out by Amazon to traditional reputable transport companies and owner-drivers is drying up fast.

As we see across the Pacific, Amazon has big plans for road transport. Plans that deliberately avoid negotiating with the operators and owner-drivers who have kept the trucking industry going for decades.

In the US, Amazon has been busy embedding its exploitative models into trucking through both its Amazon Relay arm and more recently the Amazon Freight Partner program.

It’s the latest in many ventures to exert control over trucking and drive down standards. To win, Amazon work carriers are forced to lease Amazon’s trucks and engage drivers on terms set by Amazon.

Drivers work exclusively for Amazon in company-branded trucks, but with no capacity to negotiate their own rates and conditions.

Media reports in February last year said Amazon was “launching an incubator to groom hundreds of aspiring truck drivers” and double its trucking fleet.

Drivers are required not only to work exclusively for Amazon on rates set unilaterally by the company, they are also forced to follow prescribed routes.

Amazon is turning back the clock 200 years and re-creating a relationship between company and driver of master and servant.

This is ultimate control, without any of the protections built up over decades for employees and one which by passes owner-drivers and good employers altogether.

SAFETY NET Amazon is the rock bottom business dragging down standards in transport.

Its success in spreading almost as quickly as COVID across the globe shows how hopelessly outdated our laws are at preventing gig behemoths from drowning out reputable businesses.

That’s why we need national regulation to provide a safety net for all transport workers that supports owner-drivers and good transport operators.

In trucking, we need the federal government to urgently establish an independent body as recommended by the Without Trucks Australia Stops Senate report last August.

Having an enforceable level playing field obliterates the ability for the Amazons of the world moving into freight to ever lower standards with which others just can’t compete. Such a system would support fruitful, genuine negotiations.

What it would also do is cater for the external shocks that hit owner-drivers hard, like fuel costs shooting up.

If an appropriate regulatory model was in place, cost recovery would not be such an uphill climb.

The TWU in NSW has applied under Chapter 6 regulation for an increase to enable owner-drivers to achieve cost recovery for the sky-high fuel costs.

In 2016 the Federal Government tore down the watchdog that had the power to order such cost recovery across the entire nation. They have put nothing in its place and in the absence of national regulation, the federal government must step up now to support owner-drivers battling fuel cost increases as high as $1,000 a week.

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than usual one day, and then the next day set off at their normal time without thinking about the change in routine the day before.

The legal view Sarah Marinovic

AVOIDING MISTAKES

Keeping track of time Everyone is subject to ‘human error’, but for truck drivers it can end up as an out-of-pocket expense

W

ork diary breaches are one of the most common types of cases we help truck drivers with. Over the years we’ve found there are a few common mistakes that cause most breaches.

One thing we’ve noticed is that it’s not just new drivers who fall into these traps.

We often speak with very experienced drivers who know and follow the rules but still find themselves having to go to court.

It boils down to the fact that we’re all human and we all make mistakes.

We hope that by taking a moment to talk about these common errors that we can help drivers avoid finding themselves on the wrong side of the law.

TRAP 1: MAJOR REST BREAKS DON’T ‘RESET’ THE CLOCK The first mistake that a lot of drivers make is thinking that their major rest break restarts the clock.

The 24-hour period starts from the end of a ‘major rest break’. For a standard hours solo driver, that’s the seven-hour break. The definition of the major rest break for other types of drivers (e.g. BFM or two-up) is on page 22 of the work diary.

This means that once you finish your major rest break the 24-hour clock starts running. You need to make sure you don’t work over your allowable hours and take the required rest breaks in that period.

The problem happens when a driver takes a second major rest break within that 24-hour period. Lots of drivers mistakenly think that the clock is reset, i.e. they stop worrying about the first

24-hour period and only need to worry about the 24 hour period starting from the end of their second major rest break.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

In reality the driver now has two 24-hour periods running that they need to focus on; one running from the end of the first major rest break and the other running from the end of the second major rest break. You need to make sure you comply with the work and rest hours for both 24-hour periods.

This mistake often happens when a driver works just a few hours one day, has a long break and then works a full day the next. The time from the first day can get counted towards the time from the second and the driver finds themselves over their allowed work hours even though they’ve had plenty of breaks.

SARAH MARINOVIC is a principal solicitor at Ainsley Law – a firm dedicated to traffic and heavy vehicle law. She has focused on this expertise for over a decade, having started her career prosecuting for the RMS, and then using that experience as a defence lawyer helping professional drivers and truck owners. For more information email Sarah at sarah@ainsleylaw.com.au or phone 0416 224 601

The steps to avoid these mistakes are simple but can save drivers from the pain of being sent to court for an unintentional mistake.

The three main things are: 1. Always be conscious of the 24-hour periods. It’s a good idea that whenever you finish a major rest break to make a note, or a little mark, showing where the 24-hour period finishes 2. Double check before starting work for the day. Getting into the habit of checking yesterday’s work diary page to confirm when your 24-hour period starts and finishes can help you avoid accidentally setting off too early 3. Be on alert when your routine changes.

A change in your normal plans is a risk for mistakes so is a good trigger to take a moment to double check.

“Lots of drivers mistakenly think that the clock is reset.”

TRAP 2: STARTING YOUR DAY TOO EARLY The second mistake is one we are seeing quite often lately. It’s where drivers accidentally start their workday too early.

As discussed above, once a 24-hour clock starts running it continues until that period finishes, even if the driver has another major rest break.

We see a lot of drivers who work a full day take their overnight break and then accidentally start a couple of hours too early on the second day. The first couple of hours of the second day get counted towards the first, putting them over their work hour limit.

This mistake seems to happen most when a driver’s usual routine has been interrupted. Perhaps they’ve started later

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APRIL 2022 29

29/3/2022 5:11 pm

NRFA Gordo Mackinlay

Dollars and sense The more fuel costs rise, the more rates stay the same, to the detriment of owner-drivers

D

iesel prices have always been one of the biggest costs and concerns of anyone running a transport business. As I look at the price at our local truck stop now, it is being sold for the unimaginable price of 229.9 cents per litre. Fuel could hit 1,000 cents/litre and it should not matter. But it does. Why shouldn’t it? And why does it?

It should not, as we should be, compensated for the work we do considering the costs we encounter to do said job. I remember talking to one of my mentors as I was making my way into the industry. He said to me it did not matter how expensive it gets as long as the rate went up accordingly. Well, in my time as an owner-driver, fuel varied 100 cents per litre and the rate never changed.

How is it fuel can double in price over, say, a five-year period, yet rates are not changing to compensate transport company costs? And what does a cent here and a cent there matter anyway?

Let me explain why a cent matters. Let us say an owner-driver uses a single tailer running the Hume and does 220,000km per year. Let us say they get 2.2 km/L. Over 220,000km they will purchase and burn 100,000 litres. Every time one cent is added at the bowser, this equates to 100,000 cents, or more commonly phrased as $1,000.

That’s right, every time fuel goes up a cent your bottom line goes down by $1,000/year.

We have just seen fuel jump 60-70 cents.

Are you being paid an extra $60,000 to $70,000 a year now? If you carry 250 loads a year that’s $240 to $280 per load. Double that if you are doing longer distances or fewer loads. If your customers are not paying this, then you are going backwards.

I do not know any operator that can give away that sort of money and not lose everything.

Where is the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) in all this? They are not regulating the national heavy vehicle industry. They are responsible for all sections of the supply chain, conducting the business of road transport in a safe way.

Remuneration is the highest peak of safety as it determines the very foundation of being able to operate a safe transport business. I have directly asked NHVR ‘chiefs’ and they say they cannot get involved. That is a lie from an organisation that simply does not want to do the hard yards.

Where is the government in this? Labor Senator Glenn Sterle, who organised the Senate Inquiry into Road Transport, invited the assistant minister for road safety and freight transport, Scott Buchholz, to attend.

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Minister Buchholz was not interested.

Then, when handed the findings on a silver platter, he snubbed it. That’s right, he could not care less about our industry or the wonderful people that make it up.

Remember that when you vote!

At the Senate Inquiry I gave evidence and in that I put forward a system that would work to cover fluctuating costs in running a transport business. The following is the guts of it.

SENATE SUBMISSION By recognising that different areas of Australia are more expensive to operate in I think we can make a great framework that uses geographical areas, as well as different forms of work, to create a standard minimum that must be charged, no matter if the operator is a sole trader, small fleet or 1,000-truck multinational publiclylisted company.

Let us start off with the Hume Highway, Australia’s main street. This freight corridor would be the ‘baseline’ and therefore a single tautliner would attract a designation of one ‘transport unit’ per kilometre.

As areas and jobs become more expensive to operate in and carry out, the ‘transport unit’ would increase.

On this route based on the mean fuel cost being $1/litre, a single tautliner/van dry freight would be one ‘transport unit’

GORDO MACKINLAY is a former president and current board member of the National Road Freighters Association

and would be paid say $2/km. Then we add the fuel levy based on real world ‘mean fuel price’. This is easily obtained and would be reported on the ‘contract of carriage’.

For every cent that fuel goes over $1/ litre, 0.5 cents per km must be added (based on 2km/L. We need 0.5 litres every km). In today’s world at $2.30/litre the price would equate to $2.65/km per transport unit (for this geographical area) for today’s fuel price. These figures are an example only.

A refrigerated outfit, or a B-double, etc. would have a higher ‘transport unit’ and therefore a higher rate.

To counteract cost variations in different geographical or industry areas, there would be an appropriate ‘transport unit’ rating.

This system firstly acknowledges the fact that the fuel price will make or break a transport business. Second, this needs to be recognised by everyone in the chain (you know, the Chain of Responsibility), not just the operator struggling to pay the ever-increasing fuel bill on ever diminishing surplus revenue. Everyone should pay their share.

Close interaction with actual transport operators, not pencil pilots of big business, must be consulted when setting the appropriate rates. I am just offering the framework.

At times like this I encourage all operators to know the costs, recognise the point that you are not viable and take immediate calculated action.

Speak to your customers. A good customer will want you to thrive.

A customer that does not care for your wellbeing is not worth talking to. Let someone else go broke carrying their freight.

Thanks for reading my first column.

Please be safe out there and get home to the ones you love in good health.

“A customer that does not care for your wellbeing is not worth talking to.”

ownerdriver.com.au

29/3/2022 5:12 pm

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28/3/22 8:58 am

truck of the month In a bid to acknowledge Australia’s heritage, and a nod to his late World War II serving grandfather, Luke Ashton went all out with green and gold and a tribute to the Anzacs. However, it’s the ‘Star’ of the show – the big Western Star 4900 B-triple – that’s attracting most attention from east to west. Warren Aitken writes

PRESERVING THE G

reen and yellow, lemon and lime, emerald and gold – no matter which way you say it they are colours synonymous with Australia. Those two colours are intrinsically linked to Australia and Australian patriotism.

That patriotism is an honourable trait and in the transport industry it can be seen on many trucks. From the Australian and Indigenous flags to kangaroos or crocodiles. There is all manner of artwork representing a deep-rooted love of Australia on display.

Then you have the likes of Luke Ashton, a fully-

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fledged card-carrying proud Aussie that took the green and gold and splashed it all over his logos, his offices and, most importantly, his expanding Ozwide Freight fleet.

Not only has the green and gold been an integral part of the company’s aesthetics, it’s also been a part of its approach to business.

That Aussie have-a-go, get-it-done attitude has seen the family owned and operated company grow from a 12-tonne body truck to a full fleet of over 30 trucks in less than 20 years.

In the latest show of Aussie pride and passion, Ozwide has put an outstanding B-triple unit on the road that pays homage to both Luke’s

familial past and this country’s history with a brilliant Anzac tribute trailer set. Exactly how did an apprentice plasterer, who’s childhood trucking passion had been ignited by garbage trucks, end up where he is today? Well, the plastering didn’t last long.

“Yeah, it was a trade I never wanted to keep pursuing,” Luke admits.

Instead, the qualified plasterer took on a job as a paperboy. No, not the pushbike with spokey dokeys kind of paperboy; it was the bulk delivery kind.

Working for Coast & Regional Transport on the Gold Coast, Luke had begun his trucking career in

ownerdriver.com.au

30/3/2022 1:55 pm

ANZAC SPIRIT

a little puddle jumper doing very early mornings, delivery newspapers to distributors. The newspaper deliveries soon progressed to general freight, still with Coast & Regional Transport, and saw Luke increase not just his hours, but his licences as well. From MR to HC, Luke soon ended up behind the wheel of an old Ford L9000.

With a single trailer in tow, Luke was running from the Gold Coast up into Brisbane and back and then down as far as Lismore in northern NSW. Although Luke was enjoying the driving and the work, he decided to take an unplanned threemonth break, courtesy of a sliced-open hand and surgery to repair a tendon.

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Anyway, a three-month hiatus was required; that’s what the doctors recommended. Obviously coming back earlier than that could result in someone snapping the tendon again. Clearly, no one would do that, right? Luke soon got bored sitting around, went back to work early and did exactly what the doctors warned him against.

There’s no such thing as light duties in general freight. This move, however, created an opportunity for Luke. Instead of hanging out at home mastering origami or perfecting his yoga poses, he ended up in the office of Coast & Regional Transport, learning all about running a transport company while annoying

the office workers.

