Owner Driver 377 June 2024

DAF.COM.AU

Contents #377

12 ADVANCED FATIGUE MANAGEMENT SLAMMED

Australasian College of Road Safety president says AFM is a “façade”

18 TAMWORTH TAKES OFF

The inaugural Volvo Mack Truck Show has proved a successful addition to Tamworth’s event schedule

28 DRIVER COMPETENCY UNDER QUESTION

Truck driver proficiency was discussed during the recent Trucking Australia conference

32 FLAWLESS VICTORY

Suzy Snowden has defied the male doubters and is now enjoying her time behind the wheel of a Kenworth C509

44 TRUCKFEST BREAKS SYDNEY DROUGHT

Despite inclement weather, Sydney’s inaugural biennial TruckFest went off without a hitch

55 GRADUATING IN SAR STYLE

Getting driven to formal in her father’s Kenworth T610 SAR had always been Klaudia Carroll’s dream

“My biggest goal was to one day drive the triple road trains.”

56 JET POWERED TRUCK

REMEMBERED

Where were you in 1979 when an Australian jet powered truck named Waltzing Matilda set a new land speed record?

60 FLINTSTONE MACK MAKEOVER

The Giacci family’s imported Flintstone Mack from 1968 finds its way back home

62 BEST OF BOTH NEW WORLDS

Daimler Truck unveils its battery electric autonomous Freightliner eCascadia technology demonstrator in the US

EDITORIAL

Editor Greg Bush

E-mail Greg.Bush@primecreative.com.au

Journalist Alex Catalano

E-mail Alex.Catalano@primecreative.com.au

Managing Editor Geoff Crockett

E-mail Geoff.Crockett@primecreative.com.au

Contributors Warren Aitken, Robert Bell, Frank Black, Warren Clark, Tiarna Condren, Marcus Cosgrove, Rod Hannifey, Michael Kaine, Sarah Marinovic, Rod Simmonds, Kayla Walsh, Ken Wilkie

Cartoonist John Allison

PRODUCTION

Art Director Bea Barthelson

Print IVE Print

ADVERTISING

Business Development Manager

Hollie Tinker Ph 0466 466 945

E-mail Hollie.Tinker@primecreative.com.au

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EXECUTIVE GROUP

CEO John Murphy

COO Christine Clancy

Operations Manager Regina Fellner

Trader Group Sales Director Asanka Gurusinha

BEHIND THE WHEEL Greg Bush

Over and out …

It had to happen eventually, but after 16 years this edition of OwnerDriver will be my last as editor.

It’s been a long but satisfying haul to say the least, working together with some of the best in the business, from co-workers to contributors, from columnists to equipment analysts.

Back in 2006, when social media was still in its infancy, I applied for a job at Publishing Services Australia, the original publisher of OwnerDriver.

Publishing Services Australia, or PSA, a small independent Brisbane-based newspaper and magazine company, had launched OwnerDriver in August 1992.

PSA recognised the need for a monthly newspaper that would recognise the pride, professionalism and concerns faced of the men and women who represented the industry from the most important level – behind the wheel.

From the first issue, OwnerDriver began tackling issues relevant to owner-drivers in particular, including the spiralling price of diesel, inconsistencies with road enforcement officers and the never-ending government strategies to extract more revenue from the industry’s most vulnerable sector.

On my arrival at PSA I worked with then OwnerDriver editor Pete Armstrong, an experienced transport industry journalist. The following year, the magazine was sold to the Trader department of ACP Magazines. It was around the time that social media was still in its infancy.

the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal during the years leading up to 2016.

More recently, the big news has been the advent of electric trucks into the market.

It’s been a fulfilling ride, being part of the OwnerDriver team across the decades. But there comes a time in almost everyone’s working life when change is in the offing.

Hence, I have made the bittersweet decision to step back, take a break and see where my future lies.

However, OwnerDriver is fortunate that it will be in the experienced journalistic hands of Geoff Crockett who will take up the position of OwnerDriver editor.

But for now, I bid farewell to OwnerDriver, the staff, the readers and all who have had input into the long-standing road transport publication. And a special thanks to longtime cartoonist John Allison for supplying the parting illustration below.

Keep on truckin’.

Owner Driver is published by Prime Creative Media

379 Docklands Drive, Docklands Melbourne VIC 3008

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.

Following Pete’s departure in 2007 to take up the inaugural editor’s position at Prime Mover magazine, I was promoted to the OwnerDriver editor’s role in 2008.

In 2015, OwnerDriver commenced its own weekly newsletter. Three years before, in 2012, there was another change of ownership with the global Bauer Media acquiring ACP Magazines. Bauer later sold its Australian magazine interests to what was to become Are Media, before the current publisher Prime Creative Media was offered ownership of OwnerDriver and its stablemate titles.

OwnerDriver’s strong connection with the industry over the past three decades or so has included covering and promoting truck events across the country, from small show ’n shine truck parades to charity convoys.

More importantly, OwnerDriver has continued to report on major industry decisions, including the rise and fall of

NOTHING BEATS THE GENUINE THING

The Goods

NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Big promises in Federal Budget

NatRoad says Budget is mostly good for “under pressure” road transport industry

Support for low carbon fuels, road safety funding, and power bill and tax relief for small businesses are all good Federal Budget news for a road transport industry under pressure, according to the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad).

NatRoad chief executive officer Warren Clark says the Budget has delivered a range of positive initiatives for operators.

“A 12-month extension to the $20,000 instant asset write-off will help small businesses claim an immediate tax benefit on new assets through to June 2025,” Clark says.

“This is something we’ve pushed hard for in a number of Budgets.

“Eligible road transport businesses will also appreciate the modest $325 rebate on their power bills.”

Treasurer of Australia Jim Chalmers officially unveiled the Federal Budget for 2024-25 on May 14, with plenty of promises being put towards transport and infrastructure across the nation.

The government says it is investing heavily in “infrastructure, strategic transport and net zero [which] will set up our nation and people for a more prosperous and sustainable future.”

Those investments can be broken up broadly into four categories as the government has labelled them: building Australia, net zero, strategic transport capability and increasing road safety and productivity.

‘Building Australia’ is largely concerned with projects that will increase or improve Australia’s transport infrastructure, across both road and rail.

This Budget will provide a $16.5 billion investment for new and existing projects across Australia across a period of the next 10 years to “improve productivity, liveability, and sustainability.”

There will be $4.6 billion put towards a number of roads and rail projects, with major investments including:

• $1.9 billion for Western Sydney road and rail infrastructure

• $540 million to the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s interstate freight rail network

• $300 million for Metronet to deliver a capacity signalling program in Western Australia

• $177 million to deliver bridge and

intersection upgrades along the Warrego Highway in Queensland

• $80 million to upgrade the Lyell Highway between Granton and New Norfolk in Tasmania

• $120 million for the Princes Highway to deliver interchange upgrades at Mount Barker and Verdun in South Australia

• $50 million to plan for Stage 2B of the Canberra Light Rail

• $12 million for the Bridgewater Road and Portland Ring Road intersection upgrade in Victoria

• $10.1 billion will also be put towards existing infrastructure projects including $3.25 billion for North East Link in Victoria, $1.4 billion for Metronet projects in Western Australia, $1.15 billion towards the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line in Queensland, $50 million to ensure the delivery of the existing Appin Road project in New South Wales, and $27.1 million to deliver the duplication of William Hovell Drive in the ACT.

NET ZERO

The biggest area of concern for the government in the 2024-25 Federal Budget was the introduction of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard for light vehicles and commercial vans, introduced in March.

Ideally, this will save motorists significantly on fuel expenses as Australia introduces more fuel-efficient vehicles across the next decade, with an eye on the future of zero emissions.

The Federal Government will invest $84.5 million over the next

five years in order to establish the standard, set up a regulator for it and facilitate credit trading between manufacturers.

The ‘Future Made in Australia’ framework will guide many of the government’s future decisions around the continued move to zero emissions, and will support the move to renewable diesel in the heavy vehicle sector.

This includes the ‘Net Zero Transformation Stream’, which identifies the road transport industry as a priority sector for support under the stream.

Investments in the net zero area in the Budget include:

• $18.5 million over four years from 2024-25 to develop a certification scheme for low-carbon liquid fuels, including Sustainable Aviation Fuels and renewable diesel, in the transport sector by expanding the ‘Guarantee of Origin’ scheme

• $1.5 million over two years from 2024-25 to undertake a regulatory impact analysis of the costs and benefits of introducing mandates or other demand-side measures for low carbon liquid fuels

• Investing $1.7 billion over the next decade in the Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund, to support the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to commercialise net zero innovations including low-carbon liquid fuels

• The government will be undertaking targeted consultation to identify options for production incentives to support the establishment of a made in

Australia low carbon liquid fuel industry.

ROAD SAFETY

In addition to road investments, the Budget will also include further funding for programs that focus on road safety and productivity, to increase safety for all motorists.

The Roads to Recovery Program, which provides funding to the construction and maintenance of the nation’s local road infrastructure assets, will rise from $500 million to $1 billion per year. The Black Spot Program will also increase from $110 million per year to $150 million.

The Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program and the Bridges Renewal Program have been merged into the new Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program, with the government allocating at least $200 million to the program each year.

Of this, $10.8 million will be provided across 2024-25 for a one-year National Road Safety Education and awareness campaign, and $21.2 million over six years from 2024-25 to improve the reporting of national road safety data via the National Road Safety Data Hub.

The government says the Data Hub will provide “harmonised road-safety data” to be used effectively by everyone across the industry, including state and territory decision makers. In addition, $100 million will be invested in the Active Transport Fund, which will provide upgrades to walking and bike paths across the country.

Warren Clark says he welcomes the increased funding for the Roads to Recovery and Black Spot Programs.

“NatRoad hopes that the $10.8 million in 2024-25 for a one-year National Road Safety Education campaign has a heavy emphasis on truck awareness.

“The $21.2 million over six years to improve the reporting of national road safety data via the National Road Safety Data Hub is important and long overdue,” Clark says.

“Whilst we welcome additional road funding where the routes are relevant for freight, ultimately we still need to see all governments, including the states and territories, implement road service level standards so we know our tax dollars are going to the roads which need it, with an increased focus on road maintenance.”

Image: Prime Creative Media

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TWU heralds trailblazing appointment

The Transport Workers Union’s (TWU) rank-and-file National Council has announced the election of former chief of campaigns, Emily McMillan, as the union’s first female national assistant secretary.

It follows the election of former national assistant secretary Nick McIntosh as NSW/Queensland interim governance branch assistant secretary to work with members of the TWU’s largest branch to utilise new legislative powers in road transport and to rebuild aviation.

McMillan, a First Nations woman, was reported to be unanimously endorsed by the National Committee of Management and elected unopposed by the National Council after eight years leading national campaigns for the TWU and 21 years as a union official.

“Nick McIntosh and Emily McMillan have led TWU members to great success and take up their new positions as transport workers are on the cusp of enacting new legislative powers to

save lives, livelihoods and businesses in road transport, put an end to gig exploitation, and reconsolidate a fragmented aviation industry,” says TWU national secretary Michael Kaine.

McMillan’s appointment was announced prior to the TWU annual National Council meeting, which took place in Fremantle, WA in May where the union’s rank-and-file governing body discussed the plan ahead to best utilise reform recently passed by Federal Parliament to set enforceable standards in road transport, including the transport gig economy.

Kaine states that TWU members have achieved significant wins in aviation and road transport in recent months.

“The focus now turns to the next phase of our strategy to lift standards for all transport workers and their families,” Kaine says.

“With powerful new tools in our belt, the rank-and-file governing body will decide on the path ahead to make transport safer, fairer and more sustainable.”

Above: TWU national assistant secretary Emily McMillan. Image: TWU

Government fl ags new rest areas

New projects announced in the Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Program

The Albanese Government says it is reaffirming its commitment to enhancing road safety across the nation, with the announcement of five new projects in the Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Program (HVRAP).

The projects are said to be part of a $17 million joint initiative between federal, state and local governments, with the Albanese Government reported to be contributing over $14 million.

The projects are planned to include the construction of new rest areas with dedicated slip and turning lanes, shelters, landscaping, and connecting footpaths, as well as the

upgrade of existing ones from light to heavy vehicle classification with all-weather pavement, solar lighting, and amenities.

The Federal Projects will be delivered on the Barrier Highway in South Australia, Newell Highway and Sturt Highway in New South Wales, and in Pingelly, Western Australia.

“The Australian Government’s Heavy Vehicle Rest Area initiative aims to increase heavy vehicle user safety and productivity through vital new and upgraded rest areas across their journey,” says HVRAP chair, Senator Glenn Sterle.

“We want to keep our truck drivers and communities safe and these new and upgraded rest stops will help drivers reduce their fatigue as they keep goods moving across the country.”

They projects are reported to be funded through the HVRAP’s second tranche which will provide $140 million of funding over 10 years.

Federal Assistant Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Senator for Tasmania, Carol Brown, says the

spend less time on the roads and get home safely to their loved ones.

“I would like to thank the

“By investing in much-needed rest stops, we will ensure that our truckies

Committee for their work in identifying these strategic projects that are essential for the safety of all road users,” Senator Brown says.

Albanese Government’s $14 million investment in improved rest areas is another example of the government’s action towards achieving Vision Zero –zero deaths on our roads by 2050.

HVRA Steering

Williamson voices concern over AFM

The Australasian College of Road Safety president tells NSW Law Society that Advanced Fatigue Management is a “façade”

One of Australia’s top road safety experts has slammed the trucking regulator’s showpiece fatigue management scheme.

Emeritus Professor Ann Williamson, who is president of the Australasian College of Road Safety, says she worries that Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM) is a “façade”.

Her comments are contained in an extensive feature on trucking laws and enforcement in the NSW Law Society Journal Online

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is encouraging AFM, with operators having to come up with “countermeasures” in their applications.

These can be as significant as no loading/unloading allowed, or as minimal as having fitness for duty statements and shower/meal facilities available.

In return, the flexibility can be up to 17 hours a day/night on particular occasions, and most

commonly up to 154 hours per fortnight. This is 10 hours beyond the 144 hours specified for Standard hours or Basic Fatigue Management. The NHVR did not dispute to LSJ allowing fortnights of more than 160 hours.

The NHVR is claiming success for AFM. For example, after a consultant’s 2019 “interim research report” a senior official declared in a Sun-Herald newspaper article: “There were no heavy vehicle crashes attributed to driver fatigue for AFM drivers in the 12-month period investigated by the NHVR.”

However, LSJ says it understands that “investigation” was only a voluntary phone survey of AFM operators. It was not a cross-matching of operators with independent official crash data.

The NHVR did not respond to

LSJ on this issue. Neither did the regulator respond on whether any operators had been refused entry or kicked out of the scheme.

For nearly a decade until last year, Prof Williamson and several others on the NHVR’s “Fatigue Expert Reference Group” were featured on the NHVR website as being consulted on “high risk” AFM applications.

But Williamson tells LSJ Online she has not been consulted since 2016.

“I really don’t know what’s going on with AFM anymore because they have stopped consulting the Reference Group,” she says. “The worry is that they have created a façade and behind it there’s nothing.”

The NHVR says it now has a “principal fatigue specialist” but provided LSJ with no details.

Williamson supports AFM and

“It is still easier to go after the driver or operator.”

its greater fatigue management flexibility, but says she never envisaged hours of service would go beyond 144 hours a fortnight, which she says is already way too much.

She says the idea behind AFM is to improve fatigue management, not just to allow longer hours of work. AFM could allow a longer shift on some occasions, but this should be balanced by longer rest time before doing the next shift.

“Long-distance drivers are already fatigued – they have to be,” she tells LSJ. “It looks like no-one cares about this industry.”

The National Transport Commission’s (NTC) review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law is into its seventh year and won’t be considered by transport ministers until next year.

The NTC wants to simplify the law and make it fairer for drivers. However, there are no drivers on the advisory committee list sent to LSJ.

A key focus of trucking laws over the past three decades has been Chain of Responsibility on fatigue. However, LSJ points out that in that time not a single customer of the trucking industry, at the very top of the chain, has been prosecuted. Only a handful of trucking companies and executives have been prosecuted over fatigue.

The latest publication from the NTC on its review of the HVNL is its Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement.

“It is still easier to go after the driver or operator,” the statement says. “The future law will seek to address current accountability gaps for off-road parties that influence the safety of heavy vehicle transport activities by creating discrete offences for off-road parties.”

However, the NTC would not provide LSJ with any examples of the “discrete offences” for customers it has in mind: An emailed statement said: “The details of these will be subject to future consultation.”

In December last year the NHVR established an Off Road Investigative Team and the regulator tells LSJ there are currently eight investigations open.

Above: Professor Ann Williamson says 144 hours driving a fortnight is way too much. Image: Prime Creative Media

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COVID impact on road freight revisited

A post-pandemic report has revealed truck driver welfare was disregarded despite sacrifices in keeping Australia’s freight moving

The effects of the COVID pandemic on the transport sector are yet to be fully understood, but a report released in May is shining a light on what was, for most, the most difficult time of their career.

Coronavirus and Road Freight Supply Chains in Australia – Impact and Implications, co-authored by heavy vehicle transport safety experts

Dr Sarah Jones and Dr Jennifer RiveraGonzalez, looks at not only the effects on the supply chain throughout that time, but on drivers themselves.

What it found was the significant toll that the sacrifice that many drivers took to keep freight moving across Australia, and the challenges they continually had to overcome.

Jones was acting as the general manager for road freight transport, safety and compliance at Toll Group during the pandemic, and got to see much of the issues that road freight faced firsthand.

“During the pandemic, I had a front row seat to how the government was responding, and how that was impacting on drivers,” she says.

“I was asked to take on the task of staying abreast of all the government directives, interpreting it, and then putting it out there to our people in a way that was understandable and accessible for them, and liaising with government, including enforcement in real time to try and resolve issues.

