Owner Driver #386 (March 2025)

Contents #386 MARCH 2025

8 ROAD UPDATES

Inside the latest funding and safety upgrades for Australian roads

18

KENWORTH KLEAN-UP

The Truck of the Year voting is in and a runaway winner has claimed the 2024 title with a superb Kenworth

22 SUBSTANTIAL UPGRADE

From a timeline of its releases to its finite details, Isuzu Australia gives an inside glimpse into what operators can expect from its new model range this year

26 FUELLING THE FUTURE

The popular debate of future power sources includes two main options: electric and hydrogen. But is there another viable option for the Australian industry?

30 POIGNANT MACK

Matt James Haulage has overcome recent tragedy to produce a special restored Mack that honours one of its own family members

42

HITTING THE BIG STAGE

Through recent growth and an emerging partnership with Scania, A Plus Towing is catching attention with a unique truck model set to command the spotlight at the Brisbane Truck Show

44

BRINGING UP THE TON

In 2025, Russell Transport is celebrating a special milestone. Dan Woods learns the secret to success for one of Australia’s oldest familyowned businesses

52

INDIANA JONES SCANIA

While in Europe, Warren Aitken came across a special Scania truck that pays homage to a famous movie franchise

64

TRUCK SALES

Check out the leaders from January’s truck sales data

BEHIND THE WHEEL Sean Mortell

EDITORIAL

Editor Sean Mortell

E-mail Sean.Mortell@primecreative.com.au

Journalist Tiarna Condren

E-mail Tiarna.Condren@primecreative.com.au

Contributors Warren Aitken, Frank Black, Sarah Marinovic, Rod Hannifey, Michael Kaine, Glyn Castanelli, Robert Bell, Dan Woods

Cartoonist John Allison

PRODUCTION

Art Director Bea Barthelson

Print IVE Print

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Business Development Manager

Tosan Popo Ph 0481 260 352

E-mail Tosan.Popo@primecreative.com.au

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EXECUTIVE GROUP

CEO John Murphy

COO Christine Clancy

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Owner Driver is published by

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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.

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Reaching top gear

The industry is well and truly firing on all cylinders in 2025, with Australian trucking life receiving plenty of attention to start the year

The year is well and truly underway, with the usual array of developments and challenges presenting themselves to the industry to start 2025. With everyone back on the roads and the key freight routes filling up, heavy vehicle safety is well and truly back in the spotlight. With the road toll continuing to furrow brows around the country, the pressure is on to find any way of encouraging road users to drive more safely around the nation’s trucks.

It’s fantastic to see transport regulators beginning to issue more communication around safety for truckies, such as the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) warning and safety tips for truckies heading down steep descents such as New South Wales’ Bulli Pass. While this is just one of the many notorious sections of road around the country truck drivers navigate each day, it’s positive to see proactive messages being spread to keep drivers safe at their workplaces.

While safety is a continual discussion point for the industry, access for freight vehicles has once again emerged courtesy of Australia’s unpredictable weather.

In early February, heavy rain once again saw floods interrupt freight movements in Far North Queensland, with sections of the Bruce Highway closed or, even worse, damaged.

At the time of publication, the clean-up effort had

only just started, with funding urgently needed to not just return these roads to their previous standard, but to actually improve them to ensure an all-weather freight route is available to service Northern Queensland’s important towns and cities. Check out page 12 for the latest comments on this issue.

The countdown is also well and truly on for May’s Brisbane Truck Show, with brands preparing to unveil their latest models at the premier event.

As the Australian market leader for truck sales, Isuzu is preparing for a large-scale release of its new product range in Brisbane. From page 22,  OwnerDriver was lucky to catch up with the team and find out just what Isuzu’s new vehicles will have in them for the owner driver.

There’ll also be a new Scania presence at the Show in May, courtesy of a special truck situated in Canberra. Having emerged as a leading tow truck option in the nation’s capital, A Plus Towing has recently switched to Scania, with its third truck from the manufacturer being a beauty that has been named as a finalist for the inaugural National Truck competition. The nomination sees the truck preparing for a special trip up to Brisbane over the next few months to showcase a unique vehicle, as can be seen on page 42.

Outside of this,  OwnerDriver took a deep dive into the vehicle power technology currently out there.

“The countdown is also well and truly on for May’s Brisbane Truck Show, with brands preparing to unveil their latest models at the premier event”

While the debate often seems to be between battery electric and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles for what will be the source of choice in the near future, biofuels continue to be overlooked despite their global presence. From page 26,  OwnerDriver  talks to many of Australia’s leading truck brands to discuss what they think of bio-fuels and whether it’s a feasible option to run trucks on in Australia.

As per usual, Warren Aitken’s regular contributions take us all around the trucking world. From Europe to the Mack that graces our cover as March’s Truck of the Month, his journeys are once again captivating. The March edition also welcomes a feature article on Russell Transport, who this year becomes an Australian powerhouse by reaching a massive milestone – check it out on page 44.

All of this makes for an edition that aptly summarises where the industry is at – all guns are blazing, the kilometres are being chewed up and change is always on the horizon. We hope you enjoy this month’s read and stay safe.

All eyes are on restoring and improving the Bruce in Far North Queensland

The Goods NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

What’s new on the roads

With contracts awarded and construction well underway, Australia’s roads are finally getting a much-needed makeover

Orange cones are set to become a welcome sight over the next 12 months, with much-needed upgrades coming for roads and bridges across the country. In New South Wales, plans are ticking along for the Hume Highway, with design contracts recently awarded by the government. Western Australia has also signed off on new works while the NHVR is warning truckies of some particularly rough roads.

CONTRACTS AWARDED FOR HUME FREIGHT BRIDGE UPDATE

The federal and New South Wales governments have announced who will help upgrade a crucial bridge along one of the nation’s busiest road freight corridors.

With plans progressing to upgrade the Hume Highway and unlock heavy vehicle access in the area, the contract has been awarded for the $20 million Sheahan Bridge upgrade project along the Hume Highway.

WSP Australia will provide concept design development and environmental assessment of potential upgrade or replacement options for the northbound bridge over the Murrumbidgee River.

The current bridge was first built in 1977, with the southbound lanes being duplicated in 2009. While the load limit was increased in 2020 northbound from 68 to 85 tonnes, higher productivity vehicles still have to use a permit to travel on the NSW section of the Hume Highway due to the age and structure limitations of the bridge.

The NSW government says the limitations on the northbound bridge also restrict opportunities for contraflow during emergency response or planned maintenance activities on the southbound bridge.

As the oldest and busiest highway in NSW, the Hume is a key focus for the federal and NSW governments. Solutions available for the project include building a replacement bridge on a new alignment upstream (east) or downstream (west) of the existing bridge, replacing the existing bridge on its current alignment or strengthening the existing bridge.

WARNING ISSUED FOR TRUCKIES HEADING TO BULLI PASS

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has issued an urgent warning for truck drivers to be careful travelling down steep descents after several recent deadly crashes and near misses.

The NHVR is asking heavy vehicle drivers to “exercise extreme caution” when travelling down steep descents such as on the Bulli Pass in New South Wales, following recent incidents at Mount Ousley.

NHVR Director of Central Region Brett Patterson says Bulli Pass was the scene of two fatal crashes involving a heavy vehicle last year, tragically resulting in two lives lost and multiple serious injuries.

“Over the past few years, we have seen many trucks lose control down these steep descents, leading to serious damage to both vehicles and infrastructure, delays and serious road trauma,” he says.

“Just last month, there was a tragic fatal incident on Bulli Pass where a truck travelling down the descent went through the guardrail and down an embankment at the hairpin bend.

“The NHVR is also aware of several dangerous close calls where heavy vehicles have had to use safety ramps or arrester beds to avoid an incident.”

Patterson says steep descents can present a significant safety risk to heavy vehicles, with the spate of recent collisions raising concern about the safety of drivers travelling down these roads.

The NHVR is reminding drivers to follow the steep descent warning signs and shift to a low gear before beginning a descent to ensure they maintain a safe, controlled speed and prevent excessive wear on brakes.

“Drivers shouldn’t over-rely on brakes, as they can overheat – by selecting a low enough gear that they can descend without use of the service brake, the service brake can be used

in an emergency without having the brake overheat,” Patterson says.

CONTRACTS OUT FOR $1 BILLION TONKIN HIGHWAY PROJECT

The Western Australian government has revealed the contract has been awarded to complete the $1 billion Tonkin Highway Extension project.

The major road project will also see Thomas Road upgraded to transform Perth’s south-east freight routes, with the Tonkin Highway to be extended by 14 kilometres.

Featuring a four-lane dual carriageway from Thomas Road to the South Western Highway, a number of grade-separated interchanges, underpasses and roundabouts will be added to the highway.

The contract to deliver the project has been awarded to the Tonkin Extension Alliance consortium which includes BMD, Civcon Civil and Project Management, Georgiou Group, BG&E and GHD, bringing together a wealth of expertise and experience to deliver one of Western Australia’s most significant road infrastructure projects.

The WA government says the project will benefit local communities in Byford, Armadale, Kelmscott and Gosnells which currently contend with large volumes of heavy vehicles on local roads, travelling to and from the South West and Wheatbelt regions.

Upgrades to Thomas Road will include duplication of 4.5-kilometres between Kargotich Road and South Western Highway, new principal shared path and upgrades to a number of local intersections

including Kardan Boulevard, Masters Road and Plaistowe Boulevard.

Construction of the project is scheduled to commence in mid-2025 with completion anticipated by late-2028 and is set to support around 4,400 direct and indirect jobs, marking a significant boost for the local economy.

“The federal government is proud to partner with the Western Australian government to deliver this transformative project, which will significantly enhance Perth’s south-east by reducing traffic pressure and improving connectivity,” federal transport minister Catherine King says.

“This project will deliver significant benefits to Western Australia’s freight and logistics network, by creating a high-standard north-south transport link, improving road safety, freight efficiency, and connectivity for residents, businesses, and commuters.

“The project is part of a broader investment to the Tonkin Highway that will deliver a high-standard north-south transport link, including key upgrades such as the Tonkin Highway Gap.”

WA deputy premier and transport minister Rita Saffioti says the project will be a “game-changer” for moving freight to and from the south west and Wheatbelt.

“Our government understands the critical importance of transport infrastructure projects – they create thousands of jobs, deliver significant economic benefits to local businesses and communities, and ensure our transport network can meet the needs of our growing population,” Saffioti says.

Major upgrades are coming for Australian roads and infrastructure.

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Roadhouse rekindles

When more than 30 truckies were left stranded in an isolated Queensland town due to floods, the local roadhouse provided a home

A North Queensland roadhouse has helped hordes of truck drivers get through the recent floods in the state, providing food and a community spirit while freight routes were blocked last month.

More than 30 drivers were left stranded in the town of Greenvale in early February as floods stopped them from travelling any further east to Charters Towers and up to Far North Queensland.

While the family-owned and operated roadhouse has now farewelled the majority of the stranded truckies as freight routes once again reopen, they’re still receiving nice messages for the homely environment they provided to the drivers.

“After we all got the notice to go around the coast the other day, a few managed to get through, meaning only a few travellers are left here now,” Julie from the roadhouse told OwnerDriver.

“We’ve received some amazing messages – some partners have been messaging and thanking us for helping their husbands get through the delays.”

