Owner Driver 353 June 2022

ownerdriver JUNE 2022 #353 $3.00 inc. GST

DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL

OWNERDRIVER.COM.AU

INDUSTRY REFORM

Stakeholders hopeful after Labor win

See page 10

FUSO’S BREAKTHROUGH

Shogun 510 B-double test drive See page 64

DRIVING ON WATER

DAF goes hydro in Europe

See page 79

PRETTY TOUGH Andrew Hickey’s Kenworth C509 a rough road warrior

40

56

76

EOFY SALE CATALOGUE OUT NOW! Offer ends 30th June 2022 or while stocks last. Terms and conditions apply. See Catalogue for details.

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Evolved, refined, technologically advanced, the new K220 takes the driver experience to the Next Level.

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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 to 30 June 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 #353

JUNE 2022

22 “I spend maybe a week or two at home, a couple of times a year.”

64 18 BALANCING ACT

A look at a Monash University survey into the physical and mental pressures truckies have to manage on a daily basis

22 LIVIN’ THE TRUCKIN’ LIFESTYLE

It’s said that everything’s bigger over in the US of A. And that’s certainly the case with Robyn Newman’s 5700XE Western Star and it’s supersized cab

30 DEALING IN STEEL

Despite COVID-induced setbacks, Moore Trailers is continuing with its expansion plans, which will see it increase the output of its steel-based products

40

40 RAISING THE BAR

Andrew Hickey has tried his hand at various vocations and a variety of

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58 ANTHEM IN TUNE

A recent linehaul B-double run in the Anthem highlighted a Mack with impressive handling and road manners, and a fortified 13-litre engine

64 FUSO’S BREAKTHROUGH

With all the latest mechanical and technological goodies from Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz playbook, Fuso’s 510hp Shogun is in a league of its own

70 DRIVING ON WATER

In the search for an emission-free truck, DAF chooses a slightly different route than the other European manufacturers

76 VOLVO GROUP BACK FOR BRISBANE After missing the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show, Volvo Group Australia is set to make up for lost time in 2023 at Australia’s big road transport event

78 HYUNDAI HELPS THE NEEDY

When it came to expanding operations, Hands & Feet CEO Brad Scott looked to Hyundai to assist the not-for-profit organisation

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ownerdriver 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, Rod Hannifey, Michael Kaine, Monica McDaniel-Wong, Sean Mortell, Freek Mulder, Robert Servaas, Maurice Volmeyer, 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 Business Development Manager Katie Otto Ph 0428 883 961 E-mail Katie.Otto@primecreative.com.au

SUBSCRIPTIONS

www.ownerdriver.com.au/subscribe Phone +61 (0)3 9690 8766 Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm (EST) Email subscriptions@primecreative.com.au Mail 11-15 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Australia

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

behind the wheel Greg Bush

Change in the air

F

ollowing the ecstatic scenes that came following Labor’s victory at the federal election, new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his team will have much to do if they’re going to honour the promises made during the campaign.

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) and selected associations have reminded Labor of their concerns over Australia’s road transport industry. This follows the Glenn Sterle-led Senate inquiry under the banner of developing a viable, safe, sustainable and efficient road transport industry.

The report was finalised in August 2021.

However, under the then Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce, no further developments eventuated.

Sectors of the road transport industry are demanding change, mainly among the ranks of small businesses and owner-drivers. In fact, they’ve been seeking improvements for decades.

Anyone who has a rare copy of OwnerDriver’s first edition from 1992 will read that the more

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.

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things change, the more they stay the same.

The TWU appears to be aware that attempting to return to the days of the ill-fated Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) will be a fruitless exercise. However, if you are to believe the opinions among those at the industry’s coalface, change is needed.

The RSRT was established in 2012 by the Julia Gillard-led Labor Government. Incidentally, Anthony Albanese was, at the time, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

The RSRT lasted until April 2016, following visible protests and organised convoys (see photo below) from what appeared to be large groups of owner-drivers, some of whom were threatening to sell their trucks and opt of the industry altogether. Court hearings followed and, under Malcolm Turnbull, the LiberalNational Party abolished the tribunal.

Major concerns within the industry remain. Many sub-contractors are crying poor, while the cut in fuel excise has had little or no positive impact on the bottom line of large and small trucking companies.

Then there’s the constant harassment by the police and road authorities towards truck drivers who often bear the brunt due to their employers’ lack of attention to detail. But that’s another story.

Truck driving is a demanding and dangerous occupation. It is often derided by the general public, thanks mainly to one-sided mainstream media reporting.

But, without change, attracting newcomers to the industry will be a challenge.

While it’s certain that not all of the Senate Inquiry’s recommendations will be activated, a large portion of it should be.

Australia needs a viable and healthy road transport industry. Our livelihood depends on it.

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510HP THERE WILL BE TORQUE TH E ALL- N EW S H OGU N 510

Introducing the all-new 13 Litre Shogun 510, the most powerful Japanese HD truck in Australia.

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11/4/22 10:18 am 23/5/22 12:54 pm

The Goods

NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Truck owner moved by award win

Denis Thompson has taken out this year’s ATA Professional Driver of the Year after spending 52 years behind the wheel Fifty-two years is a long time to be on the road, and longer still if you manage to stay out of trouble, but that’s exactly what Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Professional Driver of the Year award winner Denis Thompson from Thompson Removals has done on his way to take the prestigious driver’s prize, awarded at the ATA’s Trucking Australia 2022 conference on the Gold Coast in early May. The award is given out by the ATA to drivers who have been a full-time professional employee drivers or truck owner/operators working local, medium or long-distance runs with a minimum of seven years’ continuous experience as a professional driver. On top of this the ATA asks for evidence of driving records for the judging panel to determine the winner.

“It was a bit of a shock because I got this funny phone call from Canberra from a lady, and the first thing I thought was ’what are they gonna try and sell me now!’,” Denis says.

“Then she said she was from the ATA and I said ‘who’s the ATA?’ but it was nice to get a bit of recognition after 52 years as a driver, but it was definitely out of the blue.”

This surprise can be credited to Denis’ daughter Leah Cozens who nominated her hard-working dad for the award.

“He’s been doing it since he was 16-and-a-half so I just thought he deserved the acknowledgement,” Leah says.

“He’s still driving now at age 68 and we’re glad that

“He’s been doing it since he was 16-and-a-half so I just thought he deserved the acknowledgement.” he’s fit and healthy and still able to drive, he just keeps going.”

It also seems that driving runs in the family as Leah drives the company trucks herself and has been doing so for more than 20 years as well as holding down the fort on a day-to-day basis.

“I work in the office but I used to do the Melbourne to Perth run, and I still get out and drive as much as I can,” says Leah.

“It’s been really busy here, the last three years have been the busiest ever, but the big thing is containers these days. We have 250 containers and they’re all full.”

This sentiment is echoed by Denis, who started his life in the moving industry with Ridgeways then progressed to form his own removal business in 1976, but the pandemic boom and shift away from road-based freight lines have been the biggest changes he’s seen in all his years in the industry.

“Ever since COVID hit, it’s just taken off. It’s unbelievable what’s going on, we’re flat out,” he says.

“We don’t do as many kays as we used to because ABOVE: Denis Thompson receives his award from MC Catriona Rowntree and BP’s Rachel Stringer LEFT: Denis Thompson gives his award acceptance speech at the 2022 Trucking Australia conference

8 JUNE 2022

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we use rail a fair bit these days. I reckon containers coming into the game is the biggest change I’ve seen in all my time. There’s no double handling, you put it in the container and there’s less chance of damage; it’s faster and people want a better service nowadays.”

Getting back to the trucks, Denis doesn’t discriminate, with his business deploying many different makes in the name of getting the job done.

“I bought my first truck in 1976 and now we’ve got 18 trucks and depots in Melbourne, Warrnambool and Perth,” says Denis.

“I’ve got a new DAF coming this week to join three others we have, John [Denis’ son-in-law and Leah’s husband] has a K108, and we have about four UDs, a couple of Hinos, and a couple of Isuzus.

“I like the Freightliners too, we have one that’s done 1.5 and the other has done 1.6-million km since we bought them new – they’ve been absolutely awesome trucks, no dramas at all.”

Getting back to the award, you have to have a pretty good driving record to be considered for the prize and Denis is no exception here, but credits that to luck.

“I’ve been very lucky, I’ve never tipped one over, touch wood. I’ve never been booked in South Australia for my logbook in 50 years. You know, you’re going to get your fines, lose points etc. but I’ve never put anyone out on the dirt, I’ve been pretty lucky.”

There’s a lot to be said for ‘being lucky’ but looking at what Denis has accomplished in his business, how dedicated he is to his career as a driver and the recognition for the ATA award, we reckon Denis has made his own luck.

– Ben Dillon

ownerdriver.com.au

24/5/2022 9:13 pm

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16/5/2022 1:17 pm pm 23/5/22 12:54

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Calls for trucking reform under Labor Key stakeholders seek a new regulatory body to address deadly pressure on the road transport industry The Transport Workers Union (TWU), the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation (ARTIO) and the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA) have welcomed the new federal government and called on the rest of the transport industry to participate constructively in new trucking reform as committed under the ALP platform.

The Anthony Albanese-led Labor government has reportedly pledged to act on Senate recommendations tabled last year calling for an independent body to set universal, binding standards across the trucking industry.

The Senate recommendations acted on evidence from 150 witnesses and 128 submissions

spanning the entire trucking industry over a two-year inquiry.

Six years ago the LNP government shut down the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, despite a report stating it would have reduced truck crashes by 28 per cent.

The TWU, ARTIO, and NRFA are seeking industry-wide participation to make sure a new regulatory body is implemented in the right way so that it is sustainable and equipped to tackle industry concerns well into the future.

The TWU national secretary Michael Kaine says an ALP federal government is a welcome change after the Coalition’s persistent refusal to address deadly pressures in trucking, sending hundreds to their graves every year.

Newly elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“Industry-wide standards will obliterate the Amazon Effect smashing supply chains at every level,” Kaine says.

“Right across the industry there is a common interest in the security of enforceable standards to protect jobs, businesses and lives against insidious exploitation and unfair competition through gig-style loopholes like Amazon Flex.

“It is crucial that an independent body is established urgently and with the support of industry participation to set enforceable standards in an

effective and sustainable way.”

ARTIO secretary Peter Anderson welcomes the prospect that reform will finally be on its way.

“If the industry works together and contributes constructively to the formation of an independent body, we will all benefit from the protection of universal standards,” Anderson says.

“The Senate inquiry proved that the crisis in trucking is deep-rooted and widely felt. With the emergence of the gig economy and Amazons of the world, we know we’re headed for ruin unless we act now. We have been handed a golden opportunity; we need everyone to get involved.”

NRFA president Rod Hannifey believes that the hope road transport shared from the Senate inquiry for a better, safer industry will come to fruition.

“The industry came together like never before to support this inquiry in finding solutions to our shared concerns about the industry’s future,” Hannifey says.

“We need to see the same unity now with all stakeholders playing an active role in shaping reform.”

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Sydney’s costly tolls under review The NSW state opposition seeks to amend the current toll system’s pricing scheme as NatRoad says industry is sick of being “tolled to death” The New South Wales government is issuing a review to look at the current toll system’s pricing inconsistencies, fairness and congestion impacts. The review comes after politicians and industry members have criticised the huge toll costs that come with using some of NSW’s most popular roads.

The review will investigate the pricing inconsistencies, cost-of-living impacts, fairness and equality for road users and congestion impacts.

Issues surrounding NSW’s toll system came to light when many drivers reported experiencing e-toll account blunders where they were overcharged or incorrectly charged for unpaid trips.

The NSW Treasury document on the review says the pricing structure

was created on a case-by-case basis, resulting in inconsistencies and customer confusion such as the e-toll problems seen in recent months.

NSW shadow minister for roads John Graham is one politician who has been vocal against the NSW toll system.

“The government has finally realised what every driver knows – that the cost of tolls are going through the roof,” Graham says.

“Sydney is the most tolled city in the world and is home to more than half of this country’s tollways.

Households in Sydney’s west are burdened with the highest tolls with the costs continuing to increase.”

According to Graham, 17 of the 20 top toll-paying suburbs are

in Sydney’s west, with some people paying $6,000 a year in tolls.

Last year NatRoad gave evidence to a NSW Parliamentary inquiry that excessively high tolls imposed by private company Transurban are a disincentive to heavy vehicles using motorways.

“We called for rebates or discounts for heavy vehicles that frequently use tollways, and also for the creation of an independent tolling authority to set fair prices,” NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says.

“We are sick of being tolled to death and we have two threshold issues.

“For contractual or practical

reasons, many operators have to absorb the cost of tolls and with most existing on a 2.5 per cent profit margin that’s making their lives harder.

“And what the heavy vehicle industry pays in tolls bears no relation to what’s being spent to maintain or improve toll roads.”

Apart from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel, Transurban owns and operates 10 toll roads in the NSW capital.

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

NSW services transferred to NHVR

NHVR to relieve NSW of some regulatory functions as the state’s inspectors transition to become NHVR officers from August 1 Heavy vehicle safety services across New South Wales will have a new home from August 1 with the transition of key regulatory functions from Transport for NSW to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).

Tara McCarthy, deputy secretary of safety, environment and regulation at Transport for NSW says the transition was the next step toward nationally consistent compliance for all heavy vehicle operators travelling in NSW. “From August 1, roadside enforcement, investigations, prosecutions and scheduled heavy vehicle inspections currently provided by Transport for NSW, will be some of the services transferring to the NHVR, along with 340 Transport for NSW staff who currently support the industry,” McCarthy says.

“The NSW government has worked closely with the NHVR over the past 18 months to ensure the NHVR will be able to maintain or improve both the standard of transitioning services and also heavy vehicle safety standards in

NSW. This will support the work the NHVR is doing across other states.”

The NHVR says it will continue to deliver services from the more than 200 existing heavy vehicle inspection stations, safety stations and on-road enforcement sites across NSW. The most noticeable change for operators will be that the current Transport for NSW compliance operations inspectors will become NHVR safety and compliance officers.

Transport for NSW says it will continue to provide a number of other important heavy vehicle services, including licensing, registration and tow truck investigations and compliance.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the transition of services would support the NHVR’s goal of borderless regulation of heavy vehicles and improved consistency for operators.

“This transition is another step in reducing the impact of state borders on the movement of freight across Australia,” Petroccitto says.

“With more than half of all Australian heavy vehicle movements occurring within or through NSW, this state is vital for the safety and productivity of the heavy vehicle industry.

“In particular we’ll be working with our staff to ensure a more consistent approach to compliance and enforcement regardless of where you’re intercepted.”

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Funding sought for traumatised truckies Western Roads Federation and NT Road Transport Association say the federal government must fund first-on-scene training for truck drivers There are calls for the federal government to fund training for truck drivers who are often the first on scene at horrific traffic accidents in remote and regional Australia.

New industry research has shown that over 70 per cent of truck drivers in remote areas of Australia have been first on scene at vehicle accidents, in many cases more than once. Nearly 50 per cent of these truckies said they provided first aid and site control for over an hour before medical help arrived.

These statistics are said to back up the findings of the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30 that identified that 10 per cent of people killed on Australian roads crashed in remote or very remote areas.

It also found that the risk to an individual of being killed on a road in these areas is 11 times (the population rate comparison) the risk in a major city.

Northern Territory Road Transport Association (NT RTA) executive officer Louise Bilato, a qualified psychologist, has been providing post-incident counselling to remote area truck drivers for over 30 years. She says the drivers are often traumatised. ‘’I’ve had incidents where drivers have provided first aid at horrific accident scenes for nearly two hours by

themselves before professional help arrived. And then they’re expected to just continue to their destination with no support at all,” Bilato says.

“Obviously this takes its toll when you consider that less than six per cent of truck drivers access mental health services after a serious incident.”

Bilato says a trial training program supported by Perth company TraumaSim has proved successful at helping truckies cope with serious road accidents both during and after the event.

The training program, which is said to be highly realistic, claims to draw on relevant lessons from the Australian Defence Force and a remarkably successful Queensland Police program, which won the World Police Safety Award and is reported to have now saved over 90 lives.

The course content includes: • personal, site and scene safety procedures • how to call in emergency response (when there is no mobile coverage) • stopping the triad of death (hypothermia, acidosis, coagulopathy) • simulated scenario with hands-on skills practise • post event – mental health awareness and services.

TraumaSim managing director, Nola Pearce says the highly realistic trauma simulations work.

‘The anecdotal feedback from Defence over the decade TraumaSim supported pre- deployment training to Afghanistan and Iraq was that the simulations helped participants deliver more effective first aid when it was needed whilst helping to improve post incident mental resilience,” Pearce says.

Louise Bilato adds that the federal government must fund the training of 1,000 truck drivers.

“This training would see an ‘army’ of truck drivers with excellent first on scene skills. Skills that may help reduce the tragic statistics of remote area vehicle accidents,” Bilato says.

The research hypothesis is that truck drivers who have been required to act as first on scene are more likely to be confident if they have trained for that role and truck drivers who are confident are less likely to be impacted by the event.

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Trucks banned from Maribyrnong Mayor denies “anti-truckies” stance but cites concerns over residents’ health and wellbeing

The Melbourne-based Maribyrnong City Council is welcoming a state government investment in traffic management cameras to help move thousands of trucks away from residential areas.

Up to $350,000 will be spent on cameras that monitor truck movements to identify

problem areas, especially where legislated bans restricting trucks on certain roads at certain times are breached.

There will also be signs erected from next month that alert drivers that A and B-doubles aren’t allowed.

The council will work with the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group, Victorian Transport Association and National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to update a guide that educates truck drivers on where they can travel in the western suburbs.

Maribyrnong mayor Anthony Tran says the council has been advocating to the government for some time to get large trucks off local roads for safety and health reasons.

“The emissions from around 34,000 trucks passing through our municipality daily is impacting the quality of the air our residents breathe, which is in turn contributing to poor health outcomes, especially relating to heart and lung complaints that are among the worst in the inner west,” Tran says.

“Anything that will reduce the air pollution levels for our residents is celebrated but more is needed.”

Tran wants to see the government mandating cleaner trucks that emit less pollution on the roads.

“My comments are not anti-truckies but pro-residents’ health and wellbeing,” Trans says.

On top of the $6.7 billion West Gate Tunnel project that aims to remove 9,000 trucks a day from local streets, the state government is also implementing strict curfews to prevent a further 5,000 trucks from taking ‘rat runs’ to avoid freeways.

The 24-hour truck bans will apply to: • Francis Street between Roberts Street and Hyde Street • Somerville Road between Geelong Road and Whitehall Street • Buckley Street and part of Napier Street between Geelong Road and Whitehall Street • Moore Street between Ballarat Road and Hopkins Street • Hudsons Road between Melbourne Road and Booker Street • Blackshaws Road between Grieve Parade and Melbourne Road The state government is looking to ban all diesel and petrol vehicle sales by 2030, with legislation to reduce emissions from diesel trains and replacing them with electro-diesel trains also being fast tracked.

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driver health

BALANCING ACT I As part of ongoing work to help improve the lives of truck drivers across Australia, a survey was undertaken to truly understand the physical and mental pressures truckies have to manage on a daily basis. Cat Fitzpatrick speaks with Dr Caryn van Vreden from Monash University to hear why greater research into different aspects of truckie health is necessary

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t’s a common complaint – you’ve been on the road for hours and your back is playing up again, or you want lunch but the only option is fast food, or for the fourth time that morning you get cut off by another car driver in a rush. The endless stresses and strains from being behind the wheel can build to become a daily burden of physical and mental stress exacerbated by tight time pressures, a lack of facilities and abuse from the general public.

At Monash University’s Driving Health project, research has been undertaken to build a picture of the health and working life of truckies in Australia to understand the pressures they face, with the final aim of developing programs to improve driver health. Part of this research involved an online survey of 1,390 Australian truck drivers to generate a snapshot of their physical and mental health.

Driving Health is a three-year project that started off analysing workers’ compensation data to look at the overall health of transport workers. It was found that truck drivers are at much higher risk of being injured or killed while on the job than other transport workers or employees in other maledominated industries.

Deciding to focus on why this was the case, the Driving Health team spoke to truckies across Australia to get a clearer picture of their overall health and mental wellbeing.