This move turned out to be a natural fit.

“I didn’t mind it,” Luke recalls.

“Because I couldn’t physically get out and help the boys, I knew this would the next best thing.”

He was right.

However, even after he healed up, Luke stayed mainly on the office side of the business.

“I did go back into a truck for about a month but then they dragged me back into the office,” he says.

This would be the new normal for Luke now. He had a grasp on how it all worked and was in his element. The role eventually saw him moving to

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“Why don’t you have a go with your own truck, mate?”

Above: Rebecca and Luke Ashton, founders of Ozwide Freight Below: The iconic Anzac scenes caught at one of the more iconic Australian locations Opposite above: The appearance of the Anzac tribute trailers has been greatly received by truckies and veterans alike Opposite bottom: This Freightliner, labelled ‘Don’t Ask’, is one of the newest trucks in the fleet, doing plenty of work for the linehaul rigs.

As with the other Ozwide trucks, it sports personalised plates

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Coffs Harbour, where he set up a new depot for the company.

After two years in NSW, the lure of sandy Gold Coast beaches and the well-dressed meter maids brought Luke back to Queensland. He tried his managerial hand at a flooring company before taking on an operations role with Region Peak. It was this role that would lead him to eventually branch out on his own. Well to be more precise, it was one of the contractors that Luke dealt with in his role that kept questioning him: “Why don’t you have a go with your own truck, mate?”

It may have been the long hours he was doing or the news from his wife, Rebecca, that they were about to have their first child, or maybe just Luke’s green and gold give-it-a-go attitude, but eventually he started asking himself the same question – why don’t I have a go with my own truck?

In 2005, after a long discussion with Rebecca, they both decided to give it a go. They purchased a second hand FL7 Volvo and Ozwide Freight began.

Point of note, this wasn’t Luke’s first business. Several years earlier he had formed Ozwide Freight Consultants, a freight brokering business that Rebecca was running when

Luke was still fulltime on the road. Hence the Ozwide name was carried over from that company to be the basis of the new transport company.

Appearance counts Right from the get-go Luke was focused on not just service but also on road appearance. The second-hand truck he bought had a full repaint before hitting the road, breaking out the yellow and green stripes he’d perfected for each additional truck. Not just the truck, though – all-new colourful curtains were also fitted to the old delivery truck.

With the brightly painted truck and a stack of business

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cards, Luke set about building relationships and finding work to keep his truck busy. From his home on the Gold Coast he established a regular run between the coast and Brisbane. It wasn’t easy but there was never a thought of whether or not it would be a success. For Luke, it was just a matter of digging in and working towards it.

“It did get to a point where I was thinking ‘this is going to take longer than I thought’,” Luke admits.

“But I had help from the likes Rob Grant at RT Logistics, who would give me some overflow.”

Other customers and contractors that Luke had formed relationships with were all willing to help out with work to keep the wheels turning.

The next few years were the hard graft for Luke; building a reliable service as well as strengthening relationships with his clients. That grafting paid off. Luke ran the FL7 himself for couple of years before the decision was made to get a second truck. That was a little five-tonner bought for a particular customer’s needs.

Wisely, Luke soon added another 12-tonne body truck, this time a UD. As the work soon filled that truck, another was needed. Within two years Luke doubled the fleet from three to six trucks.

Lessons learnt The company’s growth has always been a well-managed plan, Luke explains.

“Even after I had one, two or three trucks, there was that many times people would promise you work and you’d go get the next truck, then nothing comes of it,” he says.

“I got to that point where, if I was going to buy another truck, it was up to me to make it work.”

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This lesson meant every time he took another truck on, he would shift into the new truck, putting one of his boys into an already settled and scheduled truck, before going and building the work for the new truck.

By the time the fleet hit six body trucks, Rebecca had forgone her role at another transport company and was wearing the Ozwide shirt fulltime. Along with Rebecca coming on board the company went through the biggest change to date – it moved into its first yard.

“That was probably the catalyst for growth,” Luke explains.

“Up until that point the boys were all taking their trucks home. Once we got that yard things took off.”

Luke had leased 120 square metres of a large warehouse in Brisbane’s industrial area of Rocklea. By the end of the first

“They ride better and feel safer”.

Above: In the middle of Outback Australia ‘OZSTAR’ 4900 is a real head-turner Left: Queensland operations manager Steve Clark occupies one of Ozwide’s busiest seats Below: Western Star’s versatile 5800s are also popular in the Ozwide colours Opposite top: It’s difficult to capture the entire Ozwide team in the one spot, but here’s just a few from the office, workshop and warehouse

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week Luke saw the signs ahead and had to lease the rest of the warehouse as well, giving him 1,000 square metres of warehousing and storage. That warehousing area was not just for Ozwide customers, though. All of a sudden Ozwide had been approached by several companies to act as delivery agents for Brisbane. Some mornings the boys would arrive to find four or five interstaters parked in the driveway. Ozwide’s reputation was growing as fast as its warehousing capabilities.

A year after the depot opened, Ozwide Freight purchased its first brand new truck – a 2009 eight-wheeler Iveco and pig trailer. It was a big deal for Luke and was bought to cover a regular run to Toowoomba for one of Ozwide’s major customers. That first new truck is still earning its keep in the green and gold, 13 years later.

Over the next four years a couple more body trucks were added. The customer base grew, therefore Luke knew he had to as well.

In 2013, he purchased a second-hand Freighter trailer and went looking for a prime mover to haul it. That was Luke’s first Western Star, a brand new 5800. The truck was bought to run as far as Toowoomba, pulling just the single as Luke was adamant he was just a local company.

“I didn’t want to do interstate, nope, never,” Luke states.

Three weeks after the Western Star did its first run to Toowoomba it was on a regular run to Melbourne. Not long after that the single trailer was reregistered and an A-trailer thrown in front, and Ozwide had its first interstate B-double.

By 2018, the company had three Western Stars doing interstate, a vast fleet of local trucks, a new yard and was getting beyond the small-medium business that Luke and Rebecca could manage on their own. It was decided that Luke would hire a manager to run the expanding company.

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“It was a big thing for us to hire someone to do potentially what I should be doing myself,” Luke says. But he knew his own limitations. He was spending all day loading and unloading trucks, while trying to organise runs as well as finding time for his family.

It made sense, so Ozwide brought on board the experienced Mick Miller to run the show and help better utilise the growing fleet. At that stage the interstate work was suffering the effects of undercutting and cut-throat competitors and Luke was looking to better utilise his fleet.

“Getting Mick on board has been one of my best investments I’ve ever made,” Luke says.

Mick’s contacts in Western Australia, combined with Luke’s contacts in North Queensland, saw the company pull out of the NSW and Victoria interstate work and concentrate on the legs that they were strongest in, growing the company for the future.

From the three interstate trucks, the company is now sending eight to 10 trailers a week to Western Australia and a dozen B-doubles and a couple of road trains into North Queensland. They have regular runs to Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.

With the workload increasing so has the Ozwide fleet. Like everything with Luke, it’s all about the relationships. In 2016, Luke purchased his first Vawdry B-double unit and the relationship he started with the company, paired with the quality of its work, has seen the Vawdry name as the predominant trailer brand in the Ozwide yard.

A similar relationship exists with the principal manufacturer in front of those trailers – the mighty Western Star.

There are a couple of cab-overs in the fleet,

however Luke has always had a preference for a bonneted truck.

“I think the drivers prefer them,” he says. “They ride better and feel safer”.

There are also a couple of other manufacturers represented, but the Portland, Oregon-built Star has always been Luke’s preference. That comes back to relationships and service – two things Penske Australia has supplied.

Luke’s first Western Star was bought through Joey Cahill from Brisbane Truck Centre back in 2013.

“My relationship with him put me onto the first Western Star and it went on from there. I bought one off Steve Rennie in 2015, a Brisbane Truck

Show truck, then I got introduced to Kurt Dein and our relationship grew from there,” he says.

A strong fleet of Ozwide Western Stars shows how much faith Luke has in his salesman and the product.

“I think the suppliers get the shits with Kurt ’cause he’s so on top of everything. He’s one salesman I never have to call to find out where things are at.”

Right from the original FL7, Luke has appreciated the importance of on-road appearance. As each new truck arrives, he ensures they look the part when they hit the road. Not just with incorporating the Australian colours into the signwriting but with added stainless,

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Find solutions for every brake job at www.bendix.com.au Or freecall the Bendix Brake Advice Centre on 1800 819 666 Bendix is a trademark of Garrett Advancing Motion Inc.

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“It’s one of those set-ups that gives you goosebumps when it drives down the road.”

Mardi-Gras level lights and a few extra shiny bits. Like his strong relationship Kurt at Penske Australia, Luke has built a solid relationship with Brock Macdonald and the team from Rocklea Truck Electrical who are responsible for all those lights and stainless.

All the linehaul trucks get fitted with RTE’s custom air system as well, a necessity when you are servicing North Queensland specialists.

Above: The big 4900 isn’t restricted to just running west. This time I caught it with the custom Western Star trailers loading produce out of North Queensland Below: The second Ozwide Western Star 4900. ‘DGOODS’ has been paired with a double train and special Townville and Brisbane decorated curtains

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Across ‘the paddock’ With all that history up to date, let’s get on to the big bonnet at the centre of all these photos – Ozwide Freight’s first 4900 Western Star. In 2019, with the rise in WA freight, Luke wanted a truck he could hook a B-triple behind and send across ‘the paddock’. Up until then, Ozwide’s Western Star fleet was comprised of mainly 4800s and 5800s. A 4900 would be a big step up.

As well as being the fleet’s biggest, Luke wanted something to commemorate the Australian diggers. He had not long lost his grandfather, a veteran of World War Two’s Pacific campaign, so acknowledging the history and sacrifices of those in the service was extremely important to him.

Luke chose to have a dedication added to the new 4900 and then focus on using the new Vawdrey trailers as the conduit for his memorial. Designing a mural of this magnitude is a huge ask. Trying to capture so much and fit it onto the side of a truck can be challenging.

“I’ve got two brothers I grew up with, they’re part of OJO Design, they came up with it,” Luke says.

“Mark Pearce and Cameron Pearce. I put it to them and they did it all”. Knowing the truck would predominantly tow a B-triple, the design needed to be flexible enough to look good when an A trailer was removed.

Once the design was agreed to, all the information was sent off to Attards in Melbourne, which prints all of Ozwide’s colourful curtains. To me it seems like quite a task, yet to the team at Attards it’s second nature.

The big 4900 was getting prepared and prepped up at Penske Australia’s Brisbane workshop while the team at Vawdrey were working closely with Attards to put together the trailer combination. As much as Luke had wanted to keep it all under wraps it’s hard to keep something this visual quiet. So a few sneak peeks escaped.

The reaction to Ozwide’s tribute trailers has been extremely positive and extremely vocal. Photos of the unit flooded social media quicker than a COVID conspiracy theory.

“I think it’s a great tribute to our past,” Luke says.

“It’s one of those set-ups that gives you goosebumps when it drives down the road.”

Luke often gets the feedback from drivers when the trucks pull up in a small town and the local RSL empties out to grab some shots. These reactions, as well as the fact that people are talking about the Anzacs, are exactly what he wanted.

Luke admits this won’t be his last tribute trailer set either.

The pride and passion he has for Australia has seen him grow from a single truck donning the Aussie green and gold to a fleet of stunning rigs that cover the country. It’s a far cry from the man who was adamant he didn’t want to do linehaul. I’m glad he got that wrong.

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NatRoad Warren Clark

Roads, rest & motorists Three concerns that could make all of us safer

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’m often asked what things regulators need to do to make our road system safer and the answers are obvious to anyone who’s spent any time in a heavy vehicle cabin or talking to those who have.

Improving the condition of our roads is number one.

Road condition is a causation factor in about 30 per cent of all road crashes, and a factor in the severity of 100 per cent of crashes.

The Australian government invests in roads under the National Land Transport Act 2014.

Yet, safety is not a specific object of the Act. Similarly, safety is insufficiently prioritised in road spending.

In its 2019 infrastructure audit, Infrastructure Australia called for upgrades to high-risk sections of the transport network.

Safety improvements to high-risk regional roads should be a high priority initiative. We all know stretches of road that are unfit for use – by light or heavy vehicles.

The list is likely to have increased markedly following the unseasonal heavy rains that played with roads through Central Australia and on the east coast.

In the words of one NatRoad member: “The better the roads, the safer the interaction between drivers.”

It really is that simple.

Infrastructure and Transport Ministers have been developing the National Service Level Standards Framework for Roads as part of the ongoing work for the Heavy Vehicle Road Reform (HVRR) process. These things invariably take more time than they should, and we’re still waiting for a meaningful outcome.

REST AREAS The second area that needs to be fixed is truck rest areas. Rest areas are a basic building block of a safer road system. They are essential for heavy vehicle drivers to manage fatigue and comply with driving hours rules.

WARREN CLARK, NatRoad’s chief executive officer, has more than 20 years’ experience leading and developing business for emerging companies.