“So I had that experience. And it raised a lot of questions for me about the efficacy of our system.

“The statistics I came across after the pandemic on road safety at the time seemed quite counterintuitive, because one would assume that during a time when there are far fewer people on the road, and far fewer kilometres travelled, that the road toll would drop commensurate with that reduction in kilometres.

“But that didn’t actually happen. So that really piqued my interest.”

Published through the Monash University Accident Research Centre’s (MUARC) National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP), the report delves into number of key areas on Gonzalez’s and Jones’ research.

It highlights drastic measures that transport workers had to go through to continue doing their job, including having to sleep in ‘single room’ accommodation and strict limitations on interactions with local communities. Exceptions were made to purchase food, fuel and emergency care.

In states like Victoria, the research found that ‘density quotas’ meant that drivers were unable to rest appropriately at times due to facilities

“I’m not convinced that truck drivers and transport workers have received their due recognition.”

being full, adding to fatigue, and eventually the road toll.

“One of the things that struck me was the personal sacrifice that truck drivers were prepared to make,” Jones says.

“I had a fascinating conversation with Louise Bilato, the wonderful head of the NT Transport Association.

“She’s telling me stories about truck drivers who were voluntarily living for weeks on end, at the flux centre up there, in order to keep that supply chain moving, sacrificing their relationships with their families.

“I think it’s not a stretch to say that they were putting their own mental health and wellbeing on the line so as not to take the risk of running afoul of the quarantine laws.

“My observation is that there was an unsung personal commitment and sacrifice on the part of the truck drivers. And as an individual who witnessed that it pains me a little that they don’t get the accolades and the recognition that say, for example, frontline health workers received, and very deservedly so.

“I quoted the former deputy PM Michael McCormack in the paper where he was talking about the hard-working men and women of the transport industry. But that has died away too.

“I’m not convinced that truck drivers and transport workers have

received their due recognition,” Jones says.

LONG TERM CHANGES

While the paper has a significant focus on the issues that arose during the pandemic, Jones has also taken a longer term view of how the freight task has changed since then.

It’s no secret that Australia is still facing, and will continue to face, a heavy vehicle driver shortage.

As recently as 2022, The Australian’s ‘Driver Shortage’ report estimated that online job seeking platforms were reporting more than 20,000 vacant truck driver jobs.

Though there are demands that some industry sectors believe can be met by rail, it’s clear that Australia still needs truck drivers.

The advent of the pandemic and the change to significantly more direct-to-door deliveries saw a change in not only what drivers are required for, but also impacted on accident rates.

“What was really interesting was not just that the freight task increased, but the mode of delivery changed,” Jones says.

“It moved from large bricks and mortar retail centres, often in the CBD, to direct residential. So for a lot of drivers, the places that they were going to changed.

“I suspect that a lack of familiarity

might partly explain the increase in distracted and inattentive behaviours that happened.

“Interestingly, one organisation that I spoke to, told me that they’d had a spike in on road incidents because with more people staying at home, there were more private vehicles parked on the roads. There’s actually less access for the larger delivery vehicles, and they’ve seen a spike in incidents because of that.

“That rather complex change in where the vehicles are going and the kind of vehicles that they were interacting with, explains that shift.

“One of the things I find fascinating about the spike in online purchasing is that it’s continued. I think there was a bit of an expectation that post pandemic there would be a drop, and that it would plateau. But that doesn’t seem to have eventuated.

“It seems to be a habit that has stuck, and it’s stuck across the demographic.

“The projections that are coming out suggest that of the modes of transport, its road transport and road freight that’s going to continue to increase exponentially, while the other modes plateau.

“There are certainly no signs, no evidence that we’re going to see a radical shift away from road transport in the immediate future.”

– Alex Catalano

Former ATA and VTA chair passes away

Transport industry associations have paid tribute to the late FBT Transwest managing director Trevor Martyn

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and Victorian Transport Association (VTA) have paid tribute to Trevor Martyn OAM, who passed away on May 14.

Martyn was the managing director of FBT Transwest for 31 years, president of the VTA for six years, and ATA chair for four years.

ATA founder and past chair, Denis Robertson, said Martyn had showed remarkable dedication to the trucking industry, long into retirement.

“Trevor was able to talk to ministers and truck drivers alike. He undertook extended trips across remote Australia to meet the grass roots of the industry and gained the respect of everyone,” Robertson said.

VTA CEO Peter Anderson says Martyn had an outstanding career in the freight and logistics industry.

“During Trevor’s term as managing director of FBT Transwest they were regarded as the

leading and safest company in the carrying of dangerous goods.

“They were consulted regularly by all the authorities about best practice industry actions and as the leaders in carrying dangerous products by their industry peers,” Anderson said.

“Many award and enterprise agreements were established with the Transport Workers Union and the association with Trevor’s leadership and foresight.

“He was on the Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation council for many years during many turbulent times.

“The industry regarded Trevor Martyn as a true leader in all parts of the transport industry and he was widely regarded due to his commitment, time and effort.,” Anderson said.

Martyn received an Order of Australia (OAM) at the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2018 for

his services to the road transport industry and to the community.

His other interests included holding the position of chairman of the Mayflower Brighton Aged Care Homes and a further commitment to Brighton Rotary over many years.

The OwnerDriver team sends our condolences to Martyn’s wife Judy, daughters Miranda and Sally and all the Martyn family.

Above: Trevor Martyn OAM passed away on May 14 following a lifetime’s service in the road transport industry. Image: ATA

TWU Michael Kaine

Supermarket disgust

TWU members converged on Fremantle to lament the irresponsibility existing in road transport

What a wonderful part of the world Western Australia is. I was recently privileged to be in Fremantle as part of the Transport Workers Union’s (TWU) National Council—where we gather from around the country to talk about the year behind us, and what’s yet to come.

What has been incredible to see over the last few years is the breadth of participation from not just TWU rankand-file members but guests from right across the transport industry.

Members came from every corner of the industry: from owner-drivers to employee drivers to gig workers to bus drivers.

We heard from stalwarts of the union like Frank Black, who has been part of this fight since it began.

We heard from delivery riders like Davis Clayton, a newer member in the TWU who talked about the appalling conditions in the gig economy. If you’re a gig worker you don’t have access to break rooms. Davis told us about how gig workers would gather near a McDonald’s with a chair they’d got from a local restaurant. They’d take turns using the one chair, and wait to receive orders— rain, hail or shine.

Davis told us how in over three hours the day before he spoke to us, he got $8. This is what’s coming for the transport industry if we don’t get standards in place as quickly as possible.

That’s why it’s been great to hear this week from others around the industry. We heard from Glyn Castanelli of the National Road Freighters Association, Peter Anderson from the Australian Road Transport Industrial Association, and Cameron Dunn from FBT Transwest. These are all people who’ve been instrumental in getting transport reform over the line, and a group that’s committed to now making those vital changes in our industry.

It’s critical to have these discussions right across our industry. Who knows what changes need to happen in road transport better than the people living and breathing it every day?

Many employers have recognised the importance of change to stop the race to the bottom.

In terms of years of reflection for our union and industry, it’s been one of the best yet.

This time last year, we were gearing up for national industry convoys to show Federal Parliament the importance of passing transport reform. Now, after a

20-year fight, that reform has passed.

Transport reform is one of our tools to begin setting decent standards in this industry, but it is far from a magic bullet.

What is clear is that clients at the top of the supply chain must start paying their fair share.

Coles and Woolworths have signed charters with the TWU on supply chain safety. Aldi has continually refused, and tried to silence truckies speaking out on safety – twice.

OBSTINATE ALDI

During the week members took to Aldi in Fremantle in protest, to serve a claim on the supermarket giant for four things:

The first, to be a responsible employer. Aldi directly hires some of its road transport workers but refuses to have an agreement separately with them. Instead, they’re lumped in with other workers who don’t have the same safety issues or workplace concerns.

The second is to be a responsible client – paying its fair share to the companies in its supply chain.

Aldi must also listen to transport workers by providing consultation.

Finally, Aldi must join many other industry players in committing to transport reform.

We heard from Margaret Harvey, a TWU member working at Team Global Express, on how her pay and conditions are good, but how they’re under threat from companies like Aldi undercutting the rest of the industry.

As it stands, Aldi only continues to drag the industry down. Appearing to be influenced by Amazon and gig models,

Transport House, 188-390 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. twu@twu.com.au

it has plans to introduce lower rates for drivers doing ‘online work’ and new drivers are being put on individual contracts for the first 12 months.

It’s also shirking the law. The Federal Circuit Court recently found Aldi had not been paying workers for work done at the start and end of their shift. The wage theft amounted to two breaches of the Fair Work Act, for which Aldi was fined $80,000.

And it’s not just road transport – the SDA (Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association) has also now raised concerns with the Fair Work Commission over Aldi attempting to evade new Same Job Same Pay laws through labour hire clauses in its enterprise agreement.

As if that wasn’t already enough, there have been significant safety issues for road transport workers at Aldi.

Earlier this year, one store was issued several improvement notices by SafeWork NSW, including on inadequate driver training, risk of crush injuries and faulty forklift and pallet trucks not monitored or reported.

That’s in addition to other concerns raised by employees around the country, like dangerous night shift unloading and loading on their own, no access to bathroom facilities, and pressure to work long hours.

With upcoming legislated standards in road transport, we cannot stand for

“Clients at the top of the supply chain must start paying their fair share.”

Aldi shirking its responsibilities, and we’ll continue to hold them to account for better.

As we draw closer to transport reform laws coming into effect, we’ve been busy discussing with industry groups how we will begin transforming this industry for the better.

Just as industry consensus has been critical in winning this reform, it will be at the centre of the new system, because we know how important it is to consult with the people affected by it.

Change takes time, of course – but change is coming.

MICHAEL KAINE is the national secretary of the Transport Workers Union of Australia. Contact Michael at: NSW Transport Workers Union,

Below: At the Aldi protest in Fremantle

TAMWORTH TAKES OFF

IThe inaugural Volvo Mack Truck Show has proved a successful addition to Tamworth’s event schedule as organisers JT Fossey reveals plans for expansion in years to come. Warren Aitken negotiates a soaked New England Highway to soak up the ambience

want to start this write-up with a huge thank you to John Saint, the dealer principal at JT Fossey in Tamworth, along with his trusty team of loyal workers for inviting me down to Tamworth for my first experience of a truck show in Australia’s country music capital.

At my age you don’t get many firsts anymore –they are few and far between – and I miss that. It’s been a long time since I drove my first truck, but I still remember it. It has been even longer since I first rode in a truck, and I still remember that. I still remember my first trip to Bathurst, the car race and the truck show. I still remember my first double road train and my first tripleroad train. I also still remember my sad attempt at backing my first triple road train.

On the off chance, my lovely better half reads this I should point out I still remember the first time I laid eyes on her as well. Not solely because it coincided with me shooting the stunning Robinson Earthmoving Mack SuperLiner, and that took help.

Firsts are just something that indent into your long term memories.

At my current age though it is harder to gain those first-time experiences. When you do, well. the firsts are more often than not ones you don’t want to remember. Like the idea of my first compulsory prostate exam, my first set of reading glasses, and maybe the first time I fail to get out of bed without groaning in discomfort. They haven’t happened yet but I am sure they won’t be far away.

I do recall the first time I used the phrase ‘I would never have acted like that when I was that age’ and the phrase ‘things were much better in my day’, but I digress. The point is the fact you don’t get as many great ‘firsts’ when you get to my age which is why I am thanking

John and his team for inviting me down for not just my first, but their first-ever JT Fossey Mack and Volvo invitational truck show in Tamworth, NSW.

Surrounded by big dogs and smooth Volvos, I had an absolute ball. Years from now when the full potential of this idea comes to fruition, I’ll be able to recall my first time there.

Let us do a few introductions first. Tamworth is a small inland city of around 70,000 people and 80,000 events. It seems like every weekend there is some kind of festival, carnival or spectacle on. If you are not surrounded by horses and hats, you’ll be knee deep in gourmet wine and food or, in the case of the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival, you’ll be boot scootin’ your way around the local honky tonks.

Along with a steep history of iconic events, the town has many iconic names that reside there. One of those names is the JT Fossey moniker. It is a name that has been proudly behind several motorship dealers in Tamworth and Gunnedah since 1937 and is proudly representing the Mack and Volvo brand courtesy of JT Fossey Mack/Volvo. The dealership was essential to the establishment of this new truck show.

JT Fossey Trucks is where we will find the dealer principal, and our chief protagonist John Saint. If the name sounds familiar it isn’t surprising. John’s name has popped up on these pages previously in reference to his Outlaw Series of Macks that he has been producing through the JT Fossey dealership. The success of that run of limited edition custom Macks, as well as the new custom Viking Volvo units he has started to produce, led him to the idea of running a Volvo Mack Truck Show.

“I had been tossing around the idea for a while, it’s something I was always keen to do,” John says. “I just wanted to have an event that would celebrate two of the great products we sell and give all our customers a chance to bring in their pride and joy and share it with other truckies as well as joe public.”

The concept of a Tamworth truck show had been on the drawing board for several years. Obviously that blip

“We will look at larger locations to hold the event.”

in reality that was 2020 to 2022 put a huge dent any grandiose plans. However, in 2024 John approached Murray and Susan Keating, the owners of the JT Fossey franchise and received extremely positive support. Hence the idea took off.

“We were looking at doing it in early March but the dates were a bit busy so we pushed it out to the 6th and 7th of April,” John says. “We decided on a two-day event because it would make it a bit more worthwhile for the people bringing their trucks. They could leave them there and have more time just socialising and catching up with other customers.”

It took a fair bit of planning to get the first one off the ground but John has big plans for the future of the event.

“I really would like to see this event become the largest gathering of Macks and Volvos in NSW,” he adds. “It’s a lofty but extremely achievable goal.

“We have enough room at our yard to house a fair few trucks and we aim to outgrow it by year three. Then we will look at larger locations to hold the event.”

I hear you asking, well how did the first event go? In my opinion and taking into account a very vindictive mother

Clockwise from top left: Three of the Mack Outlaws all lined up together and looking very sharp indeed; Local legend Peter Betts not only had several trucks in the show, he also had his granddaughters as he showed them a few of the other local legends like the stunning Carey’s Freight Lines’ Mack; JT Fossey had a couple of its latest units on display in the workshop, enabling an up close and personal experience; The Outlaw Mack series is the brainchild of John Saint, the motivating force behind the Tamworth Show, so it was great to see three of the Outlaws lined up in the yard, the newest was inside and there would have been another if it wasn’t for mother nature and the preceding week of rain; Guarding the entrance to the show was one of the most iconic Australian Macks ever built – a 1988 Bicentennial Mack Super-Liner

Above, left to right: John Saint had ‘Loki’, one of his Viking Volvos, up for sale at the show, the second in the Viking Volvo series; Gavin Sutton Transport had one of their new Volvos sitting proudly among the Volvo line-up, although they also had their amazing 1989 Super-Liner on display, taking the award for Best Mack pre-2000

and far

nature tried to get involved, I think it went rather well.

Stormy deluge

I headed along the New England to Tamworth on the Friday night, leaving Brisbane with a sparkly clean car, hitting the rain by Warwick and staying in it until I closed the doors of my motel some seven hours later with a very dirty car. It was teeming all the way. I even had Noah in his boat trying to pass a caravan just out of Glen Innes. It was seriously wet.

All the way down I was just empathising with those who had been trying to prep their rigs for the inaugural show, only to see the universe laugh and throw dirty road spray and flooded roads out there for the truck nuts to negotiate.

Come show day morning however, there was not a cloud in the sky. It was like the switch had been flipped and after a week of biblical rains and wind, the weather gods were going to bless the inaugural Volvo Mack Truck Show with picture-perfect conditions.

Here’s the irony of a week of bad weather pre-truck show. Yes, it meant that a lot of the local trucks which hauled all manner of farming products around the local area were now able to hose down their trucks and come into town. But that week of rain also meant a lot more to the magnificent Macks and Volvos which were literally unable to get to the show. Flooded roads around Tamworth meant they couldn’t even get their trucks

Top, left to right: It wasn’t all about the bulldogs with the Volvo line-up represented well by many of the JT Fossey clients; The winner of the Post-200 Best Mack, Peter Betts’ SuperLiner, stood out from the crowd; It was extremely cool to see some of the old Macks and Volvos dusted off and shared with all

Right

right: You have to love the odd balls, like this ex-Military Mack which still looks extremely tough; It was fantastic to see the classics mixing with the future trucks, including old N-series Volvos

“We really want this to grow into a mustattend event.”

down their driveways.

While weather may have diminished the number by a few, it definitely did not dimmish the quality and variety of those that did roll in.

Guardian bulldog

We shall start by focussing on the entry into this aspiring new truck show. There are many ways you would like to be greeted when you enter any event, most of which aren’t publishable. However, entry into the Tamworth event was guarded by one of the legendary Bicentennial Macks and it doesn’t get any cooler than that. Walking in you want to glance around as there was a vast array of bull bars and shine on offer but you were just drenched in trucking parochialism at the side of an iconic green and gold of a Bicentennial Mack.

From there it was a case of making your way out around the JT Fossey yard and workshop and soaking up the Mack and Volvo ambience. There were literally trucks from every era, a handful of Macks almost as old as their owners, some very rare and still working Volvos, even an old fire truck with the bulldog badge.

The front yard was also home to three of the four JT Fossey Mack Outlaws that are already out making miles and smiles on the NSW highways. When the hypnotising smells of the Tamworth Truck Drivers Club BBQ managed to wrap around you and drag you around to the workshop, you were not only graced with a damn fine feed but you were also treated to the pleasure of seeing Outlaw No 5 and Viking No 2, both sitting loud and proud inside JT Fossey’s state-of-the-art workshop.