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The survey results were stark, if maybe unsurprising. A quarter of respondents reported being overweight and over half obese. Three in 10 reported three or more chronic health conditions and poor general health. Back problems were the more commonly diagnosed condition, followed by high blood pressure and mental health problems, while 44 per cent of drivers reported chronic pain.

“We know from a lot of research in the transport and trucking industry, and other industries, that physical and mental health go hand in hand, and that was shown in our results as well,” says Dr Caryn Van Vreden, project coordinator in the Driving Health team at Monash University.

“Drivers with a larger number of diagnosed medical like diabetes or a mental health issue, or musculoskeletal issue, were more likely to have severe psychological distress. It’s important to look at these things together because none of it works in isolation – it all works together to impact the overall health of a driver. So, without good physical health it’s almost impossible to have a good mental health state.”

As well as being the largest survey undertaken to date of Australian truck driver health, this was the first to look at the differences between long-haul (driving more than 500km a day) and short-haul drivers. This showed that short-haul drivers were more likely to suffer from severe psychological stress, while long-haul drivers were more likely to be obese and report pain lasting for over a year.

“We looked at both long-haul and short-haul because we know that things like time spent on the road, time spent away from family, access to food – these things differ between long-haul and short-haul drivers,” explains van Vreden when asked why it was important to understand the differences between the two.

“We found that short-haul drivers tended to fare a bit worse with mental health – they had higher psychological distress – whereas long-haul drivers were more likely to have pain or musculoskeletal problems and that reflects the conditions under which they work.”

She says that this comes down to the common problem of long-haul drivers spending a long time on the road in a confined cab with not much time or available facilities to get out and stretch or do some exercise. The increased level of mental stress experienced by short-haul drivers could be due to being stuck in urban traffic all day, dealing with abusive members of the public and bad driving from other road users.

“Drivers were really motivated to speak to us,” says van Vreden when asked about the response from truckies to the survey.

“I think they are really aware of what the problems are in the industry and what needs to change.

“We decided to do this survey online so we could reach as many drivers as possible. It ended up being one of the largest surveys for truck drivers in the country and we think that it’s really because they have a lot to say.”

“We found that short-haul drivers tended to fare a bit worse with mental health.”

Psychological stress

Above: Dr Caryn van Vreden says while truck driving is an extremely skilled job, it’s also underpaid and undervalued

As well as the well-known difficulties of attracting younger drivers into the industry, previous work undertaken by the Driving Health team showed that that suicide is the second leading cause of death in younger drivers. This was backed

Below: Most drivers spent most of their time working alone but only a small percentage reported experiencing loneliness

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up by this survey, with results showing that younger drivers and those with multiple diagnosed medical conditions are at increased risk of severe psychological stress.

“Obviously, older drivers who have been in the game longer have learnt how to manage those day-to-day problems that come along with truck driving,” says van Vreden as to why this is the case.

“They might have fewer familial obligations, so younger drivers might have a young family, children at home, that they don’t get to see. But [older drivers] are also more experienced – they have been in the industry long enough to deal with the day-to-day stressors of scheduling, long hours on the road and the public.

“The thing that younger people might not realise about being a truck driver is that it’s an extremely skilled, very tough job with high demands but, realistically, it is also underpaid and undervalued.”

As to why drivers are also less likely to access mental health services, she says that it’s partly cultural, with maledominated industries being less encouraging towards talking about mental health problems, but also due to a lack of tailored services.

“Part of our research found that truckies need to talk to somebody who understands what they are going through, so someone who may have been a truck driver themselves or has worked in the transport industry,” she says.

“It’s only now that we are seeing a lot of really great initiatives popping up for the transport industry with regards to mental health.

“Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds is one example where they are trying to provide a space for truck drivers to go and talk about their mental health problems to people who know the industry and know where they are coming from.”

When asked what, overall, many drivers find the most difficult to manage, van Vreden says that, although it is different for every driver, she commonly finds that a lack of physical activity is a key issue.

“Physical activity is one of the hardest things for them to access because it’s hard to find the time, there are little to no facilities on the road, and when they do have a bit of time, they might be more likely to catch up on sleep,” she explains.

“Diet is also really hard as there is a lack of good, healthy food on the road for drivers, but they have a little bit of control around what they may be able to carry with them in their cabin if they are lucky enough to have refrigeration in their truck.

“Loneliness and metal state is an interesting one because we did ask drivers in a follow-up survey how much time

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“Truck drivers are really resilient people.”

Above: As part of its Truckie TuneUp program, OzHelp checks on driver welfare at truck stops Below: Older drivers are more experienced at dealing with the day-to-day stressors of long hours on the road

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they spent working alone. The majority of drivers spent most of their time working alone, but only a very small percentage of them reported experiencing loneliness. And we find that this is because they have quite a good support network – especially long-haul drivers who are constantly communicating with each other over the radio, so I think it’s the physical aspect that’s the most challenging.”

Interestingly, however, even though such high levels of medical issues and mental stress were seen in respondents, truckies also reported high levels of work ability.

“We definitely found it surprising,” she says of the seemingly contrasting information, “but we think it’s because truck drivers are really resilient people and … it’s a ‘she’ll be right’ culture. [Truckies] are resilient – they get on with the job regardless of whether they might have lower back pain or an injury because so many of them work with long-term pain.

“It’s the nature of pushing through, which isn’t a good thing for their health but there is that attitude of pushing through the pain and getting on with the job that makes that work ability value so much higher. They rate themselves with high work ability because they can still do the job despite being in physical discomfort and sometimes mental discomfort.”

Improving health The final stage of the Driving Health project, using the survey

data as well as phone surveys and interviews with drivers and their families, was to develop a Driving Health Allocator Training Program (DHAT). This is a free resource aimed at allocators and the supervisors and managers of truck drivers to help them understand how they can better support and improve the health and wellbeing of drivers in their company.

“As part of our research we found that most of the interventions and programs that are out there focused on health are targeted at the drivers themselves and are placing the burden on truck drivers to improve their health,” van Vreden says.

“And what we tried to do in the last phase of the project was to target the direct managers of drivers – so supervisors, allocators, etc. – to educate them on the different things that influence driver health and to see if we could implement an intervention at that level.”

She says that DHAT has been created to support other truckie-targeted initiatives that are improving access to health services.

“We are definitely seeing really great initiatives from people like OzHelp’s Health in Gear, who actually go to truck stops and service stations with their Truckie Tune-Up program.

They have a nurse on staff to do health checks and they’ve got ongoing personal support that can be provided by telephone, and also online resources. So, apart from intervening at the level of the manager, we really think this approach of going to truck stops and interacting with drivers one-on-one will be a useful approach.

“What we’ve highlighted in the research is that, when you’re looking at the trucking industry, it’s not a one size fits all and that you have to look at truck drivers and their individual working factors to know what you might need to intervene with,” says van Vreden of how a focus on truckie health could be expanded in future.

“For example, you could target mental health programs to short-haul drivers or maybe a mindfulness course, or something that you can do to deal with the stresses of the public and the road.

“In terms of the research perspective we’ve also found that there have been a lot of initiatives and programs implemented in the past but very few of them have been evaluated properly. We don’t have a lot of information about what works and what works well. We can work on that to develop new programs. So, from our perspective, evaluating existing programs and interventions would be really useful as well.”

For more information on the Driving Health project and to access the DHAT program and a series of free seminars, visit: https://drivinghealth.net

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REDUCE STRESS

DIABETES NSW & ACT Monica McDaniel-Wong

Taking a load off Diet, exercise and reducing stress can go a long way to lessening your expanding waistline

C

an you get rid of your spare tyre?

The short answer is yes. It is possible to reduce belly (visceral) fat through healthy diet, exercise, stress reduction and good sleep. It may not be easy, but with some effort you can prevent or reduce this fat in your body.

WHAT IS VISCERAL FAT? When you consume more food than your body needs for physical activity, your body stores this excess energy as fat. This could be fat that sits just under the skin called subcutaneous fat, or the deeper fat that is stored around your organs called visceral fat. A good way to tell if you have visceral fat is to measure your waist circumference. The general guidelines for waist circumference are shown in the table below.

Visceral fat releases chemicals that can be harmful to your body. It can trigger inflammation and increase your risk of metabolic syndrome, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

RISK FACTORS Some people are more prone to storing their excess energy as visceral fat. Risk factors include gender (men are more likely), drinking too much alcohol, ageing and your genes. The good news is there are ways to reduce your visceral fat.

HEALTHY DIET Choose a balanced diet that will help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Avoid foods that are high in simple sugars. Fructose, or sugar, can cause visceral fat to grow. Reduce the amount of sugary drinks, juices, refined grains, baked goods and processed foods in your diet.

Eating to your energy needs can help prevent visceral fat from occurring or increasing. But remember, you will need less energy consumed than burned to reduce your visceral fat.

Seeing a dietitian to assess your eating habits can assist in managing the right balance for you. Find one at dietitiansaustralia.org.au.

EXERCISE REGULARLY Although diet does have a significant impact, it may not be enough to reduce visceral fat by itself. Research has shown that exercise reduces visceral fat, even if you do not lose weight. It is more about losing fat and adjusting your body composition, than just losing weight.

If fat is replaced with muscle it will weigh more. Having more muscles, and moving them, will reduce the amount of insulin that is circulating in your body.

Excess insulin around your body makes it hang onto the fat. Exercise signals the liver to burn the nearby visceral fat.

Combining moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walks, and strength training works the best.

HOW MUCH EXERCISE SHOULD YOU DO? The National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that you do cardiovascular exercise for at least 30 minutes most days of the week (150-300 minutes). This could include walking briskly, cycling, aerobic exercise, and at least two sessions of strength training a week.

However, in order to achieve weight loss and sustain it for the long term, research suggests a total of 300420 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week is needed.

This is along with at least two days a week of strength training. An exercise physiologist can recommend a program that will work for you. Find an exercise physiologist at essa.org.au.

Keep in mind that targeting your belly by doing sit-ups will not directly work to reduce visceral fat, but it is good for toning and building those muscles.

MONICA MCDANIEL-WONG is a credentialled diabetes educator with Diabetes NSW & ACT. For more healthy lifestyle tips and other helpful information on diabetes head to the Diabetes NSW & ACT website www.diabetesnsw. com.au or call the Helpline on 1300 136 588 to speak with a health professional.

Stress can lead to comfort eating. It can also cause the release of hormones that increase visceral fat. A few ways to manage stress is with exercise, relaxation and mindfulness.

Research has shown that just 15 minutes of meditation per day can make positive changes to your brain and other parts of the body. Focussing on your breath is one of the most common forms of meditation. There are a number of apps that can help you with this, such as calm.com and Headspace. Both offer a free trial.

Any time you fully focus your attention on something you are engaging in a form of meditation. So next time you do a crossword, a puzzle, or go for a walk, really focus on the activity and try and let any unrelated thoughts pass you by.

If you feel that stress is getting the better of you and you are unable to slow down your thoughts, ask for help.

GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP Poor sleep can increase feelings of hunger and your stress hormones. The general guidelines recommend seven to nine hours a night.

Tips for getting a good night’s sleep include cutting out or cutting down on caffeine and alcohol, failing to wind down before sleep – try to avoid screen time an hour before you go to bed, and other conditions including sleep apnoea, restless legs and asthma. See your GP if you are having problems falling or staying asleep.

It may not be easy but through healthy eating, increasing your cardio exercise and strength training, reducing stress and getting a good night’s sleep you can prevent or reduce the dangerous visceral fat in your body.

“Just 15 minutes of meditation per day can make positive changes.”

THE GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE ARE AS FOLLOWS Men

Caucasian

Indian, Chinese, Japanese

Maori, Pacific Islander

Normal

Between 94-102cm

Less than 90cm

Less than 102cm

High risk

More than 102cm

More than 90cm

More than 102cm

Women

Caucasian

Indian, Chinese, Japanese

Maori, Pacific Islander

Normal

Between 80-88cm

Less than 80cm

Less than 88cm

High risk

More than 88cm

More than 80cm

More than 88cm

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North American trucking

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LIVIN’ THE TRUCKIN’ LIFESTYLE

It’s said that everything’s bigger over in the US of A. And that’s certainly the case with Robyn Newman’s 5700XE Western Star, a super-sized home far away from home that would give Australian authorities heart palpitations. Warren Aitken catches up with the long-haul trucker from Arizona during a recent visit to the US

A

llow me to set the scene a little here folks.

Sometimes choosing which stories to write is as easy as deciding whether to have the T-bone steak or the Petit Pois (It involves green peas and poached eggs). Also, sometimes choosing can be as difficult as explaining the logbook rules to a local police officer. On other occasions I just need a little inspiration or guidance.

The decision to write a story about the spectacular Star you see in the pages before you however came about through my sympathy for our North American counterparts. During my recent trip to the US I was able to experience firsthand the draconian laws that require their drivers to not only work less hours than us Australasian truckies, but they also have to survive months on the road in sleeper setups that can barely accommodate a 40-inch flatscreen. When driver welfare is a paramount issue, these Americans barely have room for a rowing machine and home gym inside their custombuilt sleepers. How could I not write about it? I must share their misery.

For the record I had requested my editor print a lot of this story in a ‘sarcastic’ text font, but apparently that’s not yet available. So, let’s carry on with the mordant undertones of this story and get back to why I rushed to put together the story on this beautiful purple 5700 Western Star featured on these pages.

I had recently returned from some relief driving, spending several days living out of a near-new XXL Volvo dragging a road train around North Queensland. When I returned home to the truck’s Brisbane depot it was around 1am. I preceded to clear out all my gear, from bedding and clothing, to cleaning out the fridge and finishing off with a round of interior housework. You know what

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Above: Running under her own authority, Precious Cargo LLC. Her logo is only a small stamp on the Western Star. The paint scheme from Bolt Custom Trucks does all the visual talking

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“I spend maybe a week or two at home, a couple of times a year.”

length laws are based on looking after the driver’s welfare and ensuring they can have a decent bunk as well as a comfortable truck to drive. However, the downside of that is it means at the end of a run they have a lot more housework to do before they can go home. Do you see that problem? Those poor truckers.

Cat swinging Above: Robyn is never without her two loyal travel companions. A bit of a size difference between her two dogs, but size doesn’t seem to matter to Robyn – a little lady in a big truck Below: Fine dining. I was trying to focus on the size of the bunk but, Robyn insisted on showing off her ‘Masterchef’ condiments.

The cupboards in this truck must be massive; she just kept bringing stuff out

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I mean, blow the dust out and Armor All the dash, finish it off with a fresh air freshener and the truck’s ready for the regular driver to return. It took me all of maybe 30 to 40 minutes and the truck was empty of my possessions and clean enough to eat your T-bone steak off.

It was as I left the depot in my car a sudden wave of sympathy for some of my US friends hit me and I knew what story I had to write. I would shine a light on the harsh conditions they have to face.

So, while I may be able to get all packed and cleaned in less time than it takes to find a park at an Eastern Creek truck stop, our poor American compatriots have sleeper cabs that could take hours to clean before they can go home. Yes, I’m well aware their

To highlight these issues, I have chosen to write about a lovely lady, Robyn Newman, who I got to meet while in Louisville, Kentucky recently. Robyn has a 150-inch (381cm) Bolt custom bunk fitted to her new Detroit-powered 5700XE Western Star. To put that into perspective, swing a cat in the back of a truck over here and all you’ll hear is a constant knocking as the unconscious feline is battered by back walls and front seats. If you swing a cat in the back of Robyn’s Western Star, the meowing and whining, mixed in with the echoes created in a 150-inch bunk would sound exactly like I envision a Cardi B concert to be like. Then add in the amount she has to spent on extra Armor All … those Americans have it tough.

Alright, enough sarcasm now. The fact is Robyn Newman’s Western Star and Bolt custom bunk is simply massive. All my sardonic comments about the extra time needed at the end of a run to do housework really are moot when it comes to Robyn as her ‘runs’ last all year round. In fact, she is lucky if she gets home a couple of times a year.

Robyn and her two dogs live on the road, hauling all over the US, and her new Western Star is her future retirement truck.

“I spend maybe a week or two at home, a couple of times a year,“ Robyn admits, referring to her house in Tonopah, Arizona.

“After a few days, though, the dogs start heading outside and sitting by the truck, waiting to get going.”

The trucking lifestyle has been intrinsically woven into Robyn’s DNA for decades now, having begun her driving career back in the 1970s. “I’ve been driving for about 29 years on and off,” Robyn explains.

Trucks were not in the family bloodline. In fact, Robyn grew up on a farm and was driving around the property from around seven years of age. By her early 20s she was out on her own and struggling. “I needed something to do to survive, something to pay the bills,” Robyn recalls. So she purchased a 1968 Marmon from a farmer and started carting his hay.

“Back in those days there was no CDL [commercial driver’s licence]. Instead, we started out with a chauffer’s licence and grandfathered into the CDL when it came about,” Robyn explains.

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24/5/2022 8:48 pm

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24/5/2022 8:48 pm

“It was pretty much all guys back in those days, I didn’t get to meet very many woman.”

Robyn attests to the fact it may have been harder back in the ’70s but the camaraderie of the industry was much stronger.

“The boys didn’t like it, a woman in what they saw as a man’s job, but once they learned you can do it and know what you are doing, they accepted you and became like big brothers.

“It was better back then, like if you broke down you would have heaps of people stopping to help you out.”

It’s a very similar theme to how many feel about the trucking industry in Australia as well.

Forensic studies That original Marmon is a long way from the custom Western Star Robyn now operates. Those days of reaching through the Marmon’s giant steering wheel to work the twin stick box however did allow Robyn to get to where she is now, albeit by a very circuitous route.

While she loved the trucking, Robyn choose to save up and head to college. Not business though, or even anything remotely transport related. In fact, she studied forensic science with the goal of getting into forensic pathology. Once she finished, she found herself influenced more by others’ opinions.

Instead of pursuing her work with dead bodies she decided to head back to her love of trucking and travelling, replacing the classroom with the cab. It is worth noting, though, that the studying bug never left her and to this day Robyn does a lot of online studying while running her truck.

Robyn’s return to trucking was behind the wheel of a W9 Kenworth. Again, it was her truck that she hauled for a company.

The way it works over in the US is that a lot of companies ‘lease trucks’ to drivers. Theoretically you are an owner-driver, but you run under the leasing company’s ‘authority’. It’s like you are a company driver that runs their own truck. True independent truckers run under their own authority, meaning they have a lot more choice in who they cart for and where they cart to. By the time Robyn had progressed to her third truck, a new Freightliner Cascadia, she had decided to run under her own authority.

After putting more than one million miles on the factoryspecced Freightliner, Robyn decided to replace it. She had already decided she wanted something a bit more to her preferences when it comes to something to live and work in. She purchased a brand-new Western Star day cab and then went and saw the team at Bolt Custom Trucks in Fort Wayne, Indiana. That first Western

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“I needed something to do to survive, something to pay the bills.”

Top, L to R: I had to stand a fair way back in order to get a side shot in of the big 150-inch bunk; Fridge/ freezer, drop down TV, the kitchen sink and behind the door is where the shower and toilet hides.

Seriously big!

Below: Allowing easy access to the toolboxes and generator was paramount for Robyn and the Boltdesigned lift-up skirts make it a very easy job, even for a petite lady like Robyn Opposite bottom: The queen bed is folded up against the back wall, allowing the dining room to be set up for my interview with Robyn

Star had a wheelbase of 260 inches (660cm) and allowed for an 87-inch (221cm) bunk, all custom designed and built by Bolt.

“Bonnie Fielding, the sales lady, and AJ, the designer, were absolutely phenomenal,” Robyn attests.

“I can’t say enough about Bonnie, she’s there the whole way through and AJ is a design wizard.”

That first experience with Bolt ensured that when Robyn sold her first Star and set about replacing it in 2022 with the big purple Star you see now, there was no doubt Bolt was going to be her preferred customiser. Dealing with the same team again ensured not just a continuity for Robyn, it also meant she new what she would call the truck. It needed a big name as it would also be the first Western Star 5700XE with a 150-inch bunk fitted to it.

“I’ve called it BoJax,” Robyn laughs. “People get botoxed, my truck got ‘bojaxed’,” added that the ‘Bo’ is for saleslady Bonnie and the ‘Jax’ is for the incredible designer AJ. The Bolt Custom team got the new Star with just bare bones.