Warren has held the position of CEO at various companies and is a certified chartered accountant.

In 2017, the National Truck Accident Research Centre found that fatigue contributed to 12.2 per cent of heavy vehicle insurance losses nationally.

And, in 2019, Austroads released national guidelines recommending every major highway have a detailed heavy vehicle rest area strategy.

Those guidelines say that rest stops need to be spaced 70 to 100 kilometres or 35 to 50 kilometres apart, depending on local road speed and location factors. In NatRoad’s view, those guidelines need to be linked to funding decisions. If a state or local government can’t demonstrate it’s taken them into account, Commonwealth funding should not flow.

The other priority should be improving the interactions between heavy vehicles and other road users.

Motorists often fail to give trucks enough space and do not consider the additional blind spot and stopping distances for heavy vehicles.

To its credit, the regulators have been doing work in raising driver awareness, but all governments need to do much more.

You can make a case for a standardised set of questions about truck awareness, distance between vehicles and the dangers of distracted driving being embedded in Learner driver entry tests all around the country.

“Motorists often fail to give trucks enough space.”

Insurance for owner drivers the Ryno way.

Let’s be real. The search for proper insurance takes a bit of digging. As the owner driver advocate, we’ll take the wheel to find cover that ticks your boxes. You focus on the road, and we’ll do the rest for you.

Ready for a smooth insurance experience?

Scan to get started!

1300 650 670 | hello@rynoinsurance.com.au | rynoinsurance.com.au 19 Rosedale Street (PO Box 239), Coopers Plains Qld, 4108 Ryno Insurance is a specialist division of East West Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd. ABN 83 010 630 092, AFS Licence No. 230041.

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As well as being involved in road transport media for the past 22 years, GREG BUSH has strong links to the music industry.

A former Golden Guitar judge for the Country Music Awards of Australia, Greg also had a three-year stint as an ARIA Awards judge in the late 1990s and wrote for and edited several music magazines.

ROAD SOUNDS Greg Bush

Smorgasbord of songs Classic ‘80s duo enjoys a long-awaited return PAINLESS Nilüfer Yanya

EASY Galleri

ATO/PIAS www.niluferyanya.com

Independent galleri.bandcamp.com

Jarrah Records jarrahrecords.com

West Londoner Nilüfer Yanya has channelled the talents of her Irish-Barbadian mother and Turkish-born father – both visual artists – for her third album Painless. With an eye on experimentation and an ear for rhythm, Yanya launches into the percussion-heavy opening track ‘The Dealer’ where similarities can be drawn with The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde. Yanya gets ditched by a lover on ‘Another Life’, another track with a constant beat behind her layered vocals.

There’s a rare moment of quietude on ‘Trouble’ amid an eerie keyboard backing before normal upbeat service is resumed on ‘Stabilise’ where Yanya both talks and sings through the track. She’s in two minds on ‘Belong With You’, one of the nonconforming album’s most accessible pieces, although ‘Midnight Sun’ tops it in terms of commercial viability.

Five-piece indie rock band Galleri, from the NSW mid-north coast, has at long last released its debut album Easy – and it’s been well worth waiting for. Hardly an overnight success, Galleri has been dropping singles since 2012 while playing the pubs in their local area as well as Sydney and the festival scene in northern NSW. Easy ranges from the soft rock sound of ‘Rats I Know’ to the guitar-riff filled ‘Pavement’, the latter track a seven-minute exercise in psychedelia. Front man John Moore makes no attempt to hide his “Australianness” as he sings of “standing his ground” on ‘Head In The Mire’, while lyrics play a minor role in ‘Frozen’ as Galleri highlights its tight musicianship.

With producer Zach Miller at the helm, Easy was recorded mostly live tracked, giving the album an extra degree of fresh appeal.

Vikki Thorn, formerly of Aussie folk-pop trio The Waifs, has opted for the simple Thornbird moniker for her debut solo album of the same name. Thorn belts out the blues for the opening track ‘That Kinda Man’, and there’s a Bonnie Raitt influence on ‘Bullets and Heartache’.

There’s a sensual groove to ‘Big Girl Pants’, and she paints a poetic picture of her years living in the US on ‘Utah Skyline’, a track notable for its tight harmonies and light production. On the slow-paced ‘Tempest’, she tells of a truck stop waitress dreaming of making the move to the big smoke. In contrast, ‘Let Her Go’ is a strong rock track, while she delves deep into her vocal range on the harmonicabacked folk song ‘Hell’s Backbone’.

Thornbird’s finale is the seven-minute ‘Rough Patch’, a song inspired by the pandemic’s impact. A quality release.

THE TIPPING POINT Tears For Fears

LIVE IN COLORADO Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros

OVERLAND Nick O’Mara

Concord Records www.tearsforfears.com

Third Man Records/Rocket www.bobweir.net

Independent nickomara.bandcamp.com

Just when it seemed Tears For Fears (Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith) would be confined to the nostalgia tour, the British pop-rock duo has released The Tipping Point, their first studio album in 17 years. Orzabal and Smith have survived a turbulent music partnership over the years, reenergising their talents with these 10 new songs. The thought-provoking title track’s lyrics tell of watching a loved one fight a losing battle against disease.

Elsewhere, they ramp up the attitude and tempo as they sing of the dark side on ‘My Demons’ and deliver the masterful battleof-the-sexes piece with ‘Break The Man’.

‘Rivers Of Mercy’ is an ambient-style ballad while the opening track ‘No Small Thing’ starts out deceptively with vocal and acoustic guitar before evolving into an uplifting big production number. Despite the obvious lack of a catchy hit single (i.e. no ‘Shout’ or ‘Mad World’), The Tipping Point is a worthy addition to their catalogue.

Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir has long experimented with side projects from the early 1970s.

The Wolf Bros is Weir’s most recent endeavour – band members include Grammy-winning producer Don Was, drummer Jay Lane and keyboardist Jeff Chimenti. Live In Colorado, lifted from the band’s first couple of concerts since a COVID-induced break, contain a mix of Grateful Dead and Weir solo project songs, plus a few surprises.

They deliver an extended laid-back country take on Bob Dylan’s ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’ and add a touch of funk to Johnny Cash’s ‘Big River’. ‘New Speedway Boogie’, first introduced on the Grateful Dead’s classic 1970 album Workingman’s Dead, becomes a 10-minute jam session as Weir stretches his well-worn vocals to the limit. Another Dead track, ‘West LA Fadeaway’, is a delightfully extended slow groove. Live In Colorado is a sublime blend of roots and rock music.

Talented Melbourne-based songwriter Nick O’Mara, acclaimed for his work with alternate country band Raised

By Eagles and duo Amarillo, has taken his career a step further with the release of debut solo album Overland. The first couple of tracks conjure up similarities to US band Bon Iver while maintaining O’Mara’s individuality. Acoustic and resonator guitars interact superbly on ‘Broken Toys’, a song about relationships gone wrong. The fiery echo of electric instruments bring a psychedelic sound to ‘Sunshine’ and finger-picking guitar brings elements of folk to ‘No One’. Former Waifs’ touring band member Ben Franz adds pedal steel to ‘Timber Or Steel’, a song structured along country lines but minus the twang, while a viola adds depth to the haunting ‘Walking Slowly Into The Night’.

The less-is-more production, understated vocals and well-crafted songs make Overland this month’s standout album.

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THORNBIRD Thornbird

Country Corner DRY SEASON Blake Dantier

Compass Bros/Universal www.blakedantier. com.au Born and bred down the hill from the Blue Mountains, Blake Dantier has spent two years preparing for the launch of Dry Season, his debut album. During that time, Dantier offered listeners a preview, releasing six singles that are among the album’s 11 songs. The title track is pure country rock, the barroom theme continuing on the mid-paced ‘Wish You Were My Beer’. Lawrie Minson adds harmonica to the honky-tonkin’ ‘Last Call’, and Adam Harvey brings his rich tones to the western swing-styled ‘You Don’t Mix Whiskey’. Dantier’s vocals are the real country deal – take a listen to the sensitive ballad ‘When She Gets Home’ – and he has a host of gun studio musos to give Dry Season that X factor.

JAMIE MCDELL Jamie McDell

ABC Music www.jamiemcdell.co.nz For her selftitled fourth album, New Zealander Jamie McDell returned to Nashville, Tennessee, linking up with ex-pat Aussie producer Nash Chambers.

The downside of living the high life is related on ‘Limousine Running’, and she tells of a loser partner on ‘Botox’. McDell baulks at settling down on ‘Not Ready Yet’, one of the album’s twangiest tracks, and teams with Tom Busby of Busby Marou fame for ‘Poor Boy’.

One-time US touring buddy Robert Ellis adds harmonies to the wrong-side-of-thelaw song ‘Worst Crime’ and there’s more law breaking on the banjo-backed ‘Dream Team’. McDell’s vocals possess an endearing, fragile quality and with gun Nashville session players on board, this new album is one of the best country releases of the year.

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

WHAT’S ON upcoming events TRUCKING AUSTRALIA 2022

May 4–6, 2022. Gold Coast, Queensland Held at the The Star on Queensland’s Gold Coast and presented by the Australian Trucking Association (ATA). Join the nation’s trucking operators and industry stakeholders to tackle the big issues. Sessions include Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia presenting a masterclass on load restraint, plus the Kenworth Legends Lunch, ATA Auction Dinner, National Trucking Industry Awards at the Foundation Sponsors Gala Dinner and small business seminars.

For further information and registration go to Australian Trucking Association’s Trucking Australia website at https://new.truck.net.au/ta

PUTTY ROAD TRUCK DRIVERS MEMORIAL SERVICE May 21, 2022. Milbrodale, NSW

Casino Truck Show back on The popular northern NSW event returns from COVID cancellations

The countdown to one of Australia’s favourite truck shows is officially on following the recent announcement that the 2022 North Coast Petroleum Casino Truck Show will be held on Saturday, August 6.

The big northern NSW event is being coordinated by Richmond Valley Council, with support from the NCP Casino Truck Show Organising Committee.

Celebrating its ninth year, the Council’s events team says it is busily setting the scene for what is shaping up to be the best-ever NCP Casino Truck Show.

Council’s director service delivery, Angela Jones, says after having to cancel in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the events team was doing everything in its power to provide a day to be remembered.

Jones says with potentially 300 trucks – chrome and alloy shined to perfection – and some 40 categories to be won, including the prestigious Tiny Lollback Rig of the Show, it would be a great day for trucking families and the general public.

She says exhibitors showcasing industry-related products and services would be on display, and Aussie FMX, one of Australia’s top professional freestyle motocross teams, would be back to entertain.

As well, there will be plenty of kid-friendly activities such as amusement rides and face painting.

“Local trucking companies will be joined by an influx of trucks from right around Australia,

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all vying for more than 50 trophies for best rig,” Jones says.

“Exhibitors will showcase a range of vehicles including working trucks, new trucks, customised trucks, rigid trucks, fleets, and vintage and restored trucks.”

NCP Casino Truck Show organising committee coordinator Darren Goodwin believes it is the perfect time for the NCP Casino Truck Show to return, given the feedback he has received from many drivers, companies and sponsors.

Goodwin says everyone he had spoken to was excited about making this year’s show the biggest to date.

He said he was confident that trucks from all over Australia would be attending and there would be cash prizes and trophies for the winners of all the categories.

“We’re also delighted to again welcome North Coast Petroleum as our naming rights sponsor, and so thankful for its support over the years.”

Goodwin also thanks the Beef Week Committee for its support over the past eight years and looked forward to working with Richmond Valley Council’s events team to make the NCP Casino Truck Show one of Australia’s most popular gatherings of all things trucks.

Angela Jones says the council recognised events and festivals as a means to revitalise the local economy and would continue to support them to grow and prosper well into the future.

Held at Garry Miller Memorial Park, Putty Rd, Milbrodale. Service starts at 1pm. Local school providing refreshments from 11am. Afterwards, ticketed reunion dinner at Charbonnier Hotel, Singleton.

For dinner tickets and accommodation phone Marie Warby on 0414 631 206. For all other enquries phone Paul on 0427 472 250 or Shane 0419 287 159 or go to www.facebook.com/groups/300521246718/

HERITAGE TRUCK ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA ANNUAL TRUCK SHOW May 21-22, 2022. Rocklea, Qld

Held at the Rocklea Showgrounds, the HTAA show will feature veteran, vintage and heritage trucks, vintage tractors, stationary engines, vintage cars plus a daily grand parade, stalls and displays. Food & refreshments, multi-draw raffle. Limited camping available. Gates open 8am. Entry $10 adults, children under 14 free.

For further info phone Phyllis Davies on 0417 002 386, Trevor Davies 0417 644 199 or Evan Williams 0448 160 044. See the website at www.heritagetruckassociation.com.au and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/heritagetruckassociation

WA MACK MUSTER AND TRUCK SHOW May 22, 2022. Byford, Western Australia

Held at the stunning Quarry Farm, Byford, the WA Mack Muster and Truck Show is a grassroots family friendly muster experience that promises to be a fun day out at the farm with a bunch of Macks and other makes and models on display. Food trucks and licensed bar, kids zone, competitions, exhibits, local trucking celebrities and more.