Julie says the issue was Google Maps didn’t have the road at Greenvale marked as closed, meaning many trucks soon began pulling up.

“I’m most amazed by humanity – one bit of kindness snowballed and the messages are still coming in now from partners,” Julie says.

NHVR reveals interim CEO

In the wake of Sal Petroccitto’s departure, the regulator has named an interim replacement

Following the departure of Sal Petroccitto as its CEO in late January, all eyes are on the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to see who will become the next leader.

On Petroccitto’s last day, the NHVR thanked him for his efforts at the helm of the regulator.

“The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator thanks Sal Petroccitto for his service during his tenure as Chief Executive Officer, a role he commenced in May 2014,” a NHVR spokesperson told  OwnerDriver.

“Mr Petroccitto announced his resignation on November 4, and ceased his term as CEO on January 24, 2025.”

OwnerDriver reached out to the NHVR to see where the regulator is at when it comes to finding Petroccitto’s replacement. In response,

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the NHVR says a candidate is yet to be found, but an interim leader has been named.

“A nationwide recruitment process has commenced for a new CEO, with a replacement set to be announced in the near future,” the spokesperson says.

“The NHVR’s Chief Corporate Officer and Company Secretary, Janelle van de Velde, will serve as interim CEO following Mr Petroccitto’s departure.”

Van de Velde has numerous executive roles under her belt and joined the NHVR in January 2022. At the time of publication, the new CEO is yet to be named.

TWU slams Transurban toll hike

The union says the price increases from the start of 2025 for heavy vehicle operators are “unacceptable”

The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) has responded to Transurban’s latest toll road price increases for Sydney roads, condemning the company for the hike.

The New South Wales branch of the TWU says Transurban is continuing to pursue profit at the expense of the state’s trucking industry.

From January 1 this year, toll prices rose by up to $1.17 for heavy vehicles and $0.44 for passenger vehicles on key routes such as the Hills M2, Lane Cove Tunnel and the Eastern Distributor.

These price rises come despite an independent toll review conducted by

that projected that

motorists will pay $195 billion in tolls over the next 35 years.

TWU NSW state secretary Richard Olsen has responded to the price hike by calling for toll system reform in NSW to mitigate social inequities.

“As transport workers and owner drivers face stagnant wages and rising costs, these toll increases are unacceptable and reflect a corporate greed that prioritises profits over the well-being of the community,” Olsen says.

“It’s time for Transurban to recognise that their profit-driven approach is hurting the very people who keep our cities moving. These toll hikes are unsustainable and unjustified.

“We call on the NSW government to intervene and ensure that toll pricing remains fair and transparent, preventing Transurban from exploiting its monopoly at the expense of Sydney’s commuters and essential transport workers.”

Professor Allan Fels

Sydney

Above: The NHVR has named an interim CEO while continuing the search for its new permanent leader. Image: NHVR

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND

Flooding derails Bruce and North Queensland freight

The failure of a key Bruce bridge and numerous closures has thrown the Queensland trucking sector into disarray

The Queensland trucking industry is reeling from major floods occurring in North Queensland in early February, with the Bruce Highway closing in several locations.

To start February, flooding saw multiple parts of the highway damaged and subsequently closed, with the Ollera Creek Bridge between Ingham and Townsville failing due to floodwaters tearing a hole through the link.

Queensland’s road traffic updates at the time had the Bruce Highway closed in numerous spots, including between Townsville and Ingham, Ingham and Cardwell, Cardwell and Tully, Townsville and Charters Towers and Charters Towers and Pentland.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli warned people in the area of flood inundation.

“My message to North Queenslanders remains the same – follow and listen to the advice of emergency services,” he said.

Federal minister Bob Katter said that the flooding at Ingham, Cardwell and Lucinda was “the worst flooding (seen) since 1967”.

“The Bruce Highway at Ollera Creek Bridge has been completely washed away, cutting off the only direct route between Townsville and northern communities. The rail line is also impacted, making recovery even harder,” Katter said.

“State member for Hinchinbrook, Nick Dametto, has been in discussions with the Queensland government, who have assured him they will spare no expense in fixing the damage. But we need federal support now!”

Katter is calling for the federal government to provide immediate emergency financial relief to affected families, to fund businesses impacted by the disaster, prioritise the rapid reconstruction of the Highway, ensure towns have enough cash flow for recovery efforts and allocate disaster recovery funding specifically for towns impacted.

A day after the alternative inland route was suggested to truckies, the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) revealed that the Gulf Developmental Road at Georgetown was closed due to the flooding. It was previously the last

Transport and Main Roads (TMR) approved alternative route into Far North Queensland.

With the rain continuing to fall last month, the only available route into FNQ was an additional 1,200km detour, with the QTA saying it expects to see “significant” cost increases for customers.

“Operators should give serious consideration to using this route and preparing drivers accordingly with the provision of plentiful resources, food, water and paper maps,” QTA CEO Gary Mahon said.

“With the weather forecasting the rain to move west, there is a risk that drivers will be held up on this route.”

Mahon is strongly advising that freight clients should expect significant cost increases for freight deliveries from road freight operators who use this route. Mahon was in touch with many QTA members who had trucks parked up across the region, with there being concern for driver welfare and fuel supplies for fridge units.

“Operators who have current permits to operate their heavy vehicles on the Bruce Highway between Mackay and Innisfail must apply to the NHVR requesting to have these permits amended to reflect the alternative route,” Mahon says.

“Operators that cannot operate on the alternative route without the need for a permit must apply for one via the NHVR.

“TMR encourages operators to

continue to monitor the QldTraffic website for further information on road closures and impacts from the North Queensland Weather Event.”

On February 6, the federal government announced it would fund the delivery of a temporary bridge structure to replace the damaged Ollera Creek Bridge. However, this solution was only for light vehicles, with heavy vehicles receiving no path to travel through the region.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) began working with the Queensland authorities to work out how to safely deliver a temporary bridge structure in what continued to be challenging conditions. A week later, the bridge was opened to heavy vehicles and then all traffic.

The government says this helped first responders and flood relief workers travel and continue supporting communities. The temporary bridge allowed some resupply efforts before it supported heavy vehicles.

“The federal government made an announcement in relation the repair of the Ollera Creek Bridge between Townsville and Ingham. Unfortunately, the short term solution was a temporary one lane structure suitable for light vehicles only to allow ADF and flood relief workers to support flooded areas in FNQ,” the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) said.

“We strongly advocated for a solution for heavy vehicles sooner

rather than later to ensure freight deliveries could be undertaken safely and efficiently into FNQ, which luckily ended up happening later in the week.”

The QTA also says it will continue reinforcing with the media the additional freight cost of detours, with these costs to be passed onto freight customers as it’s unreasonable for transport companies to absorb.

The federal government says it will continue working with the Queensland government and industry to identify solutions for heavy vehicles in the area.

“Australian Defence Force personnel are providing crucial assistance on the ground in North Queensland, ensuring the local community remains safe and connected during this difficult time,” deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says.

“This support, including the temporary bridge structure and assistance for residents, is helping emergency services to continue their vital work.”

With Queensland’s deputy premier also allowing transport operators in 11 local government areas to work around the clock to supply the region, the challenge is still on to open up freight in the region.

Gary Mahon says this disruption highlights the importance of the Inland Freight Route, as well as the need to begin Bruce Highway works immediately.

“It reinforces the need to bring forward the capital investment in the Bruce – rather than stretch it out for four to eight years, needs to be done in three to five,” he told OwnerDriver.

“While I’m pleased to hear the Premier committing to building back infrastructure better than ever rather than just replacing it in the same way, more must be done to weatherproof this route.

“Luckily the Inland Freight Route is still open and demonstrating its importance in this weather – it’s retaining an almost all-weather performance.”

Left: The Bruce Highway battled floodwaters in early February. Image: Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads

Kenworth DAF appoints Melbourne GM

An experienced PACCAR Australia team member has been promoted to oversee the brand’s Melbourne dealerships

Kenworth DAF Melbourne has revealed it has appointed a new general manager.

Starting in late January, Paul Wiffrie will oversee the day-to-day operations of the dealership, including TRP Geelong as part of his new position.

Wiffrie began his career at PACCAR Australia in 2007, excelling in various training positions before serving as the learning and development manager.

From there, he went to PACCAR Parts and became the brand’s materials and quality manager before taking on the role of dealer development manager in 2019.

PACCAR Australia managing director Damian Smethurst says Wiffrie’s experience makes him “exceptionally qualified” to lead Kenworth DAF Melbourne.

“I am thrilled to welcome Paul to this pivotal role at Kenworth DAF Melbourne,” Smethurst says.

“His expertise and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our service offerings

and support our great customers.”

Wiffrie has welcomed the chance to lead the Kenworth DAF Melbourne operations.

“The opportunity to serve as general manager at Kenworth DAF Melbourne is an honour,” he says.

“I am committed to excellence and continuous improvement, and I look forward to working closely with the team to focus on delivering quality service to our customers.”

“The opportunity to serve as general manager at Kenworth DAF Melbourne is an honour.”

MELBOURNE COUNCIL CALLS FOR TRUCK BAN

Hume City Council says it wants to curb heavy vehicle traffic on its major roads via the ban

A Melbourne council is proposing a truck ban on sections of major roads in its boundaries in a bid to improve quality of life for people living alongside them.

Hume City Council has called for a truck ban to be imposed on sections of Konagederra Road, Wildwood Road, Gellies Road and Bardwell Drive.

Between February and April 2022, the intersection of Mickleham Road and Craigieburn

Road was closed by Major Road Projects Victoria so that part of the Craigieburn Road could be upgraded.

Traffic was redirected onto surrounding roads. Council set up monitoring of the increase in traffic on those roads at the time and is still counting vehicles now.

Since the intersection reopened, traffic data shows that higher volumes of heavy vehicle traffic have been using

local roads like Bardwell Drive, Konagaderra Road, Gellies Road and Wildwood Road (North and South). The council says nearby arterial roads, which are designed for this kind of traffic, have capacity.

The council says quality of life for people living along these roads might be negatively affected by the heavy vehicle traffic, with the council proposing to erect ‘No Trucks’ signage at the entries of

the affected roads. These signs restrict heavy vehicle traffic (over 4.5 tonnes of gross vehicle mass (GVM)) from accessing these roads.

This type of signage allows for important exceptions, such as emergency vehicles being able to use the roads when required or when heavy vehicles are servicing a property along these roads (if there is no other way to get to the destination).

Kenworth DAF Melbourne’s new general manager Paul Wiffrie. Image: PACCAR Australia

The council wants to see trucks banned on key roads.

Image: Regional Roads Victoria

Victoria locks fuel prices

The new measures will force fuel providers to report and freeze prices for up to 24 hours

The Victorian government has announced sweeping changes to the way fuel companies publicise and change fuel prices for motorists and heavy vehicle operators.

The cost of living measure announced by Premier Jacinta Allan and consumer affairs minister Nick Staikos will see fuel companies be forced to publicly report fuel price changes the day before they come into effect and then locking in the price for 24 hours.

Due to the fluctuation of fuel prices in the state, Victoria’s Fair Fuel Plan will include mandatory fuel price reporting and a new fuel finder section to the state’s Service Victoria app to help operators find the cheapest fuel near them.

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) data says that in 2023, Melbourne

operators could’ve saved up to $333 a year by filling up at the lowest point of fuel price cycles to secure the best deal.