The long wheelbase day cab 5700XE was as naked as can be – a blank canvas for Bolt to work on. Being that it was the first ever 5700XE with an integrated 150-inch sleeper it was a substantial task for Bolt Custom Trucks. With the arrival of the new Star range soon, though, it also means Robyn’s truck will be one of only a few ever put on the road.

Bucket list The overall goal of this truck was to be Robyn’s “bucket list buggy”.

Robyn has worked all her life and the idea of retirement doesn’t appeal. Therefore, it isn’t a retirement truck.

“My goal is not to retire, just to slow down. I own my own trailer and have a bucket list of things I want to do in each state,” Robyn says. “So, I wanted a truck I can haul a load with and when I get to different states, I can drop my trailer and go do my bucket list things.

“When I’m ready to move on I’ll get a load and head to another state.” I have to admit it’s a lifestyle that I could get behind. With that in mind Robyn sat down with the Bolt team and worked out how to get everything she needed.

As you can see from the photos all the obvious stuff is included.

Kitchen area, dining area, TV, storage space etc, etc. There’s a

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shower and toilet area and the back wall folds down to become the queen size bed. The 36-inch TV is remotely attached to the roof and lowers down when needed. There’s an easy access campervan-style side door and steps, making it easy for both Robyn and her two dogs to get in and out. That’s the obvious stuff.

Now, let me introduce you do the stuff that you can’t really see. The LED lighting throughout the whole bunk is incredible.

Hidden lights around the roof create an amazing atmosphere.

The kitchen is fitted with a convection microwave, meaning it can be used as either a microwave or an oven. It also has an induction stovetop. This means, rather than gas or electricity, it is electromagnetically operated. Using specific pans, the magnets heat only the pan, cooking amazingly quickly but ensuring the stovetop isn’t scorching hot afterwards. That’s a massive safety advantage in a sleeper cabin.

There is also a central vacuum system, allowing Robyn to just plug in the hose and vacuum the entire sleeper.

As fancy as the back is, I need to focus on the cab as well. Firstly, the truck is fitted with what Robyn refers to as a “Millennial antitheft device” or, as we commonly call it, a gearstick. The factory seats have been removed and replaced with two Excalibur custom seats. For those wondering what’s so special about them, sure, the air ride is to be expected. Yes, the heated side is definitely luxury when Robyn’s up in around Canada, but what sets them apart is the 26-point massage system built in. Yeah, just sit with that for a moment.

Running all of the amenities is a diesel-powered generator system fitted to the big Star. That, along with the auto greasing system (it may be common for us, but not in the US) and toolboxes are all tidily hidden under Bolt’s custom flirt skirts.

These side skirts lift up like the baggage doors on a bus, making for easy access for Robyn. Behind the other skirts are two

“The boys didn’t like it, a woman in what they saw as a man’s job.”

Top: Robyn ensured her new Western Star would be fitted with the ‘Millennial anti-theft system’ Or in Australian terms, a gearstick and clutch Left: There’s no shortage of light options in the ’States. These sleek looking LEDs ensure the Star sparkles at night

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150-gallon tanks, again a big step up from average American trucks running 120 gallons. For us, 150 gallons is about 567 litres.

Length laws It definitely seems like Robyn’s “bucket list buggy” is set to make her working life and then her attempts at retirement a lot easier, as long as she avoids tight corners and small roundabouts.

“Yeah, it doesn’t really like the roundabouts. Aside from that I just have to go a bit wider for turns,” Robyn admits when joking about its manoeuvrability.

However, a lot of Robyn’s work is for long-term clients and on regular paths, so her truck is designed to get exactly where it needs to go. Robyn admits she still has to do a bit more investigating for a couple of clients as Canada has different length laws to the US and she may have to jump through a few hoops to pass in and out of Canada.

We need to finish up by focusing on the entire point of this story – how much time is spent cleaning the bunk before you can head home at the end of the shift. It’s an epic task for our poor US mates when they have sleepers like this. We should be thankful that the wise overseers of our industry don’t allow us to put a decent size bunk behind our standard B-double sets. Sure, changing the regulations would allow us a more comfortable wheelbase, a bonnet, a bullbar and a big bed. But it would mean we have more to clean at the end of the run, meaning we get home a little later.

I for one am glad our regulators are thinking more about the loads we can squeeze on rather than driver amenities and Armor All consumption. I really do feel for Robyn and all those well rested Americans.

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23/5/22 12:55 pm

trailer technology

DEALING IN STEEL Moore Trailers, one of the most recognisable road transport trailer brands in Australia, has battled COVID repercussions during the past couple of years. Despite setbacks, however, the company is continuing with its expansion plans, which will see it increase the output of its steel-based products.

Greg Bush reports

Y

ou simply can’t miss it! The lengthy mural near Pittsworth on Queensland’s Gore Highway is a welcome sign for long-haul drivers that they’re on the home stretch of the MelbourneBrisbane northern run. Most importantly, behind the mural’s wall sits the facility of one of Australia’s most successful trailer manufacturers – Moore Trailers.

And, despite some setbacks, business is booming. According to the company’s founder Lionel

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Moore, the Darling Downs facility is pushing out around 10 trailers each week, with grain and gravel tippers among the most popular orders.

“Side tippers for gravel and grain and roadbase, and we do a lot of dropdecks, low loaders, special flat beds that go into mine sites,” Lionel says. “All sorts of weird and wonderful things.”

Moore Trailers has increased its customer base markedly in Australia since opening its doors in 1998. In preparation, the company’s first shed was built in 1994.

The main production shed followed in 2000.

Starting his own business seemed inevitable for Lionel with his trailer-making background. At age 15 he started work at O’Phee Engineering who operated out of Pittsworth.

“I did my apprenticeship at O’Phee’s under Bill and Jim. From there I worked for them for 27-odd years.

“They fell on hard times in 1988 and went into receivership, so I established my own business because I couldn’t find work for my two sons,” he says.

“I’ve been building trailers for 57 years; that’s all I know.”

Lionel bought the land in 1992. A couple of years later it was earmarked as heavy industrial.

“At the moment I’ve got about 30 hectares of industrial land, so there’s plenty of room for expansion if my boys want to go on with it.”

Lionel’s boys are sons Grahame and Shayne Moore.

Grahame is in charge of production while Shayne handles the day-to-day running of the company. The family connection also includes Lionel’s granddaughter, Caitlyn, who is the office receptionist.

Tragically, Grahame’s son Justin Moore passed away due to a car accident in 2019. At the time he was undertaking an apprenticeship at Moore Trailers.

“That knocked the shit out of us; none of us have sort of recovered from that,” Lionel says. “Ideally he would have taken his father’s job and later on take my job.

“My other grandkids aren’t old enough. One boy, Shayne’s son, is willing to start tomorrow, but he’s only 13. He wants to become a welder.”

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Larger facility Moore Trailers recently added another 16,000 cubic metre manufacturing building across the lane from its original premises.

Lionel says while it’s currently a production facility, with around 100 workers on the job, plans are to relocate the current offices into the new building.

While the location of Moore Trailers may seem like a little off the beaten track, the fact that it’s situated on a major freight route has worked in its favour. Also, its reputation has grown through word of mouth as well as showcasing its products at selected events.

“We don’t do any big advertising campaigns,” Lionel points out.

“We like to do truck shows – the Brisbane Truck Show is pretty well the major truck show in Australia today – and we like to do some field days, AgQuip in Gunnedah, Ag-Grow in Emerald and FarmFest in Toowoomba.”

Not limited to the Australian market, Moore Trailers’ reputation has led to exporting its products to New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and South Africa.

“We built bottom dump trailers for carting raw sugar for Fiji, then the South African ones were all rear end chassis tippers for grain.

It’s surprising the amount of grain that’s grown in South Africa,” he adds.

Both Fiji and New Zealand buy low loaders from Moore Trailers, while molasses tankers are also on Fiji’s shopping list. For Papua New Guinea its roll-on, roll-off trailers that go on barges for transporting mobile houses in the mines for accommodation packages.

“We do about 30 or 40 of them in one go,” Lionel says.

He laughs when he says mobile houses would come in handy around the Pittsworth area.

“Pittsworth is a very modern attractive town, but the rental

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“I’ve been building trailers for 57 years; that’s all I know.” accommodation is slim. We find it difficult to employ people mainly because of accommodation.”

It’s a situation that’s seemingly endemic across the transport industry, not only in recruiting drivers but finding skilled workers in manufacturing as well. In a bid to fill its ranks, Moore Trailers has looked further afield. Currently around a third of its workforce is from a country other than Australia.

“We’ve got about 35 overseas workers here,” Lionel continues.

“We’ve got Chinese, Vietnamese, workers from the Philippines, Iraq refugees and Sudan. We’ve got a very multicultural workforce.

“One of the best workers we had here was a Chinese girl. No-one could build a toolbox as fast as her.”

The onset of COVID put the inevitable spanner in the works in the Moore Trailers facility, with visas becoming almost non-existent.

“We’ve got a lot of people in the Philippines wanting to get to Australia to start work, but to get people with visas has been virtually impossible,” he explains.

Not surprisingly, COVID has also impacted the company’s existing workforce. Lionel says everything was running smoothly up until March this year.

“Virtually every man in the shed has caught COVID, so some weeks we’ve been down 20 men.

“I think it’s the Omicron what these fellas have been getting.

The Delta didn’t affect us. It’s only since they relaxed all the laws

Top: Moore Trailers’ founder Lionel Moore Above: Trailer making in Moore’s newly-built facility Opposite bottom: The company’s mural is a Gore Highway landmark

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“We’ve got about 18 months’ worth of work in and 1000 trailers on order.” and took all the face masks off. We’ve immunised everyone here, voluntary of course. I think I’ve only got one bloke that doesn’t believe in vaccines, but he ended up with COVID and was off for a fortnight. He was sick as a dog.”

COVID caused another hurdle last year when border closures prevented clients from collecting their new purchases. Moore Trailers, however, found a solution to that restriction, at least for the southern state customers.

“If we sold a trailer say in Victoria or NSW, we’d transport the trailer to Goondiwindi and then they’d have to come up. The police at Goondiwindi were very good so they would allow them an hour to come and hook up. That worked for us in getting our deliveries out,” Lionel says.

“We talked to them and they gave us some sort of exemption.

Blokes had to ring up and get themselves a permit; they were only allowed an hour to come through to where we had them parked, hook up and they weren’t allow to talk to anyone. And that worked.

“Whereas Tweed Heads, that was just ridiculous. They just turned everyone around and sent them home. But they could go to the

Top: Moore Trailers only use steel for its trailer making Top right: The company has around 100 skilled employees building trailers but are looking at hiring more staff to meet demands Right and below: COVID caused spare parts supply problems but now it’s full steam ahead

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police in Moree and get the exemption permit and then come up to the border and hook up the trailer and go.”

Port charges While COVID has also impacted some parts supplies, so has the war in Ukraine. Lionel says shipping has taken a hit with insurance costs rising for companies accessing the Suez Canal. China is another issue, but he says the finger can be pointed at Australia’s ports for “big charges in freight”.

“There used to be a 1,000 ships coming out of China. I don’t know what happened because 18 months ago we could get a container out of China for $2,600. The last one was $15,000 in freight.

“It’s mainly because they don’t want to come to Australia because everywhere else in the world, you pull up, you unload and you’re gone. In Australia they sit in the port for three or four days because of the ridiculous workers we have in control of the wharves,” Lionel exclaims.

“Say they come to Brisbane and want to drop 100 containers and pick up 100 containers, they will take about three or four days to get it done. Whereas in Singapore they’ll be done in an hour.”

On the contrary, steel supplies from Japan have remained mainly unaffected. Hardox, however, was another issue last year due to the pandemic.

“A lot of our products come out of Germany and Italy for torque hubs and gearboxes for special trailers we build. A lot of the factories were shut for 12 months so it was very hard times getting componentry, especially out of Italy.”

Despite those frustrations, Moore Trailers is looking at further expansion, including hiring another 50 employees to fill roles in the painting, assembling and welding departments. Again, the business will need to look outside the local community because, as Lionel says, there’s currently 100 per cent employment in Pittsworth.

“At the moment we’re building 10 trailers a week. We need to get that up to about 15 or 20 a week,” he explains. “We’ve got about 18 months’ worth of work in and 1,000 trailers on order.

“The only thing we don’t build is vacuum or pressure tank and we don’t build aluminium, we build all steel. And we don’t do the tautliner style.”

Despite his two sons occupying high profile positions with the business, Lionel, now aged 73, still spends around 60 hours each week both in the office and the production facility. And, with Moore Trailers boasting the largest variety of trailer manufacture in Australia, not to mention the company’s expansion projects, Lionel has plenty of work to keep him busy for a long time to come.

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23/5/22 12:56 pm

TWU Michael Kaine

Turning the tide The gig tsunami is coming – we need to reach higher ground now

R

egulation of the gig economy is a high stakes argument for all owner-drivers and small fleet operators.

Online platforms are coming for us and we need to level the playing field to stop our industry, to stop genuine owner-drivers and small fleet businesses from having the rug pulled out from under them.

It will take us standing shoulder to shoulder to lift standards now if we’re to weather the storm with any success.

To do that, we first need to understand what the gig economy is, and what it means for trucking.

Platform work, on-demand, the gig economy – whatever term you use, we’re talking about the Uber and AmazonFlex model of handing out jobs via an app at half the market rate, or whatever unilateral fee the company chooses.

This is no exaggeration – in 2015 Uber in Perth advertised its trips as 50 per cent cheaper than taxis. Drivers are not only copping lower fares they have no control over but are losing an additional 27.5 per cent of that fare through Uber’s cut.

ZERO NEGOTIATION Drivers are at the whim of an app and an algorithm, with no one to talk to and no opportunity for representation when things go wrong. When AmazonFlex’s algorithm decides a driver can deliver 39 parcels to 33 locations in just four hours, that’s how jobs are assigned.

If it’s not physically possible – which it isn’t, at least while following speed limits and safety precautions – you have two options: keep working for free or take the leftover packages back to the depot and cop the disciplinary action or possible termination.

Imagine that – being rushed along, pushed to cut corners in safety, by a set of code. The fact that this is allowed to happen puts downward pressure on the entire market.

Transport supply chains are smashed by cost-cutting from Amazon at the top and undercutting by AmazonFlex from the bottom.

This is already having an impact in the industry. Employee truck drivers for nine of the largest transport companies in Australia last year faced the worst attacks on jobs and pay they’ve ever seen. The truckies fought them off, but it was a tough battle.

While rideshare, food delivery and even courier work may seem irrelevant to you, the gig economy is spreading like wildfire. Industries you’d expect to have secure, highly trained jobs are now facing a swing towards app-assigned work, like aged care and the NDIS. Owner-drivers and small fleet operators are up next.

GLOBAL EXPLOITATION I’ve mentioned this before, but it is worth reiterating. Amazon is already

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

using its exploitative Flex model in trucking. In America, Canada and now Europe, Amazon is destroying stable, autonomous work as an owner driver through Amazon Relay.

Truck drivers are picking up work through an app at low rates set exclusively by Amazon, on routes set exclusively by Amazon.

If an algorithm brings up some error with your account, drivers can be sent a message that they’re being terminated from the app and have no chance to respond. They’re told: “This decision is final. There are no appeals available.”

Drivers are forced to work exclusively for Amazon in companybranded trucks, but with no capacity to negotiate their own rates and conditions. If terminated, that’s a job gone, an entire income scrapped at the click of a button.

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

This will not just be limited to work performed for Amazon. Since Uber’s launch, we’ve seen several other companies follow suit with the same business model. Taxi drivers are forced to find ways to reduce costs to compete, and some simply can’t.

There is a way forward, it just takes us all working together.

Enforceable minimum standards would bring all work up to a reasonable base level. It would provide a sustainable market and promote healthy competition.

Recently, the TWU signed a groundbreaking agreement with a gig company – the first time in Australia a platform has sought the benefit of industry standards and the protection of regulation.

DoorDash, the largest food delivery platform in the US, has entered into a three-stage process with the Transport Workers Union to lobby the government for enforceable rights and standards.

Step one was completed and announced recently – with a statement of principles that gig workers shouldn’t be denied rights or entitlements, that work and pay should be transparent, that dispute procedures should be put in place, and that these standards should be enforceable across the industry.

This is a major breakthrough. It recognises the deep flaws in our system that puts workers and businesses at great risk. It calls for a stabiliser to put a stop to the downward spiral dragging down our industry.

Most of all, it proves that when we work together, we can shore up our defences.

The gig tsunami is coming, but together we can turn the tide.

“The truckies fought them off, but it was a tough battle.”

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ownerdriver.com.au

25/5/2022 10:09 am

A STAR REBORN Caltex is coming back in a whole new way.

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https://www.caltex.com/au/business-solutions

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23/5/22 12:56 pm 12/5/22 3:37 pm

HIGHWAY ADVOCATES Robert Bell

The damage done The pain caused by the road authorities often extends beyond dollars and cents

R

od Hannifey, National Road Freighters Association president, has written numerous articles and opinion pieces about modern police methods. Rod has focused explicitly on police enforcement of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). Rod has called for the removal of police powers to enforce the HVNL, which, in our opinion, is never likely to happen. Even if the HVNL was Commonwealth legislation, state police can enforce it.

Police are generally empowered throughout Australia to enforce any law or statute within the criminal jurisdiction.

This captures the HVNL and other road transport or traffic law. Police do not have jurisdiction over civil matters in general either. There are provisions in each participating jurisdiction that place doubt on the criminality of most offences under the HVNL. These provisions are found in the adoption or application of Acts in participating jursidictions.

Police overcharge – they always do these days and they rarely, if ever, apply any discretion. We hear of many stories whereby police on the roadside will hold up a driver for over an hour or more sometimes, looking for the slightest technical error. We are told the disappointment when they fail to do so is palpable.

We have correspondence in our possession that states that NSW Police will no longer review penalty notices. When we deal with police prosecutors in court, we find them quite decent, with a couple of notable exceptions. However, in most jurisdictions, their hands are tied when it comes to withdrawing matters. We are told the decision is left in the hands of the officer who issued the infringement or charge.

If a lawful review is not available at the penalty notice stage, as we are told, how then does one gain that review? It would seem a waste of court resources if all matters had to be brought before a court to gain that chance. Even in court, the prosecutor cannot apply the discretion granted to them. Some of the duties of prosecutors include assisting the court in avoiding an appealable error on the issue of sentence and informing the court of an appropriate range of severity by reference to relevant decisions.

For the here and now, though, police are here to stay with the HVNL and other traffic legislation. As a legal practice dealing in only those matters, many of our clients result from charges preferred by the police.

We often see single court notices with multiple counts or sequences attached.

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OFFENCE DISMISSED The last three court matters we dealt with were police matters with multiple fatigue offences. Our results speak of our service and advocacy and changing attitudes within the judiciary: • 20 sequences on a single court notice with a total maximum penalty of $176,470 and 27 demerit points • two critical breaches with a total maximum of $34,480 and eight points • 10 sequences on single court attendance notice with a total maximum of $67,700 and 10 demerit points.

Three defendants faced a cumulative maximum of $278,650 and 45 demerit points.

The cumulative penalty all three received from the courts was zero dollars and nil demerit points. This is not a misprint. Every single sequence or count was dismissed without a conviction.

While we would like to take credit where credit is due, we believe that police and other prosecuting authorities should look at legislation in its entirety, rather than honing in on individual provisions in exclusion.

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 0488 010 101.

“Police overcharge – they always do these days.”

We mention policing for another reason.

It is no secret that police often turn to law careers as a solicitor. It would seem a natural progression to some; often ex-police become brilliant defence advocates. Some might even say they are “industry insiders”.

Other ex-police solicitors stay within the prosecutorial circle. Having the ability to see things from different perspectives reaps the rewards for our clients. We feel it is what sets us apart.

We are finding it increasingly common that police in Victoria and South Australia are enforcing the law as only they know how, laying charges, and then handing the whole kit and caboodle to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). This allows the NHVR to take credit for the prosecution without the legwork. We are not saying this can’t happen, but we question whether it should happen.

We believe this is an institutional problem that may only be recognised when nobody is left willing to drive trucks anymore.