Raising money for cancer research.

For further info see the website at www.mackmuster.com.au or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wamackmuster or phone 0419 911 981.

LIVESTOCK BULK AND RURAL CARRIERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE May 26-28, 2022. Wagga Wagga, NSW

Held at The Range Function Centre in Wagga Wagga with the theme of “Cutting Red Tape”. The annual LBRCA is a gathering of fellow truckies, government, suppliers and industry representatives to focus on the needs of rural and regional heavy vehicle transporters. Issues range from unfair infringements and regulation to unsafe loading and unloading facilities. Includes the Young Driver of the Year Award presentation and Gala Dinner and Auction Spectacular.

For further info see the website www.lbrca.org.au

ALEXANDRA TRUCK UTE & ROD SHOW June 12, 2022. Alexandra, Victoria

The Alexandra Truck, Ute & Rod Show will make its long-awaited return to the Queens Birthday long weekend in June, 2022. Sunday Show ’n Shine on Alexandra’s main street, includes live music, Victorian woodchop tournament, exhibitions and trade displays, kids amusements and Truck Show Day raffle draw. Be early on Saturday for the local markets, convoy and truck driver’s memorial service at 2pm and sponsors’ dinner at 6pm.

For truck show details email trucks@alexandratruckshow.com.au, or for further info phone Gordon Simpson on 0409 577 212, Andrew Embling on 0418 266 038, or see the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AlexandraTruckShow plus the website at www.alexandratruckshow.com.au

To have an event listed, phone 0408 780 302 or e-mail greg.bush@primecreative.com.au

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DIABETES NSW & ACT

Understanding diabetes Ten questions and answers about type 2 diabetes

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any of the people we talk to who live with type 2 diabetes tell us they are regularly asked questions about their condition that test their patience.

Here is list of the most common questions people get asked.

Read on to find out the answers to some of the myths you might have heard.

1. DIABETES? HOW DID YOU GET THAT? It’s complicated. About 40 per cent of type 2 diabetes cannot be delayed or prevented. It has been said that “genetics loads the gun and the environment pulls the trigger” in conditions such as type 2 diabetes. It is important to recognise that science still does not have all the answers, but we do know that you are at a much greater risk of type 2 diabetes if: • It runs in your family • You have had chronic stress or depression • You are over 50 years of age • You have had damage to, or an infection of, your pancreas in the past • You have taken high doses of steroids in your life.

2. CAN I CATCH IT? No, diabetes is not contagious.

3. HOW COME YOU HAVE DIABETES? YOU’RE SKINNY About 40 percent of type 2 diabetes is not related to lifestyle factors such as

healthy eating or maintaining a healthy weight. Factors you can’t change, such as age and genetics, increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

4. YOU’LL BE RIGHT ONCE YOU STOP EATING SUGAR

For more information on diabetes or to talk to a dietitian, call the Diabetes NSW & ACT Helpline on 1300 342 238.

Unfortunately, this is incorrect. Like everything in life, people love a simple explanation and health is no exception.

We wish managing diabetes was as easy as taking out one ingredient from your diet, but it is not.

In short, how type 2 diabetes develops is significantly more complex than simply being the result of eating too much sweet food over your lifetime.

Although type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body cannot process glucose properly, the root cause is not because you ate too much sugar to begin with.

Instead, it is likely due to a series of varying factors, some of which are in your control, while others are not.

5. SHOULD YOU BE EATING THAT? Whether you have diabetes or not, this question is designed to curdle the food you are about to eat. The answer is

“Fad diets limit the total number of food options available.”

yes, you can eat ‘that’ as long as you understand about portion size and stick to healthy eating the majority of time.

There is no “diabetic diet”.

Every Australian should be following the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Discretionary foods such as cakes are a food group that we have sometimes, such as at a birthday party or an occasional social activity. They can be enjoyed in moderation.

6. TYPE 2: IS THAT THE BAD DIABETES? There is no such thing as the “bad” diabetes. All diabetes has to be taken seriously and managed daily. Some people believe that using insulin is a bad sign, but in many cases it is needed to get healthy blood glucose levels. By the way, needing insulin doesn’t change type 2 diabetes into type 1.

7. I TOLD YOU SO! THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN …

Everybody has a theory about what causes diabetes and, unless they’re trained diabetes professionals, they are usually inaccurate.

8. JUST GO ON [ENTER NAME OF LATEST FAD DIET HERE] AND YOU’LL BE CURED For anyone who has ever been on a crash diet, you know that the weight can come off quickly. The catch is, what happens after your willpower fades and your desire to eat something other than cabbage soup comes raring back?

Fad diets limit the total number of food options available to you, thus limiting the number of calories (energy) you are likely to eat. This can be an effective weight loss strategy in the short-term, but sticking to these diets is nearly impossible.

Hence the reason they are crash diets – because your willpower will inevitably crash.

A better strategy is to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Can you reduce the number of sweet biscuits you eat each day? By having two fewer a day you can lose 7kg over a year. And you are much more likely to maintain this over the long-term.

9. IF YOU DO NOT LOSE WEIGHT YOU WILL HAVE TO GO ON INSULIN Many people with type 2 diabetes will need insulin 10 to 20 years after diagnosis. This is because insulin resistance leads to a reduced production of insulin over time. When the body is not able to make enough insulin, insulin injections are needed to keep blood glucose levels in the healthy range.

10. MY FRIEND LOST HIS LEG FROM THAT Quoting a severe complication is never the most inspiring example to give when discussing a medical condition.

Early diagnosis, lifestyle change and medications can result in a long and healthy life with type 2 diabetes.

The thing about diabetes is there are many myths and misconceptions.

If you are interested in finding out more information, head to diabetesnsw.com.au, diabetesaustralia. com.au or ndss.com.au.

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HIGHWAY ADVOCATES Robert Bell

Legislation complexity Outside state government acts, the HVNL has 759 sections, beyond the grasp of most truck drivers

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s the country begins to emerge from the fog of COVID-19, or so we are told, it is an excellent time to reflect on just how truck drivers and operators are faring. It wasn’t that long ago when politicians bandied about terms like ‘essential service’ and ‘carrying the nation’.

I write this piece while suffering from a decent dose of the ‘Rona’ myself. I’ll think I’ll pull through but would not wish it upon anyone ( I can have my own private thoughts, however). It is real, and we can only imagine the despair felt by truck drivers during the height of the pandemic. Having to endure tests every 72 hours and interpret ever-changing health directions and permits must have caused insufferable hardship to many. I could hardly stand giving myself a RAT test, let alone having a stranger poke what might seem like a telegraph pole up your nose every couple of days.

We handled quite a few of the fines dished out to truck drivers under what we would describe as unfair circumstances.

Most got withdrawn after we got involved, although we had an extraordinary experience in the Western Australia jurisdiction.

A client had instructed us to court elect a penalty notice issued by WA Police. The driver had pulled up to refuel in Coolgardie and was doing so in the unattended truck section. Leaving his mask off and walking around to check things, WA Police swooped and issued a penalty notice exceeding $1,500. Some might say the driver was exercising, which was allowed without a mask. What was the public interest in issuing that fine?

My point in general terms is this.

Everyone was suffering during the pandemic, yet many were prospering. The number of penalty notices and fines issued is staggering and truck drivers remained easy targets. Now that most if not all of the restrictions have been lifted, you could possibly think the transport industry may be able to recoup some of the losses suffered during the pandemic. However, it would seem not and all the prosecuting authorities around the country seem to have short memories.

through work diaries – in some cases over the years – and prosecuting every error they can detect. When we go to court, our written submissions talk about the principle of totality and the prohibition upon punishing multiple contraventions.

We don’t believe that that was ever the intention of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). However, what was intended and what we have today are two different creatures. The law remains to achieve its initial purpose. Check it out: “The object of this Law is to establish a national scheme for facilitating and regulating the use of heavy vehicles on roads in a way that – (a) promotes public safety; and (b) manages the impact of heavy vehicles on the environment, road infrastructure and public amenity; and (c) promotes industry productivity and efficiency in the road transport of goods and passengers by heavy vehicles; and (d) encourages and promotes productive, efficient, innovative and safe business practices.”

I am sure many out there might have something to say about the above. As a

ROBERT BELL, a former truck driver and current law undergraduate and practising paralegal, is the CEO and a director of Highway Advocates Pty Ltd. Contact Highway Advocates Pty Ltd on robert.bell@ highwayadvocates.com.au or phone 0491 263 602.

“Police especially seem to relish going back through work diaries.”

legal practice that only deals with the HVNL and other road transport legislation related matters, we deal with some of the most technical and verbose legislation in force today. The ‘Plain English” method of legal drafting is nowhere to be found.

The HVNL has 759 sections and four schedules alone.

Anyone who has attempted to interpret the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act in Queensland or the Road Safety Act in Victoria will know what I am talking about. It is extraordinarily complex legislation.

It is just another reason you need to speak to the team at Highway Advocates. We know what you need to know. Our continuing success speaks for itself and our policy of reversing the depersonalisation of our clients is resonating in the courts. We refuse to refer to our clients as “the accused” or “the defendant” unless it is essential.

You are all real people with real hopes and aspirations.

INCITING FATIGUE I’ll finish with one final point. Keeping in mind the object of the HVNL – promotes public safety.

A driver makes an error in their work diary, forgetting or getting confused about major rest breaks/concurrent and consecutive 24 hour periods, long/night hours … the list goes on. It goes straight to court with a critical fatigue breach, although there is no evidence of actual fatigue in most cases.

The prosecution will be chanting the maximum penalty in excess of $17,000 and four demerit points. Our response is to outline the actual reality of such fine. Most drivers before the court on this offence are paid by the kilometre. Many are not paid the award kilometre rate or other applicable allowances.

Any fine, let alone the maximum, will only cause that driver to work harder and longer to raise themselves out of the financial distress caused by the fine.

Or, with the four demerit point hit, they may well decide to leave the industry altogether. Who will replace them, and how will that generally inexperienced replacement impact upon the promoting public safety message?

Highway Advocates – we know what you need to know.

LACK OF DISCRETION A big take-out point for us is discretion or lack thereof. We often ask courts to apply discretion when it could have been applied at the intercept point. We often encounter court attendance notices with multiple sequences or counts. Police especially seem to relish going back

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exclusive report

VOLVO VOWS TO KEEP WACOL WORKING In a move to alleviate production shortfalls at its Wacol (Qld) manufacturing plant, Volvo Group Australia (VGA) has confirmed it is importing fully built-up trucks from Saudi Arabia and Sweden. It is, however, a temporary measure and any hint of a diminished commitment to local manufacturing has been soundly squashed by VGA chief Martin Merrick, as he tells Steve Brooks 46 APRIL 2022

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“Volvo Group is completely committed to the future of Australian manufacturing.”

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s is often the way of events with a high degree of commercial sensitivity, casual whispers from customers and dealers rather than candid comment from corporate insiders were the first hints of Volvo Group Australia’s (VGA) intention to import completely built-up (CBU) trucks from factories in Saudi Arabia and Sweden.

But whatever the source of the information, the reason for such a move isn’t particularly difficult to appreciate. COVID! That one word says it all and while all brands in almost all industries have been hammered to some extent by the impacts of the pandemic, VGA has perhaps been hammered harder than most in the supply of new trucks to a booming road freight sector.

It’s no secret that Volvo’s share of the heavy-duty truck market slid significantly in 2021 and while managing to hang onto second place behind market leader Kenworth, delivery schedules have been stretched to hugely difficult levels as VGA’s Wacol (Qld) factory struggles to keep pace with demand for both Volvo and Mack product.

Indeed, the inability to deliver new trucks in agreed or acceptable timeframes has seen several traditional Volvo customers resort to other brands, notably Mercedes-Benz and Scania.

As we reported in September last year: “While COVID-19’s influence has been brutal on everyone, everywhere, it certainly could not have come at a worse time for a truck maker (Volvo) on the cusp of launching a major new range of FH and FM models. Indeed, several years of planning and investment in the lead-up to the new trucks had to be quickly reassessed and reorganised as COVID took hold, causing disappointment and,

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worse, disruption to supply lines across the entire network.”

But, as we also asked: “The impacts of the COVID pandemic are certainly not exclusive to Volvo so why has Volvo slid while others have improved or at least maintained their market position?”

Addressing the question during a phone interview in the back half of 2021, Volvo Trucks Australia vice-president Gary Bone explained that COVID’s effects on supply lines have caused a major makeover in how and where components are accessed for the Wacol production plant.

Moreover, Bone was quick to add: “We’re making some really big investments in the factory [and] when we get back to full strap, we’ll build more trucks at Wacol than we ever have before.”

As for when shortened supply lines might lead to a turnaround in Volvo’s market fortunes, he said the recovery was already happening.

“We will be back, and very strongly by the second half of the year,” he declared, insisting that as the last trucks in Volvo’s superseded range were being belatedly built and delivered in the latter half of 2021, the door was finally swinging open for the much anticipated new model line-up to play its vital role in Volvo’s recovery.

It’s now apparent, however, that the turnaround hasn’t been happening nearly as fast as VGA would like. Not even close.