Although the numbers weren’t record-breaking, the show still managed to bring in a constant stream of truckies and the public alike. Plenty of kids were running around very keen to let everyone know which truck was their favourite, that is until they wandered around the corner and found their new favourite. Seems kids are notoriously fickle judges. When it came to the judging though, John made sure he brought in some heavy-duty hitters to pick between the beautiful trucks on offer, notably Prime Creative Media’s own Peter Shields, as well as legendary local truckies Jim Savage and Cec Healy. Lucky for these three truck aficionados they only had four categories to look for, judging Best Mack and Best Volvo, pre-2000 and post-2000. Four winners seem easy but based on the rigs that rolled in, I’m glad I didn’t do it.

The best Mack pre-2000 went to Gavin Sutton with his stunning 1989 Mack Super-Liner. Best Volvo pre-2000 was

Top

Above: The team from Ramien’s Transport & Earthmoving were taking in their newest acquisition, the latest Mack Outlaw

Left: Customers, locals and visitors used the show to catch up for a chinwag

left: The weather threatened a couple of times, but it didn’t stop the crowds throughout the weekend;

ENGINEERED TO ENDURE.

Axle-Forward configuration for heavier payloads

indisposable part of your business.

Built in Australia for tough Australian conditions

Galvanised steel cab Mack Trident. An

“It’s something I was always keen to do.”

I’m still chasing up official numbers but from my camping chair in the shade, I would assume the entire JT Fossey team is feeling rightfully content.

“This is our first show and a lot has gone into it,” John Saint says. “We really want this to grow into a must-attend event. We’re focussing on our local clients as we try and encourage our customers to attend.

“It is a great time for all our team to bond with current customers and hopefully future customers. We want this to be a very social event.”

My final thoughts are that everything has to start somewhere and from little things big things grow. I think the JT Fossey Volvo Mack Truck Show has the potential to be something really big. It is run by good people, for a good reason. It is supported by good people and attended by good storytellers. There was many a yarn to go along with some of the old rigs on display.

I will be glad to attend the second running next year and watch this show grow to its full potential. A job well done, JT Fossey.

are so many

Middle:

Top: As John Saint says, there

people with old Macks sitting in their sheds, although TBO Farming wheeled out their relics

Above, left to right: Coonabarabran-based Prugger Group brought their newest Mack along – the stunning ‘Shadee’ tipper; The hard working judges Peter Shields, Jim Savage and Cec Healy in deep discussion

JT Fossey’s Tamworth team put on a great show and should be very proud of their inaugural event

Left: The McMillan family of Darryl, Declan, Dion, Daniel and Heather were enjoying their day out

One call to Royans, and we take care of the rest. We’ll help manage the process from the accident scene through to final delivery, and keep you informed every step of the way.

Our 24/7 transport accident response representatives will upload incident updates, accident photos and ensure we select the most appropriate towing company in the area to handle your recovery.

HIGHWAY ADVOCATES Robert Bell

Erroneous authority

State police under the HVNL umbrella falsely believe their authority goes beyond state borders

With the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) now operating in full swing in Queensland, the Regulator now prosecutes in every participating state and territory. Of course, this is notwithstanding the fact that the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) does not apply in what comprises over 50 per cent of Australia’s land mass (Western Australia and Northern Territory).

The HVNL is drafted by the National Transport Commission (NTC) who write the Law, then give it to Queensland to enact. The Regulator is a corporate entity created by section 656 of the Law, and they have taken 10 years to establish themselves as a road and prosecuting authority in the very state they call home.

We can establish from all of the above that the HVNL is State Law, not Federal, and the individual states and territories may do what they like with the Law, and they often do. The devil in the detail can be found in the various adoption and application laws that establish the parameters for the Law as it stands in those states and territories.

The HVNL, as state law, is subject to the nuances of state and territorial legislation, which can create significant differences in how the law is applied from one state to another. What we are about to tell you highlights the challenges in creating a uniform law that operates across state borders where each state has the authority to adapt the law to its specific needs and constitutional mandates.

HVNL section 16 purports to give the Law extra-territorial jurisdiction, as far as possible. This was an attempt by the NTC, in our opinion, to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, to give the Law something that only Federal Legislation may do. That is to have reach across state borders when no other state or territory legislature may have similar effect. The caveat in section 16, as far as possible, restricts the Law to have jurisdiction on events or offences that occur in or of the state or territory concerned. The various state and territory constitutions and self government acts restrain the Law in this fashion.

MISGUIDED POLICE

Here at Highway Advocates, we often encounter matters prosecuted by various police forces who seem to be under the mistaken belief that their authority extends beyond the borders of which they are confined. It is important to remember this, and for you to get your court papers to us as soon as possible so we can examine them for this important detail.

This requirement flows from the state

constitutions and the self-government acts of the territories, which relevantly mandate the state or territory laws must be for the ‘peace, order and good government’ of the state or territory concerned.

What this means for many of you reading this, is that the Law may have extra-territorial effect under certain circumstances. For example, if you are a truck driver on a journey from Bundaberg to Melbourne and you are wheeled into the pads at Moree, your work diary and any breaches detected may have an effect on the peace, order and good government of NSW. However, if you are wheeled in the Broadford weighbridge in Victoria, and a zealous police officer seizes your work diary and goes back through camera sightings in Queensland, they may have a problem. We often encounter this scenario when many or all the alleged offences did not occur in or of the state in which they are detected. If this occurs, it is important to get us to remind the various prosecution authorities of the extent of their authority, or that of the courts in which the prosecution has nexus. While in Victoria, it is salient to have a look at the Application Act in that state for some more legislative quirks. The Application Act (Vic) section 12 provides that only ‘members of the force’ are

ROBERT BELL, together with his team of legal professionals, are Highway Advocates Pty Ltd, a legal practice focused on heavy vehicle drivers and operators. It is their unique ‘Industry Insider’ advantage that keeps them at the forefront of this area of law. Robert’s experience in the transport industry, coupled with his insight, is a guiding force for the team of legal professionals appearing in Courts all around Australia, achieving outcomes that consistently exceed expectations. Highway Advocates are lawyers to the heavy vehicle industry, keeping you on the road where you belong. Contact Highway Advocates on 1300 238 028 or send your court notices and enquires to info@ highwayadvocates.com.au

authorised officers for the purposes of The Law in Victoria. Section 17 states the relevant road authority is the ‘Roads Corporation’.

This now begs the question, who is operating the vehicles operating in Victoria painted up in NHVR livery? Only a police officer may be regarded as an ‘authorised officer’ in this jurisdiction. HVNL s 583(1) purports to empower the Regulator to exercise a power that is conferred upon authorised officers under this Law, accordingly the functions of the Regulator include the powers exercisable by the Regulator under this subsection.

However, pursuant to HVNL s 583(2), that power does not extend to a power that requires the physical presence of an authorised officer. Clearly, something for us all to ponder.

If the Regulator does not possess authority when that authority does not extend to anything that requires the physical presence of that said officer, who then is demanding that you produce your work diary and licence on the roadside?

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

The role of the NHVR and police, combined with the limits of their authority, especially in scenarios where offences are detected outside the jurisdiction where they occurred, are particularly critical, and may mean the difference between multiple charges with potentially crushing penalties and demerit points, or no charges at all in some cases.

These questions, and many more like them, remain to be answered. For truck drivers and companies operating under these laws, understanding these details is crucial to navigating the legal landscape effectively and ensuring compliance while minimising legal risks. But there is one thing that all of you can be sure of. Highway Advocates will not shy away from asking these puzzling questions, even if we know the correct answer.

Highway Advocates, keeping you on the road where you belong.

“The alleged offences did not occur in or of the state in which they are detected.”

DRIVER COMPETENCY IN NEED OF REFORM

Truck driver proficiency was one of the issues discussed during the recent Trucking Australia conference, including lack of experience, poor behaviour and unsafe practices. Alex Catalano reports

It now almost seems unanimous across the transport industry that a national framework for driver competency is in need of reform, and fast. There are several key areas that are now being targeted by industry associations and those with the power to propose changes.

Austroads outlined proposed changes to the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework in January, after a thorough review of current practices. It found that the current timebased system of holding licences wasn’t effective at ensuring drivers are as skilled as they can be, which then has on-flowing effects to safety on the roads not just for themselves, but all drivers.

Following the Australian Trucking Association’s Trucking Australia 24 conference, NatRoad chair Paul Fellows spoke out regarding safety on the roads, saying drivers must stay vigilant and report any sightings of unsafe driving.

Concerns have freshly arisen after the crash on

the Eyre Highway near Yalata, which claimed the lives of three.

South Australia Road Transport Association (SARTA) executive officer Steve Shearer chaired a session at the conference titled ‘Fixing Truck Driver Licencing’, presenting solutions to increase driver competency alongside two Austroads executives.

“The sessions addressed the ‘Elephant in the Room’, namely the widespread and growing concern about the unsafe on-road practices of some drivers and operators which put the lives of other HV drivers and road users at grave risk,” Shearer says in a letter regarding the conference.

“The Austroads projects do not adequately tackle the most problematic issue; how to ensure that before being issued with a HV licence every driver, whether Australian born or from overseas, not only has the skills and is competent but that they also understand and adopt the appropriate safe driving and road-sharing attitude and culture that applies in Australia.

“The principle of accountability should extend beyond the transport operator business to the customer base, by requiring that they ensure their transport operator has the right standards and measures in place re: HV drivers’ on-road safety behaviour.

“More and more good drivers are walking away from the industry or restricting the routes they will work on and/or whether they will work at night, because of the increased risks they face from the growing minority of unsafe drivers.”

Identifying issues

General manager of programs at Austroads, Paul Davies, was one of the presenters at the licencing

session, speaking about the results of the review that Austroads undertook in great detail.

There were trends that Austroads noticed in poor driver behaviour on the road which could result in crashes, and solutions on how to address them.

“Australia needs competent, well-trained and safe heavy vehicle drivers,” Davies says.

“With industry feedback and research, there’s an opportunity here to improve heavy vehicle licencing around driver competency.

“The good news is that the average heavy vehicle driver is better than the regular driver. In the current system, licensing isn’t aligned with key risks and training isn’t consistent across Australia.

“We want to make sure the availability of heavy vehicle drivers isn’t compromised. It’s important to have more time behind the wheel to build skill –this is the message we got consistently. Supervised driving leads to more confident drivers, and there’s a need to strengthen competency-based assessment.”

Austroads partnered with the Melbourne University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) to perform some key research into how and why accidents occur, and how driver competency factors into them. This allowed both organisations to identify trends in driver behaviour that could result in more incidents.

“A big alignment that we found is driver history related to heavy vehicle crashes,” Davies explains.

“History of driving offence, history of crashing a heavy vehicle and limited experience in a heavy vehicle on the road. We found training programs that addressed the attitude to driving made a big difference.

“Licencing is just one factor on heavy vehicle

“More and more good drivers are w alking away from the industry.”

driver shortages. We’re really keen to not exacerbate the problem and help reduce it. There’s a lot more people licensed to drive a heavy vehicle than there are vehicles.”

The introduction of stricter driver competency training and requirements could have both positive and negative effects on the industry, Davies says.

While it will make the roads safer, it also puts up more barriers for those looking to enter the industry. Proposals for supervised driving and assessments could deter new drivers if it means rising costs for them and their businesses.

“For young drivers, we recognise the pathway into the industry can be a challenging one,” Davies says.

“We don’t want to make it a bigger hurdle, but we wanted to recognise that inexperience is a risk factor. We’re working on a pilot for young drivers to recognise how we can manage risks to bring someone into the industry safely. That could serve as a framework for licensing going forward.”

Adding restrictions

Other concerns raised across the industry has been around the transfer of licences, both from drivers moving up classes without having much driving experience, and those transferring from overseas licences.

Austroads consultant Judy Oswin acknowledges that while there are safety and behavioural issues on the road currently, lack of experience is the number one factor on creating road incidents.

“We don’t have a lot of evidence, but what we do have doesn’t point at safety issues around overseas drivers,” she says.

“In terms of crash rates, one state looked at crash rates over 2014-15, and less than a quarter of a per cent that sustained injuries were by overseas drivers. Another state looked at light vehicles, and about 1.3 per cent of those involved were people on an overseas licence.

“Where there was some elevated risk was people who come from unrecognised countries, meaning those who don’t have a similar licencing framework to Australia. The highest crash rate was those on provisional or probationary licences.

“There’s a 45 to 90 per cent increase that someone will be in a heavy vehicle crash if they’re on a probationary licence and they’ve advanced quickly,” Oswin says.

“We might look at making a recognised country program for heavy vehicles. Under those circumstances, we could potentially look at a less rigorous process for recognised countries.”

Top: The average heavy vehicle driver is better than the regular driver, according to Austroads’ GM Paul Davies

Above: Steve Shearer, Paul Davies and Judy Oswin at the 2024 Trucking Australia conference in Canberra

Opposite bottom: NatRoad chair Paul Fellows

Image: Alex Catalano

THE LEGAL VIEW Sarah Marinovic

Driver nomination tips

Failing to nominate, false nominations and nominating where the driver is unknown

When you receive a fine for a camera detected offence in New South Wales (speed cameras, red lights, mobile phones) you are given the option to nominate another driver. Currently, Transport for NSW is cracking down when it comes to nominations for these offences. Here are some things you need to know to stay on the Government’s good side.

OBLIGATION TO NOMINATE

Firstly, if you were not the driver responsible for the offence then you are under an obligation to nominate the person responsible. If you receive the fine in a company name, then you will always need to nominate because a company cannot be the person who committed the offence.

The point of this obligation is to make sure that demerit points find their way to those who commit offences so that bad drivers are penalised and the roads are kept safe. Transport for NSW is eager to make sure the demerit points are allocated to the driver.

There is a time limit to submit the nomination. Usually the deadline is actually before the due date to pay the Penalty Notice. In practice, Revenue NSW often accepts slightly late nominations on the principle of ‘better late than never’, but submitting a nomination doesn’t always mean Revenue will waive the fine for the late nomination. It’s better to get your nomination in quickly to avoid receiving further fines.

Transport for NSW can issue penalty notices for failing to nominate, ranging from $1,700 to $4,000 depending on how many you have received in the past. They can also send the case to court, where the maximum penalty is $22,000.

The best way to avoid a fine is to have good processes in place. Now is a good time to think about what measures you have in place. If a fine came in, would be able to identify the driver and provide all their licence details quickly and easily. Before the stakes get higher, ask yourself: Do you have licence details and up to date residential addresses on file for all your drivers? Do you keep good track of who is driving what vehicles when, so that employees can’t all point the finger at each other when a ticket comes in?

Do you have a clear guideline for who is responsible for processing the nomination and making sure it is submitted on time?

FALSE NOMINATIONS

When it comes to making the

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

nominations, it’s important to get them right. Making a false nomination is a criminal offence that can result in a Penalty Notice or a court charge. It can be tempting to pass the points to someone you know who has enough space left on their licence. You will also find people online and on social media offering to accept points for a fee.

We understand that when your licence is your livelihood it might be tempting to buy into one of these schemes, but I would strongly caution against it.

Falsely nominating is illegal. Transport for NSW now has sophisticated investigation and detection methods. We regularly see people who have been pulled up by Transport for NSW for giving a false nomination. Often we can see how Transport for NSW identified the fraud, but there are times that even we can’t be sure how Transport identified it amongst the thousands of nominations they receive, but they do catch them!

Being caught for a false nomination is a criminal offence. If you’re lucky you will just receive a penalty notice fine. However, the charge can be sent to court resulting in a criminal record.

This is a situation where trying to get out of some demerit points can land you in much deeper trouble. It’s best to steer clear.

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHO THE DRIVER WAS

If you don’t know who the driver was then it’s a good idea to get legal advice.

The wording under the legislation is that you should nominate the “person in charge” of the vehicle when the offence happened. This means that you don’t always necessarily have to nominate the driver themselves if you don’t know who that is. Sometimes it is enough to nominate the person who was in charge of the vehicle (e.g. the company director, supervisor), who then in turn needs to identify who they gave the vehicle to.

However, you should get legal help with this as the rules are nuanced.

Again this is a situation where prevention is the best cure. Implementing simple processes such as a logbook requiring every driver to identify when they have the vehicle and making sure you have every driver’s details (name, address, driver’s licence) on record prevent these problems arising.

CONCLUSION

In short, when it comes to traffic tickets, despite the temptation to file them in the top drawer, it pays to grit your teeth and get them sorted. As always, if you’re concerned about how to do this in your business, the lawyers at Ainsley Law are here and happy to help.

“Transport for NSW now has sophisticated investigation and detection methods.”

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Suzy Snowden has defied the male doubters and is now enjoying her time behind the wheel of a Kenworth C509, nicknamed ‘Flawless Victory’, along the challenging length and breadth of Western Australia. Warren Aitken writes

FLAWLESS VICTORY I

s everyone aware of what a monomyth is? I will break it down a little just so we are all starting from the same point of reference. If you Google it, you can get a very long and definitive description of a monomyth, but the simple version is it’s ‘The Hero’s Journey’. A kind of common template describing the stages of a long journey. While it may sound very grandiose to describe this story as a monomyth, I believe it is extremely true. The story of Suzy Snowden, her C509 and how she got the keys to it is very much a monomyth. It’s a tale of perseverance, it is a story of determination, and it is a story of a young lady who just wants to drive trucks. It’s

a hero tale that shows what can be achieved if you have the drive to drive.

As I mentioned just before, our heroine for this particular tale is a young Kiwi lady named Suzy. Her aliases on the road are Suz, Suzy or Snowy and she is far too humble and unassuming to ever allow me to lionise her with an opening paragraph like I have. Thankfully she is way down in Western Australia and that breathing room means I am able to give her the credit she deserves without coping any backlash.