PEELIAN PRINCIPLES The Peelian Principles of modern policing summarise Sir Robert Peel’s ideas to define an ethical police force. The approach expressed in these principles is commonly known as policing by consent. In this model of policing, police officers are regarded as citizens in uniform. One of the principles is particularly relevant: “To seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion, but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws.”

It should not be up to us here at Highway Advocates to try and undo the damage done by prosecuting authorities. Of course, we relish the challenge, but the pain and anguish we see daily have a real toll that often extends beyond dollars and cents.

We believe that the laying of charges and issue of a penalty notice should be subject to review by someone other than the issuing officer.

Perhaps the NHVR could divert some of the money earmarked for more prosecutors and cameras towards that ideal.

ownerdriver.com.au

24/5/2022 8:37 pm

SAFETY RATING

NatRoad Warren Clark

Flawed argument Safety strategy’s worthy goals need pursuing as does the need for more heavy vehicle rest areas

T

here’s a lot to like about the recent release of the New South Wales government’s 2026 Road Safety Action Plan. Who can argue that halving deaths and reducing serious injuries by 30 per cent on NSW roads by the start of the next decade isn’t a worthy goal? And putting technology at the centre of improving road safety makes sense on any measure.

Once you dig into the detail, however, some valid questions do arise.

The first is the assumption that because heavy vehicles have a greater mass than cars, the consequences of crashes in which they are involved are more damaging.

This is a flawed argument. Performancebased standards vehicles, with their higher masses, have a better safety record than their smaller and older counterparts.

It’s something that the Productivity Commission’s 2020 review of national transport regulatory reform highlighted: “There have been significant improvements in heavy vehicle safety over the past decade, with the number of heavy vehicle crashes involving injury or death per kilometre travelled decreasing by about 40 per cent between 2008 and 2018.

“The fall in crash rates is consistent with longer-term trends and is likely to be due to factors affecting all vehicle types such as improvements in road infrastructure and safer vehicle design.”

We have had discussions with representatives of the NSW Centre for Road Safety about the vehicle mass issue and they steadfastly stick to their view that road trains must be limited to 90km per hour in NSW. The Centre’s view is that crashes

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involving heavy vehicles are “often serious” because of their size and weight, regardless of who is at fault.

It is worth noting that the Productivity Commission found that most multivehicle fatal crashes involving a heavy vehicle are not the fault of the truck driver.

The Commission says that the driver of the other vehicle was at fault 83 per cent of the time. For serious, non-fatal, multivehicle crashes involving a heavy vehicle, the heavy vehicle driver was at fault 65 per cent of the time.

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.

“The driver of the other vehicle was at fault 83 per cent of the time.”

One of the things the Road Safety Action Plan recommends is development of a safety rating program for heavy vehicles.

It says this would provide operators with information on safety performance and the level of occupant and public road user protection.

We welcome that … provided NSW goes back to basics and separates heavy vehicle infringement data from cars.

We also like the commitment to delivering a new heavy vehicle safety strategy through partnership with industry.

The “partnership” word is critical but it’s one that NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, recently told me is fundamental to the way he wants to work in his new portfolio.

NatRoad had a good working relationship with his predecessor, Paul Toole, and we look forward to constructive dealings with the new Minister.

The NSW Strategy make the obvious point that road quality is fundamental to road safety. The Strategy commits the state to systematically building a safer road network through safety infrastructure and speed management.

We hope that extends to more welldesigned heavy vehicle rest areas at strategic locations.

The Strategy mandates that early and ongoing safety assessment be intrinsic to all NSW transport infrastructure projects.

It’s encouraging that the NSW government says it will lead from the front in adopting minimum heavy vehicle safety requirements and technologies by making them part of its procurement and fleet policies.

Trialling low-cost retrofitted technology options to increase vulnerable road user detection and warnings on heavy vehicles gets another tick.

And so does an aspiration to achieving optimal safety outcomes from the Heavy Vehicle National Law review, especially concerning fatigue. That should have happened yesterday.

NatRoad communications are intended to provide commentary and general information. They should not be relied upon as legal advice. Our advisers are available to clarify any questions you have and provide the right advice for your business and workforce. Contact Richard at richard.calver@natroad.com. au, or on (02) 6295 3000.

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24/5/2022 8:35 pm

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey

The forgotten sector The Trucking Australia conference was a worthwhile experience but questions remain unanswered

L

ast month, eight members of the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA) attended the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) conference – Trucking Australia 22 – on the Gold Coast.

You can either sit on the outside and complain or you can go in and have a say. We had two others there in their own right – one was a nominee for one of the awards and we ended up signing up another member during the event.

We went with a specific aim – to ask the ATA and other state associations if they would support the recommendations for the Senate Inquiry into a ‘Safe and Viable Road Transport Industry’. Thus far, the government has done nothing with the 10 recommendations put up following the inquiry. The NRFA was perhaps, through individual members and formal submissions, the largest group, but other major industry and government groups also made the effort, seemingly yet again to no avail.

We attended all the sessions, some are run concurrently, but we tried to cover all the different topics. I was a presenter in ‘The Future of Truck Rest Areas’ along with two others. You would have to give gold stars to both Tasmania and Western Australia in getting some serious truck rest area work done. The rest of the states have a long way to go, let alone catch up.

The very last session was, we thought, like a parliament session but it turned out to be a round table answering questions. They were certainly important questions and perhaps there was discussion at the tables, but where those comments will go and if they would be even actioned or discussed by the ATA board is still to be seen.

Following the event we had a debrief over breakfast before all heading off.

General comment was that it was worth attending but we felt the last session was a bit of a letdown. If all those responses go to the ATA council for consideration, how will we know unless they report the outcomes?

In our discussions about attending, we recognised that in no way were we going to solve it all. But it gave us the opportunity to watch, listen and learn what the industry peak body was doing.

The fuel issue, both the cost and the governments drop in excise for cars (but not even telling the truth to the public that the same did not apply to

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trucks) was discussed in some sessions.

We thought it should have been a major topic. Even though the program and agenda had all been worked out months ago, as you must do with such events, we thought the fuel issue was important enough to have warranted a last minute add-in session.

We were told there was to be an ATA board meeting following the event and fuel would be one of the main topics, but with all the industry people on site, should it not have been raised and discussed so all could have a say and contribute? Many of the public and our customers think that costs have gone down. Did the government deliberately not tell the truth thinking it would look good or was it a simple mistake?

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

FACE TO FACE I spoke with many people, most I knew or knew me and, yes, you can talk on the phone, but it is rarely the same as speaking face to face with someone.

BELOW: This year’s Trucking Australia conference on the Gold Coast was a wellattended event

“What will be the overall outcomes from the event?”

With the TruckRight Industry Vehicle (TIV), for example, yes you can ring and ask someone for support. Some will simply say yes, but I have found it is better to be there. The same applies in many ways with such events. You not only get to see and talk with those you know, but you can meet new people and foster new friendships and business opportunities. I do deliberately aim to sit at a table where I don’t know anyone if I can – that is how you meet people outside of other introductions.

I spoke with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator people, ATA people, sponsors both of the event and the TIV. It was an opportunity I rarely get with driving fulltime and so it was worthwhile for me personally and perhaps more so, for the NRFA. We did not change the world, we did not intend to, but we did raise issues, we asked questions and, perhaps from where I sat (and I am sure you all know I would be quiet and demure) as a group, the NRFA may well have asked the most.

What will be the overall outcomes from the event? Will there be industry-based actions to follow?

We asked our members to ask their election nominees if they knew of the senate inquiry or its recommendations because as we said at the start, they are still sitting on a shelf waiting for someone to do something to help us.

By the time you read this, the election will have been run and won. Labor’s offer of $80 million for truck rest areas was the biggest I have ever heard of; I hope whoever wins does something.

We have been told we are important, but what has changed since before COVID? We kept the country fed, clothed, fuelled and supplied with tests, medicines and everything else, but what has been done for the road transport industry? Yes, the roads need work, they too have staff issues with COVID, we have been hit with high fuel prices and they fudged that too, telling the public the excise went down, but have we been truly recognised? Not in my book.

ownerdriver.com.au

24/5/2022 8:32 pm

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OWD 353.indd 39

24/5/22 8:16 am

truck of the month

RAISING THE BAR Andrew Hickey has tried his hand at various vocations and a variety of truck brands before ultimately settling on his dream truck – a Kenworth C509. And, just quietly, Andrew is over the moon since trading in his two Macks for his new, customised rig. Warren Aitken writes

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ownerdriver.com.au

24/5/2022 8:28 pm

ownerdriver.com.au

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Above: I told you this truck paints a thousand words. Even in the worst possible conditions for taking photos, Andrew’s stunning C509 quietly goes about its business of looking good and earning its keep Right: Poor Angus the salesman wasn’t informed of Andrew’s plans to airbrush the visor. So, when the truck turned up from Tony Gibbs, he was a little perplexed. When the visor was eventually fitted though. WOW Opposite top: Andrew Hickey quite rightfully stands proudly with his new C509. The end result was exactly how he had been envisioning it in his head and heart. It’s a showstopping working rig Opposite middle: The T908 that Andrew worked over in order to get back into transport after farming and drilling. It was also the truck that Andrew used to work himself up to the new C509

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ownerdriver.com.au

24/5/2022 8:28 pm

“Where I was working, the gulf country, it’s hard country.”

B

ack in the early 20th century a journalist called Frederick Barnard wrote a piece about the effectiveness of graphic illustrations in advertising. It was titled One Look is Worth a Thousand Words. It’s this piece of literature that’s widely attributed to the common phrase, ‘a picture paints a thousand words’.

That phrase implies an image of something says a lot more than reading about said something. Never a truer statement has been made than on this current page and the ensuing pages.

You really don’t need me to tell you how absolutely jaw-dropping this C509 is. All you have to do is look at it. Look at how staunch the big C509 is. Look at how amazing the paint job and scrollwork is. Look at all the lights and shiny bits. I doubt there’s anything I can say that’s half as impressive as just beholding this behemoth. The pictures certainly say a lot, most of what they say involves four letter words followed by any synonym for “wow”.

As solid as my argument was for a picture painting a thousand words, my editor didn’t see the funny side when I tried to charge him a thousand words for every photo I sent him. Instead, he abruptly instructed me to write more than just the opening paragraph. Luckily for me, the truck is a rolling advertisement for all those that played a part in it.

What the photos don’t touch on is the man

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behind the project – Andrew Hickey. I say “lucky for me” because Andrew is one of those guys that you automatically want to just open a beer with and chat.

He has an old school aura about him where you just know he’ll call a spade a spade and bullshit is only found on the bottom of his work boots.

Customised sleeper The fact it was an early morning arrival at Brown and Hurley Toowoomba to meet Andrew Hickey and his new C509 meant it wasn’t going to be an ‘over a beer’ kind of catchup, but it did mean I got to observe the big 509 garnering plenty of attention as it sat waiting for us to take it out for photos.

The awning of Brown & Hurley’s Toowoomba office is a regular spot for those wanting to catch sight of some pretty cool trucks and Andrew’s C509 just raises the bar even further. It was almost a shame we had to move it to go and get photos. Almost.

Before anyone picks up on the fact I didn’t get out and get many working shots of this big girl. Let me clarify, it will work. It will work bloody hard, too. It will no doubt end up working in some of the toughest areas of this great country. That’s exactly what it’s been built for, it’s exactly why the standard Kenworth bunk was ripped out and the whole sleeper was customised by Icepack Services.

Andrew’s truck has been set up so he can pack up

and disappear on the road for six hours or six months – whatever is needed. Therefore, I had to catch this truck quick because its first load could see him in the Northern Territory for a couple of weeks. I couldn’t wait that long!

My lack of patience, especially when it comes to eye catching trucks, means I snapped this immaculate example of Aussie engineering before it had its first load. It will have it soon, though; that I can guarantee.

This truck has been built to keep up with Andrew, its owner. He’s a man not afraid to get in and get his hands dirty.

Growing up on a farm, Andrew is not afraid of digging in. He went out working for himself in 1987 after he bought a 1978 SAR tipper and, with a dog in tow, started doing contract work for McMahons contracting out of Alice Springs. It didn’t take long for his work ethic to be noticed and work increased. Before his 30th birthday, Andrew had added an R-model Mack to the fleet and then a Mack Super-Liner.

The three-truck fleet worked throughout Western Australia and Darwin for McMahons, again doing road construction, mining, civil work. All the clean, easy jobs.

After the big floods of 1991, Andrew found himself back in Queensland, carting for the Winton and Jericho Shires during the rebuild phase. It was here that the opportunity came to challenge himself once again with something new.

As would be the trait with Andrew, he looked to find clean, easy work (there’s a high level of sarcasm in that sentence in case you missed it). Andrew went from tipping work to carting livestock, which is even harder work and more crap, quite literally. I’m talking

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Above: There’s a regular parade of stunning Kenworth trucks that sit under the Brown & Hurley Toowoomba awning, but Andrew’s has raised the roof for sure Below, Left to Right: Massive – there’s not many other words needed; Check out the dual roll-out fridges fitted

by Icepack Services. Stacking them on top allows for plenty of room elsewhere in the truck Opposite bottom: ‘Just Quietly’ has come a long way from when Andrew first saw it in the AIR CTI shed, getting the premium system installed

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trailers and trailers of crap. This change in direction came about in 1993, when Andrew sold off the SAR and the R-model and purchased Peninsula Freighters in Georgetown, Far North Queensland. The purchase netted him a Mack Valueliner and a Mercedes-Benz as well as several stock trailers.

“The Mercedes was fairly well worn,” Andrew recalls, going on to shiver a little as he tried to describe the state of it. He adds that it wasn’t really a selling point when trying to recruit drivers.

“Yeah, I was having trouble getting men, so I decided to trade in my two Macks and get one good truck.”

The move into purchasing his first brand new truck wasn’t an easy step. It also wasn’t one that Andrew took lightly.

“I looked at what Charlie Hudson was doing with his C5s and K series, and the Spicers and all that stuff. We were doing identical work and I took note of all of that,” Andrew explains.

With that in mind he found his way into the Brown & Hurley yard in Townsville, fully equipped to trade in his two Macks and spec up a new C501. A couple of hours later the paperwork was signed and Andrew had his first brand new truck – a 1995 T950.

Wait, what? Yep, Andrew went in to get a C5 and walked out with a T950.

Big ideas As I mentioned earlier, Andrew is very much an old school bloke.

He’s grown up with old school values and attitude, which is obvious when he explained a vital ingredient of his success.

“Don’t think you know everything. Listen to the right people, the people who know what they are talking about,” Andrew says.

He adds that sometimes it’s best to “listen and shut your mouth”.

Those attributes saw his plans change in that Brown & Hurley office all those years ago. He listened to the salesman and learnt what would work for his company. That’s why his big ideas of a C5 were transformed into a T950.

That’s not to say it wasn’t all smooth sailing with his first brand new truck, especially seeing as the T950s had the new electronic engines in them. There were definitely a few gremlins, but in Andrew’s opinion the Townsville team really stepped up and helped forge his loyalty to the Kenworth brand.

ownerdriver.com.au

24/5/2022 8:29 pm

“Brown & Hurley were right there for me,” Andrew recalls. “Where I was working, the gulf country, it’s hard country. Hard on gear and hard on men. But Brown & Hurley were right behind me.”

The bond he formed with not just the Townsville Brown & Hurley crew but also the Kenworth brand saw him add several more Kenworths to his fleet as it expanded. By the time Andrew sold up Hickeys Livestock in 2002 there was almost the entire Kenworth gamut spread among the fleet including, finally, a big C501.

Before we eventually get back to the awesome C509 I do have to mention another little Andrew story. I shouldn’t say ‘little’ as it was a major event in the rise of Hickey Livestock. If you thought heading into a sales office to buy a C501 and walking out with a T950 was a bit of a detour, how about walking into a transport yard to buy a second-hand stock trailer and walking out with the transport company? That’s exactly what happened to Andrew.

In 1998, with Peninsula Freighters going strong, Andrew stopped in at McIvor’s Transport in Charters Towers to purchase a second-hand stock trailer. While there the idea was broached: “How about you buy the whole lot?” That was three trucks – Kenworth SARs – and about 12 trailers with close to 30 decks. Once again Andrew sought the advice of those around him, looked at all the facts and figure and backed himself.

“I made the decision. Sorting it out was the bank’s problem after that,” he jokes.

The purchase of McIvor’s saw the disappearance of the Peninsula Freighters name and the emergence of Hickey Livestock. The company moved millions of animals around some of the toughest country Australia has. Andrew was always there alongside the other drivers, never shying away from the work.

In 2002, he sold up and sought to chase a new challenge. He chose to become a farmer.

“It wasn’t an easy choice to sell,” Andrew admits.

“I’d taken it from two trucks to seven triples. I get very attached; the company was a part of me.”

Selling it to his good friends at Curley Cattle Transport helped ease that loss, though.

From the tough conditions of Australia’s cape, Andrew bought a farm down near Pittsworth and proceeded to become one of Australia’s most successful Parthenium hysterophorus farmers. Before you reach for your phone to google that, it was my way of trying to put lipstick on a pig, trying to dress up Andrew’s own admission.

“All I grew was weeds!” Andrew admits.

“I actually asked an agronomist if I was planting

my seeds upside down because they definitely weren’t growing up. That’s when he told me it was time to get out of farming.”

Again, Andrew listened to the right people. He had spent around seven years trying his hand at farming with no luck. Being a successful weed farmer in Queensland is not the same as being a successful weed farmer in Amsterdam or California. On to the next challenge for Andrew – let’s try digging holes.

With his Toyota ute and a Bobcat in tow, Andrew

“If you are on a crap road you can drop 10psi out of the drives.”

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started cleaning up drilling sites. Just small jobs that lead to bigger jobs, then bigger jobs with bigger equipment, then bigger jobs with drilling rigs. Next thing you know, it’s seven years later and Andrew has five drilling rigs, 15 trucks, 80-plus employees and a highly successful new business.

By this stage in his working life Andrew has had more than a few 21st birthdays under his belt and is looking to get back to the things he enjoys –trucking. Andrew sold up the drilling business and bought himself a second-hand T908 to get back on the road.

“I was a bit too old to go back to livestock. If I hurt myself it’ll take a fair bit longer for recovery,” Andrew admits. “So I bought some tippers and started doing grain and stuff.”

The lifestyle didn’t really suit him and instead he ended up focusing on more flattop and general freight work. His connections ensured that he had plenty to do to keep him and his one truck operation busy.

This brings us up to a couple of years ago. When Andrew started contemplating the final truck he would buy, he wanted something special.

“I had a vision in my head of what I wanted, something that represents the last 40-odd years in transport,” Andrew says. The problem was how to get it out of his head and onto the road. Step up Angus Short, one of Toowoomba’s Brown & Hurley salesman and, as Andrew puts it, “a very patient man!”.

“It got to the point when I walked into the office Angus would say, ‘OK, what are we buying today?’. My plans just kept changing.”

Eventually, in March last year, a C509 was locked in.

Andrew knew he would be all over Australia and in every possible environment, so he needed something durable, capable and reliable.

It also needed to be something he could live in for long periods of time so the 60-inch (152cm) bunk was an automatic choice.

The problem for Andrew was he just didn’t feel

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“I knew I wanted an old school look with modern colours.” the standard Kenworth setup would suit his needs. He went to visit Tom O’Neil and the boys at Icepack Service in Toowoomba and explained his situation. The team then set about fulfilling Andrew’s requirements. The standard Kenworth King single bed was kept but out came all the rest. All new cupboards were designed and build, a 3,000W invertor was fitted, TV microwave, dual roll out 40-litre fridges – there’s even a drawer fridge under the passenger seat. Everything was done to keep a balanced, contained look.

Closed cupboards were the preferred look for Andrew, with the addition of a very deep shelf above the cupboards. Let’s not forget there’s also a couple of large lockers underneath the bed as well.

Icepack Services didn’t just stop with the interior, on the outside of the truck you will find a fold-out table with an electrical outlet inside the dogbox so Andrew can set up his

electric hot plates and cook a decent healthy meal when he’s on the road. For those days he’s out in the middle of nowhere and covered in red dirt, he has a shower fitted as well.