The new measure will allow operators to continue saving at the bowser while keeping fuel companies transparent about their prices.

The plan sees more than 1,500 fuel retailers across Victoria having to provide pricing data in real time to the new fuel finder app. Currently, this data is voluntary for each provider, with the state government vowing not to promote one outlet over another.

The mandatory reporting caps the number of fuel price rises to once a day, with providers having to lock in the prices a day before and freeze them for 24 hours.

This means prices at the outlet can’t rise at any time throughout

that day, with there being no restrictions to price reductions.

The state government is currently working to determine an appropriate enforcement structure and penalties for fuel retailers under the plan, with the plan to be phased in throughout this year.

The Service Victoria fuel finder app will launch later this year too, with Premier Jacinta Allan saying it’ll help all motorists and operators to save money when it comes to filling up.

“You know how much fuel prices fluctuate – under our plan, you

can find out tomorrow’s fuel price at every single servo on your route to work and make your decisions accordingly,” she says.

“We know this won’t change everything for families who are doing it tough, but these savings can add up to hundreds of dollars a year.”

Consumer affairs minister Nick Staikos says: “We want to give families more power at the bowser. We’re also keeping multinational fuel companies transparent about the prices they set and the deals they promote.”

Victoria will make fuel companies follow stricter rules. Image: Dzmitry/adobe. stock.com

Koroit crowns top trucks

The annual truck show saw some striking vehicles

The 2025 edition of the Koroit Truck Show has been run and done, with the town coming alive once again.

The large truck display descended on Victoria Park on January 25, with the trucks being joined by a motorcycle performance and a state wood chopping competition.

Alongside the popular truckie sprint and tug of war, the show also crowned its prize winners for the year.

Starting with the grand prize, Brad Walker’s Kenworth T659 beat out Whitehaul Transport’s T909 to win rig of the show. The best crane/tow truck went to Modern Towing for their Mack Superliner, while Colin McDonald was recognised for having the best fleet of three or more trucks.

Trevor Davis’ International AA was the best restored vintage truck, finishing ahead of Colin McDonald and

his Atkinson, with Williams Transport’s Kenworth Y659 taking home the award for best prime working mover between zero and one year old.

Jackson Annett’s T909 took home the award for the five to 10 year division, with the 10 to 15 years (Cornwill Transport) and the 15 to 20 year (Luke Watts) competitions being awarded to Kenworth models.

For the over 20 years market, Colin McDonald’s Atkinson was the winner.

There were plenty more awards handed out, with Lane Transport’s Volvo XXL recognised as the best European model, while John Mahony’s Hino SS 700 was the best Japanese one and Murray Langford’s Diamond T 950 R5 was the best American model at the show.

Cornwill Transport was victorious again with its Kenworth SAR Legend

being the best customised truck on display, while Barney Jones (best rigid) and Brad Walker (best rigid tipper) also took home awards.

Check out the full list of award winners below:

• Rig of the Show – Brad Walker, Kenworth T659

• Best Crane/Tow Truck – Modern Towing, Mack Superliner

• Best Fleet of Three or More – Colin McDonald

• Best Restored Vintage – Trevor Davis, International AA

• Prime Working Mover 0-1 Year –Williams Transport, Kenworth T659

• Prime Mover 5-10 Years – Jackson Annett, Kenworth T909

• Prime Mover 10-15 Years – Cornwill Transport, Kenworth 908

• Prime Mover 15-20 Years – Luke Watts, Kenworth 904

• Prime Mover Over 20 Years – Colin McDonald, Atkinson

• Best Rigid – Barney Jones, Kenworth K220

• Best Rigid Tipper – Brad Walker, Kenworth T659

• Best Customised – Cornwill Transport, Kenworth SAR Legend

• Best European – Lane Transport, Volvo XXL

• Best Japanese – John Mahony, Hino SS 700

• Best American – Murray Langford, Diamond T 950 R5

• Best Farm Truck – Victor Osborn, Dodge AT4-114

• Best Local – Phil Blake

• Furthest Travelled – Ben Pilgrim

• Best Trade Stand – All American Chrome

• Best Presented Driver – Kevin from Truck Factory

• CLIPLOCK features a TWO-STAGE locking mechanism. The industry standard and the Optional innovative GP LOCKING

& LOCKING GROOVE (PATENT PENDING).

• Prevents incomplete coupling connections of Trailer Airline Couplings.

• A dangling Locking Clip will alert the driver that the Coupling Connection may not be securely connected. Ensures positive and secure connection of the Trailer Airline Couplings.

Locking Collar

From a Koroit Truck Show back in time. Image: Warren Aitken

KENWORTH KLEAN-UP

The Truck of the Year voting is in and a runaway winner has claimed the 2024 title with a superb Kenworth

Every year, OwnerDriver starts off by crowning the prized Truck of the Year winner. In the past year, sponsored by Ryco, the competition remained as fierce as ever, with some stunning entrants being featured in our Truck of the Month section, profiled by Warren Aitken throughout 2024. To start the year, just under 1,000 voters decided which truck would take home the winner of the prized mantle. The results are in, so let’s recap the top five and catch up with our latest victor.

Fifth place went to our May story of Matt Kane’s Western Star 4964FX Limited Edition Constellation. While Matt was previously a Mack man and had his heart set on a Catpowered Super-Liner, he soon fell in love with the unique 2000 model Western Star, and so did the OwnerDriver audience.

In fourth was our August Truck of the Month story, which was another Kenworth. This time owned by Steve and Tracey Armstrong, this T909 is known as ‘F##kin Perfect’ after the Pink song – it’s also proven to be a hit with STA Trucking. This pink beauty received around 7.5 per cent of the votes.

Now to our top three, starting with an October special from the VE Group. Bronwyn and Nathan Howell’s latest Kenworth T909 Centenary special captured the hearts of readers, with the special 2023 release including a 100-year nod to Kenworth. It received just over eight per cent of votes.

In second was our April Truck of the Month, another Kenworth from Ian and Hayden Einsiedel. This 2023 W900SAR Legend is allowing the father-son duo to take their cattle-carting business to the next level in Sale, Victoria. It won 11 per cent of the votes.

The winner for 2024 was clear cut. By far and away the leader among voters – having received a whopping 41 per cent of votes – Suzy Snowden took home the prize for her Kenworth C509. As a driver for Toll Energy, Suzy has rich trucking history in her veins, with Warren’s story with Suzy proving to be a wonderful chat about her unique career to date as a trailblazer in the trucking industry.

“I was up in Karratha doing tippers when my current boss rang me. He’d heard my name from some people and rang to offer me a job,” Suzy told OwnerDriver

“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.”

Suzy pilots this very cool Kenworth 509 for Toll Energy every day, loading up on a Tuesday and taking whatever trailers are needed.

“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,” she says.

OwnerDriver caught up with Suzy in the aftermath of her win, which even she couldn’t believe.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d win it. I actually voted for the pink and black Kenworth truck,” she says.

“I thought it would win. I’m more than happy to have won it. I’m super stoked.

“From the beginning, as I was a young girl, growing up with my dad being in the truck, that was the biggest highlight of my transporting life.

“Then progressing to Australia, getting my licence and working from the bottom and making my way up, it’s been a whirlwind. The highlight is learning new things, getting to see the countryside and meeting a lot of great people along the way.”

Suzy will never forget when she first received the truck. She says she’d “never been given such a great truck before”, so seeing it in the flesh allowed her to plan how she could give the model “a life of its own”.

“I made it my own, it was a privilege to be able to do that,” she says.

“I won’t take full credit. My partner Logan has had a lot more experience in transport than I have. They were his ideas, I bounced off him, he suggested we should put certain things on, add some extras. It came out of our own money, but we budgeted for it.

“To be able to do that, he was more the master planner for it, I just chucked my five cents in every now and then, it was great fun.”

The win comes at a great time for Suzy, who is currently on light duties and hasn’t been on the road since early December after dislocating her shoulder while washing the truck. With the Truck of the Year award now in her back pocket, she’s raring to get back on the road.

“Moving forward, once I do get back on the road, I plan to keep doing linehaul and enjoying the job for what it is,” she says.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d win it. I actually voted for the pink and black Kenworth truck.”

Opposite top: This beautiful Kenworth took home Truck of the Year

Above: Suzy Snowden is delighted to have won the award

Left: Suzy gets to drive the truck every day for Toll Energy

Images: Warren Aitken

NHVR Paul Salvati

Ensuring bus safety

The NHVR has turned its focus to bus safety this month, with a new operation ensuring passengers receive the safest possible trips on the nation’s bus fleet

The heartbreak of losing a loved one as a result of road trauma is a pain no one should ever have to endure. Yet, across Australia, we’ve seen far too many families and communities left grieving after tragic incidents, including bus collisions, that could have been prevented.

Tragically, from January 2020 to December 2024, we lost 84 lives in crashes involving a bus across Australia. New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland have experienced the highest number of bus crashes in the past five years, with 40 and 21 lives lost respectively. These aren’t just statistics; these are real people whose lives have been taken far too soon.

These fatal crashes have made it clear that we must do more to ensure buses on our roads are safe – that they are mechanically sound, properly maintained and operated by drivers who are fit and alert. That’s why last month the NHVR launched a new operation to tackle bus safety head on – because every life lost on our roads is one too many.

The NHVR has partnered with police, as we often do, to conduct Operation

step toward protecting those who trust in our transport system. Bus companies, drivers and operators have a responsibility to uphold the highest safety standards and mechanical failures, inadequate rest and fatigue are all preventable factors that contribute to catastrophic events.

Unfortunately, we know some bus operators and their drivers may not be fully aware of their safety obligations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), especially when it comes to fatigue. In fact, recent NHVR data shows that in NSW, QLD, South Australia and Victoria, operators with smaller fleets sizes (less than 10 vehicles) account for the highest proportion of offences. When it comes to offences relating to fatigue specifically, failing to record required information and failing to keep work diaries account for the highest offence categories among bus drivers and operators across the country.

One issue that our officers often see is split shift drivers remaining at the yard, rather than travelling home to have a proper rest break, particularly in urban areas. I would like to warn drivers that by law, they are required to have adequate

BELOW: Bus safety is at the forefront of the NHVR’s regulatory focus currently

“These fatal crashes have made it clear that we must do more to ensure buses on our roads are safe – that they are mechanically sound, properly maintained and operated by drivers who are fit and alert.”

Solstice which is taking place over several weeks. The operation sees our Safety and Compliance Officers (SCOs) conducting comprehensive inspections on buses, checking for safety issues, ensuring vehicles are maintained and mechanically safe, and making certain drivers comply with fatigue laws. Officers will focus their compliance and enforcement efforts on specific locations across the country that we have identified as high risk, with the aim of preventing any potential bus-related incidents.

Buses carry precious cargo, carrying up to 50 people, so it’s crucial we make sure everyone who boards a bus – whether it’s for work, school or leisure – makes it home safely. Operation Solstice is a vital

rest between shifts. Failing to do so can disrupt their ability to ensure they are well-rested and ready to drive.

Drivers should also do a walkaround inspection of the vehicle – both inside and outside – prior to departure and at the conclusion of a shift. This is in addition to regular daily safety checks to ensure the vehicle is properly maintained and mechanically safe. Cabin and occupant safety is also critical – this includes making sure seatbelts are functioning, seat bases are secured correctly and loose items are secured while the vehicle is moving.