This story isn’t really about the stunning C509 you see here. I mean it really is sharp, and it doesn’t just look like this for our photos, this is the way it looks every time Suz pulls out of the Toll Energy yard in Perth. However, this story is more about the young lady who washes, polishes and steers this behemoth of a truck. A young lady who has always been spurred on by people who question her ability to do something. A young lady who grew up cruising the New Zealand highways with her dad, a young lady determined to master the art of driving the biggest and longest trucks she can, and a young lady who will no doubt read, this roll her eyes at me, and make me rewrite it because “mate, I’m not that special, I just love driving trucks”.

As I mentioned, Suz has several names by which she is known but for the sake of consistency and the fact it is easier to type I am going to stick with Suz.

Suz grew up in New Zealand’s North Island in a family of truckies. But this young lady jumped across the ditch back in 2008 to explore the opportunities Australia has to offer.

“Dad was a driver back home, so were my uncles and cousins,” Suz says. “So I knew it was always something I wanted to carry on.”

Left: Suzy Snowden is pretty proud of her C509 and the path it has taken her to get to the driver’s seat of this impressive truck

It’s worth noting that when I sat down with Suz to do the interview, her mum Mary was sitting alongside us. This is important to know because when I learnt about the family history of trucking, I casually asked Suz if she had any interest in trucks when she was still a young whipper snipper back in Kiakohe. Mary then fell off her chair laughing. It seems “a little interest” would be a major understatement.

Mary apparently lost count of the number of days Suz would wag school to go for rides with her dad.

“I remember doubling up in the bunk of dad’s Scammel with my older sister and going for runs,” Suz recalls. “I remember the early starts and cold mornings. Back then it would take ages to get anywhere as well.

“Dad ran Auckland to Wellington for Keveys Transport. I remember Dad would take us to Stag Park, that was a cool truck stop, always heaps of cool trucks there, and Turangi and Tokoroa,” she says.

“There was a food caravan there; it had the best food.” Funny how kids always remember the important stuff, where the best tucker was.

From school holidays and more than a few non-school holiday adventures with her dad, the lure of truck driving just grew in Suz. However, when she finished up school it was actually the NZ Army that caught her attention.

“I’d done a course at Burnham and decided it was pretty cool and thought I’d join up. I had tried to join up as a driver but because I still only had my learner licence, I couldn’t join the transport corps,” Suz explains. “Instead I joined as a supplier.

“When I was in, I tried to do a trade change but that didn’t end up happening. I did do a driving course while I was there though, and it got me my class 2 licence (the equivalent of our HR licence).”

After six years in the army, Suz decided to take a bit of a holiday and join her parents who had recently set up camp in Perth. She took six months of unpaid leave which meant she had to pack up all her fatigues and return them to the stores. This also meant if Suz decided not to return she wouldn’t need to return to base to sort it all out. As it turned out it was a fortuitous move.

“I got over here and loved it, I mean I was getting $25 an hour packing shelves, which was pretty good back then,” she laughs. “The truck thing was always in my mind though. By then Dad was working in the mines, driving dump trucks, as well as excavators and everything else.”

In fact, shifting over to Australia only added more fuel to the fire when it came to Suz’s truck driving goals.

“I still wanted to drive, my biggest goal was to one day drive the triple road trains, that’s what I was aiming for.

“My class 2 New Zealand licence transferred over to an

“My biggest goal was to one day drive the triple road trains.”

HR licence, and I signed up to get lessons from Makene Driving School in Malaga. I did quite a few lessons there and went for my HC licence with them and passed that first go.”

The next issue was finding a company willing to give her a start. She was young and female, two attributes that didn’t really open a lot of doors.

“Back then it was pretty daunting going for a job in a male-dominated industry, but I pretty much looked at it the same way I did with the army. When I joined the army the ratio of men to women was probably like five to one, it was the same for females in trucking. But I just thought, ‘why can’t I do it, I’ll give it a crack’,” Suzy recalls.

“I applied for several jobs and was lucky that Shaun Carey at Goldstar Transport gave me a go, which was great. He didn’t have to. I was very inexperienced, and I was also just 24 back then. That meant insurance-wise he didn’t have to give me a chance either; I was pretty lucky to get my foot in the door.”

First truck Suz’s infallible attitude, mixed with the faith bestowed on her by the GoldStar Transport team, saw Suz finally getting behind the wheel and starting her trucking career.

“I remember my first truck and job. It was an old Volvo FH10, it was scoddy as hell, but I loved it,” she smiles. “It was cool because it was my start. I was delivering to Target stores around Perth.”

Suz laughs as she admits from the start the backing

onto the finger docks wasn’t her forte. “I remember ringing Dad for advice, and he asked me how many trailers I was backing and having to tell him just the one.”

As much as Suz laughs as she recalls her early days, she also points out the support and help she received from the other workers. “There were a couple of guys that were really helpful. One said to me if you ever get stuck just ask, ’cause if you don’t and think you can handle it, something will go wrong.” And that’s exactly what Suz did. If she wasn’t sure, she would ask.

Suz spent three years with Goldstar and during that time upgraded from HC to her MC licence. This saw her moving from dock work around town, to B-double work on slightly longer excursions.”

My first B-double run was my first trip away. I took a load down south, it was only a couple of hours away but I still class it as an away trip, longest one I’d done.” Suz laughs.

She credits the round-town work with honing her skills and getting a greater appreciation for trucks. “With doing everything around town first, I got a lot more comfortable with turning corners, traffic, getting into driveways, knowing my truck … all that sort of stuff.”

As her skills and experience grew, so did Suz’s desire to achieve her goal of running triples. Unfortunately, that meant leaving Goldstar and starting a new role with SRH in Bunbury.

“I started in an Iveco with them, doing single and B-double work. We carted Bunnings to places like Geraldton, Albany, Esperance and places like that,” Suz says. “I did my first double road train with SRH. It was in

a

From opposite top: For a mammoth truck it is still very compact inside, however the inside is kept as immaculate as the outside, as you can see; One thing you have to love about the Kenworth C509 is the full 90 degree access; Suz’s military background is evident in the Anzac spirit display in the bunk

Top: With the right focal length, Suz looks as imposing as her 509

Above: It’s not

unicorn, it’s a Pegasus

a Freightliner Columbia, taking general freight up to Cape Lambert. I was nervous as!

“The guy I went up with was probably getting really annoyed because I was asking a lot of questions, but he was really supportive the whole way.”

SRH took Suz another step forward in her goal to drive road trains. Jumping from a B-double to that first double road train in the Columbia just strengthened her resolve. “That first double was awesome, it was so exciting. It was another step up in my career and made me really want to get a triple road train.”

It wasn’t a rush though. The opportunities were there at SRH to go straight to a triple, but Suz was smart and spent several months logging hours with a double train, getting used to how they reacted and felt. When she had that in the bag, she took the first chance she could to lock in a load with her ultimate goal – three trailers swinging off the back. Suz was given the keys to a Century Class Freightliner and sent off to Karratha with her very first triple road train.

“I took a double to Carnarvon, then hooked up a third and went to Karratha,” Suz recalls. “It was scarier compared to a double, but cool. I remember thinking, ‘holy shit, I’m doing this’. It was a buzz, I also really appreciated the skill involved in driving these things.”

As is typical of the addiction that is trucking, once you get a taste you just want more. With her first triple done, Suz had her hand up anytime the opportunity rose.

“There’s more females in trucks over here in WA now.”

She started stockpiling experience and building a solid reputation on Western Australia’s roads. In fact, it wasn’t long before people were coming to her with questions rather than it being her asking questions of others.

Side tippers

Top: Suz and her partner Logan have put a lot of work into making the big Kenworth C509 stand out

Above: Another Suz and Logan addition – little green lights to add to the other green lights packed into the company truck

Below: Suz’s 509 parked up next to one of the company’s 659s – Suz had to drive the old 659 for a while a few months ago while her steed was getting a new heart put in

Suz loved running triples for SRH. When they closed down she kept up the big trucks, doing a bit of work in a Linfox shirt instead. “Linfox was good, it was all doubles or triples from Perth up to Karratha, so I got a lot of miles with them.”

With her skill level in the road train climbing, Suz decided then to shift up to Karratha and try taking on another new challenge. This time it was side tippers.

“I’d never done tippers but again just thought I would give it a go, it was very different.” It was while in Karratha learning the sacred art of tipper driving that Suz got offered the chance to pilot the big 509, her current steed.

“I was up in Karratha doing tippers when my current

“If you hate me for what I’m doing, I’ll do it 10 times better.”

Above: ‘Flawless Victory’ is not a bad name for a truck. If you are old enough to remember the old-school Mortal Combat game, that was the cry once a win was achieved

Right: There’s just something about that Kenworth cutout that starts with a C5

Far right: It might not have the biggest bunk, but these days Suz is lucky to spend a couple of nights a week in it, so the 509 does her just fine

Opposite bottom: Suz hooking up the suzi coils (just had to grab that shot)

boss rang me. He’d heard my name from some people and rang to offer me a job,” Suz laughs. “They had a new contract and wanted me to drive for them. He showed me a pic of the 5-0 and said, ‘it’s yours’. I was blown away”.

And that’s where we are now, staring at a very cool Kenworth 509 that Suz pilots for Toll Energy, once again in a new and challenging position.

“ I load up on a Tuesday and take whatever trailers they need, sometimes it’s a train and sometimes just a single. I run up to Leinster in the goldfields, I take them into the camp and unload and reload them, then I run them back out of the mine and the next truck that’s come up will take them home. I will then go and unload and reload their trailers. I’ll spend a week doing that then come home.”

When you think about it, that’s a whole week running around mine sites on dirt roads. It makes the appearance of the C509 even more impressive. However, Suz is first to give credit where it’s due when it comes to her beloved 509.

“Look, 90 per cent of the credit needs to go to my partner Logan Warren. He’s the one that has added all the extras and does a lot of the cleaning.”

See what I mean about her humble side. Suz will claim she just drives it but her passion for washing and polishing could match that of her partner Logan. I am sure If I had been allowed on-site to photograph Suz at work, I would have snapped more than a few of her cleaning the truck during her week-long

excursions in the Western Australian goldfields. You can’t run red dirt for a week and keep a truck looking this good without a few baths midweek.

As I look to wrap up this monomyth, I wanted to get Suz’s take on the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to being a female in a still heavily male-dominated industry.

“It’s better now, there’s more females in trucks over here in WA now,” she says. “I remember when I first started though, I’d avoid the two-way because, you know, a female voice would just cop all the comments – ‘get back in the kitchen, you don’t know what you’re doing’ – all that stuff. It just drove me though, like, why can’t I do this?

“A lot of people would underestimate me because of my height and size, but I’d just use that as fuel. There were a lot of drivers that didn’t care, you’re a driver like them, but the ones that focussed on me being a girl, I fed off that. If you hate me for what I’m doing, I’ll do it 10 times better.”

The one thing Suz is adamant about though. If you are thinking of getting into the industry, you need to actually enjoy trucks, you need that passion for them. It’s long hours, hard work and you need to be driven to drive. That passion was evident in Suz from the age of 10. Any kid that is willing to spend their weekends cruising the highways in an old Scammel like Suz and her sister did, well just look where that gets you. It gets you in the biggest and the best, like Suz’s stunning C509.

Keep up the good work, Suz.

BUILDING HIS BUSINESS

James Hussary has worked in various areas of the transport industry, but it’s his venture into fleet logistics solutions that has proved to be his forte

Reliability and consistency are among the top requirements businesses look for in products and services. When James Hussary decided to go out and start a business of his very own, it was these words that ensured his success.

Working in the transport industry for 20 years, James says he got his first taste of the transport world as a yardie and slowly built his way up from there.

“I became operations manager, state manager and general manager. It was a 17-year long process,” James laughs.

While he enjoyed his role, James was itching for a way to branch out and make his own mark.

“I had decided that I was done working for someone else and knew I would love running my own business.

“That’s how Xpress Fleet came to be.”

Xpress Fleet filled a void in the market, combining traditional transport services with fully managed fleet logistics solutions.

The business works with automotive OEMs, dealers and fleet managers nationally to provide solutions to help move vehicles from dock to dealer and wharf to warehouse.

“We specialise in a whole heap of stuff, from bringing new pre-released vehicles to commercial breaks and photoshoots and major events like Women’s FIFA World Cup, A League final and AFL grand final,” James says.

“For photoshoots and commercial breaks, we will handle everything with the manufacturers, setting up up events, get the vehicles detailed, ready and transported.

“You could call it car carrying but we honestly do a lot more than that.”

When it came time to start expanding his fleet, James says he was very particular on what trucks would be suited to the role.

“Our biggest requirement was that the trucks were reliable and safe, that was the most important thing for us.

“Hino stood out immediately.”

James says that even in his older roles, he had always found himself leaning towards Hino, with 60 out of the 120 subcontractors he oversaw driving one.

“The trucks are built well, they are safe, and the quality is amazing,” he says.

With his mind made up, he made the purchase of two new Hino FD 500 Series.

“And let me tell you, that was the right decision.”

Roo worries

Travelling along the Hume Highway in one of the FDs, one of James’s drivers found themselves coming face to face with a kangaroo on the road.

“A kangaroo popped out while he was doing 100 kilometres an hour,” he says.

Sticking to what Xpress Fleet had taught him, the driver drove straight through the kangaroo to avoid more catastrophic outcomes.

“We were lucky, the only damage was some scuff marks to the bull bar.”

Only three days later however, the driver wasn’t so lucky.

“You wouldn’t believe it, on the same stretch of road another kangaroo jumped out and hit him at 4am in the morning.”

A rather large kangaroo, the damage was bit more excessive this time around, smashing the headlight completely.

“I was in Sydney at the time, but I called up Hino straight away and sent the driver to a Melbourne dealership.”

James says he was floored at how quickly they responded, a new headlight ready and waiting before the driver even pulled up.

“All we had to do was undo two bolts, drop the bull bar forward, replace the headlight and put it back up.

“It took 45 minutes and he was back in Sydney the next day.”

James says he was also surprised at how well the Hino genuine bull bar pulled through, protecting the rest of the truck.

“In any other circumstance or with a different truck, we would’ve been taken off the road for weeks or months,” he says.

Having shelf parts ready and available ensured James could get the rig back on the road and continue work as normal.

James stressed how detrimental having a truck parked could be in his line of work.

“Our trucks are specialised, we have decking, ramps, tilt trays and more specially fitted to these trucks. We couldn’t just rent one while we waited.

“It also wouldn’t just impact us, but it would cause a domino effect that would affect everyone using our services.

“That’s why we are more than happy to invest in quality and reliability.”

More than satisfied with his decision to stick with Hino and its Genuine Parts, James already has another truck being built and is eagerly awaiting its arrival in the coming months.

“They are worth every dollar for the safety, reliability, service and quality. It’s great to have a brand that we know we can consistently trust.”

“A kangaroo popped out while he was doing 100 kilometres an hour.”

Top: Hino opted for the Hino brand, namely the FD 500 models

Above left: James says Xpress Fleet is much more than a carcarrying business

Images: Hino Trucks

ROAD SOUNDS Greg Bush

Smorgasbord of sounds

Ear-warming albums for the cool winter months

HIGH STONE

Johnny Casino Cheersquad Records & Tapes www.cheersquad.com.au

Globetrotting Aussie guitarslinging rocker

Johnny Casino (aka Johnny Spittles) is now based in Spain, although his new album High Stone was recorded in the US city of Philadelphia. Previously with Sydney band Asteroid B-612, Casino continues his penchant for pub rock. ‘Twenty Twenty’, originally recorded in 2020, has been given a no-holds-barred makeover as he sings of kicking the door open. The driving guitars continue on ‘Mr Fastgun’, a track notable for Jill Snarburg’s backing vocals and Mike Kiker’s unyielding bass riffs. ‘The Ghost Train’ is a blend of “Americana” and soft rock as Kiker’s Hammond organ is the perfect foil for Casino’s lead guitar solo. The album’s final number is a cover of The Byrds’ 1966 hit ‘Eight Miles High’ with Casino and the band stretching the classic track to close on 10 minutes.

NOCTURNAL

Ricky Albeck

Dinosaur City Records rickycalbeck.bandcamp.com

With a string of singles behind him, Adelaide singersongwriter Ricky Albeck is delivering on his promise with the debut album, Nocturnal. With his parents Beccy Cole and Mick Albeck being Australian country music stalwarts, one would assume the younger Albeck would follow them into that genre. Not exactly, as the closest comparison being the steel guitar and fiddle on opening track ‘Insignificant Favours’. That song, along with the catchy ‘Sad Sack’, are well-written examples of pop-rock. ‘Circus Performer’ is rootsy, and Albeck delivers a monologue behind crisp instrumentation on the feel-good ‘It Goes…’. He rocks it up retro style on ’Get Me Outta Here’ as Jessica Johns’ soaring backing vocals elevate the song to greater heights. Albeck sat in the producer’s chair for Nocturnal, proving he’s more than a chip off the old block.

1 2 3 4

Modern English

Mesh & Lace Recordings modernenglish.me

up in 1990, reformed six years later, then split again before getting their groove back in 2010, although releases have been few and far between since.

Their latest album, 1 2 3 4 first in eight years, which precedes their first Australian tour, starting in October this year. Of interest is that the current four band members are also originals from the early days. Standout tracks include ‘Not My Leader’ with science fiction references, the fast-paced ‘Long In The Tooth’, and the hypnotic ‘Exploding’ as they state the obvious with lyrics of “the danger of death". The simplistic guitar work on ‘Plastic’ recalls The Cure’s early years, and they trudge along with determination on ‘Genius’.