After all the useful additions, Icepack Services got stuck into making the truck look amazing with added lights, road train guards, plenty of stainless, all of it complemented by the big King Bar on the front.

Another cool feature of Andrew’s pride and joy is the addition of the Air CTI system. Once again, Andrew sat and listened to the right people when he was investigating a tyre air system that would assist him with the variety of terrain the C509 would encounter.

Talking to the right people led him to Air CTI in Morwell, Victoria, which fitted its top-of-the-line system to Andrew’s truck. The Air CTI system allows for real time monitoring of tyre pressures and real time adjustments.

“It’s bloody good,” Andrew says. “It’s got a loaded setting, empty setting and off-road setting. So you can just push A, B or C then each of those can be adjusted as well.

“If you are on a crap road you can drop 10psi out of the drives … piece of cake. It makes it easier on the load and looks after the gear better.”

Andrew also explains how it is constantly monitoring every tyre so, if he does get a slow leak, he knows about it well before he sees mudguards and tyre tread flying out the side of the truck.

Old school look Now onto the finished look of this big C509. Andrew knew how he wanted the truck to roll out, he had a vision in his head. Getting that vision out of his head though was a whole different issue.

A visit to Tony Gibbs at Truck Writers in Caboolture changed everything for Andrew.

“Tony said he wanted to do the whole thing, give him a blank canvas and he’d get my ideas to work,” he says.

Step one for Tony was to enlist his son, Damian, to help.

Damian Gibbs runs Masterart Design studios and specialises in custom jobs.

“I knew I wanted an old school look with modern colours. I also wanted that Seminole design,” Andrew explains.

“When I sat down with Damian he just got it. We talked and he was able to get the ideas out of my head. He nailed it.”

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It sounds so easy when I write it out like that but the whole job was far from it. Damian estimates nearly 100 hours were put into the truck, just from his end.

“It’s not standard run-of-the-mill paint we used either. We used the cherry stuff that’s normally used only on custom Harleys and stuff,” Damian explains.

I also questioned Damian about his ability to extricate his customers’ thoughts so accurately.

“I guess that’s part of my job. No one really just comes in and says ‘I want this, this and this’. I need to get in their head to see how they see it.”

Andrew is the first to attest that Damian did exactly that with the C509. While Damian was working his magic, he also brought in Damian Gormley from Zealous Airbrush, who set about airbrushing a couple of stunning art pieces on the big 509. All Andrew had said was he loved the old school big boats, he loved hot rods, loved the beach and he wanted not just the back wall but also the inside of the drop visor done. Once again, Andrew was blown away by how spot on Damian #2 had also nailed it.

Then it was just a trip up to Caboolture where Tony Gibbs, the scroll savant, worked his magic and … voila, a 10/10 C509!

Wrapping up I think we should focus on the irony of the trucks name – ‘Just Quietly’. I’m sure you’ve spotted it on the side of this grand work of automotive art. Andrew has spent his life just quietly going about his business. He has always taken pride in his gear and taken pride in the relationships he has built with his customers and his workmates. His iconic Aussie attributes of quiet determination and chasing challenges have seen him succeed in his endeavours. He hasn’t chased attention; he couldn’t spell Instagram yet alone log on to it. Hell, I’m pretty sure his cell phone only makes calls and plays Tetris. He just quietly potters along in the background.

This truck is the cumulation of all those years of quietly getting the job done. While he may still shy away, he is happy for the credit to fall on all of those that made his vision come to life.

From his long-suffering salesman Angus Short to all the boys at Icepack Services and the father and son Gibbs team. All their work has painted a picture worth more than a thousand words – just quietly!

Above: Andrew gave Damian from Zealous Airbrushing a fair bit of freedom when it came to working his magic, and as usual he did not disappoint Left: The finishing touches from Icepack Services really top this work of art off nicely Opposite from top: Even the truck’s name ‘Just Quietly’ is just quietly fitted to this truck; A very handy feature, Icepack Services’ little fold-out kitchen table allows Andrew to plug in his hotplate and cook up a good feed when he’s out bush; Having such accurate management of the tyre pressures will do wonders for both Andrew’s ride and the freights. The AIR CTI system will also no doubt help the tyre life. I’ll be keen to hear how many kms Andrew gets out of these drives

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WILKIE’S WATCH Ken Wilkie

Honest evaluations Our transport industry associations are hiding behind a veil of political correctness

I

t’s Anzac Day and I’m putting finger to keyboard early. It’s the first Anzac Day that I can remember that, by design, I have not attended a dawn service.

We’re committed to take the rattler from Brisbane to Perth in a few days and, on top of not feeling as good as I have at other times, I have also decided not to risk coming down with that dreaded virus.

The treatment that has been allowed to be dished out to road transport by enforcement authorities is an insult to our Anzac ideals. As I’ve said recently, I’ve only just had the existence of podcasts demonstrated to me. I’m now an avid supporter; especially of Copy Southbound.

I am especially both saddened and driven to greater efforts by the interview with Geoff Cootes of the highly respected and industry famous IR Cootes Transport. I have been banging on for some time regarding truth in breach reporting. Even a cursory reading between the lines of Bruce Gunter’s interview with Geoff Cootes should cause even the most politically correct public-spirited member of our ‘esteemed’ associations to question the integrity of claims and actions of much enforcement activity.

An honesty-driven society would be demanding a royal commission into the real causes of some of the most attention-catching accidents involving road transport.

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The Anzacs had a reputation of taking shit from no one. That compliment could not be directed at our current industry leadership.

Political correctness is front and centre of the current groups’ thinking. Which, in real language, means accepting crap rather than speaking out against injustice.

NOISE POLLUTION

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

A couple of comments from the April edition of OwnerDriver deserve further comment. From the Your Say section, Arnold McLean talks about the noise issue and the consequential fatigue impacts for fridge operators. A couple of points – he has discounted the fatigue impacts of noise from those infernal engine-off internal combustion powered cab cooling units on neighbouring retirees. And he has not considered that the ‘just in time’ nature of a considerable amount of refrigeration contracts as being a contributing factor in that sector’s higher accident rate.

Secondly, with due respect to Warren Clark, he has listed his

“Good driver ability makes better roads less of an issue.”

priorities in the wrong order. The very first need – and it is an urgent need – is driver education. It’s along the lines of teaching a person to catch fish to feed his or her family as opposed to simply giving the person a fish. Given the expertise to drive via a comprehensive education, that driver is then able to accommodate less than ideal road situations. Good driver ability makes better roads less of an issue – although it is still an issue. The nation simply does not have the finances to ‘incompetent-proof’ all our roads. Such education will go a long way in taking mental stress off a struggling truck driver population.

OFFICER ERROR My good friend Chris and his son have been in the sights of the enforcement hypocrisy of late. I wrote about that attention in earlier issues. Chris has asked for a review of those breaches.

Talk about hypocrisy. Under the heading 'We will always consider your circumstances', five likely situations are listed, followed by four unlikely factors. The last in the unlikely list states: “An oversight that resulted in you committing the offence”. Bloody hell.

When I was active with the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA), I asked for many reviews where an enforcement officer erred in recording details. “Not to worry”, was the official response. “We’ll correct it and reissue.”

One rule for them and a different one for truckies – and that situation is condoned by our associations.

One of Bruce’s podcasts was with Geoff Rudd. Geoff didn’t admire me because I was critical of associations.

Yes, I have been and am still of that vein.

Yes, there have been many wins and valuable wins. But let’s not let political correctness mire our efforts to get justice and decency restored.

Another bloody hell. I’ve been advised that we are now working to develop a protocol for reversing cameras on heavy vehicles. I suspect another piece of bureaucratic crap in the making.

Imagine the reliability issues with multiple trailers! Which wire does one connect to have the camera working on the third trailer because the information coming from the second or first could only be a blank wall.

When is salesmanship of technology going to be replaced by a recognition that we need to stop dumbing down drivers – and that needs to be all drivers? A logical replacement must be comprehensive driver education.

I am constantly amazed at the value placed on an education that earns some sort of professional status. Doctor, plumber, schoolteacher – you name it.

But in an activity undertaken by such a high percentage of the population – irrespective of any other professional status achieved, the life and death nature of driving is relegated to the same importance as teaching people how to play cards. And to a lower rating than playing sport.

Driving is an activity that denies the opportunity to measure twice before making the cut; mistakes can and do have fatal consequences.

My required reading this month: The Hard Slog by Karl James.

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25/5/22 8:27 am

PROJECT OUTCOMES

NHVR Sal Petroccitto

Unlocking key routes The Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project will strengthen Australia’s road network

T

he National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) manages the access of heavy vehicles on Australia’s road network to ensure a safe, efficient and sustainable industry. Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) local government road managers must consent to heavy vehicle access for their road network, based on vehicle, travel and road conditions.

With more than 24,000 local governmentowned bridges across Australia, understanding every single structure’s condition and access capability is time consuming and costly.

In 2019, we received $7.96 million in grant funding from the federal government to establish the Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP).

The SLGAAP delivers funded engineering assessments of bridges and culverts to road managers, giving them a more comprehensive understanding of their road asset to better inform decisions relating to their heavy vehicle network.

In Phase One of the project, close to 400 assets were assessed across 74 councils.

In many cases, local councils started the assessment process unsure about approving access for heavy vehicle types to travel across their asset. However, by the end, they confidently granted pre-approval for select classes of heavy vehicles.

This has resulted in a number of great outcomes for operators and councils, with access opening up over previously underrated assets, enabling drivers to use shorter, safer routes. Road managers and operators were also able to save time, while maintaining safety and infrastructure outcomes.

Based on the success of Phase One, SLGAAP received a further $12.1 million from the

federal government in 2021 to continue the project for three years. We expect over 1,000 assets to be completed over the course of the project.

KEY ROUTES Nominations for Phase Two are now open and we are encouraging local councils to apply for their assets to receive funded engineering assessments. Nominations can be submitted through the NHVR Portal.

During this Phase, we will prioritise assets located on key freight routes that deliver whole of network journey outcomes.

Another component to Phase Two is the introduction of the concept of ‘bridge families’ to support safe and efficient heavy vehicle movement.

A ‘bridge family’ approach is where similar assets are grouped by age, construction material and type. The capability of one asset can be applied to each asset in the same group to analyse access across each asset within the group.

Using bridge families will enable road managers to use their network in a costeffective way.

Another functionality we’re close to delivering is an Asset Rapid Assessment Tool (ARAT) that will enable road managers to enter in specific details of a vehicle requesting access and compare it to a reference vehicle. This will generate bridge assessment results in minutes.

We have collaborated with a small cohort of councils to test and provide feedback on the ARAT functionality, and I am excited to launch the tool soon.

Through our National Spatial Program, all road managers will be able to better plan, manage and publish their heavy vehicle networks and supporting road asset data in

SAL PETROCCITTO became CEO of the NHVR in May 2014, bringing extensive knowledge of heavy vehicle policy, strategy and regulation to the role. He has broad experience across state and local government, having held senior leadership roles in transport and logistics, land use, transport and strategic planning, and has worked closely with industry and stakeholders to deliver an efficient and effective transport system and improved supply chain outcomes. Over the past seven years, Sal has led a significant program of reform across Australia’s heavy vehicle industry, including transitioning functions from participating jurisdictions to deliver a single national heavy vehicle regulator, harmonising heavy vehicle regulations across more than 400 road managers, and modernising safety and productivity laws for heavy vehicle operators and the supply chain.

• Completed 394 bridge assessments and related engineering reports • Assessed 112 vehicle configurations across selected assets • Worked with 74 councils to better understand their asset capacity • Developed a prototype Asset Rapid Assessment Tool • Development of resources for road managers, including Asset Assessment Framework in the Road Manager Toolkit • Updated data for 1134 assets in the NHVR Portal Digital Asset Management (ongoing).

PHASE TWO SELECTION AND PRIORITISATION CRITERIA • Freight and land use connectivity • Regional network access • Heavy vehicle demand or traffic composition • Functional classification or road hierarchy • Lifeline function • Strategic alignment.

PHASE TWO PRIORITIES

• Identifying assets on key routes for whole-of-journey network improvement • Undertaking targeted asset assessments • Developing a framework for bridge family assessment • Progressing Asset Rapid Assessment Tool functionality in the NHVR Portal • Delivering additional road manager education and training.

the NHVR Portal. The platform will provide access to a comprehensive national database of road and bridge asset conditions.

As you can see, we are on the cusp of unlocking more capabilities to deliver further tangible, efficient benefits for road managers and industry.

For more information on SLGAAP visit nhvr.gov.au

“This will generate bridge assessment results in minutes.”

MOORE

Moore

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 07 4693 1088 www.mooretrailers.com.au ownerdriver.com.au

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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

The blues are rockin' A country rock legend travels down the blues road

Country Corner JERRY JEFF Steve Earle & The Dukes

New West Records www.steveearle.com

SKELETONS Damon Smith

HEAVY WAX Heavy Wax

HEADFUL OF SUGAR Sunflower Bean

Independent www.damonmarcsmith.com

Independent www.heavywaxband.com

Liberator/Mom+Pop www.sunflowerbeanband.com

Damon Smith, born in Perth, based in Melbourne but with his heart in New Orleans, has found time between film projects to present his new album, Skeletons. Ensconced on his piano stool, Smith’s music is like a blend of Dr John and Randy Newman on these 11 tracks, with a little help from saxophonist Wilbur Wilde, jazz pianist Barney McAll, the horns of Melbourne’s Sugarfoot Ramblers and a whole lot more local musicians.

‘Midlife Clarity Blues’ is a short, whimsical blues-flavoured track, there’s nice guitar work on the comical ‘You’ve Got To Move On (Skeletons)’ and Smith ramps up the piano, boogie style, on ‘Midlife Crisis Blues’.

There is a melancholy air to ‘Led Me To A Goldmine’, and there’s more “crying in your beer” on ‘Wrapped Up & Obsolete’, one of the album’s more relaxed tracks.

Skeletons is released on June 17.

Eight-piece funkrock band Heavy Wax hail from Queensland’s Gold Coast and, although releasing seven singles, this 10-track self-titled album is their debut.

Heavy Wax had its origins 50 years ago with Madison Kat, a band that boasted the father and uncle of lead singer Quin Samin and trombone player Guy Samin.

Drummer Dave Amphlett, a nephew of the late Divinyls’ lead singer Chrissy Amphlett, heads up the rhythm section that presents a brilliant slow groove on ‘Can’t Shake The Thought Of You’. ‘Hey Baby’ has an irresistible beat behind Quin Samin’s jazz-tinged vocals, and the horns come to the fore on the funky ‘Straight To The D’. Liam Kirk’s keyboards battle with the trombone on the rhythmic ‘Bourbon Street Swindler’, and the smooth jazz tones on ‘Trip Inside’ is an apt finale.

A big album from a big band.

The sounds of psychedelia are alive and well and living in Headful Of Sugar, US pop-rock band Sunflower Bean’s new album. Bass player and lead vocalist Julia Cumming mixes it up, her waiflike tones at times resembling the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser, as on ‘In Flight’. However, on ‘Roll The Dice’ Cumming is more forthright; it’s a song about gambling against the so-called “American dream”.

‘Who Put You Up To This?’ is another solid track as Cumming sings of “being a bitch in another life”. Guitarist-songwriter Nick Kivien takes lead vocal duties on the title track, delivering some atmospheric licks as well; ‘I Don’t Have Control Sometimes’ is about spilling secrets, while the frenzied track ‘Feel Somebody’ is like an out-ofbody experience. Despite the title, the wellproduced Headful Of Sugar is not too sweet but full of genuine inventiveness.

Steve Earle, who made his name delivering edgy country rock, has moved more towards traditional country over the years, notably with a series of tribute albums (including one to his deceased son). The latest, Jerry Jeff, recognises the song writing talents of the late Jerry Jeff Walker.

With his “down home” band The Dukes, Earle covers Walker’s best-known song ‘Mr Bojangles’. He lifts the tempo for the rollicking ‘Gypsy Songman’, the mood replicated on ‘I Makes Money (Money Don’t Make Me)’, a song about chasing the almighty dollar. ‘Charlie Dunn’ is about a famous Texas bootmaker, ‘My Old Man’ is a quiet, acoustic number with Earle’s weathered vocals sounding particularly emotive, while ‘Old Road’ is basically Earle and harmonica.

DROPOUT BOOGIE The Black Keys

ENDLESS ROOMS Rolling Blackouts C.F.

UNKNOWN Wesley Dean

RICH WHITE HONKY BLUES Hank Williams Jr

Easy Eye/Nonesuch www.theblackkeys.com

Ivy League Records www.rollingblackoutsband.com

AHP Records www.wesleydeanmusic.com

The Black Keys (Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney) have followed 2021’s collection of blues favourites Delta Kream with Dropout Boogie, their 11th album. The radio single ‘Wild Child’, with grinding riffs and girl-chasing lyrics, is the ideal opener. Guest musician Billy F Gibbons from ZZ Top adds his dirty licks to ‘Good Love’ and the boys play the losing game on ‘It Ain’t Over’, a track that’s slightly subdued while maintaining a rock edge.

‘Burn The Damn Thing Down’ is basic midpaced rock and a vehicle for Auerbach’s lead guitar solos, ‘Happiness’ is grungy, then The Black Keys synchronise vocals and guitar melody lines for ‘Your Team Is Looking Good’. ‘Baby I’m Coming Home’ raises the bar with its Led Zeppelin-type riffs and mid-track tempo change, while ‘How Long’ is light and breezy, to a point.

It’s 20 years since The Black Keys' debut album and they’ve continued to maintain their high standards.

Endless Rooms, the third album for Melbourne five-piece indie rock band Rolling Blackouts C.F. (the C.F. stands for Coastal Fever), echoes the situation for many music artists in recent times.

Instead of touring in 2021 the band members set about writing new material.

‘Tidal River’, with its energetic pace and fleeting, high-pitched guitar licks, is positively post punk. ‘The Way It Shatters’ is similar, albeit with a stronger melody line, while ‘My Echo’ equals the tempo of the previous two as the band sings of negative “screens”, from phones to TV. ‘Open Up Your Window’, with its midpaced beat, illustrates the band’s diversity, as does ‘Caught Low’, which delves into ambient rock territory. ‘Dive Deep’, with a trademark guitar riff, leans towards soft rock as compared to the driving road track ‘Vanishing Dots’. With three guitarists in the band, you know that’s what you’re going to get on Endless Rooms.

Anyone who watched Australian Idol in 2008 would recall Wesley Dean Carr, or Wes Carr for short, taking out the top prize and going on to release the gold-selling album The Way The World Looks. In a possible attempt to distance himself from those successful pop years, Wesley Dean (as he now prefers to be known) has released his first album in four years, invigorated by his frequent time spent in Nashville, Tennessee. The new album, simply titled Unknown, is a 14-track mix of rock, roots music and country rock. On ‘Gaslighter’, a song about testing himself, Dean’s vocals resemble those of a harder-edged Keith Urban. Grinding guitars are a feature of ‘Gateway 7’, a song of self-reflection, and he sings of missing his family on ‘Leave Adelaide Alone’. ‘Never Goin Back To The Darkside’ is, as the title suggests, darker; and ‘Never Thought Of You’, is a slowpaced country rock track dealing with the aftermath of divorce. Recommended.

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Easy Eye Sound www.hankjr.com

For his first album in six years, Hank Williams Jr headed to the Nashville studio of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys to record Rich White Honky Blues. The result has Williams venturing down the delta blues path. That’s most evident on ‘Georgia Women’, a slide guitar-laden cover of the R.L. Burnside track. ’44 Special Blues’ is an adaptation of Robert Johnson’s ’32-20 Blues’, and Williams tackles the straight 12-bar blues of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ ‘My Starter Won’t Start’. Another Hopkins’ track, ‘Short Haired Woman’, is again a straight blues piece, and Willliams delivers his own song ‘Call Me Thunderheard’, ending the album with the country gospel track ‘Jesus Will You Come By Here’. Rich White Honky Blues is released on June 17.

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

WHAT’S ON upcoming events ALEXANDRA TRUCK UTE & ROD SHOW June 12, 2022. Alexandra, Victoria The Alexandra Truck, Ute & Rod Show will make its long-awaited return to the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June 2022. Sunday’s Show ’n Shine on Alexandra’s main street includes live music, the 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 drivers’ memorial service at 2pm and sponsors’ dinner at 6pm.