Important Imports At no stage did Bone indicate that VGA was pursuing the importation of fully built-up trucks in a bid to shorten delivery schedules and in the process, make the most of an astonishingly buoyant truck market.

Even so, given the discussions and processes required for such a move to take place, it now seems certain that a game plan was well entrenched in the second half of last year and Bone’s involvement would have been significant.

When the first hints recently emerged that VGA was well advanced with plans to supplement Wacol’s production with fully built-up models from Volvo factories in Saudi Arabia and Sweden, the first question on some lips was whether this was an early indication of a gradual winding down of Volvo and Mack production at the Queensland factory.

Above: Volvo Group Australia president and CEO, Martin Merrick.

“Yes, Volvo Group Australia is supplementing the supply of locally manufactured vehicles with CBU units from Sweden and Saudi Arabia.”

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After all, previous VGA managing directors have on occasion conceded that constant assessment of economic viability is an ongoing exercise with all Volvo manufacturing operations, Wacol included.

Similarly, it was to be wondered what effect the fully imported models would have on Volvo’s proudly promoted ‘Australian Made’ mantra.

However, in a written response to a number of questions seeking confirmation and clarification of the company’s plans for fully imported trucks, VGA president and chief executive Martin Merrick was candid and concise, most notably in firmly endorsing Wacol’s critical and ongoing importance to the future of Volvo and Mack brands in Australia, and unequivocally repudiating any hint of a reduced local manufacturing effort.

First asked if VGA was indeed importing fully built-up trucks, Merrick wrote: “Yes, Volvo Group Australia is supplementing the supply of locally manufactured vehicles with CBU units from Sweden and Saudi Arabia.

“Like many global businesses, VGA experienced severe supply chain disruption during 2021. This, compounded with unprecedented demand for our trucks, has proved challenging for our Wacol plant.”

On how the move to fully-imported trucks might impact the current and future viability of the Wacol production plant, he stated: “Volvo Group is completely committed to the future of Australian manufacturing and of our Wacol factory.

Significant investment has been made over the last 12 months to increase our manufacturing footprint in Australia.

“This has included the installation of new manufacturing processes, significant growth in our workforce and a massive expansion in warehousing capability to shorten supply chains and future-proof this facility.

“Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks globally, also recently told Australian media outlets that Volvo intends to manufacture electric trucks at the Wacol plant as part of the group’s global sustainability strategy.”

Yet, as Merrick also remarked, this is not the first time VGA has looked to overseas factories for support.

“In the past, VGA has periodically imported low volumes of CBU trucks from Sweden to supplement

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local manufacturing in periods of very high demand.

“This is not a new strategy. However, on the back of this, 2022 is shaping up to be a record market.”

As for the number of trucks likely to come from overseas factories, he simply stated: “I’m not going to commit to actual numbers for commercial reasons.

However, for 2022, it will be a significant number.

“As already stated, this year will be a massive year for the Australian market. However, the number of locally built trucks will be considerably higher than those imported.

“By the end of 2022, with the recent expansion of our manufacturing and warehousing capability, Wacol production capability will be at an unprecedented level. The CBU models are limited spec, FM and FH, and Wacol will prioritise vehicle builds with higher levels of customisation.”

Above: VGA’s Gary Bone extolling the virtues of local manufacturing. Behind the scenes, though, plans were progressing for the importation of fully built-up trucks

Clearly these trucks will not be badged ‘Australian Made’ and all customers who have placed orders are aware that these trucks are CBU imports.

“We are still incredibly proud of our factory, which celebrates 50 years in 2022, and we will always promote the capability of this plant and its people.

“In fact, I would go as far to say that in a very challenging global environment, the agility shown

by Volvo Group to rise to customer demand in this way is, in itself, no mean feat.

“In the case of Saudi-built trucks, components from Australian suppliers have been shipped to that plant [as well as Tuve, Sweden] and we have Australian staff

“The intent of this strategy is to meet unprecedented market demand during 2022.”

It’s our understanding that FH 16-litre models will come from Sweden and FM 13-litre units predominantly from Saudi Arabia.

Asked if CBU imports are a permanent or temporary measure, he explained: “This has always only been a temporary supplementary strategy. Our preference will always be to prioritise local manufacturing.”

Importantly, Merrick was asked if the imported trucks will be more commercially competitive than locally produced models?

“No, the intent of this strategy is to meet unprecedented market demand during 2022.

Customers have been given the choice of local or CBU trucks depending on their requirements. This is not a pricing strategy.”

But how will this development impact VGA’s ‘Australian Made’ and ‘Proudly Made in Australia’ marketing mantras?

“Of course, this does not apply to imported trucks.

on the ground there providing assistance.”

And, finally, Merrick was asked if a similar ‘fully imported’ initiative was being considered to address the ailing local volumes of the Mack brand?

“Absolutely not. In fact, I take objection to the word ‘ailing’.”

“True, the brand has also had supply challenges during 2021, a reflection of the challenges that also affected Volvo, however we are starting to see market share improve already as customers take delivery of their trucks in 2022.

“The high level of local customisation of an Australian Mack makes it a unique product. There are some extremely exciting developments on the horizon for the Mack brand locally which I can’t reveal now.

“However, the Australian built Mack is here to stay and will be a brand to watch.”

And, without doubt, there will be plenty of people watching.

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WE’RE WITH YOU, EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. Helping your trucking business by giving you priceless advice, business support, discounts and working with you to navigate complex trucking legislation.

Join today. To learn more scan here or go to natroad.com.au

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exclusive interview

BETTER THAN BEFORE

An informal interview with Volvo Group Australia chief Martin Merrick revealed a man disappointed by circumstance but totally confident of a more resilient future built on the strength of challenges met, changes made, commitments given and critically, booming demand for trucks.

He talks with Steve Brooks

I

t’s no good beating around the bush. Volvo Group Australia (VGA) boss Martin Merrick and I did not hit it off. Not at all!

To my mind, blunt questions and dismissive answers were the first problem at the first meeting during a press conference some six months or more after his September 2018 arrival as VGA’s newest president and chief executive. A clash of professional egos perhaps, or maybe different agendas and the desire for different outcomes. Or, most likely, just a case of uncompromising corporate intransigence banging heads with irreverent media intrusion.

Whatever, it didn’t go well, and went far worse sometime later when more than 130

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jobs were coldly cut from VGA and a cynical editorial took sharp aim at a Scot obligated to doing Sweden’s dirty work.

But, onward and upward, and with a handful of hindsight and hint of empathy, it’s blatantly apparent and easy to appreciate that Merrick’s arrival was also a brutal blueprint of perfectly poor timing. No one’s fault of course, but unlike his predecessor Peter Voorhoeve whose ‘human headline’ persona would revel in a stable and vibrantly buoyant business climate throughout his tenure, Merrick’s mandate would be soon marred by catastrophic circumstances beyond his, or anyone else’s, control.

Let’s face it, COVID-19 hit like a brick between the eyes in the early part of 2020 and, with little

more than a year under his Antipodean belt, Merrick’s plans for the progress of VGA were pummelled into pear-shaped pandemonium.

Really pear-shaped.

Seated across the table, he doesn’t wince or whine when asked if he carries disappointment or frustration at the circumstances that followed his appointment. In fact, his response is enviably stoic and decidedly more upbeat than expected.

“Good question,” he says with a subtle grin.

“I have been disappointed but certainly not disheartened.

“The priority had to be about keeping each other safe and there have been times of frustration but it has strengthened our resolve to look after our people, our customers and our business.

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“We will build more trucks at Wacol this year than we’ve ever built before.”

“It [COVID] has allowed us to collaborate, work together and solve problems together. When I look back, it has been challenging times but the tough times have brought us closer together.”

But then, again with a wry smile: “Of course, we all would’ve preferred not to have had these challenges and tough times.”

Sure, the pandemic has been hard on everyone, every business, but why is production at VGA’s Wacol factory struggling to the point where it is now importing Volvos from overseas?

The question was obviously expected. “We’ve been building trucks at Wacol for 50 years with the same [production] model and, suddenly, we had weaknesses highlighted in that model, specifically the supply lines.

“For 48 years Wacol worked like a well-oiled machine, then there were delays everywhere.

“To build trucks you need to sequence parts to the production line at the right time and those parts come from overseas in containers to the [Brisbane] port, and then we have 90-plus local suppliers as well. So, getting Right: The pandemic highlighted production weaknesses at VGA’s Wacol factory but Martin Merrick insists more trucks will be built at Wacol this year than ever before Opposite: Martin Merrick. “I have been disappointed but certainly not disheartened.” Hard times build strength

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“There’s no plan to simply bring in a Volvo platform from the US and use that as a conventional truck here.” those containers here and unpacked, added with the flow of components from local suppliers, to the warehouse and then onto the line at the right time is a massive logistical event.

“Towards late 2020, we could see signs of issues with the global supply chain, so decisions had to be taken to mitigate those issues. Then we had the container crunch when we would get no containers and then 100 would arrive quickly. We build on a just-in-time production model, and suddenly we had to wait.”

Above: There’s a bold new breed of Mack somewhere over the horizon.

Still, local production problems have hit Mack hard Right: Mack Trucks supremo Martin Weissburg. According to Martin Merrick, the commitment to Mack in Australia is unwavering

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In supply terms, a perfect storm.

“What we’re doing now,” he quickly continues, “is investing in extra warehousing and a new material handling system, and adding to a $30 million investment in those things to mitigate and build a more robust supply chain system in case global disruptions happen again.

“Coupled to all that, demand for trucks is so high. That’s why we’re importing some trucks, purely to satisfy demand.”

However, it’s an adamant Merrick who emphasises that VGA has certainly not been without strong support from Volvo’s highest levels.

“The Australian market is very important to Volvo Group and I’m delighted with the support we have.

“The support has been fantastic,” he says convincingly before declaring: “We will always build trucks at Wacol … and we will build more trucks at Wacol this year than we’ve ever built before, plus we have CBU [completely built-up] trucks coming in with optimised Australian variants.”

Still, it’s a forthright Merrick who agrees that VGA’s supply dramas have certainly helped some competitors – namely Mercedes-Benz and Scania – pick up market share with customers normally loyal to the Volvo brand.

Nonetheless, he admits to being confident of winning that business back.

“Truck customers have their customers to serve as well and, if we have been unable to supply, then they’ve had to go to other brands. We understand that,” he asserted.

Indeed, a somewhat conciliatory Merrick said: “It’s good for customers to try out and judge other brands.” But an instant later: “Yes, we’ve had disruptions for one year but we also have long-term relationships with customers and I feel a lot will stay loyal to us because of our new product and our organisation’s support.

“Of course, we have work to do, but I believe our very strong relationships with customers and dealers will get the business back.”

Bulldog Business On another, blatantly obvious tack, why are Mack’s sales figures so poor?

“Pure and simple, the market grew 24 per cent last year and we couldn’t build enough trucks,” he said succinctly.

“We’ve always been able to bring in CBU for Volvo to

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supplement supply but we can’t bring Mack in CBU,” reinforcing the point that Australian-made Macks are an absolutely unique breed of bulldog with nothing commensurate in their US counterparts.

Nonetheless, it is an entirely optimistic, even bullish, Merrick who insisted a new day is dawning for Mack.

“We’re investing over a hundred million dollars over the next three years in the Mack product,” he said, eagerly adding: “I met with Martin Weissburg [Mack Trucks president] just two weeks ago and the commitment to Mack in Australia is unwavering.

“Mack Trucks Australia is absolutely a key market.”

With blunt emphasis, a determined Merrick asserted: “We will get back to where we want to be with Mack.”

Typically, questions about new product plans were politely deflected. There was, however, a surprising concession on the development of a new Mack generation: “I can’t share with you the timeline [though sometime in the next three years would be a reasonable guess] or exact details but it will not be a makeover. It will be a completely new product. A new platform,” he said firmly.

Asked about speculation that any completely new Mack would be based on Volvo’s US conventional truck platform, he paused for a moment.

“If you look at our products – Volvo, Mack and UD – we have common architecture and shared technology. That’s the way it is.

“But the Mack brand will remain very strong in Australia, so there’s no plan to simply bring in a Volvo platform from the US and use that as a conventional truck here.”

Time was now running short, so questions and answers became sharper and shorter. For instance, given the early praise for Scania’s new 770hp (574kW) flagship, is there a future for Volvo’s 750hp (559kW) in Australia?

“Yes,” he said without a moment’s hesitation. “There are plans already in that heavy, high horsepower end, and that is very important to us overall.”

Will Volvo jump beyond 770hp to keep the power race going between the two Swedes?

“Could be,” he fired back with a shrewd grin, noting that in his 34 years with Volvo: “We’ve seen it happen over the years … which is a good thing because strong competition is good for industry, our customers and our people.”

But, given that Volvo hasn’t been able to cool the 750 in Australia’s conditions, wouldn’t it be more feasible for that sort of power to be in a Mack rather than a Volvo?

Corporate caution ruled the response: “Our intention is to always test here, as you know, and see where we can leverage that across our brands.”

At the other end of VGA’s power parade, how important has it been to keep Quon in the ranks since UD’s sale to Isuzu?

“It’s fantastic to have our three brands,” he said simply.