TOWNIE

X Ambassadors

Virgin Music/Universal xambassadors.com

from 2015 to 2021, including their US top 10 debut, VHS Townie number four and, as suggested by the title, reflects on their birthplace. ‘Your Town’, one of a number of appetitewhetting singles, is a serious lesson on staying grounded. Lead vocalist Sam Harris reaches his upper range on the pop-rock track ‘No Strings’ as he sings of living dangerously, and there’s an emotive tone to the ballad ‘Half-Life’. The low-key acoustic guitar-backed ‘Follow The Sound Of My Voice’, with lyrics relating to the disadvantaged, is equally sombre, and X Ambassadors take a tour around their area’s black spots on ‘Smoke On The Highway’. Despite the seriousness, there’s a lot to like about Townie, an album that should appeal to fans of Boy & Bear.

Training reform vital

Better driver training systems are needed for new drivers entering the road transport industry

As it has been close on 12 months since my last article, I do hope that time has been kind to you, your family and your mates on the highway. As family is important to me and you, I know arriving home safe is the best gift that you can give to family. It is with sadness that we have lost a few great men and women of our industry. With them gone, I know it continues to hurt each day, but it does not make it any easier. Please pick up the phone and call a mate. Check on him/her to ensure everyone is safe. We need to ensure we don’t lose any more brothers and sisters on the road.

With many great things that have happened across the road transport industry, it is sometimes hard to take a moment and reflect on what has been happening. With the Closing Loopholes Act 2023 and the Closing Loopholes No.2 Act 2024 now in legislation, it is with hope that the legislation will close all labour hire loopholes, the employees right to disconnect and the constant issue around wage theft. With the adding of provisions around how support can be offered to victims of domestic violence, this will ensure our most vulnerable of our industry is supported.

When focusing on the state of Queensland, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has now assumed

full responsibility for the delivery of heavy vehicle on-road compliance and enforcement services in that state. With the idea of delivering positive results to all industry stakeholders, this should deliver some great outcomes to all heavy vehicle drivers. With the NHVR in all states and territories except Western Australia and the Northern Territory, it’s been able to submit access permits through a dedicated portal and being able to complete any other reporting requirements. This will save so much time for owner operators.

DRIVER COMPETENCY

Earlier this year, I attended a forum held online that discussed the progress and next steps for the implementation of the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework. Been that this has been developed and presented by Austroads, it did provide me the opportunity to engage many road managers, transport department managers and other road transport leaders. As this is still an ongoing project, the key outcomes are positive. With the project presenting two options, the main take away was that all leaders are now focused on driver safety and not money. With the emphasis on how a driver can obtain their heavy vehicle licence, the project if successful, will ensure that the expanded set of knowledge and skills,

attitudinal training, hazard-perception training and assessment will be a major part of this reform. With a major focus on minimum training and behind-thewheel supervision, this could be the answer we have been searching for.

COSGROVE, as well as a being an advocate for mental health, Marcus is a passionate road safety advocate working with the National Road Freighters Association as a board member and social media officer.

Under the above options, for a driver to get a HR licence, he or she will need to complete 10 hours of online learning, 4.5 hours of class-based learning and 10 hours of behind-the-wheel time mentoring. When a driver chooses to move up to the HC licence, the driver is required to complete 10 hours of on-line learning, four hours of classbased learning and 11 hours of behindthe-wheel mentoring. When a driver chooses to move up to the MC licence, the driver is required to complete 10 hours of on-line learning, four hours of class-based learning and 11.5 hours of behind the wheel mentoring.

CORRECT MENTORING

Been that I have been driving trucks for over 28 years, when I started my transport career in the early 1990s I was trained and mentored correctly by many great transport operators. With motivation in the form of a swift kick up the backside when needed, I always had someone beside to support me when things did go wrong. As these moments were turned into teachable moments, it is the reason why I am the truck driver I am today.

The issue I have is, when an operator is needing to place a driver into an asset that could be worth between $500,000 to $1 million, that operator should have the full confidence that the driver will be safe and professional. That operator should have the confidence that the driver has been trained to the best standard, but this is not always the case.

With multiple heavy vehicle accidents resulting in being fatalities this year, my thoughts do lead me to asking how we can get this training reform put into place now? Our young men and women of our industry need the support and training to be the superstars of tomorrow.

“I always had someone beside to support me when things did go wrong.”

During the recent Road Safety Week held from May 5 to 12, we all heard and saw the media advertisements promoting the need for everyone to not touch their mobiles, adhere to all speed limits, and drive to the road conditions. At no time did we hear about car drivers needing to stay clear when in our blind spots. We have the ‘Don’t Muck With A Truck’ campaign supported by the NHVR, but I cannot see much evidence this is working. With several collisions in the past month in Brisbane resulting in a heavy vehicle making contact with a car in blind spots, a rethink may be needed to solve this issue.

With a lot going on across the industry as stated above, one can only hope that the above changes that have been put into place, will do what it is intended to do.

As the current freight task continues to increase, so does the support of our younger drivers to be trained better and supported better. I do hope that everyone has an awesome next 12 months and hope to see you all on the road.

MARCUS

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey

Doing the rounds

A busy schedule included the Sydney TruckFest and the Opera House for Road Safety Week launch

Ihad plans to get a few jobs done before attending Sydney TruckFest at Clarendon, but spent each of the three week-ends prior away in the truck so I did not get it as complete as I would have liked. I managed to get one day in Dubbo just before and get service and a couple of things tidied at least and had also washed it each week, hoping the rain would hold off, but that did not play well either.

Thursday morning after unloading at Newcastle and still raining, I rang Bruce Gunter at TruckFest, telling him I might get there with a dirty truck with the weather, but in the end it was fine, or sort of, in Sydney, got the set washed at Smeaton Grange and they even did the tyre shine (thanks fellas) and got to TruckFest just before 6pm with a gleaming truck and trailers. I had a list of jobs to do, set up banners and was ready for the opening Friday morn.

The weather did not help Friday, though there were a good few people who braved it and walked about, but Saturday was a roaring success and the rain held off till about 5pm, but slowed attendance on Sunday as well.

All I spoke to rated it a success. You can’t control the weather and we all hope it will go and grow and become a major fixture on the trucking calendar. Congratulations to Bruce and Brendon and all the team behind them, the volunteers and all who made the effort to attend.

The truck rides were an absolute hit and there were five trucks running at times and the sweet sound of GMs running round the block (the V8 Valueliner was good too) was nearly as good as the musical entertainment. A terrific event that would have been a fantastic starter, but the weather just doused it a bit and you can’t stop that.

I had one of the nicest personal visits at such an event ever. A fellow came in, looked a bit nervous but introduced himself and said, “I am not involved in trucking, have never driven a truck, but have always had an interest in how things get delivered to us all. I have read everything you have written, listed to radio and podcasts and just want to thank you for what you do.” I had a number of truckies do the same, but for this to come from a member of the public was such a change and a really nice thought. It made my day.

TruckFest was due to finish at 5pm, but did wrap up a bit early, so having put my banners away during a nice patch of sun where I had got them all

dry, I took the truck back to the yard. My son drove in and picked me up and we headed to the Opera House for the NSW launch of Road Safety Week at 6PM. I had phoned and thanked them for the invite and asked could I bring the truck, saying it would be good to include a truck as we often get left out of such things, but they declined the offers. Of course, once I got there, I couldn’t have got even the prime mover anywhere near the venue, but having not been there before, you can only ask.

TRUCKIE TUESDAY

I had gone straight from TruckFest in my new Truckie Tuesday shirt and jeans, so was perhaps a bit underdressed. Most were in suits and, of course, once the talking was done, it was announced they would be lighting the Sydney Harbour Bridge in yellow and with signage to promote Road Safety Week. The reason for the venue was obvious as we had a good view of the bridge.

There was a family there, directly impacted by a crash and like others, told their story to try and prevent others from ending up in the same

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

“In our job you’re forever on the road.”

reality. In our job you’re forever on the road, but none of us go to work and expect not to get home. Yet our actions and that of others can change that in less than a second.

You can make a pledge, you can convince yourself you will do everything right and safely, then someone else won’t and you and/or them could die. Please give it some thought.

I spoke with Minister John Graham and he has agreed to come and do a trip in the truck. Then I caught up with the head of Transport for NSW and asked about the new school program they announced and whether it will have a sharing the road with trucks component, offering a business card and to contribute. I then gave a list of three savage dips on the Newell that it is taking too long to fix to another gent I knew.

It was said in the meeting that those involved with road safety have to use their networks and get these messages out and again, in some ways, we are still too often left out, but I do appreciate the fact they invited me and so I did seek further involvement.

It was said they thought the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator wanted to do the trucking things, but it is the car drivers we need to educate about sharing the road with trucks. We need the rest areas to manage our fatigue and to have toilets like normal people and we need the bloody roads fixed, not just patched and sealed over the broken parts. That method will then fail and we will be yet again blamed for damaging the roads they do not fix properly.

Nor do they recognise or consider they enormous rise in maintenance costs. And if the roads are in poor shape, they are affecting the truck drivers, body, health and ability to do the job safely, so we have a long way to go.

Phone detection cameras, after a trial, will all become seatbelt cameras in July, as still 15 per cent of deaths still involve those not wearing seatbelts. Other actions will be pursued to save lives. Please do your part.

Image:

Rod Hannifey

Below: The squeaky clean TruckRight Industry Vehicle at Sydney TruckFest

TRUCKFEST BREAKS SYDNEY DROUGHT

Despite inclement weather, Sydney’s inaugural biennial TruckFest went off without a hitch, filling the much-needed trucking gap in the area. Tiarna Condren writes

Sydney’s “truck show drought” has been washed away, with spectators and truckies from across New South Wales pouring into the inaugural Sydney TruckFest to show support. While the rain pelted down, it wasn’t enough to keep avid truckies and families away from the Hawkesbury Showground at Clarendon.

The event, under the banner of ‘Back to the Woolsheds’, ran from May 3 to 5 where more than 4,700 attendees rolled up to soak up the atmosphere. Co-organiser Brendon Ryan says considering the wet weather, local transport companies and truck devotees showed up in full force.

“For its first ever run, we were completely surprised,” he says.

With 70 trucks lining up at the gate, Brendon says despite initial nerves, they were pleased with how everything turned out.

“Everything was pretty nerve-wrecking honestly,” he laughs. “But the weather was the only downfall. We didn’t really have any major issues or problems.

“Yet that didn’t stop us from running around like headless chooks.”

Created by Brendon and Bruce Gunter, the duo say the show was created amid a “truck show drought” plaguing NSW.

“There’s no truck show in Sydney anymore, nothing even truck related,” Brendon adds.

“Everybody always has to travel around if they want to go to one, so we found the little hole in the

market and tried to fix it.”

Sydney hasn’t seen a truck show of this size since 2019’s Working Truck Show in Penrith, which ended due to the impact of COVID and the sad passing of organiser Mark White in 2020.

Industry showcase

Sydney TruckFest combined the best of the industry, with a special focus on new vehicles, trailing equipment and services dedicated to the road transport industry.

“Whether you’re a large fleet owner, single owner operator or just a driver even, there would be something here that you can get involved with,” Brendon continues.

One of the drawcards of the Hawkesbury Showgrounds was the Yennora Woolsheds, famously used to play host to the industry for years.

The woolsheds were transformed into a time capsule with period specific vehicles, hay bales, plastic sheep and more.

“The display was just amazing. I have never seen, and don’t think there has ever been a collection of trucks like this all put together,” Brendon says.

Another amazing display was seen in the truck entries, with the rigs battling it out for the top three trophies.

Initially not bothering with a Show ’n Shine, organisers were overwhelmed with messages and calls asking for it to be included.

“We were getting pressured,” Brendon laughs. “The public spoke so of course we had to act on it.”

The Show ’n Shine was open to all trucks of every size, shape, year and model, with a first, second and third place awarded. Judging was solely up to the public, with QR codes scattered around the grounds to cast votes.

The Silverback Armour ‘Beast of the Show’ was ultimately taken by Pace Drilling and their Kenworth T909.

Closing in on second was Matty Bowler and his Kenworth 409 SAR with the third-place trophy finding home with Mark Galea and his Peterbilt.

“We received great feedback overall. The camaraderie was felt everywhere, and everything was so fantastic,” Brendon says.

With the success of the event evident, Sydney residents can breathe easier knowing this truck show is here to stay.

“We are looking at doing it every second year, opposite to the Brisbane Show,” he says.

“We’ve already pencilled in dates with the venue, aiming for March 2026.”

Clockwise from top left: Mack had a strong presence at TruckFest, including this classic R Series model; It’s handy to have a tow truck around when the mud sets in; The puddles didn’t deter truck owners and the attendees; This old cab-over Mack brought along a “mini-me” version; This squeaky clean Haulmark trailer showed it wasn’t just trucks at TruckFest; Lelox showed off its handiwork with this cool Kenworth; The golden oldies were safely tucked away indoors

Image: Rod Hannifey

COUNTDOWN TO CASINO

Organisers were caught slightly off guard with the 2023 Casino Truck Show’s huge attendance figures. Not so for the August 3 event where planning is well underway for another massive event

It’s only a little over a month until one of the biggest regional truck shows in the southern hemisphere gets underway and, according to organisers, the excitement is building.

Now an unmissable highlight on the calendar of truck enthusiasts across the nation, the 2024 North Coast Petroleum Casino Truck Show will be held in the Casino CBD on Saturday August 3, promising to be an inspiring showcase of innovation, performance and community.

Richmond Valley Council’s acting general manager Angela Jones said last year’s Casino Truck Show was the biggest yet with more than 600 trucks on display and an estimated 14,000 people attending.

Angela says with the expectation of a similar size event this year, intensive re-mapping of the Casino CBD had been undertaken to ensure all attendees would fit comfortably.

She says the Casino Truck Show was not just a celebration of trucks; it was a celebration of the pride, passion and dedication shown by the men and women of the transport industry as a whole.

“As we countdown to the event, we invite enthusiasts and industry professionals alike to join us in the Richmond Valley for an unforgettable experience which showcases the best of what the trucking world has to offer,” Angela says.

“As we prepare to welcome attendees and trucks

from across the nation, we would like to express our appreciation for the unwavering support and collaboration of the truck show’s sponsors.

“We look forward to celebrating the success of this year’s event and to continuing our partnerships in the future.”

Three new trophy categories have been included this year – Show Truck Champions, Sensational Six and Great Eight, bringing the total to 14, equating to more than 70 trophies up for grabs.

Major sponsors include North Coast Petroleum as Naming Rights Sponsor; Dawson’s Haulage – Parade Naming Sponsor; Heavy Haulage Assets – Event Ambassador Partnership; Rocklea Truck Electrical –Rig of the Show Prize Sponsor; and Brown and Hurley Kyogle – Trophy Sponsor.

Other sponsors include Country Trucker Caps –

Merchandise Partner and Show Truck Champions Sponsor; Toowoomba Truck Specialist Centre (TTSC) – Judged Elite Sponsor; Masterart Designs and Truckwriters – Elite Paint Series; Robuk Engineering – Robuk Randoms; S&S Heavy Haulage – Sensational Six; Big Wheels Truck Alignment – Great Eight Sponsor; and Ampol -– Best Fleet Sponsor.

In addition, Omikron Auto Detailing Products is the sponsor of All Entrants Gift Partnership; while Moore Trailers is Auction Prize Supplier.

Deals on Wheels magazine is the media partner, plus convoy participants will be handed out a copy of Deals on Wheels as well as OwnerDriver magazine.

The Casino Truck Show is proud to be partnering with the leading charity changing the face of men’s health, Movember.

Organisers have advised to stay tuned for exciting announcements to be made closer to the August 3 event.

Entertainment on the day includes Mossy Rocks and the Tony Q Band, who will be rocking out tunes from two separate stages, another change up for 2024. In addition, there will be plenty of kid-friendly activities such as amusements rides and face painting. There will also be exhibitors’ showcasing industry-related products and services.

And just when you think it’s all over, J&J Rodeo will be putting on a spectacular Bull Ride under the roof of the new arena at the Casino Showground and Racecourse.

The ever-popular street parade starts at 10am, with the trophy presentation at 3pm.

Online registrations open on June 3, with the fee remaining unchanged at $30 per entrant.

Stay tuned to the Casino Truck Show’s Facebook page and website for further information.

Top: More than 600 trucks are expected to join the Casino Truck Show convoy on August 3

Left: Truck owners, drivers, families and friends will converge on Casino’s CBD for the annual event

Images: Warren Aitken

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Isuzu launches 2024 competition

First prize winner will take home a $6000 Visa gift card

Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL) has launched its 2024 Truck of the Year competition, with nominations now open and running until December 1 this year.

Now in its 28th year, the competition is arguably the longest running of its kind in Australia, originating with the first editions of Isuzu’s hardcopy Truckpower magazine in the mid 1990s.

Isuzu’s competition continues with the intent of celebrating life on the road, businesses around the county and the trucks that support them.

IAL marketing and advertising manager, Sam Gangemi, says Isuzu Australia is proud of the enduring nature of the competition which connects the original equipment manufacturer with the grass roots of its customers.

“Truck of the Year is where the spirit of the trucking community has met passion for product for almost 30 years.

“Our customers come from some of the hardest working industries in Australia. From our point of view, it’s great that the competition can bring these people together in the limelight and recognise their achievements.

“This year is all about giving your truck another chance to work for you – whether you’re a tradie, cattle farmer or a driver in national logistics chain, we encourage you to tell your story,” Gangemi says.

Entering the competition is as straightforward as visiting the landing page at isuzu.com.au, following the prompts and reading the terms and conditions.

Winners are rewarded with a range of cash and merchandise prizes, plus further opportunities

to partner with Isuzu Trucks to promote their business.

‘Monthly’ winners are selected from the pool of entries each month of the competition, with each receiving an Isuzu merchandise pack valued at $300 RRP.

These monthly winners go in the running for the ‘Series Prize’ according to their relevant Isuzu truck model series (N/F/FX/FY).