Operation Solstice isn’t just about enforcement; it’s about establishing a culture of safety across the entire bus industry. Our officers will be taking their usual inform, educate and enforce approach, ensuring drivers understand how to comply with their HVNL safety obligations. Checks will allow drivers and operators to review their practices, chat to SCOs and ensure they are doing everything they can to protect their passengers.

The NHVR’s efforts to ensure compliance within the bus industry extend far beyond the roadside. Our dedicated Stakeholder Engagement team held a series of webinars during February, providing the industry with information on key topics such as the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) and how to comply with the HVNL including access permits and notices, and fatigue.

However, it’s not only the bus industry that needs to be vigilant in prioritising safety. General motorists must know how to drive safely around buses, including making sure they don’t overtake or pass a bus with flashing lights at more than 40km/h. The NHVR launched the bus iteration of the We All Need Space road safety campaign in April last year, to remind all road users of the importance of giving buses the space they need on Australian roads.

Finally, I would like to remind all drivers that the Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line (HVCRL) is ready to assist with resolving safety issues across the CoR. If you see something related to heavy vehicle safety that endangers the welfare of yourself or other road users, please contact the HVCRL on 1800 931 785.

No one should ever have to suffer because of preventable circumstances –and by conducting Operation Solstice, the NHVR is taking an important step toward ensuring this doesn’t occur again. I implore every bus driver and operator to prioritise safety above all else, so we can prevent further tragedy and ensure Australia’s roads are safe for all.

NHVR PAUL SALVATI –Chief Operations Officer

POLITICS Senator Glenn Sterle

For the owner drivers

Senator Glenn Sterle looks at how the Closing Loopholes reforms have positively impacted the industry one year since their introduction

It has been a year since the Albanese Labor Government’s worldleading Closing Loopholes reforms were introduced and they are already beginning to create a safer and fairer road transport industry for Australian workers, including owner drivers.

Last year, the Albanese Government gave the Fair Work Commission the power to set enforceable minimum standards for road transport workers, including matters like rates of pay, cost recovery and consultation. Legislation to criminalise wage theft was also introduced as part of the historic reforms. These are all practical changes that will have direct and beneficial outcomes for the hard working owner drivers of Australia.

The road transport industry united like never before in support of these reforms, involving thousands of transport workers, owner drivers, employers and employer associations, small businesses, industry stakeholders and academics, as well as a unanimous industry roundtable, calling for changes to relieve dangerous and unfair pressures on workers.

This industry unity was crucial to the success of the reforms but was unfortunately ignored and disrespected by the Liberal and National parties who have already committed to remove key reforms should they return to Government.

The first applications for the road transport industry have been submitted to the Fair Work Commission. With industry consultation well underway, the applications will help to lift standards for its 600,000 workers. Applications currently before the Fair Work Commission are seeking a range of new standards, including:

• Fairer payment terms, with maximum 30-day payment terms to relieve pressure for businesses struggling with extended payment times. Further to this, disputes over payment amounts can be heard by the Fair Work Commission and payment terms that pressure operators or drivers into lowering costs over the duration of a contract can be removed

• Parcel delivery standards to deliver minimum standards in parcel delivery to stop exploitative practices from companies, and

• Rights for gig workers through minimum standards to ensure decent

pay and conditions for gig workers.

Key to our engagement with the transport industry throughout the establishment of the reforms was consultation. I have always said that the best outcomes for owner drivers and transport workers will be delivered by having people around the decision making table who have had the wheel in their hands. This stands in stark contrast to any previous governments.

A key piece of the legislation was the establishment of the Road Transport Advisory Group which advises the Fair Work Commission about the interests of road transport businesses and regulated road transport contractors. This helps the Fair Work Commission to perform its role in the road

transport industry.

It is now the law of the land that the Fair Work Commission must consult the Road Transport Advisory Group about the following:

• making and changing modern awards about the road transport industry

• making and changing road transport minimum standards orders and road transport contractual chain orders

• decisions to defer or suspend road transport orders

• changing or revoking road transport orders after they have been suspended or deferred, and

• how we prioritise cases about the road transport industry.

Delivering 30 day payment terms, free dispute resolution without lawyers being involved and criminalising wage theft are the practical components of this legislation that are going to have a direct impact on owner drivers.

Many readers would have experienced having to wait to be paid, not having cost recovery mechanisms in place or having to deal with not getting paid fairly.

The Closing Loopholes reforms will be life changing as they provide a remedy to each of those issues and will deliver a more efficient and productive road transport industry for all.

I am very proud of this piece of legislation and the many practical outcomes it will deliver for the many mum and dad owner driver businesses around the country.

Only an Albanese Labor Government can be trusted to support and protect standards for owner drivers.

“I have always said that the best outcomes for owner drivers and transport workers will be delivered by having people around the decision making table who have had the wheel in their hands.”

SENATOR GLENN STERLE is a current Labor Senator for Western Australia in Australia’s Federal Parliament. He is also the Duty Labor Senator for the Federal Electorates of Durack and O’Connor and has experience as a transport operator.

BELOW: Sterle says the Closing Loopholes bill has had a life changing impact on the industry

SUBSTANTIAL UPGRADE

From a timeline of its releases to its finite details, Isuzu Australia gave Sean Mortell an inside glimpse into what operators can expect from its new model range this year

For Australia’s leading truck brand, 2025 is poised to be a landmark year. Having recently been crowned as Australia’s leading heavy commercial vehicle brand for a 36th consecutive year, Isuzu Australia is at the peak of its powers.

In the aftermath of its 13,402 heavy vehicles delivered in 2024, capturing a market share of 26.1 per cent, the brand is set to go to new heights in 2025 through a 17-year first.

Starting at May’s Brisbane Truck Show, Isuzu Australia will launch a whole new truck range to the local market that replaces some of its most popular models of the past two decades.

“We are bubbling with excitement at the depth and scale of this launch,” Isuzu Australia chief engineer Simon Humphries told OwnerDriver.

“This is the largest scale model change to a truck range we’ve done, including the biggest technological advancement that Isuzu has ever undertaken both globally and in Australia.”

The scale of which Isuzu is planning to update its model range is enormous, even for the dominant force of the local truck market.

Just this year, Isuzu Australia is planning to introduce around 150 new individual truck models within a short period of time.

All of these models will feature a common electronic architecture alongside new driveline components, emissions controls and safety systems.

While it mirrors Isuzu’s last line-up change that it did all the way back in 2007 and 2008, Humphries says this edition will be on a much grander scale.

“We had a huge introduction of an all-new range for Australia back 17 years ago, but this is bigger and more advanced,” he says.

In the lead-up to such a sizeable transformation, Isuzu Australia has made significant investments in its team to prepare for the major launch. By focusing on its personnel, product development systems and supply chain strategies, Isuzu Australia has left no stone unturned.

When these factors support the roll-out of Isuzu’s new line-up, it’ll be another unique chapter in the brand’s local trucking history.

The way Isuzu plans its fleet changes is completely different to how its competitors do so. Instead of consistently introducing new models and upgraded versions to the market, Isuzu Australia has waited more than 15 years to introduce a larger scale update.

When asked about this plan, Humphries identified three key reasons that motivate Isuzu to plan major model releases at the one time, rather than consistently unveiling updated trucks every few years.

“The first fact we take into account when it comes to these large releases is that it’s quite common for heavy commercial vehicle manufacturers to have around 15 to 20 years between major model changes,” he says.

“However, other brands tend to keep their models ‘fresh’ by making smaller changes every two to three years. This means the full model change at around the 17 year mark isn’t unusual.

“Another fact is that the new line-up comes only a year or so after Isuzu launched similar models with the same features in Japan, so the timing is really good to introduce these to Australia.

“The last fact is that the timing of this release also ensures that all relevant models will comply with the three key Australian Design Rules (ADRs) being introduced in 2025.”

The last point is a critical one that explains Isuzu’s rationale in unveiling the new model line-up this year. From February 1, all goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVM will have to be fitted with smart braking features such as anti-lock braking (ABS) and vehicle stability control (ESC) as per ADR 35/07. On top of this, ADR 97/00 will require all new heavy goods vehicles of the same GVM to have Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) systems fitted from the same date.

Thirdly, ADR 80/04 requires all existing heavy vehicle models supplied to Australia to meet Euro 6 emissions standards from November 1 onwards. All of these regulatory changes means Isuzu has picked the right year to introduce an updated model range that aligns with these new ADRs.

The new models will be on display at May’s Brisbane Truck Show, allowing Isuzu to showcase the very best of its new technology to the entire Australian trucking industry. Humphries says the event will signal the beginning of Isuzu’s plan to release the models throughout 2025.

“We will be previewing the entire range at the Brisbane Truck Show, with some models appearing at Isuzu truck dealerships

“Some further models will arrive around August, while the remainder of the new models will be released for sale by November 2025.”

This timeline highlights the focus that Isuzu Australia has on releasing its new model range before the final emissions standard ADR comes into place in November.

When the vehicles do begin rolling out into Isuzu dealerships and then onto Australian roads, the brand is teasing a theme that centres around an improved safety and driver environment focus. This will also include a “vastly improved” safety suite –although many Australian model N, F and FX-FY Series trucks already include these features, Humphries says the latest models will take the overall concept of truck safety to a whole new level.

“The entire current model line-up is being replaced with similar specifications, from the narrow cab NLR models to the large FY twin steer range,” he says.

“The total number of discrete models will be reduced to about 150 overall, with the main consolidation being a major reduction in the availability of manual transmissions. For example, all the 6-cylinder new models are available with only an Allison auto transmission.”

Humphries says Isuzu will also re-introduce the compact, low height cab type look with the addition of the new NKR models. The N Series will be underpinned by a new advanced electrical architecture, including seven all-new active safety features and full speed adaptive cruise control on all two-pedal models. On selected models, miss acceleration mitigation and Bi-LED headlamps will be featured with integrated daytime running lamps. The N Series will also see traffic sign recognition included using stereo camera technology.

Opposite bottom: The industry will get to check out some of Isuzu’s new truck models at the Brisbane Truck Show in May immediately afterwards,” he says.

When it comes to medium-duty applications, the F Series will have a “substantial upgrade” to its safety systems, with 12 active and passive systems included. The FX-FY Series will also have plenty of additions, with electronic stability control and lane keep assist part of the revamp.

Focusing on driver safety and retention is a primary reason for Isuzu’s many updates that it’s making to the new range. Humphries says drivers will immediately notice multiple changes upon first hopping into the cab of a new Isuzu truck model later this year and turning on the ignition.

“There are a minimum of six new safety systems being introduced to every model in the MY2025 range,” he says.

“From full-speed adaptive cruise control on all two-pedal models to auto lighting across the range, there’s plenty in it for the drivers.

“All models are more ‘carlike’ to drive, with improved seating and driving position across the range. Medium and heavy duty models will get an impressive driver seat with standard heating and ventilation, as well as a standard arm rest in many models.”

This idea of Isuzu’s new trucks being more ‘carlike’ is a popular

term for Humphries and the Isuzu team. By also reducing the interior noise levels and lowering the ultra-violet and infra-red radiation that enters the cab through the windscreen and other glass, Isuzu is sweating the little parts that go into its new model range. With a standard climate control system included to make comfort management more effective, Isuzu has gone the extra mile with a 7” full colour central information display that is complemented by steering wheel controls and easy access to AV unit volume and telephone controls.