“The Australian market is extremely unusual and, on paper, having so many brands from Europe, America and Japan competing for relatively small volumes can seem totally wrong, but it works here where it probably wouldn’t work anywhere else.”

But again, given Isuzu’s ownership of UD, is Quon’s availability to VGA ongoing?

“Yes! It gives us a great product range. There’s a good relationship between Volvo Group, Isuzu and UD,” he emphasised, but perhaps happy to see the subject move to a topic less mired in corporate complexity.

Alright, how long will be before Volvo gets back to threatening Kenworth for the number one spot in the heavyduty market?

Thoughtful for a moment, a resolute Merrick commented: “Having number one in anything is fantastic. We will continue pushing, but will we knock Kenworth off from number one spot?

“That’s yet to be seen but we will give it a good go this year.

“The total heavy-duty market is going to be the highest ever, we will build more trucks at Wacol than we’ve ever done before and, from what I see in our order intake, we will have a record year.”

Pausing for a second: “As long as nothing dramatic happens in the world.”

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WILKIE’S WATCH Ken Wilkie

Double standardisation Despite the feelgood campaigns currently underway, the bias against road transport is alarming

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iesel exhaust fluid: that’s the product the Australian government has done a subsidy thing on to ensure there is sufficient supply to meet Australian road transport demand. The subsidy was to an organisation within Oz that had telegraphed its intention to shut the shop on the manufacture of urea – the base ingredient for the manufacture of diesel exhaust fluid.

Note, it is a diesel exhaust additive that reduces or eliminates noxious exhaust output. It is not at all crucial to the operation of diesel internal combustion engines. That is the crux of this discussion.

Diesel engines made to conform to the injection of diesel exhaust fluid have had their engine electronic management system designed to make the vehicle inoperative should there be no diesel exhaust fluid available. Indeed, early in the “emergency”, a brand of truck manufacturer was contacted to test its attitude and capacity to delete, modify and/or remove the technology from the engine management system. “Absolutely not," was the response. Not because of the technological impracticability of doing so, but because the organisation could not be confident of the legal consequences had it committed to that course of action. So, here’s the rub.

Diesel exhaust fluid is only mandatory for road transport diesels. Agricultural,

mining and construction engines are not legally required to be fitted with exhaust gas modification technology. I have had reports of farmers off-loading supplies of the chemical to truckies because farmers have deleted the exhaust gas modifier and need to get rid of their supply of liquid – which I am led to believe does have a limited life span.

What I’m saying is easily confirmed on the AdBlue website. But if clean air is so crucial, why just the road transport industry? I’m guessing it is because we are so gullible and the cockies would scream like stuck pigs if they were required to comply. Political kudos would suffer.

Farmers are sacred. There are so many double standards in this society.

KEN WILKIE has been an owner-driver since 1974, after first getting behind the wheel at 11. He’s on his eighth truck, and is a long-time Owner// Driver contributor. He covers Rockhampton to Adelaide and any point in between.

His current ambition is to see the world, and to see more respect for the nation’s truckies. Contact Ken at ken@rwstransport.com.au

TRIBUNAL’S RETURN? It’s been said to me that should the national management change in coming months, that old chestnut called the Road Safety Renumeration Tribunal (RSRT) will again be on the agenda.

I neither deny nor make apology for my strong opposition to the RSRT Mark I – and I cannot see a road to me approving a Mark II version.

I readily acknowledge that small operator returns are not where they should be. However, I consider maybe a licence to operate a commercial business could follow on from the proposed apprenticeship for truckies.

A plank in approval for a licence should be the completion of a course in

“If clean air is so crucial, why just the road transport industry?”

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business management attached to that apprenticeship.

To those of you advocating some type of financial underwriting for owner-drivers, I’m sure you would not be purchasing a $2 per litre milk carton from your local major grocery outlet as a matter of principle.

That milk price has been achieved by those grocery outlets screwing dairy suppliers in the same manner that some major transport companies screw us over.

BLITZ BOASTS The not-so National Heavy Vehicle Regulator espouses support for that team undertaking to help the mental wellbeing of truck drivers. At the same time it is pushing to undermine any basic rate structure with performancebased standards while indulging in the slandering of the road transport community with the language it uses to describe the results of its latest blitz. Or the transport conglomeration that also makes much noise about supporting truck driver health but is a task master at getting the lowest possible transport rate.

Australia is in a very precarious situation. We are a long way from anywhere in the world and because we have made ourselves so expensive compared to the rest, our very security is at risk.

Note diesel exhaust injection fluid, the taxi industry, the dairy industry, the floor price for wool in recent decades.

If owner-drivers persist with the type of expectations that the RSRT Mark I contained, ultimately that will result in the demise of us as a viable group anyway and quicker than the current situation.

Do I have an answer? Our politicians need to develop some sort of legislation that precludes an organisation from using a weaker entity to gain market share. That means taking what is the best decision for the majority and not pandering to the vocal squeaky wheels. That means politicians need – as a group – to demonstrate integrity.

Not wanting to sound like some moralistic person but essentially morality – or the lack of it in our society – is the root of a lot of our issues. Even the road safety agenda is much less effective than it should be because society cannot bring itself to train people to drive.

Our enforcement gurus tell porkies in relation to driving too fast. Every ‘K’ over is a killer! Whose speed measuring device are they using? One that is set to ensure the driver will never exceed the posted limit but that complies to the design parameter of plus or minus 10 per cent. That shows that such enforcement people are happy to encourage traffic flow friction that can have disastrous consequences, especially on multi lane roads, and is a cause of frustration on two lane roads with accompanying safety implications causing irrational driving decisions. Or are they just too stupid recognise traffic friction as a safety issue?

A lot of our situation comes about because too many folks are much too concerned about being politically correct and don’t have the intestinal fortitude to speak out about double standards – or don’t even have an ability to recognise a double standard.

Required reading: The Last Navigator by Paul Goodwin with Gordon Goodwin. This is highly recommended.

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industry showcase

ZERO MAINTENANCE BATTERY CHARGES AHEAD Power to go the distance with the new Kenworth Genuine Battery

T

here are high demands and expectations from batteries in commercial applications such as trucks, buses, agricultural and construction equipment. Not only are they expected to provide long lasting and reliable power throughout the course of the journey, but they’re also expected to withstand harsh environmental conditions in varying terrains along the way.

Coupled with this are the increasing demands of in-built electrical equipment and requirements to meet increasing environmental and safety regulations. Of the few batteries in the market that can meet all these needs, the new Kenworth Genuine Battery, KGE780HD, leads the way.

Suitable for all Kenworth models, the KGE780HD is a sealed maintenance-free battery, powered by calcium technology. It is designed to deliver unbeatable, long-lasting performance and great value for customers. The battery’s low selfdischarge rate provides long shelf life and longer run times.

The KGE780HD is built to last, lowering the overall cost of ownership and making it a suitable choice for commercial fleet operators.

Its heavy-duty construction makes a significant contribution to its performance capabilities. The battery can deliver high cranking power and resist corrosion and vibration in harsh operating conditions. It has improved cycling capabilities even in a low state of charge. The thick positive and negative plates and large intercell connectors provide increased durability for demanding commercial applications. The battery’s integrated handle design makes it easy to handle and install the battery safely and efficiently.

These features of the KGE780HD battery make it a suitable choice for customers seeking a powerful, durable and a maintenance-free battery for their commercial application.

The KGE780HD battery is fully backed by PACCAR, and is manufactured by an award winning, world leading supplier who is at the forefront of battery technology with expertise in battery performance and the systems that rely on them.

The KGE780HD battery is a culmination of this expertise and is precision-built to provide long-lasting performance in the most extreme of conditions. It comes with a 12

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month warranty (unlimited kilometres) which is a further testament to the product’s quality.

QUALITY AND LONGEVITY Elaborating on the new Kenworth Genuine battery’s performance capabilities, Phillip Reynolds, senior product manager at PACCAR Parts says: “It’s fantastic to provide a maintenance-free factory fit battery option that current truck customers are embracing. Carrying the Kenworth Genuine name typifies the quality and longevity synonymous with the Kenworth product. Those traits are backed with extensive field trials, partnering with high performing suppliers and ultimately leads to customer acceptance through proven performance.”

Since its introduction in late 2021, the KGE780HD battery has been well received, growing in popularity in the aftermarket customer base after being introduced as the OEM battery of choice in Kenworth’s Bayswater plant.

The heavy duty battery is available exclusively at 49 PACCAR Parts and 10 TRP dealerships Australia-wide.

This battery complements a full range of batteries for trucks, cars, boats, caravans and motorcycles that are also available at competitive pricing, all backed by PACCAR. Learn more about the KGE780HD battery and other batteries by visiting paccarparts.com.au or call 1800 772 787.

“THOSE TRAITS ARE BACKED WITH EXTENSIVE FIELD TRIALS.”

Above: The combination of thicker plates and internal lock bonding provides superior durability and vibration resistance, extending battery service life

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new model report

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Isuzu Australia’s market dominance is so potent, so entrenched, that it would probably take a cataclysmic cock-up of its own making to put even a slight dent in the brand’s mastery.

However, this is an outfit that makes few mistakes and a swathe of safety features on an updated N-series light-duty lineup will simply make the strong stronger, even if it is largely a case of catching up with the competition.

Steve Brooks reports

W

hen any brand commands a market as effectively and thoroughly as Isuzu Australia commands the total Australian truck market, it may seem odd to suggest that the introduction of advanced safety features to its most successful model range is largely a move to catch up with the competition.

That, however, is exactly the case with Isuzu’s revamped N-series line-up.

Sure, N-series is the undisputed and increasingly historic leader of the light-duty truck market, and so successful are the Japanese maker’s lightweights, they account for substantially more Isuzu deliveries than the combined sales of its market leading medium-duty range and popular heavy-duty rigid models.

Figures tell the story with blunt indifference to the hopes and ambitions of any aspiring assailant to the Isuzu crown. In 2021, for instance, Isuzu set a new record for a truck brand by delivering 10,175 units to the Australian market, almost 4,000 units ahead of second placegetter Hino. However, the biggest contributor to Isuzu’s exceptional market strength comes from a single salient fact: well over half of all Isuzu deliveries last year – 5,593 to be exact – were from its vast N-series light-duty ranks.

So vast, in fact, Isuzu says the latest N-series range offers 61 cabchassis derivatives and, nowadays, more than 35 versions of its Below: Eyes on the road. A dash-mounted Hitachi Stereo 3D camera provides the eyes for Isuzu’s advanced ADAS safety package

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“Isuzu has mounted the duallens Hitachi camera inside the cabin.”

Top: Home on the range. Just a small sample of Isuzu’s vast N-series light-duty line-up, with all 4x2 models now sporting an advanced safety system Right: Big believer. Isuzu Australia’s pragmatic sales boss, Les Spaltman

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remarkably successful Ready-to-Work troupe. If there’s a gap in the light-duty market, no matter how slim or seemingly insignificant, it’s a fair bet Isuzu has tailored something to fit, either direct from the Japanese factory or a localised adaptation from Isuzu Australia’s Product Development Centre within its Melbourne headquarters.

Either way, there’s little doubt this policy of offering something for everyone continues to be one of the many factors keeping the brand glued to the top of the overall Australian truck market for the past 33 years in a row. A truly astonishing achievement.

Yet, until late last year with the Australian launch of what Isuzu calls its ‘Intelligent Safety’ system on all N-series 4x2 models, the market leader was well behind its Hino and Fuso competitors in the safety stakes simply because it didn’t offer anywhere near the same level of advanced functions as its rivals.

Nonetheless, Isuzu’s little league was never in danger of losing its absolute leadership of the light-duty sector; a fact which might cause some to wonder if advanced safety features actually have any significant bearing on sales volumes in a commercial vehicle class where buyers and users are more likely to be tradies or retail and service industry delivery drivers than true truckies.

Whatever, Isuzu Australia national sales manager Les Spaltman concedes the ‘does safety sell?’ question is open to a bevy of beliefs and opinions. As for the assertion that most buyers would perhaps decline to pay extra for advanced safety features if they weren’t included in the standard spec, he politely suggests it’s a hypothetical question because the fact is N-series, in addition to existing features such as driver and passenger airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and crash tested cabs, now has a highly advanced safety package as standard equipment.

A system so advanced, in fact, that Isuzu Australia’s press blurb describes the revamped N-series as “the safest Isuzu truck to ever hit Australian roads”. And, of course, it wouldn’t be complete without its own corporate acronym, namely ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance System.

Eyes on the road Despite being the last of Japan’s three powerhouses to implement a comprehensive and technologically advanced safety package in its light-duty line-up, and whatever the reality of the ‘does safety sell?’ topic in the commercial vehicle world, Isuzu Australia has unequivocally and somewhat expediently embraced the safety mantra with the introduction of ADAS. Overdue perhaps, but better late than never according to Isuzu’s Japanese research and testing, which deems “the highest incidence of light-duty truck accidents occur at an average speed of 38km/h, making operators in urban high-traffic areas the most likely to be involved in a serious accident with pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists”. Or in simpler terms, the work environments where N-series rules.