Countdown to Brisbane is on

It’s less than a year until the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show and the big brands will be back The countdown is on – it is 365 days until the doors open for the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show, which will return to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre next May 18–21.

The event promises the biggest line-up of trucks, trailers, components, equipment and technology in the Southern Hemisphere – the big brands under one roof.

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), organiser of the Brisbane Truck Show, says this includes the likes of Volvo, Penske, Isuzu, Hino and Cummins who are all locked in and reportedly looking for opportunities to extend their presence.

HVIA national events manager Noelene Bradley says the response from exhibitors has been overwhelming.

“We are delighted and humbled by the enthusiasm of all exhibitors to return for BTS23, including those that were prevented from making it to last to the show.

“From an attendee point of view that sets us up for a compelling, value for money event.

“And that is before we even start talking about all the external events such as the South Bank Truck Festival – all going from strength to strength,” Bradley says.

“For our exhibitors, we seek to make your participation as rewarding as possible; primarily by getting the right people to the event, in large numbers – but also through the added opportunities to maximise your presence at the show and across the week of events.

“There is no doubt we are continuing to break new ground and next year’s truck show will be a benchmark setting, world-class event.

“It’s great to have everyone back on board.”

With one year to go, Bradley says the takeaway message is: “Don’t waste any time and start making plans.”

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

CASINO TRUCK SHOW August 6, 2022. Casino, NSW Show sponsored by North Coast Petroleum. The Truck Parade will roll through Johnston and Centre Streets from 10am on Saturday. Truck registration ($30 each) from 6am at the Casino Industrial Area on the town’s east side. Includes live music, amusements and markets. Over $12,000 in cash and prizes. Presentation at 2pm. Plus plenty of blingedup trucks from all across Australia will be parked in the CBD. For further info go to www.casinotruckshow.com.au and Facebook at www.facebook.com/casinotruckshow or emailinfo@casinotruckshow. com.au or Darren Goodwin at dtgoodwin1@yahoo.com.au

MEGATRANS 2022 August 24 to 26, 2022. Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Victoria MEGATRANS is an integrated trade exhibition and conference showcasing the full freight and logistics supply chain, spanning warehousing and logistics, through to multimodal freight and final mile delivery.

For further details and tickets, see the website www.megatrans.com.au

LIGHTS ON THE HILL MEMORIAL CONVOY October 1 & 2, 2022. Gatton, Queensland The 2022 Lights on the Hill Memorial Convoy is planned to be held on October 1 en route to Gatton Showgrounds with the memorial service to be held on October 2 at the Lake Apex Memorial wall. Live music at the showgrounds includes The Wolfe Brothers, Josh Setterfield, Hayley Jensen, Will Day, Kerry Kennedy & Double Barrel and more.

For further information go to the Lights On The Hill website or see the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lightsonthehillmemorial

NATROAD CONFERENCE 2022 October 20 to 22, 2022. Gold Coast, Queensland After a difficult two years for road freight operators, NatRoad is pleased to invite members to the NatRoad National Conference 2022, to be held at the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Gold Coast from October 20 to 22. Includes the ‘NatRoad Parliament’ and the NatRoad Awards presented at the Gala Dinner.

For further info see the website at www.natroad.com.au

I98FM ILLAWARRA CONVOY November 20, 2022. Appin South 32 Colliery to Shellharbour Airport, NSW The Illawarra community’s 17th annual big convoy. Bikes will leave Illawarra Coal’s Westcliff Colliery on Appin Rd at around 8.15am, followed by family buses then lead trucks. Non-lead trucks join at Maddens Plains to Mount Ousley, Warrawong to Shellharbour Airport.

Family fun day at Shellharbour airport (COVID restrictions permitting).

Fundraising will continue on-line with a silent auction, raffles and merchandise, with monies raised to be distributed via the Illawarra Community Foundation to charities and families in need within the Illawarra and South Coast regions.

For further information visit www.illawarraconvoy.com.au or see the convoy’s Facebook site at www.facebook.com/i98fmillawarraconvoy

VOLVO GROUP BACK ON DECK FOR BRISBANE – SEE PAGE 76

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

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B-double test drives

DIFFERENT DOUBLES FOR DIFFERENT DEEDS

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Mack Anthem and Fuso Shogun.

They are perhaps as different as two trucks can possibly be and, fittingly, they are largely designed for significantly different roles

Y

et, in recent times, and just weeks apart, we took the opportunity to drive each in B-double configuration.

Obviously enough, Anthem’s flagship model with its long-awaited stand-up cab and well-appointed 36-inch sleeper is primarily a linehaul runner, with a reinvigorated 535hp (398kW) MP8 engine showing plenty of punch and respectable fuel economy on a tough run from Brisbane down a wet and windswept New England Highway.

On the other hand, Fuso’s flagship is a Shogun sporting an all-Daimler powertrain headed by a 510hp (380kW) engine, which gives the brand a significant performance

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edge over its Japanese competitors, particularly in shorthaul and regional B-double roles where the Japanese brands traditionally struggle to challenge the hold of the Europeans.

Yes, Anthem and Shogun are as different as they come, but each is a vital part of global powerhouses – Volvo and Daimler – and in their own fashion, showcase the extent of truck developments and applications unique to the Australian market.

Our technical editor Steve Brooks filed these extensive reports for OwnerDriver.

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Mack Anthem B-double road test

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ANTHEM IN TUNE

It’s hard to think of a new truck design creating more diverse opinions than Mack’s Anthem. Those who like the look, seem to like it quietly. Those who don’t, tend to dislike it loudly. Whatever the opinion, though, a recent linehaul B-double run highlighted a Mack with impressive handling and road manners, and a fortified 13-litre engine with a distinct willingness to bite harder and dig deeper. Steve Brooks reports

W

hen a brand with such an iconic identity as Mack comes up with a hood design as brazenly, even fearlessly distinctive as Anthem, it’s as certain as a dog licking its chops – or any other part of its anatomy for that matter – that opinions will vary wildly, from politely positive to downright demeaning.

Like it or loathe it, Anthem is far more than just a radical new hood and, critically, vastly more than just a replacement for the superseded Granite model.

It is, in fact, a vital and certainly overdue platform for a Mack resurgence centred on the ability to provide a stand-up cab; not just for Anthem but also its more established Trident and Super-Liner siblings. And make no mistake, Mack needed a stand-up cab to put it in the ballpark where its conventional competitors have long had an edge.

Anthem is, however, also a vital conduit for a Mack future that is likely to have little in common with its past pedigree other than the classic dog on the snout. Controlling Anthem’s core functions, for instance, is significantly enhanced electrical architecture known within the kennel club as the ‘Tier II bridge’.

It is, in effect, an electrical system adapted from Volvo Group’s network to ‘bridge’ the technological gap between Mack and its cab-over kin, thus providing Anthem and its siblings – except for the Cummins-powered Metro-Liner – with the advanced operational and efficiency functions already existing in Volvo models. Like, functions designed to utilise crawler gears in Mack’s mDrive automated transmission, to streamline MP8 13-litre engine efficiencies with more refined fuel delivery and injection processes, and provide for the implementation of modern-day innovations such as

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predictive cruise control and eco-roll.

All up, simply a smarter electrical package that also allows Mack to make the most of critical hardware updates on the MP8 Euro 5 engine, designed to improve performance and efficiency through the use of a new turbocharger and redesigned injectors, cylinder liners and pistons.

Updates that were introduced in Volvo’s equivalent D13 engine more than a year ago.

Have no doubt, though, all these notable and worthwhile enhancements are just a stepping stone to a wide-ranging development program being undertaken to ultimately take Mack to an entirely new level. Or at least, that’s the message coming through loud and clear from Volvo Group Australia (VGA) and its senior Mack operatives.

As VGA chief Martin Merrick confidently expressed in our exclusive interview earlier this year: “We’re investing over a hundred million dollars over the next three years in the Mack product,” eagerly adding: “I met with Martin Weissburg [Mack Trucks president] … and the commitment to Mack in Australia is unwavering.

“Mack Trucks Australia is absolutely a key market,” Merrick emphasised, insisting that a new day is dawning for Mack.

Just when that day will dawn Down Under remains to be seen but it’s perhaps reasonable to assume that if $100 million is to be spent on Mack development “over the next three years”, 2025 is a fair guesstimate when an entirely new bulldog might hit the Australian market. Time will tell!

While questions about new product plans were politely and predictably deflected during the interview, Merrick nonetheless offered a surprising concession on the creation of what will be almost certainly an entirely new generation of Mack trucks: “I can’t share with you the timeline or exact details but it will not be a makeover. It will be a completely

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“The task for Anthem and its home-grown Trident and Super-Liner brothers will be to keep the dog barking loud and proud.” new product. A new platform,” he said with absolute assurance.

On the assertion that any completely new Mack will be largely based on Volvo’s North American VN conventional range, Merrick paused for a moment before candidly commenting: “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.”

In other words, don’t expect any new Mack to be simply a right-hand drive version of a Volvo US conventional with a bulldog bolted on the beak, but certainly expect a powertrain and driveline utilising the deep technological resources of Volvo Group, tucked under a bold cab and hood designed to be unmistakeably Mack.

At least, that’s the vibe coming through from the top of the executive tree.

Between now and then, though, the task for Anthem and its home-grown Trident and Super-Liner brothers – operationally emboldened with smarter electronics and extensive software and hardware updates, improved efficiency and, of course, the availability of a stand-up cab with a 36-inch (91cm) hi-rise sleeper – will be to keep the dog barking loud and proud, and in the process

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build a solid launch pad for the eventual emergence of an entirely new breed of bulldog.

Meantime, while Anthem’s external appearance may be still an acquired taste for some, a B-double run from Brisbane to Sydney down the arduous New England Highway at least confirmed the old adage that a book should never be judged by its cover.

Quite simply, Anthem’s handling and overall road manners were arguably the best this commentator has ever experienced in a Mack while underneath, hardware and software changes to the MP8 engine have created a notably more determined and willing workhorse with the capacity to surprise and impress in equal parts.

Dogged performance The test truck was the same pre-production sleeper cab unit driven on its maiden run around 18 months earlier in a short, unofficial leg of the Pacific Highway with a single trailer in tow.

Specified for a range of regional and linehaul roles, and undoubtedly the flagship of the Anthem entourage, the demonstrator carried a gross combination mass rating of 64 tonnes and on a 4,485mm wheelbase, sported fuel capacity of over 1,400 litres and 150 litres of AdBlue. And, like its Trident and Super-Liner siblings, Anthem comes with the full Bendix Wingman safety system as a standard item.

Since then, the truck had accumulated almost

35,000km on various promotional and test drive events, the latest as a race transporter for the high-profile Patriot Campers company. Yet, while it’s unlikely the wrapping of the underlying red paintwork in the darkly austere ‘Patriot – Get Lost’ livery did much to enhance Anthem’s visual appeal, it wasn’t long after leaving Volvo’s Wacol precinct that the truck started to show qualities far more vital than the visual.

Hooked to a B-double set and grossing close to 59 tonnes, the intention was to head over the demanding climb of the new Toowoomba Bypass to pick up the Newell Highway and head south to Gilgandra, then hooking east to Newcastle along the fluctuating conditions of the Golden Highway.

However, it became apparent soon after leaving Toowoomba’s outskirts that flooded Queensland roads and extensive delays required a change of plans to take the less travelled and considerably more challenging New England Highway. On the fierce grades and often poor road and weather conditions of the New England, the Anthem would need to be doing its best work.

Still, the drag over the Toowoomba Range had already signalled a powertrain with plenty of punch. It had been two years or more since last driving either a Volvo or Mack 13-litre engine at B-double weights but, even so, there was soon no doubt the recent software and hardware updates had made the 535hp (393kW) MP8 a distinctly more determined performer.

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Top, Left to Right: Road work.

Overall handling and road manners of the Anthem demonstrator set a new standard for Mack. Performance of the improved MP8 engine was formidable; Standing tall. The big asset for Anthem and its SuperLiner and Trident brothers is a stand-up cab and well-appointed 36 inch sleeper.

Left: The Anthem demonstrator’s first run was down the Pacific Highway, sporting the same cab and sleeper on a Super-Liner

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On the steepest pinches of the Toowoomba climb, for example, with eighth gear locked in manual mode on the steepest grade, the engine displayed a tenacious trait to fight hard for every rev, at no stage dropping any lower than 1,200rpm.

A quick look at the engine’s performance chart reveals why there’s such a strong propensity for dogged performance. Top torque of 2,600Nm (1,920lb-ft) is consistent from 1,050 to 1,450rpm while peak power (393kW/535hp) is on stream from 1,450 to 1,900rpm, providing the MP8 with formidable pulling power and quick throttle response through a broad and efficient span of the rev range.

Obviously enough, the MP8 feeds into Mack’s mDrive automated shifter but, nowadays, it’s more than simply the standard 12-speed transmission derived from Volvo’s super-smooth I-shift box. It took a while and needed the integration of the Tier II electrical platform to become a reality and finally catch up with its Volvo counterpart, but mDrive is now also available in 13-speed HD and 14-speed XHD form with one and two crawler gears, respectively, and each version able to be specified with a direct-drive or overdrive (0.78:1) top gear.

Wisely perhaps, the Anthem test truck was fitted with the direct-drive HD box that provides a deep reduction crawler cog of 19.38:1 and the availability of six reverse

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gear ratios including a wall-climbing bog cog of 37.49:1.

For interest’s sake, bottom forward gear in the 14-speed XHD is a stump-pullin’ 32.04:1 and again, 37.49:1 in reverse.

With the direct-drive box feeding into a relatively tall 3.09:1 rear axle ratio, the Anthem clocked 100km/h at a tick over 1,500rpm. While some might argue it’s a cruise speed a tad high to maximise fuel efficiency, it’s worth pointing out the revamped MP8 has a newfound fondness for digging deep into the rev range and fighting hard to hold higher gears rather than quickly dropping to a lower ratio. In fact, it was at times astonishing to see how the engine would hold onto the top two gears, regularly digging down to 1,100rpm to pull over a hill.

Likewise, it was revealing to see how the powertrain performed on the formidably sharp and remarkably similar grades of Bolivia Hill and Ben Lomond in increasingly treacherous weather. The first was crested in manual mode in seventh gear, dropping down to 1,400rpm while, soon after on Ben Lomond, mDrive was kept in auto and dropped to seventh gear at 1,600rpm.

In both cases, the MP8’s lively response and gritty determination simply reinforced the opinion that the software and hardware changes have created a dog with far more bite.

An equally absorbing exercise was watching the variations in average fuel consumption throughout the run. According to Anthem’s on-board trip computer, the run from Wacol to the base of Toowoomba Range consumed fuel at the rate of 1.8km/litre. After the long haul to the top of the range, the average fell to a reasonable 1.4km/litre but recovered in surprisingly short time back to 1.8km/litre.

After a few delays and detours, the figure had fallen to 1.6km/litre as the truck headed down the New England from Warwick, and despite difficult weather and the highway’s many hardships, stayed there until the flatter country of the Hunter Valley saw the trip average settle on 1.8km/litre (5.37mpg) by the end of the exercise near Newcastle.

Positive handling All things considered, Anthem’s fuel economy on this run was at the very least admirable and, perhaps more accurately, impressive given the New England’s considerable demands.

Perhaps even more admirable and undeniably appreciable were Anthem’s handling and road manners. To be blunt, I’ve rarely been a fan of Mack’s steering characteristics compared to its conventional competitors, particularly in linehaul applications where,

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“Changes to the MP8 engine have created a notably more determined and willing workhorse.” to my mind, the dog has a tendency to wander a tad too much.

Yet, whatever engineers did in development of Anthem’s steering mechanism or geometry, it has resulted in a notably more direct and positive handling performance than any of its kin, and perhaps nowhere more evident or valued than on a New England Highway pocked with potholes and ribbed with rough edges.

The big advance, however, is the stand-up cab attached to a 36-inch hi-rise sleeper and a wild night in the mountains at a cold, wet and windswept Guyra provided the ideal opportunity to put Anthem’s sleeping arrangements to good use.

Before venturing comfortably into the Land of Nod, though, the time was right to take stock of Anthem’s general features. For starters, ride comfort is extremely good with a premium Isri driver’s seat and ample seat and steering wheel adjustment for all shapes and sizes. And for those with a particularly broad girth, a flatbottomed steering wheel provides even more belly room.

Riding on an airbag rear suspension and parabolic springs up front, Anthem’s overall ride quality left nothing to be desired on the highway’s many lumps and bumps. Likewise, forward vision through a two-piece windscreen over a drooping snout is extremely good, as is rear vision through ideally sized and placed mirrors.

It’s worth noting at this point that one of Anthem’s peculiar characteristics is a single latch behind the grille for opening the hood. However, if the cable connecting the latch to the locking points on the rear extremities of the hood isn’t equally tensioned to release both sides at the same time, raising the dog’s snout can

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Top: Safety first. Bendix Wingman ‘Blindspotter’ radar is just one part of an extensive safety package Above, left: On the inside. Mack has worked to modernise the interior layout but a better shift set-up for the transmission would be welcome

become a fiercely frustrating exercise.

Moreover, and squeaking for much of the run down the New England, the driver’s side hood latch failed to lock completely. The test truck did, in fact, have a few minor squeaks and rattles but it’s worth remembering this was a pre-production unit that possibly had not undergone all the strict quality control processes that typify production trucks rolling out of VGA’s Wacol factory.

Back inside, there’s no shortage of driver comfort and convenience features, and for the most part, the gauge layout and control and switchgear functions are practical and neat. But much like Anthem’s unique exterior appearance, there’s no doubt some operators will like the interior cab layout and others won’t.

There’s no escaping the fact that the cab shell has been around for a long time and, with Anthem, Mack has strived to bring some modernity to its newest model. One area, however, that could’ve done with more detailed attention is the push-button transmission control panel on the left of the dash fascia. Compared to the shift levers in its Volvo and UD counterparts and certainly a number of competitors with transmission control wands conveniently mounted on the steering column, mDrive’s shift panel is archaic.

On the positives, though, there’s ample locker space in both the cab and sleeper for a linehaul driver’s many odds and sods but best of all is the ability to stand fully upright – up to 1.828 metres – and retreat easily into an entirely comfortable and well-appointed sleeper. And on the other side of the coin when Nature calls in the wee hours, swing out of bed without bending like a broken broom.

An entirely comfortable sleep and early start soon enough saw the Mack running off Black Mountain as another day of dismal weather set in, making good use of the 500hp (373kW) braking output of Mack’s multi-stage Powerleash retarder. Soon after, the notorious descent of the Moonbi Range was taken easily in sixth gear.

From here on, the Mack simply continued to do its job with complete and efficient ease, leading to the plain conclusion that whatever the opinion of Anthem’s distinctive image, there is more to this truck than meets the eye.

Much more, and it would be a big mistake to underestimate what churns underneath.

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Fuso Shogun B-double road test

T

o state the obvious, there are four Japanese brands contesting the Australian heavy-duty truck market but, in performance terms, only one is truly capable of going head-to-head with European cab-overs in the prime mover and heavy rigid class. Fuso!

Just as truly, though, it is a very odd thing in this day and age of ultra-competitive business and brutal corporate contest that Fuso is the only Japanese competitor with a genuine capacity to tackle the European brands with a modern, efficient, safe and advanced powertrain in the 500hp class.

But why is Fuso the only one of four when there exists, in one form or another, the potential for higher powered versions in all Japanese brands?

Well, from the outside looking in, it appears corporate complexity and executive xenophobia continue to

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dictate what heavy-duty trucks Japan is able or willing to bring to the Australian market.

Indeed, there is perhaps no more fascinating and perplexing study of modern-day truck development than that provided by Japan and its sluggish, even dismissive, attitudes to the Australian heavy-duty sector.

Take Isuzu, for example. It may be the hands-down leader of the Australian truck market but despite a vast model range, Isuzu is the only one of the four Japanese contenders which does not even offer a dedicated model for prime mover or truck ’n dog work. In fact, it achieves its impressive heavy-duty volumes with a bevy of three and four-axle rigid models rather than trucks purposefully designed to tow a trailer or two.