The Series Prize winners—each taking home a $1,000 Visa gift card— then duke it out for the title of Isuzu’s 2024 Truck of the Year and the Grand Prize of a $6000 Visa gift card.

“In 2024 there are multiple ways to win as we reward loyal Isuzu fans for their dedication and their part in making Isuzu Trucks the number one selling truck brand in Australia,” Gangemi continues.

“Over the years, we’ve been delighted to receive all manner of entries, from Ready-to-Work trucks in trade, tankers and crane trucks, through to highly customised waste and recycling units and concrete agitators.

“The entries that go far in the competition combine two key things: a photo that shows how the truck is working for the business and a caption that gives us a sense of why this person loves their rig,” Gangemi adds.

VTG Waste & Recycling scored top gong in 2023 with its FYJ 300-350 8x4 waste compactor used in recycling and commercial waste disposal in Darwin in the Northern Territory.

WHAT’S ON upcoming events

ALEXANDRA TRUCK UTE & ROD SHOW

June 9, 2024. Alexandra, Victoria

Celebrating the 27th year of the Alexandra Truck, Ute & Rod Show on the Kings Birthday long weekend in June, 2024. Sunday Show ’n Shine on Alexandra’s main street, includes live music, Victorian woodchop tournament, exhibitions and trade displays, kids amusements and Truck Show Day raffle draw. Be early on Saturday for the local markets, convoy and truck driver’s memorial service at 2pm and sponsors’ dinner at 6pm.

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

CASINO TRUCK SHOW

August 3, 2024. Casino, NSW

Show sponsored by North Coast Petroleum. The Highway Lights Parade will roll through Johnston and Centre Sts from 10am on Saturday, August 3. Truck registrations ($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 blinged up trucks from all across Australia will be parked in the CBD. Bobtail and rigid trucks only please.

For further info email info@casinotruckshow.com.au or Darren Goodwin at dtgoodwin1@yahoo.com.au and see the website at www.casinotruckshow.com.au and www.facebook.com/casinotruckshow or phone (02) 6660 0300.

LOWOOD

TRUCK SHOW

August 17, 2024. Lowood, Qld

Held at the Lowood Showgrounds in south-east Queensland. Show commences with vehicle parade through Main St, Lowood at 11am. Trucks, bikes, cars on display. Kids’ rides, trade and food stands, bar and live music. Free entry, donations welcome. Raising funds for charity. For further info email lowoodtruckshow@yahoo.com.au, phone Robert on 0467 530 349, or see the Facebook page,

AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF TRANSPORT

August 23 to 25, 2024. Alice Springs, NT

The National Transport Historical Society and The Old Ghan Historical Society present the ‘Festival of Transport’. Along with the regular reunion activities, including Shell Rimula Induction Ceremony and Transport Women Unite Red Ball on August 24, and Cummins Race Day on August 25. Other events include Welcome Drinks on August 24 at 6pm, Transport Women Breakfast, and a museum open day on August 25.

For more information and nomination forms email info@roadtransporthall.com, phone 08 8952 7161 or see the website at www.roadtransporthall.com and Facebook page.

MEGATRANS 2024

September 18 to 19, 2024. Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Victoria

Leaders from across the supply chain will gather at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre to discuss the future of the logistics industry at MEGATRANS, 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 at www.megatrans.com.au

WAUCHOPE

YESTERYEAR TRUCK & MACHINERY

October 5-6, 2024. Wauchope, NSW.

Held at the Wauchope Showground, this year’s event has been moved to October with plans for a bigger show. Classic and new trucks, tractors and on show, food and drink available (no Saturday night dinner).

For further info email wytmc.inc@hotmail.com or see the Wauchope Yesteryear Truck & Machinery Club Inc Facebook page.

LIGHTS ON THE HILL MEMORIAL CONVOY

October 5 to 6, 2024. Gatton, Queensland

The 2024 Lights on the Hill Memorial Convoy is planned to be held on October 5 with twin convoys leaving from Brown & Hurley Toowoomba and Mica St, Carole Park in Brisbane, en route to Gatton Showgrounds with the Memorial service to be held on October 6 at the Lake Apex Memorial Wall. Live music at the showgrounds, kids’ entertainment, markets, trade and food stalls.

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

DIABETES AUSTRALIA

Boost your immunity

Transport workers are at risk of developing chronic conditions

Workers in the transport industry are at a high risk of developing chronic conditions such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, according to My Health For Life, a Queensland government healthy lifestyle program.

Research found, among other things, that a high percentage of truck drivers were overweight and weren’t meeting the Australian dietary guidelines for fruit and vegetable intake.

A healthy diet is a good way to reduce your risk of developing chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, or to manage it better if you have already been diagnosed with diabetes. With veggie guidelines unmet by 88 per cent of truckies surveyed we thought it would be a good time to share some tips on how to get more veggies into your diet.

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY

• Swap out your breakfast cereal for avocado, or mushrooms and spinach, or tomato and onion, on wholegrain toast

• Cut up some raw veggie sticks to snack on while you’re on the road. Enjoy on their own or with a hummus or avocado dip

• Add salad to a cheese or meat sandwich, or have a salad at lunch time

• Chop or grate veggies into stews, pasta sauces and curries

• In hot weather, munch on frozen peas or corn

• Use dried or canned peas, beans and legumes instead of meat –these are classified as vegetables (even the humble baked bean)

• Use the simple recipe below to make a delicious minestrone soup packed with vegetables for your thermos.

MINESTRONE SOUP* (SERVES 6)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

½ cup mushrooms, chopped

½ cup sweet potato, chopped

½ cup green beans, chopped

Handful baby spinach, chopped

2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes (salt reduced)

1 x 400g can cannellini beans

1 cup macaroni

500mL salt reduced vegetable stock

1L water

Pepper, to taste

30g Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, mushrooms and sweet potato and sauté for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened without colouring.

2. Add the tomatoes, stock and water and bring to the boil. Add the

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.

macaroni, zucchini and green beans and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al-dente. Add the spinach and cannellini beans and cook until the water begins to simmer.

3. Season with pepper and serve topped with grated parmesan.

*Credit: Original recipe and image reproduced with permission from One Handed Cooks

IMMUNE BOOSTING FOODS FOR WINTER

Adding more veggies (and fruit) to your diet is not only a good way to reduce your risk of chronic conditions, it’s also great way to give your immune system a boost as we head into winter.

Try to incorporate some of the below to help your internal defence team perform at its best this winter.

TOP IMMUNE-BOOSTING FRUIT AND VEG

Citrus fruits: Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes are high in vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that supports the immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells, which helps to fight infections.

Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that can help strengthen your immune system and protect against oxidative stress.

Dark leafy greens: Vegetables such as kale, spinach, and Swiss chard are packed with nutrients and antioxidants that support immune function and overall health.

Turmeric: This spice has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antidepressant effects. Incorporate turmeric into soups, stews, or golden milk for a warming and mood-boosting treat.

Root vegetables: Sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets are staples of winter cuisine and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Ginger: Ginger has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties that can help support immune function and reduce the severity of respiratory infections.

While there is no single food that can guarantee immunity, incorporating immune-boosting foods into your diet can help strengthen your body’s natural defences and reduce the risk of illness.

WILKIE’S WATCH Ken Wilkie

Attitude adjustment

Overtaking another truck on double lines around a curve is not only dangerous, it’s plain stupidity

Ihave held a driving licence for 60 years. In that time, I’ve undertaken training in the Army service corps, and subjected myself to a couple of training sessions at the old Mount Cotton Heavy Vehicle Training establishment. So what? I simply have to say I’m disgusted with this society’s road safety performance.

To my mind, there are two elementary aspects that add up to the dismal outcome. One is competency and the other is attitude. Competency is largely limited to driving but attitude is both a driver issue and a leadership issue. Despite the draconian rules and massive penalties, our road safety performance is deplorable and horrendous. And into what category do we place the Australian appetite for illicit drugs?

We were only in Canada for four weeks and I never drove myself, but we were driven in two major cities during their rush hour. There was not the push and shove attitude demonstrated over there that is so obvious in heavy traffic that I subject myself to. Too many Australian drivers display the attitude that it’s all about winning rather than how you play the game.

I accept that the following comment is outside my role as a subject matter that a road transport magazine contributor should be addressing. However, I’m thinking this is an indicator as to where our national integrity has fallen to.

On the leadup to the recent referendum, 19 of Australia’s major companies contributed millions of dollars each to support the ‘Yes’ vote. My issues are twofold. Company investors were not consulted and had these organisations felt so strongly about conditions for indigenous folk, why haven’t they been giving such financial support to actual indigenous societies?

No, I see their spending purely as an attempt to buy political support. I have a similar view of the current concern that has industry associations demanding better training just for truck drivers. Now I absolutely expect heavy vehicle drivers to be competent and considerate. And I am hearing very disturbing stories on truck drivers doing stupid and dangerous things.

Like the bloke travelling north towards Sarina. He called a friend who he’d caught up to just south of Carmila. Those of us who are familiar with the Marlborough leg of the Bruce know that once one has got to Clairview, overtaking opportunities are not so easy. Anyway, to his credit, this goose gave Ryan a

call on whether he could come around.

Ryan told him that he was in curve; couldn’t see enough road and that they were not too far short of an overtaking lane. That didn’t bother the goose who simply pulled out against double lines and proceeded to overtake. That’s not okay, and it supports legitimate concern regarding the quality of some heavy vehicle operators.

But will education overcome such stupidity? I have my doubts. It’s just so much a basic safe driving issue to not overtake against double lines on a blind corner – and especially when one lacks the acceleration ability when floored it to achieve clearance.

I go back to that document that National Road Freighters Association’s Chris Roe forwarded to me – Road Transport Industry Position Statement Closing Loopholes Road Transport Reforms, page three. It reads, “In 2022 this led to 185 truck related fatalities.” Were these truck related fatalities the fault of the truck driver? Currently this society is not serious about road safety outcomes. We’re too infatuated by technology.

Technology is seen by too many as the road to safe driving rather than it being an aid to better outcomes. I saw a word used recently that summed up the ‘modern’ thinkers: ‘proclivity’.

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

It was used in a critical comment regarding the Victorian Government’s determination to adopt digital licenses. A Victorian Transport Association official was approving the adoption of digital licenses, giving a plus for them as the ease of retrieval of such licence when requested by authority. A pretty weak attribute to my mind and I share the view of the person being critical.

This is just another example of modern thinking. If it’s technology, it’s good. The same with electronic logbooks. Sure, they might give advice on the legal parameters, but the driver still must manage his or her own fatigue.

UNTRAINED MOTORISTS

Getting back to training truck drivers. As I’ve said, truckies must be competent. But how can industry protect truckies from horrible accidents if only one part of the road citizenship is trained?

I talked about attitude. The national attitude is up the spout. When our leadership demonstrates good attitude, we can expect some improvement in road safety outcomes. For example, zero tolerance on speed when there is no real requirement to have speed measuring devices accurate. The failure of road safety officials to recognise the safety implications of friction in traffic flow.

Just as an aside, I’ve just had a further two stents inserted. No outside indication of issues – just revealed through the yearly requirement to undergo a stress test. In the interests of road safety, not to mention preserving life, when will our leadership require drivers beyond a certain age to have some sort of health check to determine safe driving parameters?

Let’s not forget that we are an aging –or should I say an old workforce.

So, finally the not-so National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has the role of transport administrator in Queensland. I can’t help but wonder what impact that will have on Queensland truckies – beyond maybe a change in uniform worn by those intercepting truck drivers.

“Too many Australian drivers display the attitude that it’s all about winning.”

YOUR JOURNEY TO RESTFUL SLEEP

Advancements in CPAP Therapy are making it easier to get better sleep

In recent years, CPAP therapy has witnessed amazing advancements, revolutionising the way individuals manage sleep apnea and improve their overall sleep quality. At CPAP Direct, we are excited to bring you the latest tech in CPAP therapy with some brand-new products on the market.

AirSense 11: A Smarter Approach to CPAP

The AirSense 11 by ResMed, represents the pinnacle of technology in CPAP machines. Technological advancements with built-in wireless connectivity allow for over-the-air software updates, meaning you’ll always have the latest tech on your bedside. Its whisperquiet operation and integrated humidification system also contribute to a more comfortable night’s sleep, promoting better adherence to therapy.

One standout feature of the new AirSense 11 is its intelligent built-in sleep coach. This is where the device interacts with the user by asking for feedback on how the user is feeling and what they are experiencing. The device can then offer guides to make therapy more comfortable through the touch screen and mobile app. As the data is also uploaded to the cloud daily, experienced CPAP Direct clinicians can also assist when requested, with reports for doctors and remote adjustments to optimise comfort and patient success.

Solo Mask: Enhanced Comfort, Maximum Performance

The Solo Mask sets a new standard in CPAP

mask design by Fisher & Paykel Healthcare. Prioritising both comfort and performance, this mask is the first of its kind to get rid of elastic straps and Velcro. The new ‘stretch and fit’ adjustable headgear uses a unique locking system designed to reduce pressure on the face whilst maintaining an optimal seal.

The Solo mask comes in a nasal cradle or nasal pillow configuration. It is super lightweight and minimalistic by design and offers a leak-free experience for users and no red marks on the face the next morning,

Embracing Technological Progress for Better Sleep

As we embrace these technological advancements in CPAP therapy, our mission at CPAP Direct remains unchanged: to empower individuals with sleep apnea to achieve restful and rejuvenating sleep. Explore the AirSense 11 and Solo Mask today to discover how innovation can transform your CPAP experience.

For more information on these products or personalised guidance and advice, contact our crew of experienced Aussie CPAP experts at CPAP Direct. We have clinics Australia wide. Visit cpap.com.au for locations, a price beat guarantee and expert advice.

Recent advancements in CPAP therapy have transformed the landscape of sleep apnea management and overall sleep quality. At CPAP Direct, we’re thrilled to introduce cutting-edge products that epitomise these advancements.

The AirSense 11, crafted by ResMed, stands as a testament to the evolution of CPAP

technology. Its wireless connectivity enables seamless software updates, ensuring users benefit from the latest features effortlessly. With whisper-quiet operation and integrated humidification, it offers a comfortable sleep environment, fostering better adherence to therapy. The device’s standout feature is its intelligent sleep coach, which interacts with users to enhance comfort and adjust therapy settings through a user-friendly interface and mobile app. Cloud data upload facilitates remote adjustments by CPAP Direct clinicians, optimising comfort and efficacy.

Meanwhile, the Solo Mask from Fisher & Paykel Healthcare redefines CPAP mask design, prioritising both comfort and performance. Its innovative ‘stretch and fit’ headgear eliminates elastic straps and Velcro, reducing facial pressure while maintaining a secure seal. Available in nasal cradle or nasal pillow configurations, this lightweight, minimalist mask ensures a leak-free experience without leaving marks on the face.

At CPAP Direct, we’re committed to leveraging technological progress to empower individuals with sleep apnea. Explore the AirSense 11 and Solo Mask today to experience firsthand how innovation can revolutionise CPAP therapy. For personalised guidance and expert advice, reach out to our team of experienced CPAP specialists at CPAP Direct. With clinics across Australia, we’re here to support you on your journey to restful sleep. Visit cpap.com.au for more information, including our price beat guarantee and clinic locations.

trucking lifestyle

GRADUATING IN SAR STYLE

Getting driven to formal in her father’s Kenworth T610 SAR had always been Klaudia Carroll’s dream. And now it’s come to fruition.

Tiarna Condren

writes

Remember the time when hiring a limousine for formal transportation was the coolest thing imaginable? Or maybe your uncle’s friend’s cousin had an old Monaro he hired out for just these very moments?

Well, it seems nowadays, teens about to embark on the final chapter of high school prefer a new method of showing up … in trucks.

Klaudia Carroll’s grand entrance to her high school formal recently blew up on TikTok, garnering over 2.7 million views and 316,000 likes.

Trucking runs in the Carroll blood, with her father Troy and her grandfather all being involved in the transport industry.

“Dad used to be involved in motocross, racing for and managing Kawasaki teams,” Klaudia says. “But then he gave that up in 2017 so he could spend more time with the family, and that is when he started Carroll Group Aus.”

Enamoured by the large rigs and personalised signwriting, Klaudia says she became interested in trucks right away.

“I just thought they were super cool. We were always around them.

“When I was younger and Dad was just starting the business, he used to do a lot of local trips, Gold Coast to Toowoomba and back and similar runs.

“I used to go with him and it was always such a nice time. I got a little feel for what he does and how much he has put into the business for our family.”

Klaudia says she has always appreciated the work her father has done, and when it came to choosing her ride for the big day, there was no other choice.

“It was my idea,” she says. “I told him that I wanted to do it to show my appreciation and respect for his

company and how much that it has done for the family.

“I loved getting to show off one of his trucks and be like, my dad’s pretty cool. He’s done this all on his own.”

Troy now has a fleet boasting 12 trucks, with this particular Kenworth T610 SAR dedicated to his wife.

“It’s number 5 because that’s the number she had playing basketball, and it has quotes she says to the family all over it.”

Drawing together elements from each family member, Troy says it made the moment even more special.

“I was so honoured she even asked me to drive her in that truck,” he says.

“As soon as she told me, I immediately pulled it off the road and started polishing it up and got it looking

all good for the event.”

Onlookers were awed as the family pulled up, young kids fascinated by the air horn and lights.

“It was pretty special,” Troy says. “It was really good to see that our industry still makes an impact on young kids coming through.”

Troy got quite emotional seeing his daughter in the truck, proud of the woman she had become.

“It was a very proud dad moment. Seeing one of your trucks roll in and your daughter jump out, it was very special,” he says.

“And it’s nice to see she’s still got a bit of country left in her,” he laughs.

Swapping her heels for new Ariat boots when it came time to dance, Klaudia says her formal experience was a dream.

“It was everything I wanted it to be.”