Taking the safety subject further into the corporate fold, Isuzu Australia says Japan’s findings “can be tellingly correlated” into its own recently commissioned research “where road transport businesses listed vehicle safety as a primary concern ahead of issues such as reducing costs or increasing business efficiency”.

Moreover, according to a press statement from Isuzu Australia engineering chief Simon Humphries: “Over 50 per cent of Australian operators in road transport record that overall road safety and driver safety are key issues, with this figure increasing to 70 per cent for larger fleets.

“The desire for improved safety technology is a real and current concern for our customers, and we are responding to this with product that puts driver and road safety first,” Humphries states.

“This is particularly beneficial for businesses working in what we know to be the highest risk of collision – urban and metro areas – in applications such as trades, services, freight and lastmile delivery.”

Similarly, Isuzu isn’t shy about pointing out a significant point of difference between its ADAS package and competitor systems, specifically the dash-mounted Hitachi Stereo 3D camera that the company describes as “the eyes behind Isuzu’s new ADAS”.

And from the outside looking in, that’s exactly what the Hitachi

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camera appears to be: a pair of eyes scanning the road ahead.

As Isuzu’s press statement explains: “Unlike other trucks in the market that offer a single camera attached to the windscreen [usually at the top] and a radar sensor mounted lower on the cabin face or bumper, Isuzu has mounted the dual-lens Hitachi camera inside the cabin in a central dashboard position that does not obstruct driver view and is not attached to the windscreen.”

Furthermore, Isuzu insists the dual-lens design and mid-level mounting atop the dash give the camera a “superior field of vision to detect lower-height objects while in motion” and subsequently provide the necessary inputs for a high-tech safety system comprising …

• advanced emergency braking (AEB) and forward collision warning (FCW) • lane departure warning (LDW) • traffic movement warning (TMW) • distance warning system (DWS) • auto lighting system (ALS) Defining the merits of each function, Isuzu says its AEB with FCW works by way of the dual optical sensor camera, which monitors the environment in front of the truck. It can detect and determine the distance of three-dimensional objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and other objects that appear in front of the truck.

“If the FCW system determines a collision is likely and depending on the circumstances and severity of the situation, the system will respond with either audible and visual alerts, or autonomous activation of the vehicle’s brakes.

“Under normal operating conditions the system is designed to avoid a collision with a speed difference up to 50km per hour and can reduce the risk of a collision impact for higher speed differentials, even at night.”

Additionally, Isuzu states: “Similar to systems found in many modern passenger cars, Isuzu’s LDW works via sensors that detect and monitor the vehicle’s trajectory in relation to lane markings on roads or the road edge itself, providing audible and visual alarms for the driver if the vehicle begins to wander out of the lane marking or over the road edge.”

As for its DWS, Isuzu claims it is a feature unique to the N-series

ELDERLY ELF Spied recently in a back corner of Isuzu Australia’s national headquarters in Melbourne was this 1973 model ‘Elf’ light-duty truck.

The story goes this forefather of the modern-day N-series was bought new from the Suttons Arncliffe dealership in Sydney and worked loyally for the original owner until traded in for a new model not so long ago.

Still fitted with the factory-fitted Japanese tipping body, Isuzu Australia acquired the truck and, with its 50th year of Australian operations on the horizon, plans to bring it back to original condition to highlight the inherent durability and strength that have made N-series arguably Isuzu’s greatest success story.

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“Our biggest mistake would be to take something for granted, especially our customers.”

Above: Crew-cab Tradepack is just one of up to 35 versions in the super-successful Ready to Work range Below: Evolution has improved the response and effectiveness of Isuzu’s automated manual transmission

package, designed “to ensure the truck operator is travelling at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.

“Allowing drivers to pre-set a desired minimum distance [depending on application or environment], the DWS will alert drivers with a subtle visual warning on the dash when an unsafe distance is detected. The system has been programmed to only activate when speeds exceed 30km per hour, which is particularly useful for highway driving and prevents spurious warnings in situations such as traffic jams.”

Meanwhile, the company adds that operators stuck in heavy traffic or working in metro areas “will also appreciate the TMW system, another feature unique to Isuzu’s ADAS [which] monitors stationary vehicles ahead and will alert the driver with a clear but subtle warning sound when forward traffic movement is detected more than five metres from a truck’s stopped position.”

Finally, there’s the ALS that, when activated by the driver, automatically adjusts headlight and tail-light brightness to suit changes in ambient light conditions.

Fortunately, none of the safety systems – other than the gratefully subtle LDW beeper – were put to the test during a few hours behind the wheel of an NPR 75-190 single cab model in company with Isuzu Australia’s likeably pragmatic sales chief, Les Spaltman.

On the run While several narrow and wide-cab N-series models in single and dual-cab form, including ‘Ready to Work’ derivatives, were offered for a test drive in and around Melbourne’s western rim, the versatile NPR 75-190 was an easy choice.

First, it’s a popular model with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) rating of 7.5 tonnes powered by a 190hp (or thereabouts) version of Isuzu’s durable 4HK1 5.2 litre four cylinder turbocharged engine coupled to Isuzu’s six-speed automated manual transmission (AMT). Second, the truck was fitted with a curtain-sided body and was the only one of the offerings with at least a partial load, providing a guesstimated gross weight of five tonnes or thereabouts.

It’s also worth noting the body width allowed for two pallets side-by-side which in trucks of this size means the body is wider than both the cab and rear wheel track. On roundabouts and the like, the effect on stability can be interesting.

There is, however, more to the updated N-series than ADAS with its peering ‘eyes’ on top of the dash. As Isuzu tells it: “Additional updates include an interior revamp in seat cover material and cabin appointments, and a new exterior lamp assembly with

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prominent fog lamps giving the new range a distinctly different forward appearance.

“Behind the dashboard also comes a new CAN converter circuit and connector, making it a simple exercise to fit a fleet management or telematics system.”

Also, all models in the latest line-up have towing capacities increased by at least 500kg, allowing a 4,500kg tow rating on NPR, NQR and NPS models with the 4HK1 engine, and 4,000kg on all other models.

On some models, a ‘“customisable speed limiter” – with maximum speed set by an Isuzu dealership – is another part of the repackaged N-series range, along with what Isuzu describes as a “long-awaited suspension seat in selected narrow cab models”.

Down the track, Isuzu says it is well ahead with plans to expand the N-series line-up even further, including a new three-way tipper for the Ready-to-Work range.

Understandably, confidence is running high that with an advanced safety package finally in its armoury, N-series is primed to etch its light-duty dominance even deeper into the market.

However, as Les Spaltman remarked, perhaps Isuzu’s greatest confidence is seen in the warranty applying to all N-series 4x2 models, covered by a six-year/250,000km factory warranty, six years of roadside assistance, and a comprehensive three-year warranty on pre-built bodies.

“I genuinely believe one of our greatest assets is the way we look after customers,” Les asserted, quickly adding: “Our biggest mistake would be to take something for granted, especially our customers.”

Meantime, the NPR test truck went about its work with no fuss.

In a jaunt of just 150km, it coped easily with short stints among intermittent traffic flows, suburban streets, country backroads and fast freeways. At the end of the day, with just 1,000km on the clock and driven with little regard for fuel consumption, the truck returned a respectable figure of 5.7km/litre, or 16.1mpg for us more mature folk.

Performance of the utilitarian 4HK1 engine was certainly acceptable under the various conditions but its combination with Isuzu’s six-speed AMT shifter was the standout feature.

Engine and transmission are ideally matched and while shifts through the automated box are not as crisp and responsive as a fully automatic transmission, evolution has certainly made it smoother and sharper than earlier versions.

Finally, and despite all the obvious positives, including the easy control functions for the various operational and safety features, there’s one safety aspect that seems to consistently escape the attention of some truck makers, Isuzu included. Mirrors!

It’s not that the mirrors on Isuzu’s N-series don’t provide an entirely appropriate and expansive view to the side and rear of the vehicle. It’s just that in the quest to provide that view, designers have developed mirror housings so large that in certain conditions – most notably, roundabouts – the driver’s right side line of sight is impeded by the size and position of the mirrors.

Again, Isuzu isn’t alone in this trait but it’s worth emphasising that while advanced technology plays a vital role in minimising accidents and injury, ultimate safety requires a broad view, literally and physically.

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interview

THE MISSING LINK

Despite dominating the Australian truck market for more than 30 years, Isuzu Australia insiders still yearn for a model capable of adding heavy-duty leadership to its light and medium-duty mantles. However, it continues to be a long and frustrating wait as operations chief Andrew Harbison reveals in this frank interview with Steve Brooks

A

s director and chief operating officer of Isuzu Australia, Andrew Harbison has plenty to be pleased about. Heaps, in fact.

Record sales in 2021 are joined by the very real likelihood of an even bigger result this year as the Australian market continues a raging torrent of demand for new trucks.

And, all the while, Isuzu’s domination as Australia’s most prolific supplier of trucks grows ever more entrenched.

There is, however, a highly visible void in the Isuzu stable and it nags at the humble yet sharply competitive Harbison like a lingering lurgy. The void, obviously enough, is the absence of a true prime mover model, made even more evident by the recent withdrawal of the lacklustre Giga and, more significantly, the debut of impressive new heavies from ambitious countrymen Fuso and Hino.

For the most part, Harbison suppresses the underlying frustration, maintaining a measure of carefully cultivated corporate composure. Every now and then, though, blunt conversation about Isuzu Australia’s heavy-duty hopes causes disappointment to seep to the surface and, occasionally, very occasionally, flares to riled frustration at the ongoing inability to take the fight to Isuzu’s Japanese foe, and anyone else for that matter.

Our meeting was largely a ‘spur of the moment’ thing and over a quiet beer away from the office, Harbison’s fierce competitive streak swamped the otherwise calm and carefully considered company man. Patience, it seems, is wearing thin.

First things first though, he conceded the recently retired Giga was not the right truck for a broad assault on the Australian heavy-duty market.

Heavy and lacking the performance and fuel

economy of rivals, he confirmed: “The best year we ever had with Giga was around 200 units, which isn’t many, and, on average, we sold about 150 units a year.

“You couldn’t break it, but it was an old truck.”

So, with Giga’s departure from the model range and no replacement anywhere in the foreseeable future, could this be the end of Isuzu Australia’s heavy-duty ambitions?

The response was immediate. “No, not at all.

Absolutely not,” he fired back.

“Yes, we’re very much in the hands of our

parent company in terms of what product we’re able to get but I am as fiercely driven as ever to achieve what’s possible.

“I’d really like to have a decent heavy-duty product where we can have a real crack at that market. Give it a real shake.”

But if that was the question to stir the competitive embers, the next one threw fuel on the fire: are you envious of Fuso with its 510hp (380kW) Shogun and Hino’s new 700-series heavy-duty models?

“Absolutely. It pisses me off.” It was, by any measure, an uncharacteristic outburst which, more than anything else, demonstrated the depth of dismay at Isuzu’s ongoing inability to produce a suitable heavy-duty contender for its supremely successful Australian operation.

Pausing for a moment, a primed Harbison continued: “We are the market leader with a significant lead in both light- and medium-duty product. We have a sophisticated, established and highly professional dealer group to support and maintain that leadership.

“So yes, with those assets it’s a real shame we don’t have a competitive offering in that [heavy-duty] market against those competitors.”

Quiet for a few seconds, he continued: “I could give you any number of reasons why Isuzu is so strong in the overall market but that doesn’t change the fact that when a direct competitor has a product we can’t offer, of course I’m upset that we don’t have anything

Above: Isuzu Australia’s Andrew Harbison. Still looking and waiting for a heavy-duty contender Left: UD’s high quality Quon. Isuzu now owns UD but Quon remains part of Volvo Group Australia’s stable. Strange!

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to compete in that [heavy-duty] market. It’s a market we could do very well in.”

Well, if Fuso and Hino can come up with strong heavy-duty models, why doesn’t your parent company supply a product that will allow you to compete, specifically in the prime mover class?

This time, Harbison appeared to choose his words carefully.

“The world of Isuzu Motors is going through an enormous amount of change,” he explained.

“We have a president [Masanori Katayama] who has been in the chair for a number of years and it has taken some time for his skill and knowledge, and wisdom, to start to shine through.

“Isuzu is a big ship and I think he is starting to turn it around, embracing new opportunities.”

Soon after, a thoughtful Harbison declared: “The Volvo and UD tie-up is clearly something that will hopefully offer us something in the future.”

Does that mean you wish you had UD’s Quon in your stable now, particularly given its recent success for Volvo Group Australia (VGA)?

There was an undeniable hint of caution in his response and, at first, an apparent desire to change tack.

“Isuzu has a very good product in the new Giga in Japan,” he enthused, “but a big part of Isuzu Australia’s success is that we won’t take a product that won’t meet market expectations [and] the Giga in its current form in Japan does not have the powertrain suitable for our market.”

Yet, given the much-publicised relationship between Isuzu and engine giant Cummins, it seemed reasonable to ask if there was still the touted possibility of a 12-litre Cummins X12 engine being engineered into the new Giga for our market particularly.

“The honest answer is, I don’t know,” he said, before adding: “There’s certainly an opportunity but I think the answer to that question is somewhere in the Isuzu and UD tie-up.”