The final pillar of Isuzu’s impending release is sustainability. Having been a prominent focus for many in the local truck industry, Isuzu’s landmark line-up coming this year is not going to veer away from this trend.

“Isuzu has increased the number of components that are fully recyclable, as well as preparing the way for easy production of carbon neutral drivelines like battery-electric and hydrogen fuelcell technologies,” Humphries says.

Having teased the line-up over recent months, Isuzu Australia is now preparing for a defining year in the company’s history. Isuzu Australia chief of product Matt Sakhaie is one of many at the brand eagerly awaiting the release of the first models this year and the feedback he’ll receive from drivers as they check out the updated vehicles.

“One critical aspect that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like Isuzu can influence is the continued development of safe, comfortable and professional workspaces for drivers to ply their trade,” he says.

“Well beyond the raft of new and exclusive active and passive safety features coming as part of its Australian release, Isuzu’s allnew line-up has amassed a string of critical in-cab improvements that rarely catch the headlines.”

Simon

is confident that the new technology will help further solidify

Opposite top: The new range will be Isuzu’s first major product release in Australia for 17 years

Top: Driver comfort is a key part of Isuzu’s new model range to help curb truck driver shortages in Australia

Above:

Humphries

Isuzu’s presence in Australia’s truck market

Images: Isuzu Australia

TWU Michael Kaine

Making it better

The TWU’s recent transport delegation in Canberra represented the benefits set to come from new regulation

Acouple of months into the year and the road transport laws brought in under the Albanese government are gathering steam.

At the beginning of February, I joined a road transport delegation – TWU members, industry associations and employers – to Canberra, talking to members of Parliament from all political persuasions about the importance of these laws.

These delegations were critical in getting the legislation over the line.

Employee drivers shared how their job security was under threat because of contracts going to a lower bidder. Employers talked about the impact the gig economy was having on their business, making it harder to compete fairly. Gig workers talked about how they were making minimum wage, and always with the threat that their work would be taken away from them by an algorithm. Owner drivers shared how tough the industry had become to make a decent living – if they hadn’t already walked away from the industry entirely.

This time it was a different reason

to return to Canberra: a celebration of what these laws will mean for the industry, and a chance to explain to politicians why they need to be protected to bring up standards. Lives and livelihoods are on the line here.

Familiar faces were in the room still: people who’d been to Parliament maybe once, or twice, or dozens of times over the years fighting for safer and fairer road transport. For Tony

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

Matthews, an owner driver at FedEx close to retirement, it will mean leaving a better industry for the next generation. For Rosalina, a rideshare driver, and Nabin, a food delivery driver, it will mean finally having some basic minimum rights.

There were some newer faces as well, younger workers in transport who see the potential of what this industry can become. Because that’s important, too: a safer, fairer industry means one people want to join, that they are proud to be a part of.

We’ve just started using these laws to improve the industry. There’s still so much to do, but in a short time there are the beginnings of real, tangible change.

At the end of February, automatic rights as part of the new system kicked in. They’ll have huge impacts for gig workers and owner drivers. Up until very recently, gig workers could be ‘deactivated’ without any human input, often locked out of work without even a reason given or way to appeal. One in four gig workers have been deactivated from a platform. Owner drivers have been under pressure to take risks to avoid

“Gig workers talked about how they were making minimum wage, and always with the threat that their work would be taken away from them by an algorithm. Owner drivers shared how tough the industry had become to make a decent living — if they hadn’t already walked away from the industry entirely.”

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

Now, with the Digital Labour Platform Deactivation Code and the Road Transport Industry Termination Code, those deadly pressures will be reduced. Owner drivers and gig workers can contest unfair terminations and be reinstated or compensated. It’s a crucial part of the new laws to shift the balance.

Of course, transport operators also face significant contract pressures from wealthy clients. That’s why it’s so important that this system has the ability to even rope in those right at the top of the supply chain. The new rights protecting gig workers and owner drivers will go hand in hand with applications to bring up standards.

Consultation has now begun on the first three applications filed using the new laws. Successful applications will help put in an immediate safety net; a floor in the industry that has been spiralling into freefall.

These applications are in areas that need immediate attention: maximum 30-day payment terms need to become standard, with drivers and operators struggling with extended payment times after already being on thin margins to begin with. Gig workers need minimum standards so they have decent minimum standards and so the rampant undercutting can be stopped. It’s a similar story for the parcel delivery sector where the likes of Amazon Flex are pushing out decent operators with their exploitative models that have pushed standards to rock-bottom.

The system is set up with several parts. The Expert Panel will establish and maintain standards. The Road Transport Advisory Group (RTAG) advises on those

standards. Underpinning all of this is industry consultation.

Right now, that’s all happening. The RTAG will be consulting those right across the industry to make sure we get the balance right.

In the meantime, the industry is preparing further applications. We know there’s a lot to do to make road transport safer and fairer after decades of inaction.

Importantly, it’s a system that can deal with changes in the industry. There’ll be significant challenges for road transport with the rise

of automation and transition to net zero. But we’re now in a good place to be able to weather those changes.

All in all, it’s been a big month for transport. It’s the first time a road transport delegation has travelled back to Canberra since the transport reform laws were passed. There’s no time to waste getting standards in place to complement the other rights that are now live. We’ve come this far. It’s now up to all of us in the industry to protect the world-class system we’ve won.

FUELLING THE FUTURE

The popular debate of future power sources includes two main options: electric and hydrogen. Sean Mortell investigates whether there is another viable option for Australia’s trucking industry

Right now, the global transport industry is at loggerheads about the best ‘green’ power source for the heavy vehicle of the future. Should an electric battery power a load, or should hydrogen fuel-cell technology be the weapon of choice? Is a hybrid truck the best way to begin the transition, or is simply focusing on Euro 6 diesel technology a feasible starting point?

While these four options tend to be the dominant pillars of the debate, a choice lesser considered, nor mentioned, has steadily grown behind the scenes, riding on the coat tails of the latest electric releases. That option is biofuel.

While biofuels are not the preferred power source for many in the global transport industry, they certainly have their followers. Globally, major manufacturers have steadily unveiled new models that can take a range of bio-friendly fuel. But what is biofuel, and is it an option for Australian trucking manufacturers?

Put simply, a biofuel is a fuel option produced from biomass, or any living matter. Unlike the slow burn of fossil fuels such as diesel, biofuel is able to be produced quickly from the likes of plant, algal or animal biomass. Additional to its speedy production timeframe, biofuel is also cost-effective and more

sustainable, with the use of vegetable oils and animal fats being easier to source in the long term than the raw ingredients of petrol-based fuels.

It’s these benefits that are slowly starting to see biofuels and other Low Carbon Liquid Fuels (LCLFs) come into the fray in the Australian trucking sector.

The Truck Industry Council’s (TIC) latest National Truck Plan discusses a range of options for refreshing the nation’s truck fleet in order to bring it in line with global truck age averages and, in turn, help hit zeroemissions targets.

To help reach sustainability targets, TIC calls for the expansion of the Guarantee of Origin Scheme to include LCLFs which would allow the industry to run existing trucks on cleaner fuels that cause less damage to the environment during their production

“The federal government should implement blending mandates for biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to be introduced concurrently on all three LCLFs and at a point in the fuel supply chain no later than the fuel wholesaler,” the plan says.

“The federal government should also introduce measures that will achieve cost effective, high quality and consistent LCLF/ mineral diesel blends to support blend mandates by means of a volume blending system similar to that deployed in Europe.”

OwnerDriver has chatted to Australia’s major OEMs to find out what they think of biofuels in their truck models and whether they’ve made any moves to implement the potential power source in their fleets.

At Penske Australia and New Zealand, producing trucks locally that are biodiesel-ready has been a core part of its program for decades. Since 2004, MAN models have been able to take biodiesel, while Western Star trucks have had the same ability since 2007. Penske Australia and New Zealand executive general manager of on-highway Craig Lee says biofuel is just one player in a diverse range of “current and emerging technologies across all industries” that should be used to reduce emissions.

“Certain industries will be harder than others to achieve significant reductions in emissions,” he told OwnerDriver

“We see liquefied low-emission fuels running in internal combustion engines as a practical and viable technology for reducing emissions in vehicles used in the freight task.

“While there are some challenges in the current and future supply chain for significant volumes of this product and highly competitive demand across different sectors, we certainly think that liquified lowemission fuels have a part to play, and we’re ready to use these fuels today.”

“We see liquefied low-emission fuels running in internal combustion engines as a practical and viable technology for reducing emissions in vehicles used in the freight task.”

This means Penske Australia and New Zealand was quick to support TIC’s National Truck Plan recommendations around biofuel regulations. It wasn’t alone in this endeavour – out of the five OEMs that OwnerDriver chatted to about biofuels, all of them were supportive of the idea that access to LCLFs should be made easier.

“Isuzu supports TIC’s position, not just on LCLFs, but also on the entirety of its National Truck Plan to improve the carbon footprint of the transport industry,” an Isuzu Australia spokesperson told OwnerDriver

“We plan to provide further details regarding our products and Isuzu Trucks’ carbon neutral strategy at our media briefing at the upcoming Brisbane Truck Show.”

While manufacturers are supportive of the use of biofuels, they report that the price barrier for getting into the biofuel market is currently too high to make biofuels a cost-effective alternative for truck owners around Australia.

“Cost is still a barrier for entry for many operators,” a Volvo Trucks Australia spokesperson told OwnerDriver

“Any initiative that speeds up the uptake of cleaner fuels or cleaner drivelines is a great step in the right direction.”

In December last year, Volvo announced it had switched to filling all new Volvo and Mack truck models produced at its local Wacol facility in Queensland with Hydro Treated Vegetable Oil (HVO) instead of diesel. Its upcoming FH Aero will also come ready to take the fuel source.

“All Volvo Group engine platforms are biofuel friendly, however the D17 at its highest hp setting of 780 is only rated to run on HVO or a diesel equivalent rather than straight recycled biodiesel,” the Volvo spokesperson says.

While Volvo is able to source the fuel and send its trucks out with a first tank of biofuel, its customers will find it difficult to re-fill tank number two with the same fuel at any regular service stations in Australia. The spokesperson says the lack of investment in the technology and infrastructure to support

biofuels in Australia means accessing biofuels easily, and at the right price, is too hard.

In Europe, IVECO is a market leader in alternative fuels through its use of natural gas, which has become popular due to government support in funding refuelling facilities. While alternative fuelled vehicles aren’t new to Australia, with IVECO another manufacturer offering natural gas-powered vehicles for some time, issues regarding infrastructure continue to prevent the power source from becoming more popular for the local truck scene.

“Unfortunately, this fuel has never reached its full potential here due to a lack of refuelling infrastructure – the public refuelling network is small,” an IVECO spokesperson told OwnerDriver

“Given this, vehicles were limited to shorter back-to-base operations, with some fleets electing to install refuelling infrastructure at their own depots if it’s a viable option.”

The current IVECO range is completely compatible with the latest generation of renewable diesel fuels such as HVO/XTL. IVECO says no technical modifications are needed to use the biofuels on its trucks, and it doesn’t impact the standard warranty and maintenance intervals if it’s used compared to the previous generation of biofuels such as B7, B10 and B15.