Sure, Isuzu Australia executives desperately yearn for the day when they will be able to offer a true heavy-duty contender but, on current indications, they’re in for a

long wait as the brand’s Japanese masters continue to procrastinate with seemingly boundless predictability.

Then there’s UD, equipped with its impressive Quon, a truck that offers excellent features but, in performance terms, is hamstrung by Volvo’s almost fearful refusal to fit anything bigger than an 11-litre engine topping out at 460hp (343kW). Make no mistake, UD’s local insiders have for a long time rightly believed Quon is capable of broader heavy-duty horizons, nagging Volvo to make its popular 13-litre ‘family’ engine available, but all to no avail.

And now, of course, Isuzu owns UD. So, long story short: Isuzu bought UD from Volvo Group on April 1 last year but it seems somewhere in the contractual morass Volvo is able to keep its versatile 13-litre engine from UD (and apparently Isuzu), thus restraining its Japanese associates from becoming direct competitors

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With all the latest mechanical and technological goodies from Daimler’s MercedesBenz playbook, Fuso’s 510hp (380kW) Shogun is in a league of its own. It is, quite simply, the most powerful and most appealing powertrain in the Japanese heavy-duty class. But don’t go thinking Fuso’s new flagship is a bargain Benz. It most certainly is not and, in the cab, an inferior interior proves it. Steve Brooks writes

FUSO’S BREAKTHROUGH to Sweden’s faithful FM range in the 500-plus class. And perhaps strangest of all, UD continues to be sold here through Volvo Group Australia.

Like I said: complex, and more than a touch xenophobic.

Moving on, Hino now has its much improved and exceptionally well-equipped 700-series heavy-duty range but for reasons that escape layman logic, the Toyotaowned truck maker has not seen fit to push its durable 13-litre engine beyond the existing peak of 480hp (358kW). Therefore, Hino Australia has been largely denied an opportunity to tackle market segments where shorthaul B-doubles and truck ’n four-axle dog trailer combinations now routinely require 500hp and more.

Fuso, however, was not about to miss an opportunity to take a bold step ahead of its competitive countrymen.

Or to be more specific, Fuso’s local leaders at Daimler

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Trucks Australia could see the potential for an advanced 500-plus powertrain and were obviously prepared to fight tooth ‘n’ nail to see the implanting of an advanced engine and drivetrain from corporate colleague, Mercedes-Benz.

It wasn’t easy, though. Nor was it a quick process.

A strong case First, not only did Japan need to be convinced of the potential for a flagship Fuso model drawing on the latest mechanical and technological assets of Daimler Trucks, but Daimler’s German masters needed to be assured that such a move would be a valuable addition to the Australian armoury rather than a threat to its burgeoning Mercedes-Benz business.

Quietly, Mercedes-Benz boffins within Daimler Trucks Australia also shared concerns about their Japanese

partner’s prospective ability to encroach on Benz’s strong sales volumes. Even so, Daimler Trucks Australia chief Daniel Whitehead was adamant that the truck that would become known as the Shogun 510 would add a valuable string to the corporate bow rather than an in-house detriment to the Benz breed.

Eventually, Fuso engineers were given the go-ahead to start extensive testing that, according to a company statement, included “an outback Australian test of an initial prototype in 2017. Extensive hot weather durability testing was also carried out in South Africa and a final production-ready test was undertaken in Australia and New Zealand.”

While all this was happening, Whitehead and his team were fine-tuning a business case for the model’s introduction to the Australian and New Zealand markets where customer support was said to be “highly

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enthusiastic”. The enthusiasm, however, wasn’t just centred on the prospect of a Japanese heavy-duty truck with more than 500hp issuing from a 13-litre family engine already well regarded for its fuel efficiency.

Similarly compelling, according to Fuso’s local interests, was support for a highly advanced Euro 6 powertrain and suite of safety features equal to anything in the European market.

“We pushed hard to get the 13-litre engine into the Shogun for our market because our customers made it clear they wanted a Japanese heavy-duty truck with serious performance,” Whitehead said late last year in a press statement announcing the Shogun 510’s official release. According to the company, more than 50 orders were placed prior to the launch.

With 510hp (375kW) and 2,500Nm (1,844lb-ft) of torque, Daimler confidently states the Shogun 510 was “specifically developed for Australia [and] is the most powerful Euro 6 Japanese truck available”.

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It is, in effect, the same 12.8-litre OM471 six-cylinder engine and driveline under Mercedes-Benz’s 2651 model, and the same powertrain that pushes the higher powered and higher torqued 2653 version.

In both ratings, the engine employs an advanced (asymmetric) turbocharger and what Daimler describes as “the latest generation common rail system with variable pressure boosting for ultimate fuel efficiency”.

The decision, however, to limit Shogun 510 to the same outputs as Benz’s 2651 rather than its higher rated brother was unquestionably a wise move, with the company quick to stifle any suggestion of priming its new Japanese flagship for linehaul work despite a gross combination mass rating of 63 tonnes.

“Designed for metro and intrastate transport, the Shogun 510 is capable of hauling a single or double trailer set or working as a brawny tipper and dog combination,” Fuso’s press statement asserts.

Still, like its Mercedes-Benz equivalent, there’s nothing second-string about the Shogun 510’s performance credentials with maximum power on tap at 1,600rpm and peak torque from 1,100rpm, effectively allowing the 12-speed fully automated transmission – ‘Powershift’ in Benz parlance – to maintain engine speed in a productive and fuel efficient rev range. And like its German counterparts, the Shogun 510 includes the EcoRoll fuel-saving feature and an effective threestage Jacobs engine braking system.

Moreover, all models in Fuso’s upgraded and expanded Shogun range – from 360 to 400, 460 and now 510hp – come with a swag of advanced safety features.

As Fuso states: “All Shogun models benefit from the latest generation of AEBS [advanced emergency braking system] that now uses camera and radar technology to provide enhanced pedestrian sensing capability. This system is standard on all models, as is radar adaptive cruise control.”

Likewise: “Lane departure warning system, a driver airbag, electronic stability program and hill start assistance continue as standard elements of the Shogun safety package.”

Also standard across the range are daytime running lamps and what Fuso describes as “intelligent headlight control which automatically turns on and off the truck’s high beam function in response to traffic”.

On the inside there’s a keyless start button, a seveninch (17.8cm) high resolution touchscreen for various display and control functions while in the premium 510 model, there’s a leather-wrapped steering wheel along with an overall dash and control design straight from the current Mercedes-Benz range. It’s worth noting, though, that with Japan being a righthanddrive country, the wands for engine brake, indicators, gear selection and so on are on opposite sides of the steering column compared to the Mercedes-Benz layout.

Still, it doesn’t take long to adjust. Nor does it take long to realise that while the Shogun 510 has many advanced and hugely worthwhile features adapted from its continental counterpart, Japan’s influence remains unmistakeable and nowhere more noticeable than inside the cab.

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“Daimler Trucks Australia chief Daniel Whitehead was adamant that the truck which would become known as the Shogun 510 would add a valuable string to the corporate bow.”

Above: For metro and shorthaul regional work, Fuso’s Shogun 510 is easily the most potent Japanese truck in the business Left: Daimler Trucks Australia boss Daniel Whitehead is a staunch believer in Fuso’s potential, from the revolutionary eCanter to the Shogun 510. He fought hard for the 510 flagship to become a reality Opposite: Two views. It’s easy to see the Mercedes-Benz influence in the dash and control layout but the driver’s seat is definitely secondrate. So, too, is an archaic internal cab design

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“Put simply, Fuso’s Shogun 510 appears ideally specified for local and shorthaul regional work at gross weights up to its rated GCM of 63 tonnes.”

Road run

Above: Shogun 510 handles highway work reasonably well but its true forte is around-town and running to regional centres Opposite top & bottom: Early days.

Australian prototype testing started back in 2017 and it was only after a long and extensive test program here and overseas that Shogun 510 was approved for the Australian and New Zealand markets

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The Shogun 510 comes in two forms, each defined by wheelbase. In prime mover guise, the truck sits on a 3,910mm spread while the rigid version is on a 4,300mm wheelbase.

Other than that, differences are largely limited to a prime mover model with the option of standard or high-roof cabs, and a rigid version which offers a 4.625:1 final drive ratio as well as the standard 4.222:1 ratio common to both wheelbases.

In either form though, Shogun 510 has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) rating of 26 tonnes and gross combination mass (GCM) of 63 tonnes.

Achieving Euro 6 compliance with a diesel particulate filter and selective catalytic reduction (AdBlue) aftertreatment system, the engine drives through an overdrive 12-speed automated transmission offering three operating modes (Auto, Economy and Heavy) and crawler and rocking functions for tougher conditions.

At the back, a typically dependable Japanese drive tandem with an optional limited slip differential on both axles rides on a four-bag rear air suspension assembly. Up front, long taper-leaf springs and double-acting shocks take the bumps.

Coupled to a Vawdrey curtain-sided B-double set and weighing in at 55 tonnes, the test unit supplied by Daimler Trucks Australia had less than 3,000km on the clock and from the Velocity dealership at Laverton in Melbourne’s industrial west, the plan was to run the truck on what is probably the type of route intended for Fuso’s flagship. That is, a mix of metro traffic and runs into regional areas that, in this case, saw the truck steered north before veering onto the old Hume Highway, through Kilmore and over the testing Pretty Sally climb before spearing across to Broadford, then up to Avenel and return to Laverton on the Hume Freeway to join the crazy traffic antics of Melbourne’s ring road. All up, almost 270km of varied terrain and traffic conditions.

A few things were obvious from the start. From behind the wheel, the general switchgear and control layout is entirely functional and again, typical of the operational ease found in Mercedes-Benz

models. Likewise, the dash readout is clear with standard gauges for speedo, tacho, air pressure, and fuel and AdBlue levels, while shifting to different digital information on the central screen between the gauges is as easy as moving control buttons on the steering wheel arms. Simple and user friendly, familiarity with the various functions comes quickly.

Forward vision is exceptionally good and mirrors are well placed to provide good rear vision without unduly impeding the driver’s right-side view on roundabouts and the like.

However, Fuso’s interior cab design is significantly less likeable than either Hino’s new 700-series or UD’s Quon. Despite the large expanse between driver and passenger seats, there’s only one relatively small compartment next to the driver but two larger storage bins a long stretch away on the other side of a completely unutilised middle section. It is, quite simply, a strange and somewhat convoluted design that also makes the climb from the driver’s seat to the sleeper shelf an awkward and uncomfortable challenge.

Given the size of the cab, it is a strangely inefficient and ineffective use of space.

In fact, it’s as if the interior was designed by three committees: one for the driver’s side, one for the passenger side and one for the middle. And maybe another committee to design an awfully hard driver’s seat that was, by far, the least likeable aspect of the entire truck.

Still, maybe the cab’s shortcomings and a fuel capacity of 400 litres will be just the things to ensure the Shogun 510 is limited to local and relatively shorthaul regional roles rather than aspiring to the linehaul duties where its Benz brethren do so well and sport one of the best European cabs in the business.

Yet, whereas Fuso’s top toiler has the least appealing cab layout of its Japanese counterparts, there’s no question whatsoever that the powertrain puts Fuso way out in front of its compatriot competitors.

Put simply, and with the entire exercise done in auto mode, it was

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easy to conclude that no Japanese truck comes close to the smooth strength and efficiency of the Shogun 510’s performance attributes.

Over the long and historically challenging Pretty Sally climb, for instance, the Shogun 510 hauling 55 tonnes remained in the high range section of the transmission, dropping briefly to seventh gear at 1,700rpm approaching the crest, before quickly moving up through the range and settling smoothly and easily into the rolling countryside.

Driving through a relatively tall 0.775:1 overdrive top gear into a versatile 4.222:1 rear axle ratio, the Fuso notches 100km/h around 1,650rpm but it was on undulating country roads where the impressively responsive 13-litre engine often showed a gritty and occasionally surprising determination to hang onto the top few gears.

For this type of work, the 510 rating appears ideal, and given the few kilometres under its belt and diverse demands of the route, a fuel figure of 1.9km/litre (5.37mpg) was at the very least, respectable.

Equally, on-road manners were generally good. Other than the bum-numbing driver’s seat, overall ride quality was fine and while steering was arguably too light for highway work – typical of heavyduty trucks largely designed for Japanese conditions – it made for easy wheel work in and around the ’burbs.

Put simply, Fuso’s Shogun 510 appears ideally specified for local and shorthaul regional work at gross weights up to its rated GCM of 63 tonnes, with a safety kit second to none. The powertrain is efficient, responsive and shows an enviable tenacity in hilly conditions.

In performance terms it is undeniably a cut above its Japanese competition and the equal of any European contender in a similar power class.

Sure, the cab interior needs a considerable makeover but if you want the best of both worlds from the same stable – a good cab atop the same powertrain – spend the extra and buy a Benz.

The biggest benefit is, perhaps, that Daimler at least provides the choice.

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truck technology

DRIVING ON WATER In the search for an emission-free truck, DAF chooses a slightly different route than the other manufacturers.

Freek Mulder and Robert Servaas report from The Netherlands Photos by Maurice Volmeyer

T

he Paris Climate Agreement has ratified that 15 per cent less CO2 should be emitted in 2025 compared to 2019. In 2030, this percentage will rise to 30 per cent. In order to achieve these objectives, road transport must also play its part by using trucks that produce less emissions.

The first solutions for emission-free transport are now available in the form of fully electric trucks. The biggest challenge here is obtaining the widest possible range with the highest possible load capacity.

Currently, the range of an electric truck varies from 100 to 300 kilometres. In many cases, this is sufficient for distribution and urban transport, but it is not yet a solution for national transport. Furthermore, there are some other challenges to solve in the event of a massive transition to electric driving, such as an adequate charging infrastructure and an electricity grid that can cope with the gigantic demand.

Fuel cell That is why various manufacturers are developing alternatives such as hydrogen-powered trucks. Hydrogen has a number of advantages. Firstly, when mounting multiple tanks, it ensures a greater range. Refuelling is faster than charging an electric truck and fewer heavy batteries are needed. Most truck manufacturers use a technique consisting of a fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity and water with which, through the intervention of a battery, an electric motor is driven. The water vapour is discharged through the exhaust.

The battery provides the storage of electricity to cope with the fluctuations of production by the fuel cell. This is necessary because a fuel cell benefits from a process that is as constant as

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“The biodiesel is actually made green from our waste streams.”

Above: From the inside, only the extra hydrogen meter stands out Below: The meter keeps the driver up-to-date with the amount of hydrogen remaining and its temperature Bottom, L to R: The diesel tank has been replaced by four hydrogen tanks with a combined capacity of 10kg; The four tanks fit seamlessly to the chassis

possible. This way, there is always electricity available to drive and accelerate the truck. The production of hydrogen is not yet an energy-efficient solution. Still, this can be super interesting.

Think of the excess electricity from wind turbines and solar panels. By converting this into hydrogen you suddenly have the opportunity to store it.

Biodiesel Within the Paccar group, DAF has been given the opportunity to take a different path in the development of a zero-emission (medium) long-distance truck. In the United States, Paccar is testing the use of hydrogen propulsion with fuel cell technology.

In doing so, it is working in partnership with Toyota, which already has the necessary knowledge in this area.

Within Paccar, DAF is the engine supplier and it still sees an important role for the old combustion engine, but fed with hydrogen instead of diesel or liquid natural gas.

“It’s very simple, we have to get rid of fossil fuels. By using HVO [hydrotreated vegetable oil] you can bring the emissions down a long way,” says Raoul Wijnands, project manager testing at DAF Trucks.

“The condition is that the biodiesel is actually made green from our waste streams. Growing all kinds of crops to make HVO is missing the point.”

Of course, the same also applies to hydrogen that must be generated green in order to apply the CO2 reduction throughout the chain. It’s called from well to wheel.

In order to run the truck on hydrogen, DAF does not opt for the fuel cell but the old principle of the combustion engine.

“We already have that engine and, with adjustments, we can run it on hydrogen,” Wijnands continues.

“The big advantage is that we use the well-known architecture of the truck where, in fact, only the diesel tanks are replaced by hydrogen tanks. So, you don’t need a rack with tanks behind the cab or an expensive fuel cell in combination with electric motors and heavy batteries.

“In addition, a fuel cell needs a lot of cooling and the quality of the hydrogen used is important. If there are impurities in it, the membranes clog and the cell stops working. A combustion engine does not suffer from this.”

Spark plug An additional advantage to using hydrogen cells is that the technique is cheaper and can easily and reliably be manufactured.

“The engine is based on our well-known MX13 engine. We use the engine block of that, but the cylinder head is completely new,” Wijnands explains.

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Prototype test

Above: Apart from the striping and the word hydrogen, this is a regular DAF XF Left: Positive first experience: The XF Hydrogen drives smoothly and quietly Below: The basis is the MX13 engine but with a new cylinder head equipped with spark plugs Bottom: The hydrogen is injected via two injectors per cylinder and then ignited by a spark plug Opposite below: DAF Trucks’ Raoul Wijnands (right) runs through the engine’s operating principle

“The engine is based on our well-known MX13 engine.”

To put the theory to the test, we take the XF for a run on DAF’s own test track. Wijnands emphasises that this is a first prototype and that there is still a lot of development before this concept is ready for production.

“Expect such a truck sometime in the second half of this decade,” he says.

When there is a bit of temperature in the engine, it sounds more like a petrol engine. The comparison with an LNG-powered truck comes to mind. It also runs a bit smoother and quieter than a diesel.

No special skills are required to operate this XF. All dashboard instruments are familiar except for the separate hydrogen meter on the centre console. Just selecting ‘D’ on the automated gearbox is enough to get going.

Pulling away feels equally familiar but the diesel hum is replaced by a somewhat rounder sound.

There is plenty of pulling power, but you would not expect that otherwise from a single tractor.

According to Wijnands, this XF has about 240hp (179kW), but that could be easily increased to 400hp (298kW) during development.

Effortlessly we make our laps, not noticing that this DAF runs on hydrogen. Acceleration is smooth and, just like with an LNG truck, there is less engine braking when lifting the throttle.

What is really striking is the silence in the cab at constant speeds.

“That’s a nice feature of this engine,” Wijnands says.

The prototype doesn’t really feel like that at all, as if this technique could be put into production next week. After a few laps everything feels very familiar.

Wijnands points out another advantage: “This is technology that most entrepreneurs still understand and are familiar with. The threshold to purchase such a truck is therefore much lower, regardless of the much cheaper financial picture.”

It is expected that the price of this form of hydrogen-powered trucks will, at first, be higher than the current diesel-powered vehicles. On the other hand, they are significantly cheaper than battery electric or fuel cell powered trucks.

Even if it was only a brief introduction to the hydrogen DAF, the initiative certainly seems viable and could well be one of the solutions for achieving zero emissions in the transport sector. The word is there are more manufacturers thinking about the application of hydrogen in a combustion engine.

This DAF is certainly a worthy example to follow.

This article previously appeared in Truckstar magazine, the Netherlands.

“And there are more changes. For example, other pistons, piston rings and connecting rods are needed, to name but a few. We use gaseous hydrogen that is injected into the cylinders via two injectors under pressure. A spark plug then takes care of the ignition.

The combustion is, except for a little bit of co-burned engine oil, almost 99.97 per cent complete, making this a zero-emission vehicle.”

Wijnands points to a white DAF XF of the latest generation that, except for the blue striping, looks staggeringly ordinary. Only, on the chassis, four hydrogen tanks are visible that take the place of the old diesel tank.

“These are four tanks with a total capacity of 10kg where we use a pressure of 350 bar. This gives us a range of about 120 kilometres,” he explains.

“However, we want to get to a filling pressure of 700 bar because then you can fill the tanks better, which increases the range. And with extra tanks on the right side, we can also expand the capacity.”

Wijnands expects that eventually a range of about 500 kilometres will be possible.

“Just driving 3,000km on a full tank of diesel as we are used to is not going to work,” he admits.

“But, for national transport, with such a range, it is a good alternative to the fuel cell or battery electric powered vehicles.”

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truck makers

VOLVO GROUP BACK FOR BRISBANE After missing the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show, Volvo Group Australia is set to make up for lost time in 2023 at Australia’s big road transport event. Greg Bush reports

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“Connecting with industry and connecting with customers is important to us.”