Again though: does Isuzu Australia wish it had Quon in its stable? After all, Isuzu now owns UD, not Volvo?

“Now you’re being provocative,” he replied with a wry grin before commenting: “Isuzu obviously has a picture where the future

“A big part of Isuzu Australia’s success is that we won’t take a product that won’t meet market expectations.” product is going to come from and UD is certainly part of all that, and I think the future technology for the next generation of [heavy-duty] product will be a combination of Isuzu and UD. “However, the decision on who will distribute that product in Australia [Isuzu or VGA] is made above my pay grade.”

Nonetheless, it was a decisive Harbison who insisted: “I’ve certainly voiced my opinion and I believe Japan has listened, and there’s no doubt in my mind Isuzu Australia could do a very, very good job of distributing a UD heavy-duty product.”

Following Volvo’s sale of UD to Isuzu, is he

disappointed that Quon stayed at VGA rather than transferring to Isuzu Australia?

“Like I said, those decisions are made above my pay grade but I know the Japanese play a very long-term game and, sure, I’d like to see UD come home to Isuzu [Australia] at some stage in the future. Sooner rather than later.

“Unfortunately, I can’t give you a timeframe.

It could be tomorrow or it could be a couple of years. The Japanese will decide the timing but I genuinely believe that ultimately, the Australian market will have an Isuzu/UD heavy-duty product.”

Asked what level of success could be achieved with the right heavy-duty product supported by Isuzu Australia’s extensive marketing and dealer strength, an adamant Harbison asserted: “We could deliver another 1,000 trucks a year, and I don’t say that with any arrogance.

“It is what I genuinely believe we are capable of doing, particularly looking at the success we’ve already achieved in the light end of heavy-duty with our 6x4 and eight-wheeler models.

“We have a very good relationship now with many fleets and whilst I’m not naïve enough to target linehaul-type applications, there’s no reason we couldn’t generate some very significant results in other areas.”

Gathering his thoughts for a few moments, a convincing Harbison concluded: “Our target is to be number one in every market.

“That hasn’t changed and with the right product, we’ll make it happen.

“Absolutely!”

Above: On show in Japan, Isuzu’s new Giga is an impressive improvement over its predecessor but lacks a suitable powertrain for the Australian market Left: Gone and easily forgotten. Isuzu’s original Giga failed to fire in the Australian market

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tech briefs With 17 years experience, Linfox driver Rob Smith has made the move to electric

Thumbs up for Volvo electric beer truck After over seven months, 6,000 kilometres and more than 5,200 kilowatt hours, the first electric Volvo truck on Australian roads has been given the tick of approval from one of the most authoritative voices in the transport industry: a truck driver.

Rob Smith has been driving trucks for Linfox for over 17 years and currently operates out of the BevChain Distribution Centre in Melbourne’s outer west.

The Volvo FL Electric he drives operates across a variety of routes

across the city delivering Victoria Bitter and other Asahi Beverages beer to pubs, restaurants and bottle shops on a daily basis.

Smith says he his enjoying his days behind the wheel of the electric Volvo as well as the job at hand.

“I love the freedom of the job, and meeting people,” Smith says.

“The truck itself is actually quite peaceful to drive, in some ways it’s just like any other truck but in others it’s smoother, quieter, it’s enjoyable.

“When I hop out of the truck, I don’t hear engine noise and I don’t have the fumes, none of that.”

According to Smith, the truck also attracts its fair share of attention.

“You get a lot more eye contact on the road as people look at it,” Smith continues. “It’s great, I get a lot of questions.

“Everyone wants to know where the batteries are, people are very interested in the lack of noise and how far it goes, is it good to drive, things like that.

“This truck’s doing well – it’s doing the job of a diesel truck. Trucks like this one are the future,” he says.

Paul Illmer, Volvo Group Australia’s vice president, Emerging Technologies, says you can’t get a better voice of authority than the end user of the product.

“We can continue to point out the real-world benefits of zero emissions vehicles, but it’s ultimately the people

that interact with this vehicle on a daily basis that will help educate others to their advantages,” Illmer says.

“A smooth drivetrain, lack of fumes and noise create a calmer work environment,” he continues, “but it’s also the flow-on benefits to society as a whole that will drive towards a future of cleaner, quieter cities.

“This truck represents the thin end of the wedge on our zero emissions journey in Australia, and that journey is accelerating faster than many can imagine.

Linfox executive chairman, Peter Fox, says the company was thrilled to see the new electric vehicle inspiring positive conversations while leading the way in sustainable transport.

“The benefits are coming to life right throughout our community,” Linfox says.

“Our skilled drivers are at the wheel of a new age; our customers are enjoying more sustainable logistics solutions and people on our streets are starting to see the everyday benefits of zero emission vehicles.”

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tech briefs

Scania speeds up new range orders

BE PREPARED FOR ACTIVE SAFETY MANDATE, SAYS DAIMLER Daimler Truck and Bus Australia says it welcomes the Australian government’s announcement that advanced emergency braking system (AEBS) for 3.5-tonne plus trucks and buses will be mandated locally from November 1, 2023. However, it believes customers should act now.

In addition, AEBS must be installed in new buses already in circulation

by November 1, 2024, and in new goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes from February 1, 2025.

“Daimler Truck has long identified the major benefits of active safety features for our customers and the wider community, and led the industry with its introduction across all classes with our Mercedes-Benz, Fuso and Freightliner models,” says Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead.

“We commend the move to mandate this critical technology, but also would encourage customers not to wait until then and instead demand AEBS on any truck or bus they buy from now on.”

Daimler points out that AEBS helps to avoid or mitigate collisions with other vehicles by using sensors to

64 APRIL 2022

OWD_351_063-64_TechBriefs_GB.indd 64

monitor the road ahead and perform emergency braking in the event the driver does not. Daimler Truck systems can even initiate a warning and brake when it detects moving pedestrians.

Mercedes-Benz first introduced AEBS on the Actros heavy truck in 2010, while the Freightliner Cascadia was the first conventional truck to feature AEBS from 2019.

Daimler points to Fuso becoming the first manufacturer to feature AEBS across light, medium and heavy-duty truck classes last year.

The Fuso Canter light truck was the first to introduce these safety features as standard in the light-duty truck class with the updated Canter in 2019 and the new Fuso Rosa is the only light bus to feature AEBS. The Fuso’s eCanter is the only electric truck currently available in Australia with active safety features, with the technology missing from other light duty electric models.

“It makes no sense to buy an electric truck with no active safety features when they are available on another model, even if you overlook all the other benefits of the eCanter,” Whitehead says.

Scania Australia has announced the fast-tracking of ordering of its new 13-litre engine range comprising the 460, 500 and 560hp models. With ordering commencing immediately, delivery is now expected around the latter part of 2022.

Scania says the same timeframe applies to orders for the recently revised 16.4-litre V8 models, available as 590 and 660hp variants, which join the flagship 770hp V8 already on sale.

“We are responding to the demands of the market, which has been pressing us to make these new products available to order as soon as possible,” says Dean Dal Santo, director of sales for Scania Trucks in Australia.

“We saw unprecedented demand ABOVE: The Scania’s new 13-litre 560hp model

for our truck range rise through 2021, with record levels of orders for 2022 delivery. Now, with the availability for ordering the updated models made possible by the factory, we are opening our order books for the new products ahead of schedule.

“The surge in demand for new trucks is a positive development for the economy, and reflects the bullish sentiment in the transport and logistics industries. It also reflects the desire of the top operators to get into the cleanest, most fuel efficient as well as the safest trucks on the road.

“This desire for new product also helps to flush older, dirtier trucks out of the national fleet and off the road, bringing an added benefit to all Australians in terms of improved air quality and reduction of CO2 emissions,” Del Santo says.

“Our customers drive our business and they have shown an increasing appetite to renew their fleets over the past few months and our forward projections suggest we will continue to see high levels of demand through 2022 and into 2023.

“We still plan to formally introduce the new product to the market in due course, but for now customers can rest assured that we can accept their orders for new product.”

Del Santo adds that, during 2021, Scania received record orders and delivered substantially more trucks to the Australian market than in 2020.

“In excess of 1,100 Scania trucks were delivered and an even larger number of trucks were ordered for delivery in 2022, from our existing ranges.”

HINO RESPONDS TO FALSE EMISSIONS DATA Hino Motors Ltd (HML) has confirmed that recent incorrect emissions and fuel economy data does not extend to models sold in Australia.

HML had uncovered the falsified data which was said to affect at least 115,526 trucks sold since 2016.

In a statement, HML announced that it had suspended the sale of three engine models and their corresponding vehicles in Japan.

This followed HML identifying past misconduct in relation to its applications for certification concerning the emissions and fuel economy performance of its engines for the Japanese market.

“HML identified misconduct concerning the falsification of engine performance data in emissions durability testing for one engine model and in the measurement of fuel economy performance in certification tests for two other engine models,” the manufacturer says.

“In addition, HML has identified a problem concerning the fuel economy performance of another engine model.

“The announced misconduct and issues related to engine performance do not affect the drivability of the affected vehicles and raise no vehicle safety concerns.”

Hino Motor Sales Australia (HMSA) distributes Hino vehicles with many engine variants available for a broad range of uses across its lightduty (300 Series), medium-duty (500 Series) and heavy-duty (700 Series) trucks, as well as buses including the Poncho, RN and RK models.

The suspension of sale in Japan affects engine variants certified by the Japanese regulator, which have not been sold in Australia.

While there are no implications for the Australian market at this time, HML’s investigations are ongoing. HMSA says it is committed to engaging with the relevant authorities about these matters.

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FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black

Burning the midnight oil With the floods plus higher fuel prices, making a decent living is now an even more difficult task

T

he double disaster of flooding and fuel prices means we’re working longer and harder for less.

Diverting around flood-damaged highways keeps us on the road with the engine turning for a significant amount of extra hours of each leg.

Take the Sydney-Brisbane journey as an example – with parts of the Pacific Highway out of action it takes about three to four hours extra along winding mountain roads with more traffic and fewer rest stops.

Accounting for the extra time, steep hills, and skyrocketing fuel costs, that’s at least $250 extra cost for each leg. A couple of return runs a week and that’s another $1,000 to find just on the fuel, not to mention the extra hours of work.

The journeys are exhausting, and the additional time on the road tends to be on our dollar.

The good operators understand and will generally throw in some extra. Some just expect you to wear the cost of fuel and work for unpaid time, one offered an extra $100 and when I said: “Hang on, that doesn’t cut it, my fuel is up at least $250,” I thought he was going to have a coronary. It’s “bad luck”, as a mate of mine was also told recently.

My response – as I know is the same for plenty of other owner-drivers – is: “If it’s going to cost me money to take your freight, I’ll leave it where it is.”

That usually signals either the beginning or the end of negotiations. Then starts the bargaining for a return leg or else end up stranded at the wrong end of the country.

EXCESSIVE EXCISE While the federal government tries to knock back suggestions of cuts to the fuel excise, which would barely scratch the surface unless they got rid of the whole lot, the answer to all this is already in Parliament House.

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How incredible would it be if that regulation had been put in place. It would take so much stress out of our lives, knowing we had the legislated backing to demand fair rates. There’d be no hit to our bottom line whenever there’s a natural disaster or a man-made one.

Instead, we’re not only battling sometimes hostile negotiations, but are facing challenges in managing fatigue.

Flooding has extended our trips, but it

70 APRIL 2022

OWD_351_070_COL_Frank Black_GB.indd 70

FRANK BLACK has been a long distance ownerdriver for more than 30 years. He is a former long-term owner-driver representative on the ATA Council.

has also significantly reduced access to rest stops.

Going back to the Sydney-Brisbane example, with all traffic moved onto one highway, rest stops are few and far between – and always crowded.

Pulling off to stop on the side of the road if we need to stretch our legs or refresh is risky business and often not worth the risk of getting bogged.

It’s tough out there at the moment but we push through. The question is, will the overzealous law enforcers see things the same way?

Police leniency remains to be seen, not

just now while the flooding is still front of mind, but in a few weeks or months when at any time our logbooks can be assessed.

If we’ve had no choice but to continue on for longer because there’s nowhere for us to pull up, will they accept that or push ahead with a fine?

Unfortunately, I know all too well that reason and logic doesn’t always apply. I recall challenging a fine for not having my new registration label at an inspection. The only reason being it had been sent to my home address and I hadn’t been home yet.

I took it all the way to court and, despite being able to prove that the registration was current, the label had been sent to my home address within the correct timeframe and I had not been home. I lost my case.

It often seems like the odds are stacked against us to make a decent living. But it doesn’t need to be this way.

I’ve heard many drivers calling for us all to just pull up until we’re paid decent rates that cover the gigantic cost of fuel.

The problem is, we’ve lost that unity in the industry and many people I’ve spoken to share the feeling that someone else would just come and undercut anyway – even if it costs them.

With regulation to set a minimum safety net, perhaps we could get that camaraderie back that we used to enjoy in trucking – back when it wasn’t such a brutal dog-eatdog industry.

“I’ve heard many drivers calling for us all to just pull up.”

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