When looking at its applications in transport, IVECO says biofuels have power and output performances that are comparable to standard diesel with the added advantage of not being tied to international parity pricing. With significantly less emissions coming from trucks that use this fuels such as CNG, IVECO is one brand hoping local governments in Australia invest in biofuels.

“IVECO is technologically agnostic, acknowledging that there isn’t one solution for all applications, and is actively developing battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell options along with our current CNG technologies,” the spokesperson says.

“Trucks compatible with biofuels, both renewable diesel and

Above:

Left: Volvo Trucks is one OEM with trucks being filled with biofuel in Australia

RNG, are available today with ranges and refuelling times in parity with fossil fuel diesel, marking its significant advantage over BEV and HFCEV trucks in heavy haulage operations.”

Daimler is another company supporting the use of biodiesel at various levels, with its vehicles able to operate with pure alternative diesel fuels in accordance with DIN EN 15940, as well as in a mixture with convention diesel fuels. The brand has found that biodiesels are more than just able to be used – they have no adverse effects on how Daimler’s truck models operate.

“We’ve found that operating with 100 per cent paraffinic diesel fuel or mixed-fuel operations with diesel fuel has no impact on the oil change intervals or intervals for the cleaning and exchange of the diesel particulate filter,” a Daimler spokesperson told OwnerDriver.

“Our technology supports biodiesel, although our main focus remains on low emission diesel internal combustion, battery electric and, moving forward, hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen combustion technology.”

Manufacturers around the world are faced with the difficult task of speculating on which green technology will become the most cost effective and readily available at some point in the future.

Ultimately, the aim is for zero emissions from the trucks themselves – which leans in favour of hydrogen and electric outcomes. Right now though, biofuels offer a lower total carbon impact than existing diesel fuels, as they are created using a less carbon intensive production process.

While projects developing zero-emissions truck infrastructure are underway around the country, in the Western Australian town of Kwinana, it’s the future of biofuel development that is firmly in the spotlight.

At Kwinana, which is deep in the state’s mining heartland, bp’s Renewable Fuels project is currently in Front End Engineering Design. When complete, it will allow a mixture of transport fuel sources to be decarbonised, creating more accessible biofuels in the process.

“The project will see existing refining infrastructure repurposed to produce drop-in fuel products that have the ability over time to support the decarbonisation of aviation and heavy industry, subject to regulatory and state government approvals,” a bp

spokesperson told OwnerDriver

Once this is completed, logic dictates that biofuels should rise in popularity. Many of Australia’s leading truck models can seamlessly use the source, and the infrastructure issue should have a temporary fix to create more supply. But is it that simple?

When asked, all major OEMs who discussed biofuels with OwnerDriver viewed them in a different light to battery electric and hydrogen fuel source technology. Instead of being perceived as an end objective, biofuels are seen as a transitionary stepping stone to achieving net zero emissions.

“Biofuel is a technically viable intermediary for transitioning to a more sustainable energy future – it could act as a bridge between our current reliance on conventional fossil fuels and the anticipated widespread adoption of zero-emissions alternatives,” the IVECO spokesperson says.

“For RNG to succeed here in Australia, we would require the same government support regarding legislation and funding as provided in the EU, for instance, to initiate and incentivise the production of high-quality compressed natural gas (CNG) for transport and support the entire ecosystem necessary.”

The Volvo spokesperson supported this point, seeing biofuels as a “great step on the path for decarbonisation, but not a likely end point”. The reason provided went back to the volatile emissions impact the technology had on its trucks. A positive was that this still didn’t rule out biofuels from the global powerhouse’s future planning.

“HVO, for example, reduces well to wheel emissions, but when it is burnt in the engine, the emissions are close to if it was running on diesel. Future development of e-fuels for ICE drivelines are likely to tackle this issue,” the spokesperson says.

“Biofuels are just one way to reduce emissions, however there will be a multipronged approach to decarbonisation in transport that will include battery electric and hydrogen drivelines. In the future we may also see bio-gas drivelines powered by renewable biogas.”

The final word goes to Penske Australia and New Zealand’s Craig Lee. While the international OEM also follows its competitors in not being able to place all of its eggs in the one basket when it comes to future power sources, it has more of an idea where biofuels lay in its plans. While biofuel is currently a viable technology, Penske views it as a bridge to cover the gap between diesel and zero-emissions options like electric and hydrogen sources.

“We’ve seen globally that different segments, geographies, infrastructure and policies heavily influence the commercial viability of different technologies,” he says.

“The barriers currently in Australia to broad adoption of hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric vehicles in the heavy duty on-highway truck segment make low-emission liquified fuels look like a practical and timely alternative.”

Top: Isuzu is supportive of the Truck Industry Council’s latest industry plan Above: Currently, biofuel is used to fill numerous Australian truck models

Image: Isuzu Australia

MICK’S MACK

Matt James Haulage has overcome recent tragedy to produce a poignant restored Mack that honours one of the family’s greatest members

Sometimes the hardest stories to write are the ones that must be written.

The stunning Matt James Mack comes under that umbrella, for while it is an epically cool refurb story, it is also mired in pain and loss.

The stunning day cab Superliner was purchased for one of Matt James Haulage’s longest serving employees. I use the term employee very loosely – when you meet Matt and his wife Lisa, you soon realise that they don’t really have employees, but extended family.

This truck was purchased in 2023 as a second-hand project truck for one of their longest serving ‘extended family members’ in Mick Harrison. The idea was that they would refurb it, spruce it up and bling it out so Mick would

Left: The coastal waters have been the backdrop to Matt James Haulage since its inception and seemed the perfect spot to shoot this memorial rig

Below: It’s a small memorial to a big part of the Matt James Haulage team, but Mick’s name will forever ride with this epic Superliner

Images: Warren Aitken

“Mick just loved pottering around – we’d see him there, scratching his head as he worked on different things, or just wandering around sipping on his can of Coke.”

become the man behind the wheel of it, with the aim being for the truck to be completed and debuted at Matt’s wedding to the lovely Lisa.

Sadly, Mick took his own life in January 2024. It was sudden, unseen and, for the small family-based company that Mick had made his second home, it was devastating. That’s what makes this a tough story to tell, but it needs to be shared, not just for the fact it is a very cool refurb job, but also to acknowledge the effect Mick

had on the Matt James Haulage family.

The Wollongong based company, which began mainly with tipper and excavation work and now leans more predominantly towards the asphalt scene, has been in operation since 2002. The foundations of what you see before you began with a 20 year-old International T-line.

“When I was 19, I saw an ad in the paper for a one-day truck licence and just thought it was perfect for me,” Matt says, very tongue-in-cheek.

Once he was licensed up, Matt spent a little bit of time on wages, working for a local civil company, but that wasn’t where his heart lay. He wanted his own truck – it was all about working for himself.

“I’m better at running my own show, always have been. In any job I’ve had before, I like organising and sourcing my own stuff,” he says.

“I bought my first truck from a guy who was retiring, Peter Moradini. He had the truck since it was new, and it was immaculate.”

That particular truck was a 210hp 1982 International T-line. It had celebrated its 20th birthday the year that Matt purchased it back in 2002.

“Back then, the money wasn’t real good, it was just a glorified wage,” he says.

However, it was his passion for the aforementioned lorries that drove his desire to own and drive one for himself.

“I really did just love trucks, Lisa will tell you, I’d drive the highways and I’d be pointing each one out – ‘there so and so’s truck, this truck, that truck’,” Matt says.

“Lisa would tell me I didn’t have to tell her about it every time.”

That first truck came with no guarantees – the truck was bought without work attached, but that has never been an obstacle for Matt. He loves getting out and meeting people, sourcing work and creating contacts. Even now he still admits that it’s one of the favourite parts of the job.

Left: There is just something staunch about a day cab, sporting stacks and snouts

Opposite top: Some online shopping by bossman Matt resulted in the stunning Southern Kustoms steering wheel in metallic blue, matching the door sills, it really livens up the interior

Opposite middle: Once again, it is the little features that set the Superliner apart. Check out the one-piece gauge covers that Matt found. It brings a very American look to the big rig

Above: Meet Lisa, Matt and their two kids Madison and Michael, standing proudly with their latest addition – Boss Dog

He soon had the little 210hp International flat out. The poor wee girl was working its butt off, and within two years it was replaced. It made way for Matt’s first Mack in the form of a second-hand B.O.C CH Mack.

“It was a rocket, I went from 210hp to 454hp. I had always wanted a Mack – I grew up as a Mack person all my life and knew I wanted to own one,” he says.

Like any true Bulldog aficionado, you can’t just have one Mack – that first CH was the catalyst for a fluctuating fleet of trucks dominated by Macks. The Matt James Kennel’s current role call sees five Mack Superliners, two Mack Metro Liners, a Mack Trident and an old water cart filling the Matt James Haulage roster. That’s not to say there haven’t been others – a few Kenworths have had the privilege of having MJH written on their doors, but in the end, Matt keeps coming back to the Bulldog brand for his expanding fleet.

“A lot of it comes down to service and parts – we have a Mack dealership here in town and those guys are great,” he says.

“If I need parts, I’ll call Stacy at the local Mack dealership, I can order a part in the morning and they’ll have it for us by the afternoon. The backup and accessibility is so important.”

Now we arrive at the current cool configuration, a 2015 New Breed Mack Superliner, including a day cab

with bucketloads of coolness spread over it and a colour scheme that just snags the eye from every angle.

The truck was purchased to replace one of the last Kenworths in the fleet.

“We were looking to get a new truck and dog, but at the time, the wait for a new truck was almost two years and the prices were through the roof,” Matt says.

“We found this one at an auction and snapped it up, figuring we would be able to clean it up and add a bit of bling.”

The man who was intrusted with not just the keys to drive the truck, but also set on the task of refurbing it, was one of Matt James Haulage’s longest ‘extended family members’, Mick Harrison.

“Mick had been with us for over seven years,” Lisa says.

“He wasn’t just a worker. You have employees and then you have ones that are family, and that was Mick. He was literally here all the time. If he wasn’t at work, or with his kids, then he was just here doing stuff. He loved the place, and we loved having him.”

“Mick wasn’t just a driver here; everything went through him. Unless it really needed to be me, Mick handled it,” Matt says.

“He’d schedule the servicing and maintenance. He’d organise the boys. When the new ones came in, he would take them under his wing and help them.”

Lisa and Matt crack a bit of a smile when they reflect on the other side of Mick.

“I remember sitting at home one night, at about 11pm, and I saw Mick and a few of the boys were still in the yard just working on their trucks,” Matt says.

“Mick just loved pottering around – we’d see him there, scratching his head as he worked on different things, or just wandering around sipping on his can of Coke.”

There is genuine affection in Matt and Lisa’s comments when they share the stories about Mick’s character.

“Mick worked hard, he was a true leader and he had such a dry sense of humour. He would drop great one liners randomly and you would be laughing for days,” Lisa says.

Left: It is the culmination of all the little details that set this

from

Above: A wrapped rear bar and Matt James’ mudflaps leave a very tidy rear end on the Superliner

stunning rig off

Opposite: The big Superliner screams staunch

front on and deservedly carries the Boss Dog name

“On rain days, the boys would come to the shed to work on their trucks and he’d be the first asking ‘what’s for lunch?’, he loved the rain day BBQs.