T

he 2021 Brisbane Truck Show was an undoubted success despite COVID playing havoc within the general population, not to mention the threat of state border restrictions. But in what was a timely window of opportunity in May last year, show organiser Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) maintained its focus, determined that the show must go on.

Looking ahead, a number of truck manufacturers who opted out for various reasons last year are now back on board for 2023, with Volvo Group Australia (VGA) leading the way.

VGA had missed the opportunity to showcase its new models at Brisbane in 2021, but in response to questions from OwnerDriver, VGA president and chief executive Martin Merrick says he is looking ahead to May 2023.

“Hindsight is always 20/20. We had a whole new Volvo Trucks range and well as an updated Mack range to launch. However, given the tumultuous events of last year, I stand by our decision not to participate in 2021,” Merrick says.

“Depending on the uncertainty of borders during a pandemic was too great a risk in terms of launching and promoting these models. Instead, we sent our new range of trucks on a roadshow, which allowed customers to see them up close, learn about their new features and drive them.

“Some commentators mentioned cost cutting as a motive at the time, however I’d point out that it’s actually more expensive to send 14 trucks with multiple staff on a four month roadshow to every region of the country than to attend the Brisbane Truck Show.”

Despite its absence in 2021, Merrick says VGA has always been a supporter of the Brisbane Truck Show. In 2019, as well as inside the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, it paraded trucks on the opposite side of the Brisbane River and into the CBD. “We do think it’s an important industry event and a great opportunity for people to reconnect in the wake of the COVID pandemic,” Merrick continues.

“We’ve been instrumental in the past in taking the show outside its traditional boundaries and into the city for the general public to see.

“Connecting with industry and connecting with customers is important to us. And, given recent events, many of us across the industry are also reconnecting.

“While technology allowed us to keep our people connected and our businesses running, we’ve also seen that the human element, the relational aspect of our industry, works much better face to face.”

While VGA missed out on displaying the new Mack Anthem in 2021, Merrick points out that it has previously been on display at the Brisbane Truck Show, albeit in cutaway format.

“Last year we were able to drive the new Anthem into dealerships and customer yards around the country. In fact, we were also able to connect with customers that don’t have the time to attend shows,” Merrick says.

“Customer feedback on the Anthem, especially in regard to fuel efficiency has been excellent so we are looking forward to seeing the Anthem on the stand in 2023 with some great stories to tell.

“We’ve got some great things happening before then,” he adds.

Show attendees can also expect to see UD Trucks on the VGA stand, despite the Japanese trucks now officially part of Isuzu.

However, Merrick says, as VGA is the sole importer of UD Trucks in Australia, it will definitely be showcasing the best that UD has to offer to the Australian market.

“We’re very proud to have UD as a part of the VGA stable.”

SAUDI-BUILT VOLVOS ARRIVE IN OZ

A sharp-eyed visitor to Volvo HQ in Brisbane has spotted a batch of trucks believed to be the first of a significant number of fully built-up FH models imported from Volvo’s factory in Saudi Arabia.

Following questions from OwnerDriver several months ago, Volvo Group Australia chief Martin Merrick confirmed: “Volvo Group Australia is supplementing the supply of locally manufactured vehicles with CBU [completely built-up] units from Sweden and Saudi Arabia.”

While further commenting that Volvo’s Wacol factory in Brisbane had, “experienced severe supply chain disruption during 2021,” Merrick steadfastly refuted suggestions that the fully imported trucks might impact the current and future viability of the Wacol production plant which this year celebrates 50 years of truck production.

“Volvo Group is completely committed to the future of Australian manufacturing and of our Wacol factory,” he said.

“The intent of this [fully imported] strategy is to meet unprecedented market demand during 2022,” Merrick continued, adding that this is not the first time VGA has looked to overseas factories for support during times of booming demand for trucks.

“This has always only been a temporary supplementary strategy. Our preference will always be to prioritise local manufacturing.

“In the case of Saudi-built trucks, components from Australian suppliers have been shipped to that plant and we have Australian staff on the ground there providing assistance,” he remarked.

The trucks photographed here are all FH 540 (13-litre) models and according to one source, build quality meets all VGA standards.

– Steve Brooks

Opposite top: UD (left) on the Volvo Group stand in 2019. The Japanese-built truck will join its stablemates in 2023 Opposite below: VGA president and chief executive Martin Merrick on duty at the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show

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industry focus

HYUNDAI HELPS THE NEEDY Hands & Feet CEO Brad Scott founded a not-for-profit organisation that helps many. But when it came to expanding operations, Scott had to rely on Hyundai to come to the rescue. Sean Mortell writes

S

ince 2015, not-for-profit organisation Hands & Feet has been helping to feed homeless and disadvantaged people in major Australian cities. But early in its venture, CEO Brad Scott realised the group needed a way of travelling around New South Wales to distribute food packs.

“We began by spending huge amounts of money on maintaining very old trucks,” Scott told OwnerDriver. “In September last year we had a stack of very old trucks that were falling apart.”

Hands & Feet started as a Sydney-based charity.

But, by the end of 2021, Scott wanted to continue the group’s expansion into other cities like Brisbane and Perth. To do so, he knew he needed to change how he transported the organisation’s pallets of food.

It all changed when Scott rang Hyundai Trucks.

He initially inquired if the vehicle dealer could offer him any deals on trucks, not expecting to see massive price reductions. But when Hyundai got back to him and made a commitment to help Hands & Feet get new trucks, Scott knew he was in safe hands.

“They got back to me very quickly and put it though their system,” Scott says.

“When they rang me back they were ready to make large discounts to get us on the road again.”

When Hands & Feet was founded in 2015, it started giving fruit and vegetables to homeless people in Sydney. It continued doing this for years, heading into town every Friday night and handing out up to 250 packs of food to those in need. But the concept grew quickly, leading Scott to enlist Hyundai Trucks’ help to provide food aid to more and more people.

Scott realised the organisation had grounds to expand rapidly, and now controls the delivery of food packs to 50 different church locations around Sydney. Around two pallets of food gets dropped to these locations every week so community groups in various Sydney locations can distribute the packs accordingly to struggling citizens.

Initially aiming to “empower the community” and “do a good thing to help people”, Scott says he has been blown away by how quickly Hands & Feet has grown. At the time of speaking he

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was preparing to travel to Darwin to discuss establishing a Hands & Feet warehouse there, having already done so in Brisbane and Perth.

“We have now opened these new warehouses, all because the Hyundai team have been so generous to us,” Scott says. “We have two trucks based in Sydney and one in Perth, while the team are committed to providing more trucks in other states as we continue to open more warehouses.”

Scott says this quick expansion of Hands & Feet wouldn’t have been possible if Hyundai hadn’t stepped in. The organisation, due to the nature of its work, was specific with what vehicles it needed.

Hyundai was able to meet these standards, providing the EX6 model to Hands & Feet for when it needed to haul around six pallets-worth of food Below: Loading up the Hyundai with food for the homeless and disadvantaged

packs from markets. But with many volunteers helping to drive food around without holding any heavy vehicle licences, Scott says Hyundai’s ability to suggest the EX4 model has been priceless.

“The EX6 is slightly heavier and has proven excellent for a market run,” he says. “But the EX4 allows us to drive them on car licences so we can drop volunteers into them. They’re so easy to drive.

“Other trucks we had were good but these Hyundai models are like a car. We don’t have to think about the diesel or anything else, they just work.”

Durability was also at the heart of Scott’s decision. The organisation runs trucks six days a week to markets to restock food or to distribution destinations. Scott will also deploy trucks down from Sydney to Canberra, while Hands & Feet actively worked in Lismore and other floodaffected regions in Queensland to provide disaster relief.

But it’s the unique features that have taken the Hands & Feet CEO by surprise.

“The refrigeration system is so cool,” Scott says.

“The edges are so much thinner than in the old trucks, giving us more space, and the temperature can now go down to -16 degrees Celsius.”

Scott says the current partnership between Hands & Feet and Hyundai Trucks will only continue to grow as the organisation continues expanding and upgrading its fleet. The group expects new trucks in Melbourne, Adelaide and Darwin when warehouses are established there, while Scott is also looking to upgrade an old model truck being used in Perth.

Scott is confident that Hyundai will continue providing the answers for them.

“Hyundai have been amazingly generous to us so we’ll continue to work with them,” Scott says. “The idea is we have trucks in every Australian state and they are committed to getting us to this point.

“Anybody in the system who is willing to donate or help us further is very appreciated. We love these trucks – they are covering lots of kilometres and are eating them up.”

For further information on Hands & Feet, visit the website at www.handsandfeet.com.au.

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tech briefs

Iveco’s big Australian milestone This year marks three decades since Iveco first launched its brand onto the Australian truck market.

The company initially took over the operations of International Trucks, a brand that was highly coveted here but was experiencing financial difficulties at the time, so Iveco’s acquisition of Australian operations injected some much-needed stability and resourcing

at the Dandenong facility.

To leverage International’s prominence and high standing in the local market, the new entity was firstly known as International Trucks Australia, before changing to Iveco Trucks Australia Limited in 2002.

Iveco says the investment was a win-win situation, allowing it to take over several existing and respected

A 1998 Iveco Powerstar – gone but not forgotten

International models – including the iconic ACCO range – while also providing it with a platform to launch its own brand and begin building awareness among Australian buyers.

Over subsequent years, Iveco says it continued to invest in the ACCO lineup while introducing the heavy-duty Powerstar, Eurotech and Eurostar models, and later the Stralis range.

In the medium-duty market the Eurocargo was introduced, while in 1999 the Daily van and cab chassis range debuted here.

Iveco Australia managing director, Michael May, points out that the commercial vehicle industry had changed dramatically over the past 30 years.

“Our brand has certainly come a long way since taking those first steps in the Australian market,” he says.

“While core benefits such as reliability and low total cost of ownership are just as important now as they were 30 years ago, the truck or van purchaser of today is much more sophisticated.

“Current buyers not only want a vehicle with the correct specification ‘to get the job done’, they also seek the latest in safety equipment, superior

emission performance, connectivity and driver comfort. Product aside, they also want the back-up and support that makes vehicle ownership as seamless and cost-effective as possible.

To achieve this, Iveco has expanded and strengthened its network with strong partners who are focused on servicing customers.

“The last 30 years confirms that change is inevitable, and to successfully remain meeting customer needs, companies need to continually evaluate and adjust their offerings.”

May also thanked Iveco employees – past and present – who he says had made an invaluable contribution to the brand, particularly during challenging times.

“We are proud at Iveco to play a strong part in building and developing leading talent within our industry,” he says.

“And we are also fortunate to have benefited from the services of many extremely dedicated and focused staff members over the years.

“Our people make up the fabric of our brand and contribute greatly to Iveco’s positive culture – I look forward to seeing what the next 30 years brings for Iveco in Australia.”

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tech briefs

Dennis Eagle makes inroads into refuse Dennis Eagle has announced that its new Elite 6 chassis, unveiled at the recent Waste 2022 Conference in Coffs Harbour, is now available in both right-hand steer and dual control variants.

The UK manufacturer says the Dennis Eagle Elite 6 is specifically designed for the refuse industry, adding that the low-entry cab, combined with a superior window and mirror visibility package, yields what it says is an unmatched overall solution.

“Dennis Eagle has an exceptional offering that every refuse collection operator should consider,” says Shannon Mair, head of fleet at Penske Australia.

“As recognised by Transport for London, Dennis Eagle is the only truck manufacturer to be awarded a fivestar direct vision standard rating.

“By virtue of design, the low-entry cab allows drivers to enter and exit the vehicle with a single step from the

kerb, easily transition inside the cabin while standing up, and change from a right-hand to left-hand driving position without exiting, where dual controls are available.

“Furthermore, the added ease of getting in and out of the Dennis Eagle means waste collection can be completed more efficiently without running up the overtime bill.

“Dennis Eagle is very committed to reducing harmful emissions by shifting to low- or zero-carbon emissions and alternative energy sources.

“Dennis Eagle was also an early adopter of Euro 6 emission engines and also offers a technologicallyagnostic glider platform that can be used with carbon-reducing technology such as natural gas, battery-electric, or hydrogen power.”

Easily distinguished by its modern new look, Dennis Eagle’s Elite 6 vehicle also boasts upgraded headlights, emergency braking,

and electronic stability control as standard.

“When you add these advanced driver assistance systems to what is fundamentally a very safe truck with best-in-class visibility, easy ingress and egress, efficiency and a pre-

legislated Euro 6 engine, this results in a truck that is clearly heads and shoulders above the rest,” Mair says.

“This great new product is backed by outstanding support from our Penske-owned and independent dealer network.”

HINO GETS SMARTSAFE WITH 700 SERIES Hino Australia has announced that its Hino SmartSafe active safety package is now standard across its entire range of 700 Series trucks.

“We have already received excellent feedback on the 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 700 Series models since their launch in August 2021, and that positive customer response supports the inclusion of Hino SmartSafe as standard equipment on all new orders for the 700 Series FY 8x4 models,” says Daniel Petrovski, department manager of product strategy for Hino Australia.

“As promised, every Hino 700 Series model offered to the Australian market will now include the full Hino SmartSafe safety package as standard equipment.

“The addition of Hino SmartSafe makes the FY 8x4 models an even more enticing choice for customers who require a load share steer axle equipped 8x4 truck with the renowned quality, durability and reliability that the Hino brand is known for,” Petrovski adds.

Hino SmartSafe is a

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comprehensive safety package that features driver assist technologies, which take an active focus on protecting the lives of drivers, passengers and other road users.

Hino SmartSafe includes a pre-collision system (PCS) with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), pedestrian detection (PD), lane departure warning system (LDWS), vehicle stability control (VSC), reverse camera and a suite of other standard safety features.

Adding even more protection to the Hino SmartSafe package is the inclusion of Driver Monitor, which Hino states that its all-new Hino 700 Series is now the safest Hino truck ever.

The Driver Monitor system constantly monitors the driver’s attention towards the road using key metrics such as driving posture, face orientation and eyelid status via a camera integrated into the A-pillar.

The system provides a visual and audible alert if it detects drowsiness or a lack of attention from the driver.

Scania opens second Sydney branch Scania has announced that its new Eastern Creek branch on Blue Metal Road is now open for business, despite the impact of Sydney’s inclement weather in recent months.

Scania says the new, purpose-built facility offers seven state-of-the-art work bays, including two drivethrough inspection pits big enough to accommodate B-double sets, and a bespoke wash-bay.

“We are very excited to finally open the newest branch in Scania Australia’s company-owned network for customer business,” says Sean Corby, regional executive manager for Scania NSW and Victoria.

“This second Sydney branch will help us manage the increasing service load that the growing numbers of Scania trucks and buses has been placing on our Prestons facility over the past few years.

“We will be open six days per week from 7.00am–midnight, Monday to Friday, and 7am to noon on Saturday, and we will have a full complement of 18

technicians on duty across two shifts to ensure our customers’ trucks and buses get back to work as quickly as possible, maximising their uptime,” Corby says.

“We are delighted to have appointed Chris Nobbs as the manager of Eastern Creek. Chris beings a wealth of Scania experience to the role, from his days in the workshop and as part of the victorious Prestons Top Team that won Scania’s global technology competition, to his recent management activities.”

Scania says the new Eastern Creek facility hosts a dedicated parts team and significant spare parts holding, and will be home to new and used vehicle sales as well as providing access to Scania Finance Australia and Scania Truck Rental.

“We’ll be taking orders for trucks and buses across our growing ranges, including those powered by our new state-of-the-art six-cylinder 13-litre engine and, of course, the flagship of the Scania range and Australia‘s most powerful on-road truck, the R770 V8,” Corby says.

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POA

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POA

KENWORTH T403 2012, Cummins EGR engine, rtlof16918 gearbox, rt40-145 diffs on airglide 460, cab parts, drop on bonnet, bumper.

Wrecking. W2505. TA1090537.

POA

A

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truckingsupplies.com.au

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24/5/22 7:56 am

MITSUBISHI FS 8X4 2007, FS52 FUSO 8x4 Crane Truck with 36002 Palfinger in Cert Crane & Remote. Very reliable *Powered By a 395Hp Turbo Diesel Engine with only 330,000ks. *18 Speed Road Ranger. *PK36002 crane (2 x hydraulic x stabilizer (ie 2body per side), 2007, low inc Km4 170k,6 tyres,legs tipper only 3a UD PK245extensions) steel 8m L x tailgate, Overall 2.4m yes.Jan'23, QLD. DIY1083333. yearstray old,approx air release regoW,until manual, 0438 596 748. $181,500 CJ80PP. NSW. DIY1131547. 0423 281 766. $46,000

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OWD 353.indd 85

23/5/22 12:56 pm

FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black

Waiting for certainty The industry awaits Senator Glenn Sterle’s recommendations from the road transport inquiry

N

ow the election is over, and the pandemic chaos feels like it’s coming to an end (famous last words), surely it’s time to get on with business. At the time of writing this, no election winner has been declared so I write from a position of blissful ignorance.

We can’t allow any more delays to implementing a regulatory body that will protect our right to earn a decent living.

Senator Sterle’s report explained this in black and white. Why has nothing been done about it?

There have been two full election cycles since the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) was torn down and still nothing has been put in its place.

During that time, Sterle’s in-depth inquiry has been and gone and been ignored.

For those six years since we had a road safety watchdog looking out for our interests, we’ve missed out. Over a thousand people have been killed in truck crashes, 255 of them truck drivers.

We’ve had to battle to get our invoices paid in under three months.

We’ve faced unprecedented demand, constantly changing border chaos and a race against time to restock supermarket shelves with essential commodities including the crazy toilet paper shortages.

We’ve battled bushfires and extreme flooding that have caused us to miss deadlines, skip rest breaks, take longer routes, and sometimes end up stranded, far away from home, with the choice of sleeping in the truck or forking out for a hotel (if we could get, or afford one).

We’ve seen ourselves arguing in vain at times as our rates are driven down and our fuel costs shoot up. We have seen the Morrison government play a game of smoke and mirrors by taking away our fuel rebate for ownerdrivers and contractors, while halving the fuel excise savings enjoyed by car users. Effectively meaning we save approximately four cents a litre rather than the 22 cents everyone thinks is the case.

The RSRT wouldn’t have been able to fix all of this but it would have given us a far better chance than we’ve had.

We’d have had regulated 30-day payment terms.

We would have had more certainty about our income, taking some of the pandemic pressure off so we didn’t

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feel the need to take risks or overwork ourselves.

We would have had the backing to call on the owners of freight at the top of the supply chain to cough up for our accommodation when we’re stranded with their goods or can’t drive them through without the risk of getting bogged.

We’d have had an avenue to challenge the hours and demand on us to keep Australia moving through a pandemic and through natural disasters, to ensure we were being fairly remunerated for all of our time – not just when we were moving kilometre to kilometre.

We wouldn’t have gone through so many police blitzes, pinging us for insignificant logbook entries, rather than looking at the pressures we’re under from the top of the supply chain.

BOTCHED EXCISE One of the prime focuses of the tribunal was to ensure owner-drivers could recover their costs and still make a decent profit. We wouldn’t have needed Morrison to botch a fuel excise, we could have applied to an independent tribunal for appropriate, realistic cost recovery measures.

A spotlight on trucking supply

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.

chains could have been the saving grace we needed. It wouldn’t have saved all 255 truck driverlives, but the LNP government’s own report said the RSRT would have reduced truck crashes by 28 per cent. That could have been 71 of those truckies still alive today.

I don’t think anyone reading this would disagree with those examples above, and how they prove the need for an independent body to set universal, binding standards – as recommended in the Senate report.

That report was based on the evidence of many of us reading this column.

What we butt heads on is how the RSRT was implemented. That’s why Sterle has vowed that a new regulator would be different. The only way for it to be different though is for us all to get behind it and help shape how it would run.

No one knows better than us how this industry works, and what needs to change.

Not one truck driver told the Sterle inquiry that trucking is working as well as it could be. We all have our grievances.

What needs to be understood is that the tribunal is not solely for the long distance sector as some may mistakenly think, it would have the power to make orders in all facets of the transport industry.

We need to get behind the solution, and work on it together. We need the whole industry and a large number of drivers to participate in getting regulation off the ground. We should respond just as we did for the Senate Inquiry.

Enough complaining, it’s time for action.

“Sterle has vowed that a new regulator would be different.”

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