Since uploading the video, Klaudia says her dad and her have bonded over watching the reactions online.

“Dad will often pull it up and get super excited because the views or likes have gone up,” she laughs.

“We never would have expected that reaction online and it’s just added to the experience as a whole.”

Above, left to right: Klaudia and her date showed up in style, rolling into the venue in a Kenworth 610 SAR; Klaudia says her formal was made even more special by incorporating her family

Bottom: This Kenworth T610 SAR was dedicated to Klaudia’s mother

truck history

AUSSIE JETPOWERED TRUCK REMEMBERED

Where were you in 1979 when an Australian jet powered truck named Waltzing Matilda set a new land speed record?

January 16, 1979, is a date forever etched in the history of truck racing in Australia.

It was on this day the Waltzing Matilda jet truck created a new land world speed record for a truck over a flying mile, reaching a maximum velocity of 276.9km/h.

The 45th anniversary of this recordbreaking moment was celebrated early this year by more than 100 fans at the home of the world record in Wycheproof in north-western Victoria, and a commemorative, full colour pictorial book has been released that details the story of how this beast of a vehicle came to exist.

The Waltzing Matilda Jet Truck Story, authored by Larry Ormsby (OAM), Scott O’Hare, Stephen O’Hare and Alan Pearce, is loaded with hundreds of photos from the day, along with facts, figures and profiles of the key proponents in of a story about a team with an amazing dream, who were able to overcome numerous obstacles to make it a reality.

It’s a story that started in November 1978 when the road transport industry was about getting business done, with lower running costs, higher profit margins and a “can-do” attitude shared by owners and drivers who shared a love of what they did for a living.

It was also the year Transpec Limited, (which now

operates under the management of BPW) a major distributor and service provider of world-class brands of semi-trailer ancillary equipment and parts, launched the first computer-aided trailer refrigeration system in Australia branded as the Thermo King, SB-1 Super Boss.

The then Transpec national advertising and promotions manager Alan Pearce explains why that launch is so important to the birth of the Waltzing Matilda Truck legend:

“To gain maximum brand awareness of the new Super Boss refrigeration unit (named after the fastest diesel truck on Earth) we decided to fly both the 7.5 tonne customised 1000 horsepower 1974 Kenworth Conventional ‘W’ Series truck, and the driver, Tyron Malone, down under.

“Back then it was a bold and expensive undertaking.

“So, to fully capitalise, on both the expenditure and the promotion, we ran Australia’s first national truck drag racing series to see if there was an Aussie who could successfully take on the Yank from a standing start over the quarter mile straight.”

That three-month truck drag-racing series culminated in Melbourne at Bob Jane’s Calder Park Raceway where over 40,000 die-hard truck enthusiasts rallied together, hoping to see Malone get beaten.

But before the final race day took place, a left-offield contender entered the scene.

“About eight weeks out from winding up the promotional event I received a call from Stephen O’Hare, the son of Terry O’Hare who built those crazyweird vehicles for the Aussie cult classic movie, Mad

Max,” Alan Pearce recalls.

“Terry had also started the Re-Car Group and was designing and building buses, coaches, armoured cars and fire trucks at his body-building enterprise, Centurion Transport Engineering.

“Stephen said they wanted to challenge Malone in a stand-alone race because the O’Hare family was so patriotic, that an Australian losing to an American was not an option.

“So, I headed off to Centurion somewhat sceptical about the latecomers. But boy, did I change my mind when I saw what was planned to literally blow the doors off the Super Boss.”

What Alan saw that day was Terry, along with a select and dedicated crew of supporters, in the midst of converting a Ford Louisville LN 7000 Series Truck, plus a chassis, to house a World War 2, RAAF Canberra Bomber jet engine. To leave not no doubt about the country this jet truck originated from, they had called it ... Waltzing Matilda.

Many dramas followed during the lead-up to Matilda arriving for the face-off against Malone.

Incidents included unforeseen learning curves during pre-race training sessions, to a complete meltdown of the jet engine when a loose rivet was sucked onto the turbine blades when on full power. As a result of the rivet mishap, the jet engine was declared a complete right off with less than 80 hours before race day to find and install a replacement jet engine.

“Terry O’Hare’s attitude of ‘there is no such word as can’t’ turned the impossible into the probable,” Alan says.

And so, on Sunday, November 28, with the ‘Big O’ Ormsby behind the wheel, Waltzing Matilda rolled out on onto the Calder Raceway start line next to where Malone’s Super Boss was revving up to get the winning getaway the moment the tree lights ran down to the green.

Due to several unanticipated developments, Malone’s Super Boss won on the day. But that disappointment didn’t dampen the O’Hare team’s devotion to what had become an Aussie icon to a growing number of Waltzing Matilda jet truck enthusiasts.

Terry and his crew remained committed to eventually beating Malone at his own game and organised a timed run in a bid to set a new speed record.

The record and speed attempt took place on the Birchip–Wycheproof Road in 1979 on a 6.5km stretch, that although it was straight, was only 8m wide.

Driver Larry Ormsby knew it would be a challenging run.

“I had only driven Matilda seven times at terminal speeds of around 177km/h during the Super Boss drag racing event, and as such, if my attempt was to be successful, I needed to add an extra 96.5 km/h.

“The actual result was a flying mile average time of 276.9km/h.”

That was not an insignificant number and Larry realised if he

was to become the world’s fastest truck driver, he needed to gain further momentum through a longer run-up to the starting line.

“My suggested extended approach line involved navigating through a sharp left bend,” Larry says.

“But Terry argued that the jet truck might have some stability issues. My flippant reply … that trucks have been going around corners for years … resulted in Terry shaking his head saying that I was mad.

“Those words echoed in my head as Matilda began to move from side to side during the hairy second run needed to conform to the international authority’s world speed record requirements.”

Waltzing Matilda set a new world record over the flying mile that day clocking up an incredible 276.9km/h beating the Super Boss effort by a staggering 72.42km/h.

To find out more about the Waltzing Matilda story, and see plenty of pictures from the day, go to the website, www.waltzingmatildajettruck.com.au

Buy Superchrome alloy wheels,

Above, left to right: Waltzing Matilda hits the Calder Park Raceway; Terry O’Hare built vehicles for the original Mad Max movie

Opposite bottom: Larry Ormsby, co-author of the Waltzing Matilda Jet Truck Story

KIWI KENWORTH CELEBRATION

New Zealand truck distributor Southpac Trucks acknowledged Kenworth’s 100 years in the country with a huge event at the magnificent Mystery Creek Venue. Rod Simmonds reports

New Zealand’s sole Kenworth distributor, Southpac Trucks, put on a show earlier this year, coinciding with Waitangi Weekend, to celebrate the Kenworth brands 100 years in the land of the long white cloud.

With preparations going back two years, Southpac staff numbering more than 100 made sure the event would be huge success.

Kenworths have been sold in New Zealand for over 50 years now, with the early models privately imported for logging operations that were sourced from Kenworth Canada where the specification was more similar.

Now all NZ Kenworths are custom built in Kenworth Bayswater plant at Australia’s Paccar HQ in Melbourne, Victoria tailored to suit the unique NZ conditions, axle loadings and weights.

Southpac Trucks, or as it was known 30 years ago, South Pacific Trucks were the importer for Foden. Hence, with Paccar taking over, then DAF and

Kenworth, the brands all joined together under one umbrella in New Zealand.

Many loyal Foden operators changed straight into Kenworths to keep their traditional North American-sourced drivetrain.

Their success is obvious, with DAFs and Kenworths leading their respective classes year after year with impressive growth that shows no sign of slowing.

Paccar amd Kenworth senior management from Australia and the US attended and were blown away with the scale the passion Kiwis had for the Kenworth brand.

The show of all shows was on a scale never reached before in NZ. The Mystery Creek Events Centre outside Hamilton on the North Island had plenty of room. Being centrally located near the major transport route and plenty of infrastructure, registrations topped 800 units, leading organisers in becoming a little nervous on how it would all work out.

Every model sold in NZ was represented, from the 1950s early imports to brand new T909s, C509s and SARs. Wall to wall Kenworths, all lovingly looked after, bling blinging like never before.

The set up day saw some early arrivals and merchandise, probably 100 trucks parked up by day’s end.

Come Friday and the sun was even brighter, and by 11am around another 150 trucks were in. Within the next six hours some 400 trucks arrived, one after an another, fleets together numbering 10, 20 or 40 at a time. It really was on fire!

As the sun set, the late comers filled the vacant spots quickly with final trucks rolling in just before midnight, totalling 756

From top left clockwise: There was no shortage of old K models on show; A last minute wipe over before the judging commenced; Uhlenberg Haulage’s SAR made the nearly four-hour trip north from Eltham; A J.Swap Heavy Haulage unit from Matamata; Duo Transport from New Plymouth is a regular at Kiwi truck shows; A smart-looking tipper, nicknamed the “Heineken Express”; Log haulers were out in force; A 1974 W924R, imported from Canada, represented a slice of Kenworth’s history in New Zealand. Images: Rod Simmonds

Opposite top: The trucks line up at Mystery Creek

Opposite bottom: Arriving at Mystery Creek, piggyback style

Kenworths, all expertly marshalled and measured by Southpac staff.

Saturday brought the sun and the rain but with some 10,000 people attending the free “public day” , it was a truck tragic’s dream.

On Saturday night the special VIP black tie dinner was the fitting end to the huge occasion, some speeches, good food, good company and a hall filled with 20 plus SAR Legends or special new Kenworths on display!

FLINTSTONE MACK MAKEOVER

In a fortunate twist of fate, the Giacci family’s imported Flintstone Mack from 1968 has found its way back home, but not before undertaking a complete rebuild. Kayla Walsh writes

The Giacci family’s beautifully restored 1966 Mack R600 isn’t just nice to look at – it has been on an extraordinary odyssey, spanning multiple decades and continents. The ‘Flintstone’ truck won Best Vintage Mack at this year’s WA Mack Muster and Truck Show, and James Giacci says the family couldn’t be prouder.

“The Mack is very special to our family,” he says. “My grandfather imported it from the US back in 1968 – and it has found its way back to us without us even having to look for it.”

James Giacci’s grandfather is Mario Giacci, an Italian immigrant who started a small transport business with his family back in the 1950s. That business, which was named Giacci Bros, grew from humble beginnings in Bunbury, WA to operating across Australia.

In 2004, Mario founded another company – MGM Group – with his daughter Giuditta and son Michael. Giacci Bros was sold to Qube Holdings in 2014, but MGM Group has seen huge growth, with a bulk division (MGM Bulk) being added in 2015.

Mario is now something of legend in the trucking industry, especially in WA – and at 85 years old, he’s still very active in the business.

The R600 Mack was one of the first semi trucks he ever bought, and it was totally by chance that it came back into the family’s possession.

“The R600 was our family’s first American Mack, imported directly from the Mack factory in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the US,” James says.

“It was my grandfather’s truck at the time, and clad in our family’s iconic green, white and black.”

For the Giaccis, the Flintstone Mack was more than just a vehicle – it was a symbol of their company’s growing aspirations. But as the company expanded, they needed to modernise their fleet.

So they sold the truck and it went to the east coast where it was put to work for multiple companies over the years.

“Initially, it was used to cart grain for Jones Transport in the Young Arena,” James continues.

“After that, the truck was doing some farm work for a local farmer in Queensland.”

The Mack was licensed until 2006, and in 2012 it was auctioned off, finding itself in the stewardship of Melrose Cranes in NSW.

They had big plans to restore it, but life got in the way and it gathered dust in the corner of their shed for many years.

Eventually, the truck was rescued by a Mack enthusiast, Dallas Fabian.

“He did some digging and found out that the truck had been issued to Giacci Bros from the Mack factory in the US back in the day,” James explains.

“He got in contact with our family because he wanted to see photos of how the truck was presented when it first got to Australia.

“The colour scheme had changed multiple times over the years and he wanted to restore it to its original glory.”

The Giacci family had to go to auction and buy the truck back yet again, and spent over two years dealing with lawyers, trying to prove that the parts belonged to them.

Once they finally got all the pieces back, they handed it over to City Panel Beaters in Bayswater, who performed a full restoration from the ground up.

“Everything is OEM-plus to the era,” James says.

“They did a fantastic job. It probably looks better now than when it came out of the factory!”

When the Giaccis saw the truck in question, they realised that it was Mario’s old rig.

“We recognised it because my grandfather welded the bull bar with his hands and it still had this ugly bull bar on it,” James says.

“Once we realised the significance of the truck, Dallas agreed to sell the truck back to us.”

The Giacci family were reunited with the truck in 2017, but it’s been a long road to getting it restored.

“The responsibility for restoring it fell on the shoulders of ‘Shotgun’ Charlie, a Mack restoration expert.

“He stripped it down into a thousand pieces and was getting ready to put it all back together again.

“Unfortunately, he ended up passing away during the process, and receivers came in and froze all his assets – including the truck and all the pieces.”

James says his grandad has incredible attention to detail when it comes to his trucks.

“As an example, the fuel tank had a dent in it,” he says. “When it was being rebuilt, they told us that the fuel tank was damaged and it would be a lot easier and cheaper to get a replacement than to repair it.

“My grandfather said they had to repair it because when he was a kid, his left foot used to step up on that fuel tank as he would climb into the truck to start his shift.

“He didn’t care if it cost $15,000 to repair it!”

The highlight of the Mack’s journey post-restoration has been its presentation at the WA Mack Muster and Truck Show, where it caught the eye of the judges.

James said the family were delighted to go home with the award for Best Vintage Mack, and they have big plans for showing off the truck in the near future.

“We’re going to be taking it to local truck shows and meets, and creating some cool content around it.

“We’re also working on a short film about the story of the truck.

“Finally, we are building a new workshop in Bunbury, and we plan to have the truck on display in the office,” James explains.

“That way the general public can come in and have a look at this piece of transport history!”

Opposite top: It’s been a long road to restoration, but it was worth it; Before the makeover: The R600 Mack was one of the first trucks bought by Mario Giacci

Top, left to right: The old Flintstone picked up the award for Best Vintage Mack at the WA Mack Muster; James Giacci proudly holds the Mack’s winning trophy

Above left: Restoration process: The Mack was stripped down to the chassis rails

Above: The cab was restored to its former glory

Left: The Mack Flintstone will hold pride of place at MGM’s new workshop

Images: James Giacci

BEST OF BOTH NEW WORLDS

Daimler Truck unveils its battery electric autonomous Freightliner eCascadia technology demonstrator in the US

Daimler Truck has signalled its clear goal to lead the transformation to sustainable transportation and to address the challenges of tomorrow.

The company is pursuing a vision of zero emissions and increased road safety by combining what it says are the two most promising technologies to deliver on that vision – battery electric drive and integrated autonomous driving technology – in one semi-truck for the first time in its history.

That truck is the autonomous Freightliner eCascadia technology demonstrator.

The truck is based on a production battery electric Freightliner eCascadia and is equipped with Torc’s autonomous driving software and the latest Level 4 sensor and compute technology. Daimler says this will eventually enable Level 4 autonomous driving.

Torc Robotics is Daimler Truck’s independent subsidiary for autonomous virtual driver technology. While still a research and advanced engineering project, the autonomous vehicle has the potential to evolve into a

modular, scalable platform that is propulsion agnostic for flexible use in different trucking applications. The goal is to offer customers a choice of the right vehicles for their specific business and transportation needs.

“By combining zero-emission and autonomous technologies in one product, we are testing solutions for challenges our customers are likely to face in the future,” says John O’Leary, president and CEO of Daimler Truck North America.

“We want to give them choices that allow them to do what they do best: keep the world moving today and well into the future. That takes a lot of foresight, questioning, testing, learning, improving and co-creating with our customers years in advance to ultimately find the right solution.

“This truck is a great example of the beginning of that development process,” O’Leary says.

Joanna Buttler, head of Global Autonomous Technology Group at Daimler Truck, says the partnership with Torc with enable Daimler

to achieve significant progress towards introducing autonomous trucks in the United States by 2027.

“While we target autonomous trucks with conventional propulsion technology for this first market launch, we always look further into the future, Buttler says.

“We will employ an iterative approach to the development, testing and optimisation of autonomous-electric technology, while exploring the most promising use cases in collaboration with our fleet customers.”

Tech specs

The battery electric Freightliner eCascadia, the base for the autonomous eCascadia technology demonstrator, went into production in 2022 and has now reached six million real-world miles (9,656,064km) in more than 55 fleets in the US.

Daimler says this zero-emission Class 8 truck is designed to provide optimal productivity for fleets looking to transition to efficient, zeroemission tractors. The battery is said to be able to be recharged to 80 per cent capacity in as

little as 90 minutes.

Several battery and drive axle options are available, providing a typical range of 155, 220 or 230 miles (249, 354, 370km), depending on the specific configuration.

The Freightliner eCascadia is equipped with the proprietary Detroit ePowertrain, which Daimler says delivers performance, efficiency, and reliability. For added safety on the road, the eCascadia also comes standard with the Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems, including Active Brake Assist 5.

For the first time, the autonomous sensor suite and compute power, currently being tested on the autonomous diesel Cascadia, is packaged to fit the smaller day cab configuration of the battery electric eCascadia.

To ensure adequate cooling, Daimler Truck North America’s engineering team developed an advanced prototype air-cooling concept for the compute stack, which it says is efficiently positioned between the driver and passenger seats.

Customised software provides the autonomous system with control interfaces and feedback on vehicle status. The in-house designed sensor bar cover, which

Images: Daimler

Above: Daimler says the eCascadia’s battery can be recharged to 80 per cent capacity in around 90 minutes

Bottom: Daimler has been testing autonomous truck technology since 2015

“Future autonomous trucks could also be powered by hydrogenbased propulsion technologies.”

incorporates cameras, lidar sensors and radar sensors, is said to improve aerodynamic performance while providing better protection from damage and soiling.