“When he couldn’t find something, his meltdowns were the best – we actually just found some drill pieces last month that he was looking for and they weren’t where he reckoned they were.”

Highs and lows. Mick would always end the day with a smile, comfortable in the Matt James Haulage family atmosphere.

As mentioned earlier, the purchase of the truck was timed around the upcoming nuptials of Matt and Lisa, with Mick the man who would be the day-to-day custodian of the 2015 New Breed Mack.

“We bought the truck for Mick; he had been in the last of the Kenworths,” Matt says.

“It was going to be a truck and dog setup. Mick had already gotten started on it, pulling it apart, coming up with plans and ideas. We were going to go all out on it.”

Then, on January 1, 2024, Mick took his own life. It was a shock for everyone.

“We were taking a family holiday to Fiji,” Matt recalls.

“I’d been texting him while we were waiting to board and on the flight to Fiji. He had been looking at stuff for the truck, pricing it out. Lisa had just told him to go get the stuff.

“Then when we landed, I got a call from his dad, and I didn’t know what to do.”

It was an extremely tough time for everyone. Mick was such a huge part of the Matt James Haulage family. Lisa and Matt were in Fiji trying to help and support Mick’s family as well as the rest of their team still at home and in shock.

By the time the James family returned and helped organise the service as well as having ‘extended family’ dinners to look after their team, there were still no answers that helped ease the mourning for everyone.

“Mick was such a great guy, such a huge part of our team,” Lisa says. “It was so difficult.”

When life throws roadblocks like this, it can put the superficial elements onto the back burner. Mick’s Superliner became a bit of a trigger and got pushed off to the side for the next few months.

“We kind of just put it away for seven months,” Matt says.

“Then, as our wedding was approaching, we decided we wanted to get it completed in Mick’s honour and have it at our wedding, because he would have wanted that, so suddenly it was all systems go.”

Matt is the first to admit, and I quote, “mechanically, I’m very basic – I can do bits and pieces, but I have a really good crew around me who are very hands on”. One of those crew members was Matt’s best mate, Dave Cornford of DRC Industrial Repairs.

“He’s more fanatical than me,” Matt admits.

Dave played a huge role in the refurbishment of the Superliner. The truck was torn down to the rails and the entire thing was sand blasted, before the chassis and tanks were repainted in bright blue.

The cab got repainted in the Matt James Haulage colours, with Di from Disigns Signage and Graphics in Wollongong adding her touches. Brenton McBride from BJM Custom Stainless was then set loose. He wrapped the tanks, added the Visor, some stainless around the mirrors and a few other little finishing touches. The only stumbling block came when Matt wanted to add a new King Bar to the front of it.

“At the time, there was a 12 month wait to get a new bar out of Kings,” Matt says, knowing full well Lisa would not be postponing the wedding for 12 months just to accommodate a new bar.

“I ended up finding one in Perth, which we got over, and young Ben who works for us got in and repolished that, as well as all the other parts we hadn’t replaced. He got it all back to new.”

Matt admits the Superliner is a step above what they normally do with their trucks, but this was special to everyone. It couldn’t hit the road without a few extra lights for Mick, although Lisa is happy to point out the

“Then, as our wedding was approaching, we decided we wanted to get it completed in Mick’s honour and have it at our wedding, because he would have wanted that, so suddenly it was all systems go.”

hypocrisy of his light addiction.

“Every year he’ll lose it when he sees how much I do for our Christmas light display, but his trucks can have so many added to them,” Lisa jokes.

“Now I’ve just said he might as well just bring the truck home at Christmas time.”

True to their goal, Matt, Lisa and all of those involved got the stunning Superliner finished and shined up for the couple’s wedding on September 14 last year. It was their way of being able to pay tribute to their friend and ensure that he was there for the special day.

As I said at the beginning, the hardest stories to tell are often those that we must share. Matt, Lisa, Mick’s children Alice and Felix, as well as all of the Matt James Haulage family and Mick’s friends, lost a very good mate and a great father on January 1, 2024.

His name is spoken often with pride and appreciation around the workshop, keeping his memory alive. And now there is a stunning Superliner that Mick was pivotal in creating, carrying his name around the Wollongong area.

top:

mobile Christmas tree may end up getting parked at home next festive season, seeing as it has more lights than Lisa has on the family home

Opposite bottom: One of my favourite parts of this Mack was these stunning safety nut covers. With the work Matt and his team do, safety and safety procedures are paramount. Most construction trucks get burdened with those awful yellow safety nut covers. Matt found these, enabling it to be both safe and sexy at the same time

Right: The team from BJM Custom Stainless did an exceptional job of adding the bling to the well worked 2015 Mack

Opposite

Matt’s

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey

Challenging start

Rod Hannifey has had a tough month keeping his truck on the road as he recounts his travels around Australia

Goodaye all, well I have had some electrical issues last month – still waiting for a part as I write this, and I’m hoping it will solve the problems. The fault came up on my way into Sydney, so I visited Cummins and they fitted us in – it’s either a broken wire or sensor to the ambient temp sensor, they said. They replaced the sensor, then back to the yard to hook up and off towards home and still no good – more lights coming up. I rang in and agreed to look at it the next day.

I made it home Saturday morning to find wires rubbed through in the loom –someone had not resecured one part of it on the front left side of the engine. I put a new wire in to bypass the ambient sensor wire as I could not find the break and thought the problem was found and fixed. I loaded Monday morning and went off to Brissie, but then there was no accelerator later that night and all the lights and whistles started going off. Bugger!

After the first breakdown at Bellata, it

was time to reset and head off again, but I then only made it to the next parking bay and agreed it was better to wait there for the mechanic to come the next morning rather than try and get further up with just my cruise. When he arrived, he found the loom inside and in front of the right-hand steer wheel had also rubbed through, but on a plastic strap designed to hold but not damage the wires.

Perhaps it wasn’t tight enough, and then it allowed enough movement to rub, but the old days of an easy fix are well behind us with so much of the electronics on which all the trucks rely on now. So again, I certainly thought we had found the problem with one wire right through and another two in one place and another two just further up, bared as well on the loom inside the steer. But that was not the end.

Now after I got going from Bellata, travelling along well, then from when I left Goondiwindi till ol’ farmer Joe pulled out in front of me at 200m just

after the Brookstead pads with his fully loaded road train and I ended up back to 20kmh, I had one of those periods when you think the industry and its best is still alive.

I had been called round, helped and assisted to pass two road trains in the form of two A doubles, a wide load, then a road train with a caravan behind, then two B-Doubles. Every single one was keen to help and polite, not a single raised voice or bad word was heard until the farmer – I thought this is how it should be.

I imagine each of you have seen the good and the bad, had someone help you or make it worse and yes, most of the problems come from the car drivers who don’t understand trucks at all, because they have never been taught – a failure in the licensing process there, I hope you all agree.

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

The caravan one was funny. I was the third B-Double in a line, we were nearly caught up to the box train with the caravan behind and the first double driver called up and asked ‘copy in the caravan, are you happy to sit there or what?’. The vanner replied, ‘yes thanks, my son is watching your back trailer (of the road train) swinging side to side.’ There was a delay, so I pipped in, ‘I think you misunderstood, the truck behind you is keen to get past’. The road train driver then called up, ‘it’s all clear up here, come on round and I will back off’. The caravan stayed in place, so the two B-Doubles headed around and I asked was there room for a third and he said, ‘yes, all clear to the end, come along’, and I did. Then I got past the two doubles as well until I reached the farmer.

That wiring repair got me all the way into Brisbane, back to Dubbo then to West Wyalong. It then failed, so I got someone out, but had no computer to check it. Lucky it came good, so off I went again, before it failed and then came good yet again going into Adelaide. I was in at the workshop instead at 8am on Monday.

It was completely checked and recovered and secured the main loom, with the same happening on the driver’s side. After being fixed, I was off to load and fuel, while also getting a tyre and paperwork to head to Brissie again, but to no avail. It was Tap Hill this time, so I checked again to see the sensor for the water level and accelerator – it must be that, but I thought all the wires had been done. We nearly made it to Millmerran before the lights and whistles went off again, but I hoped I might get to Brissie after a rest. I was lucky to get to Charlton with the cruise.

I then had to get another driver out to pick up my trailers – customers were waiting for the late freight for the second week in a row now.

At Charlton, the only thing left was the accelerator pedal sensor to change. More bad news – there are only three in the country, two in Melbourne and one in Cairns, and so I waited till the next day for the Cairns one to arrive and be fitted. Off to Brissie on Wednesday afternoon, it was all good until halfway down the range, the same problem happened. After four breakdowns, some cursing and frustration, it was found to be a wire from the ECM down to two strands, so all good for now. Safe Travelling, Rod.

HIGHWAY ADVOCATES

Rodney Boyd & Robert Bell

Delivering justice

Robert Bell and the Highway Advocates have started the year hot, with plenty of examples of recent cases relating to heavy vehicle law

Navigating Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) can be complex and stressful for many, if not most drivers and operators of fatiguerelated heavy vehicles. From work diary infringements through to serious safety duty offences, the legal landscape presents significant challenges for those on the road. Fortunately, Highway Advocates has been a game-changer, providing expert legal representation and achieving remarkable outcomes for drivers and operators across Australia.

CHAMPIONING THE RIGHTS OF DRIVERS AND OPERATORS NATIONWIDE

Between December 2024 and January 2025, Highway Advocates successfully defended multiple truck drivers and operators facing serious charges under the HVNL and other road transport legislation. The cases varied from false work diary entries and fatigue-related breaches to overloading offences, among others — each carrying hefty fines and potential demerit points. Thanks to Highway Advocates’ legal defence, many clients avoided convictions, excessive penalties and licence disqualifications. Some standout results included cases where:

• Drivers faced multiple charges for making false or misleading entries in work diaries, with outcomes including significantly reduced fines and no recorded convictions.

• Drivers charged with resting less than the standard minimum time, critical risk, were able to avoid convictions and received only Conditional Release Orders (CROs). This means no demerit points.

• BFM (Basic Fatigue Management) breaches resulted in substantially reduced fines instead of severe penalties, and in some cases, no fines or loss of points at all.

• Complex cases involving multiple fatigue and work diary-related charges, where most resulted in no further penalties or conditional release orders, or with only moderate fines issued.

• Cases involving critical and substantial fatigue breaches, including failure to keep proper records, resulted in selective convictions with minimal fines, while several charges led to CROs,

avoiding excessive penalties and demerit points.

• In some instances, drivers faced severe penalties for various offences but continued operating with reduced penalties or no recorded convictions.

Particularly notable outcomes include the common offence of reversing back when missing a weighbridge. The maximum penalties that may be imposed include up to nine months in prison and a crushing three-year licence disqualification. Highway Advocates consistently secures outcomes that avoid these penalties, with the latest case resulting in a non-conviction with a CRO and an interlock exemption order for a truck driver charged with a drink driving offence, with the Magistrate acknowledging the logistical

nightmare of installing such devices into trucks.

The matters we have appeared in lately have seen us appear in courts from Albury in the south, Bourke in the west and Townsville in the far north of Queensland. Just like our clients, Highway Advocates go where we need to go to get the job done. We are a truly national firm, helping truck drivers and operators charged under a law that simply claims to be so.

Fortunately, Highway Advocates has been a game-changer, providing expert legal representation and achieving remarkable outcomes for drivers across Australia.