Four additional 12-volt batteries provide enough high voltage power to ensure uninterrupted operation and increased efficiency and safety.

Future glimpse

Daimler Truck points out that it is dedicated to exploring the potential of emerging technologies to benefit its customers. The company aims to provide them with the optimal vehicle solutions, utilising various propulsion technologies, to enable the most suitable and efficient

transportation of their goods. By developing a propulsion-agnostic autonomous truck platform, Daimler Truck says is leveraging its collective strength to make a positive impact on the future of transportation.

The autonomous eCascadia demonstrator provides a glimpse of future autonomous use cases, including shorter, repeatable routes with the use of zero-emissions infrastructure. Depending on the application, future autonomous trucks could also be powered by hydrogenbased propulsion technologies.

In the currently tested hub-to-hub application, the truck’s intent is to drive autonomously between freight centres along US highway corridors. By identifying synergies between zero emissions and autonomous infrastructure in a future scenario, the charging infrastructure and autonomous freight hubs could be combined to charge and load simultaneously, further enhancing efficiency for carriers.

According to Daimler, the autonomous eCascadia technology demonstrator is designed with many commonalities with the production eCascadia, leveraging synergies in the development process, streamlining engineering processes and increasing customer value through ease of serviceability as customers may already be familiar with the battery electric Cascadia.

Constant progress

Daimler Truck has been developing and testing autonomous truck technology since 2015 with the reveal of the Freightliner Inspiration Truck as the first licensed SAE Level 2 autonomous commercial truck to operate on open public highways in the United States. The company says it aims to enter the market with production SAE Level 4 autonomous trucks in the US by 2027. Daimler Truck’s technology partner Torc has been testing autonomous-ready Freightliner Cascadia trucks in realworld applications with selected logistics companies such as Schneider and C.R. England, moving customer freight autonomously on its test route between Phoenix and Oklahoma City over the past year.

Daimler Truck has emphasised that it will leverage the highly scalable and profitable market opportunity that autonomous driving is expected to offer, and that it expects autonomous trucking to generate revenues of 3 billion Euros ($4.9 billion) and ($1.635 billion) EBIT of more than 1 billion Euros as early as 2030.

Above: Customer freight has been autonomously hauled on a test route between Phoenix and Oklahoma City over the 12 months

Below: The eCascadia is equipped with Torc Robotics’s autonomous driving software

PENSKE TRIO HIGHLIGHTS WASTE EXPO

Exclusive distributor of the Dennis Eagle, MAN, and Western Star truck portfolios, Penske Australia showcased its range of vehicles at the Waste 2024 Conference in Coffs Harbour in May.

Penskie says the only vehicle specifically designed for the refuse industry, the Dennis Eagle 6x4 configuration, was on display at the expo. The Dennis Eagle comprises a low-entry cab, has dual controls, and is fitted with a side loader body.

According to Shannon Mair, head of fleet at Penske Australia: “Dennis Eagle is the only truck manufacturer to have its complete range awarded a five-star direct vision standard rating by Transport for London.

“In addition to the unencumbered panoramic view, the Dennis Eagle has inherent design safety features such as a single step entry and walk-through flat floor allowing kerbside cab accessibility, as well as stability control and emergency braking, ensuring operators and community can have the highest level of confidence.”

A MAN truck generation TGS 26.440 prime mover, also on display at the Waste Conference, features a 2.3m

wide cabin, its generous access said to be due to its low height and wide door openings.

“MAN trucks are renowned for boasting low tare weights yielding increased payload availability for operators, and are the ideal vehicle for applications such as front loader, hook lifts, walking floors, and tippers,” Mair says.

On display at the Expo for the first time was be the 2024 Truck of the

Year Australasia – the Western Star X-Series.

Designed exclusively for Australasia, the 48X on show features the Detroit DD16 engine with 600hp and 2,050lb-ft torque and is coupled with the advanced DT12 automated manual transmission.

“The 48X combines Western Star’s traditional strength of short bumperto-back-of-cab (BBC), which allows for longer trailer lengths and higher

productivity trailers,” Mair explains.

“Furthermore, the set-forward front axle provides the greatest flexibility for chassis layout and fuel capacity, and the full suite of safety features and incredibly quiet and comfortable cab will capture the attention of any driver or fleet operator.”

Above: Dennis Eagle, MAN and Western Star trucks were on display at the Waste Conference in May. Image: Penske

HINO GROWTH AWARDED

A strong commitment to customer service is said to be driving parts and service growth and records for Hino Australia, resulting in new satellite dealerships and global awards.

“Customer service initiatives such as Hino-Connect telematics, complimentary first service and capped price service are increasingly becoming significant factors in why customers choose Hino trucks,” says Greg Bleasel, vice president – product support for Hino Australia.

The truck maker says since its introduction in 2020, almost 5000 medium and heavy-duty Hino vehicles have benefitted from Hino-Connect insights such as reduced maintenance costs, enhanced driver performance and fuel savings.

“To continue to support our customers, we have recently opened new ‘Hino Hub’ satellite parts and service centres in Fairfield (City Hino –

Sydney) and Campbellfield (CMI Hino – Melbourne) with future sites planned around Australia in the coming years,” Bleasel says.

“The parts and service markets for trucks are a competitive landscape – expanding our footprint will allow us to better meet the needs of our customers.”

Hino reportedly also remains focused on staff training and knowledge.

“After a successful pilot program, we have launched a national Master Technician Program which provides an additional step in the career pathway

for our technicians,” Bleasel adds.

“This will further provide further skills and training to our current senior technicians, while also assist in addressing the ongoing skills shortage.

“We were proud to once again be recognised by our parent company Hino Motors, Ltd. with a 16th successive Parts Department of the Year Award and a 13th consecutive Service Department of the Year Award,” he says.

“Accolades such as these are a tribute to the hard work and commitment of our dealership and head office staff.”

Additionally, Hino received the Parts

Excellence Award for the fourth time – it is awarded to a small number of Hino distributors that demonstrate overall excellence including ensuring a consistently high supply of parts to dealerships and customers.

Hino Australia has over 65 dealerships and specialist service centres nationwide.

A NEW ERA IN WRECKING

Above: Hino Australia’s product support management team with the global awards, from left: Gus Belanszky (general manager – service and customer support), Matt Atlee (department manager – parts and accessories) and Greg Bleasel (vice president – product support). Image: Hino Australia

TYRI LIGHTS JOINS NARVA AT BROWN & WATSON

Brown & Watson International (BWI), the company behind automotive lighting brands including Narva, has further broadened its lighting portfolio becoming the distributor of Tyri products in Australia and New Zealand.

Tyri is claimed to be a global leader in the supply of LED lighting solutions to OEMs, particularly for machinery working in the mining, civil construction, forestry, materials handling and agricultural industries, where durability and light output is crucial to maintaining a safe and productive work environment.

Given the demanding conditions in which Tyri lights operate, the range was developed to handle extreme conditions.

All lights are tested in the company’s in-house laboratory to meet EMC requirements as well as vibration, shock and IP benchmarks. The lights are also exposed to salt spray for up to 500 hours – these are said to be some of the toughest testing procedures carried out by any

work light manufacturer. Tyri is both ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 Certified.

Tyri’s LED product line covers a full range of light outputs, from low level lighting needs (700-800 lumens) to high illumination requirements (16,500 lumens).

Among the model line-up is Intellilight, a lighting system which provides real time control of light output and colour temperature to adapt to different worksite conditions and operator requirements, to help create a safer, more productive work environment. This system connects via a wireless mesh network which is controlled by using a mobile app, remote module, or via CANBUS.

National brand manager, John Bamfield, says the Tyri product lineup perfectly complemented BWI’s broader lighting offerings.

“Having Tyri Lighting under the BWI umbrella allows our company to better meet the lighting requirements of a wider user base, particularly within industrial and commercial

sectors,” Bamfield says.

“Along with broadening our offering, Tyri’s excellent reputation in the market as a high-quality lighting producer provides strong synergies with BWI’s other product lines, making it a fantastic new partnership that we’re certainly excited about.”

Image:

Brown & Watson

DAIMLER LAUNCHES ELECTRIC LINE-UP

Daimler Truck has officially launched a range of its all-electric trucks from Fuso and MercedesBenz locally. Daimler says the nextgeneration Fuso eCanter, MercedesBenz eActros and eEconic raise the bar for electric trucks introducing new technology for Australian customers determined to drive down their emissions.

The new models boast a realistic range of up to 300km with full connectivity and active safety.

Daimler Truck president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, introduced the three electric trucks at a recent special event.

“Our customers don’t have to choose between sustainability and productivity. With these groundbreaking electric trucks from Mercedes-Benz and Fuso, they can have both,” he says.

Whitehead says Daimler Truck is ready to give customers the tools they need to hit their transport sustainability goals.

“We’ve been helping our customers reduce their emissions for many years and led the way with our Euro 6 trucks from 2016, which also have remarkable fuel consumption,” Whitehead says.

Daimler Truck Australia Pacific Sales and Marketing vice president, Andrew Assimo, says the company offers customers a complete sustainable truck solution, whether it be low emission diesel or battery electric.

“As part of that commitment, when it comes to these amazing electric trucks from MercedesBenz and Fuso, we can help with everything from selecting the correct specification and route planning to charging infrastructure advice.

“Each truck comes with a complimentary servicing package and there is a raft of financing packages including guaranteed buyback options,” Assimo adds.

“Daimler Truck customers have already travelled more than 8

million kilometres in electric trucks around the world, including in Australia since 2021, and we are excited to be able to share what we have learned and give our customers an edge over their competitors.”

The Mercedes-Benz eActros is available as a 4x2 and 6x2 rigid as well as a 4x2 prime mover with

all models developed for local distribution.

The eEconic is available as 6x2 and has primarily been developed for the waste industry as a collection vehicle, however Daimler says its class-leading visibility makes it the perfect truck for urban and inner city deliveries.

SCANIA IN GENUINE PARTS PUSH

Scania Australia National Parts Logistics & Inventory Manager, Matt Pol, understands the arguments surrounding genuine and non-genuine parts, having had a long career in the heavy vehicle aftermarket. He says that at the end of the day you get what you pay for, adding that while nongenuine Scania parts might fit OK, will they last as long, will they perform reliably, and will they in fact be good value for money?

“There’s no logical, coherent case for a truck or bus operator to buy the cheapest non-genuine replacement part,” Pol says.

“Nobody buying the cheapest part expects it to last as long as a genuine replacement part. They don’t expect it to perform as well or better than the genuine part. They’re just looking for a short-term low-cost solution to a problem.

“The economics of replacement parts is fairly straightforward. The cheap ones are designed to look like they can do the job, but they can’t possibly compete with a genuine part in terms of material quality, precision machining, assembly, quality control or durability. It is just not possible.

“Quality control and ensuring the replacement part is as good as

new, literally, is the guiding aim of the Scania parts department when we are sourcing replacement parts. After all, it is our name on the part,” Pol says.

“This is why we are now running a genuine parts campaign, to raise awareness in a friendly and humorous way to draw attention to the fact that while you could create your own Mona Lisa via paint-bynumbers, it wouldn’t be as good as the original. And the same goes for a pulley stamped with Spamia or a filter branded Skania. When we say: ‘genuine is best’, it’s because it is,” he says.

“Why would you risk your business reputation with your customers for the sake of a small cash saving on a reproduction part when you can

Fuso is offering a full line-up of eCanters, with no less than 14 models, with three different battery sizes, various wheelbases and two cab sizes.

Full connectivity is also a standard inclusion on the eActros, eEconic and eCanter, allowing for fleet operators to see location, state of charge and diagnostic information in real-time.

have the genuine article? In many cases, also, the genuine Scania replacement part is competitively priced against non-genuine replacements and can be fitted at a Scania workshop by our company-trained technicians, which means owner-drivers can spend their weekends relaxing rather than fixing.

“It doesn’t cost as much as you think to keep your Scania 100 per cent Scania, but it might cost you a whole lot more when a cheap replacement part lets you down. And who wants the phone call from a driver in the middle of the night saying he has broken down miles from help?” Pol says.

“It’s just not worth the risk.”

Image:

Daimler Truck Australia

Right: Scania Australia national parts logistics & inventory manager, Matt Pol

NO BULL

Time for a laugh

After a long day of driving, a truck driver pulls into a service station café. He looks at the menu, which read: “Leg of pork, bacon, black pudding, pigs trotters and pork sausage.”

He orders his meal and also asks for a glass of water.

“Certainly sir,” replies the owner. “Is it all right with you if the water comes from the bore?”

“Bloody hell!” exclaims the truck driver. “You don’t waste any of that pig, do you?”

Over-height truck

A truck driver is driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that reads ‘Low Bridge Ahead’.

Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead of him and he gets stuck under it. Cars are backed up for many kilometres. Finally, a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks around to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, “Got stuck, huh?”

The truck driver says, “No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of diesel.”

Speeding response

A truck driver was speeding down the highway. A police officer is on his tail, lights flashing. It takes the driver awhile before he stops the truck. The officer gets out of his car and comes to talk to the driver.

Driver: “Afternoon officer”.

Officer: “Do you know why I pulled you over?”

Driver: “Yessir, I was speeding”

“Oh?”, exclaims the officer, a bit surprised. “And do you have a reason for speeding?”

Driver: “Yessir. My wife left me this morning.”

Officer: “I’m sorry to hear that, but that doesn’t count as a valid excuse for speeding sir.”

Driver: “Well, sir. She left me for a police officer. And I thought you were bringing her back.”

Penguin outing

A truck driver was transporting 100 penguins from Melbourne to Perth when he breaks down in the middle of the desert.

A mechanic takes a look and tells the truckie that the repair will take at least two days. He knows that the penguins won’t survive in the heat for that long, so he flags down a passing truck and offers the driver $5000 to take the penguins to the Perth zoo for him.

A few days later the repairs are done and the truckie finally pulls into Perth. He is shocked to see the truck driver walking down the street with all of the penguins walking behind him.

He jumps out of his truck and yells, “Hey mate, what are you doing? I paid you $5000 to take these penguins to the zoo.”

The truckie replies, “I did take them to the zoo, but I had some money left over, so now I’m taking them to see a movie.”

FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black

Profit before safety

The laws following the Senate Inquiry come into effect in August, but there’s much more to be done

The transport reform we pushed for and finally won earlier this year has dominated freight industry news for quite a while and for good reason. The amount of work that went on behind the scenes in getting this over the line cannot be understated, whether it was giving evidence to a Senate inquiry, industry coming together to nut out the finer points, or a lot of the political lobbying that people don’t always get to see.

The passage of this legislation is a game changer for our industry and our ability to run a viable small business in transport. When the laws come into effect at the end of August, we will have a powerful tool to rebalance the power dynamic so that we can have more freedom to make decisions about how and when we work. But that’s exactly what this is – a tool.

The industry won’t change overnight when these laws take effect. The next phase, and how we use it, will be absolutely crucial.

For the system to work properly, it needs input from the experts in the industry – those of us working within it – for it to be successful. The legislation is about structural and systemic change to allow the Fair Work Commission to have more power to set standards. It brings us owner-drivers into a system that has previously only protected employees. It means everyone working in transport has access to fairness and rights –rather than some at the expense of others.

Now that the legislation has passed, we need to work together on the solutions.

For decades, the industry has only gotten worse because we’ve been fighting amongst ourselves instead of holding those at the top of the supply chain to account.

Recently, the industry has stopped fighting with each other and come together over a common cause –because businesses are going broke, cost-of-living and rising operating costs are becoming too difficult to manage, and people are dying on the road.

It was our evidence at Senate inquiries and in Parliament that finally made the government take notice. Now that we’ve won legislation to help us correct the massive power imbalance in transport supply chains, we can’t squander it.

There are consultation processes built into the system, so we need to use them effectively by coming together on solutions. We’ve been given a voice to help determine standards that will make transport and our jobs safer, fairer and more sustainable.

We have to keep our eyes on the prize, and resist falling into the trap of fighting with each other again. That only serves the power imbalance. While we’re too busy squabbling, the wealthy clients at the top of the supply chain can continue cutting costs in transport and squeezing our rates.

The Fair Work Commission will have the power to rein in corporate greed at the top, so that there’s enough money flowing through supply chains for us to keep the wheels turning and still have time for our families and friends.

KEEPING

DRIVERS SAFE

You only need to look at Aldi to see why this is so important. I recently joined a big protest at Aldi where transport workers demanded safety

and fairness from the retailer. Workers understand that the pressure that they’re under comes from right at the top of the chain, so we took to the streets to demand Aldi implement changes to keep drivers safe.

Aldi employs some of its drivers and subcontracts out the rest of the transport work. But Aldi won’t even discuss fair, safe standards for either its employees or the truck drivers in its supply chain. Aldi even took the Transport Workers Union to court to try to silence them on trucking safety, instead of sitting down and talking through what safe standards look like.

Aldi consistently puts profit before safety. Earlier this year, an Aldi store was given a talking to by SafeWork NSW for poor driver training for unloading trucks, fall risk in loading docks and risk of crush injuries from falling items.

Aldi tries to tell everyone it’s one of the good guys as far as retailers go, but like many dodgy companies who look to save money on transport costs, they end up short-changing their workers. Overly tight delivery deadlines and cheap contracts, set by major retailers like Aldi, mean that drivers are under pressure to rush on the roads, but also skimp on maintenance to save costs to make any sort of profit.

At the protest, which didn’t even go into the Aldi store, they called the police. This is a hostile company that doesn’t care about the transport industry. As long as they have low prices and high profits, Aldi will continue to ignore their responsibility to the truckies they engage.

If we don’t stick together – the likes of Aldi will just keep doing this. We have a system that can hold them to account, so let’s use it properly.

“The Fair Work Commission will have the power to rein in corporate greed.”

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.