ADVOCATING FOR A FAIRER INDUSTRY

Highway Advocates, together with Highway Advocates (Consultancy Service) or HACS, is dedicated to:

Highway Advocates is a legal firm focused exclusively on dealing with offences directed at heavy vehicle drivers and operators, led by solicitor RODNEY BOYD and industry insider and former truck driver ROBERT BELL. Email info@ highwayadvocates.com. au or phone 0488 01 01 01

• Simplifying Compliance: By demystifying complex regulations and providing accessible tools and advice, we ensure drivers and operators have the resources they need to successfully navigate their obligations.

• Advocating for Equity: We stand firmly against racism and discrimination, believing that all drivers, regardless of background, should have equal opportunities to thrive in Australia’s transport industry.

• Championing Federal Oversight: We call for a unified approach to licensing and enforcement, eliminating the inefficiencies of fragmented state systems and

“Particularly notable outcomes include the common offence of reversing back when missing a weighbridge. The maximum penalties that may be imposed include up to nine months in prison and a crushing three-year licence disqualification.”

creating a cohesive framework that benefits the industry nationwide to achieve one of the main objectives of the law, which is to promote industry productivity and efficiency. Our mission is ingrained in a vision of fairness, inclusivity, and sustainability for Australia’s transport sector. We aim to empower drivers and operators with the tools, knowledge and advocacy they need to thrive, ensuring the industry’s equitable and prosperous future for all concerned.

Call HACS on 1300 238 028 if you have a compliance or policy query. Call us now on 0488-01-01-01 or visit highwayadvocates.com.au to learn how we can help you stay on the road where you belong.

HITTING THE BIG STAGE

Through recent growth and an emerging partnership with Scania, A Plus Towing is catching attention with a unique truck model set to command the spotlight at the Brisbane Truck Show

Just over 10 years ago, Gary Fleming decided to take the great leap and go out on his own with a truck and a dream. Having cut his teeth driving a range of vehicles – from trucks to tractors, cars and everything in between – his time as a plant operator and driver had seen him segue into working at a local Canberra tow truck business.

After enjoying the challenge of driving bigger trucks, he decided he wanted to start his own business. In 2013, that’s just what he did, purchasing a second hand truck and forming A Plus Towing.

Just over five years later, he had 10 trucks on the roads around Canberra and a team of roughly 15.

Now, a dozen years after he made the bold move to go out on his own, A Plus Towing is going from strength to strength, with his team welcoming different trucks amid a new era.

“In 2020 we bought our first heavy tow truck to get into the heavy towing side of operations,” A Plus Towing operations manager Trai Hildebrand told OwnerDriver.

“About five years ago we also switched up our operations by getting a Scania prime mover. In that time, we’ve also added another two twin steer tilt trays, a couple of prime movers and a few new super tilt trailers along some little rigids.

“We’ve loved getting into the special build side of things to meet our customers’ needs.”

Amid these new arrivals is a Scania truck that has quickly captured the hearts of many truck lovers around Australia. Just on two years ago, a special Scania R 620 XT 8x4 model arrived at A Plus Towing. It was professionally wrapped by Capital Sign and transformed into ‘Thor’, as it is affectionately known. Now, its recent run at truck shows around the nation has seen it picked as a finalist for the first instalment of the National Truck competition.

“Gary told me the good news just before Christmas and I was so excited,” Trai says.

“To get an invite to the Brisbane Truck Show for the final was awesome, we know it’ll be a high calibre stage but it’s a great chance for exposure for us and Scania.

“A lot of companies have put a lot into this truck, so everyone is proud that the truck is being well received in the industry.”

Enough about the truck for now – as A Plus Towing has thrived with a new range of trucks arriving in recent years, the business’ operations have also grown. With Gary’s tech savvy and innovative approach, alongside his customer service focus shining through constantly, the Canberra based operation is finding success with some major contracts.

“One of the fundamental reasons why the business has flourished is our commitment to high safety standards and compliance and how we have

conducted ourselves in the industry – it’s enabled us to win the contracts that we have recently,” A Plus Towing general manager Darren Power told OwnerDriver.

“Gary is an innovator. He’s been using and pioneering a new software system that evolves how we run our contracts and businesses.”

This has included servicing the Snowy Hydro 2.0 project for the past seven years. Providing tow truck operations for the major renewable energy project in south-east Australia, it’s contracts like this that has pushed A Plus Towing to the next level.

Trai can trace the company’s remarkable growth journey back to the COVID days when the business was able to remain busy and capitalise on the lack of traffic on the roads.

“Everyone needs a tow truck at some stage, it’s never planned. We focused heavily on the transport industry at that time, I was busier than

I’d ever been,” he says.

“It was all trucks going back and forth, no cars, so I was out towing every night. The only issue was there were no servos open after 9pm on the highways, so I would kick around at car parks in between towing trucks.”

Whether it’s coincidence or not, A Plus Towing’s rise occurred at a similar time to when it decided to trial a different truck brand’s vehicles. When looking at the affordability and specifications available from Scania, A Plus Towing first welcomed one of its models into its fleet back in 2020.

“It was set up as a heavy haulage truck fitted with the V8 engine, hub reduction diffs, front and rear airbags and a hydraulic gearbox retarder. It came equipped with PTO hydraulics, and we got it built as a day cab that would have a lower tare weight and a higher payload on our float,” Trai says.

“On the second day we got it we had a minor electrical issue with it, and the Scania team, via Express Truck Service, came within 10 minutes and fixed it. In the four years after this, we had no breakdowns, incidents or broken parts, nothing wrong at all.

“We all love both the power and affordability of the Scania model.”

While Trai cites Scania’s hydraulic gearbox retarders as a key selling point for the OEM, the ongoing durability of the first truck soon became a highlight. He says the stopping power of the retarder increases the service life of the braking components of our trailers – this means the Scania can be put to work in alpine and mountainous regions while still maintaining good power and reliability.

From the general manager’s point of view, the aftersales capabilities of Scania has also proven to be a winner for A Plus Towing.

“The service agreement with Scania is a massive win for our business,” Darren says.

“How they service these trucks and the contract maintenance involved is awesome.

“Our local Scania dealer is Express Truck Service. They’re excellent to deal with, from the aftersales service team to general maintenance.”

This was recently recognised when the dealer won a prestigious local 2024 business award for outstanding services. It also came into its own on the truck build, playing an integral role from the factory layout and design to completing the pre-delivery on the vehicle where all the accessories were fitted.

After such a positive experience with the first Scania, it was a no-brainer for A Plus Towing to go back to Scania Australia for another one soon after.

Another V8 came that was built to A Plus Towing’s specifications to become a long distance truck with a big bed, bunk cooler and plenty of cab storage.

“It’s a very comfortable truck to drive. The airbags and front and rear suspension limit driver fatigue,” Trai says.

“You can drive in it all day, jump out of the airconditioned cab and feel refreshed at the end of the shift. You don’t get that with many other trucks.

“When I pick up other drivers and they ride in the cab with me, they always marvel at it and make comments about the driver comforts.”

Like many tales, wonderful things tend to come in threes. After revelling in the quality of the first two Scania models to join its fleet, A Plus Towing struck gold when it put extra effort into designing and ordering its third truck from the European brand.

“We wanted to get a third Scania that also had the retarder in place, as this really saves chewing through trailer brakes,” Trai says.

“With most trucks, Gary works with the bodybuilders and comes up with a unique design and functionality. This R620 XT model is no exception – no other truck has this spec out there on the roads. It may look like it, but they can’t do what this beast can.

“Working with EKEBOL to build this was great. They produce a top notch, high quality product.”

In December 2022, the special truck was handed over to the A Plus Towing team. By Valentine’s Day 2023, it was on the road after extensive pre-delivery and accessory fitting. With 100,000kms now chalked up without any mechanical issues, the Scania has performed flawlessly like the other two. But it’s the exterior that is making this truck a standout in A Plus Towing’s fleet.

“This truck stands out on the roads – people always comment about it and its blue and orange light under glow,” Darren says.

“You can spot it from a mile away. It’s won awards at four truck shows in the past 12 months, and now it’s going to be at the Brisbane Truck Show.”

The R 620 8x4 model is a finalist for the National Truck competition to be held at the Brisbane Truck Show.

“We’d had the truck for over a year by the time we had it wrapped and took it to its first local truck show,” Trai says.

“People thought we had gotten another truck – it’s simply transformed, and Capital Signs took on the mammoth job to design and wrap it. When we pick up drivers of trucks that we tow, they all marvel at it.

“The other day, I towed a 20-year-old tipper in the Scania and old mate had been driving it for three years. He jokingly said he would quit driving where he was because the Scania made him hate the truck he was in. But in all seriousness, he couldn’t believe the quiet and comfortable surroundings of this Scania.”

Outside of these clear benefits, the Scania also has more power than previous models supplied to A Plus Towing. One of the key features in the body build was when the team opted for a dual winch set up.

“It gives you the option to do angle recoveries –single winch was good on our original truck, but the dual winches are an absolute powerhouse on the

new build,” Trai says.

“We couldn’t have done a recovery a few months back of a ute off the side of a hill without using two winches. It’s this upgraded technology that is making life easier for us.

“I was also able to roll a B-Double solo the other day using two winches. There’s so many things we can do now that we didn’t dream of doing with a single winch.”

In the lead-up to the truck’s all-important date in Brisbane this May, it’ll be taken on a journey through New South Wales up through to Queensland. Car care product provider Sonax Australia will wash, clean and prepare the truck with a ceramic coat to give it that extra sparkle. Then, starting in Canberra, the Scania will stop by dealers on the way.

The ceiling is enormous as to what A Plus Towing and its partners can do to promote the truck ahead of the competition final in Brisbane. This truck will proudly display the EKEBOL brand by adorning branded flags.

“We’re aiming for a win – Gary wanted these trucks to serve one of the largest project contracts in Australia right now that also run Scanias,” Darren says.

“Once this is all done, it’ll go back to servicing the other Scanias on these projects.”

With truck shows also part of the agenda for the special Scania in 2025, the model and its brand is set to continue playing a major part in A Plus Towing’s expansion, which also now includes towing motorsport vehicles.

“We’ve got a few builds planned for the future involving some more specialised gear – we also just received a new truck two weeks ago that’s a very specialised custom build,” Darren says.

“We recently started A Plus Motorsports Solutions too to add another side to our business. With Gary being a drifter and competitor in several Drift Championships, we’ve started supplying trucks to events to run all the towing and recovery.”

The first car to go on A Plus Towing’s recovery trucks was former F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen’s vehicle from about five years ago. All of this is keeping the A Plus Towing team very excited, so expect to see the brand at many race days moving forward.

“We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the company,” Trai says.

“We now have the Canberra Festival of Speed contract for the next five years running towing and recovery for supercars, while in the past couple of weeks alone our trucks have moved high end exotic cars like Lamborghinis, F1s and Ferraris.

“For anyone interested, go to the A Plus Towing Facebook page to see videos of our escapades, events and, of course, our trucks and their capabilities.”

Above: The A Plus Towing Scania will be heading to the Brisbane Truck Show

Opposite top: A Plus Towing’s third Scania in the fleet is a special addition

Left: The truck comes in a double winch set up

In 2025, Russell Transport is celebrating a special milestone. Dan Woods learns the secret to success for one of Australia’s oldest family-owned businesses

BRINGING UP THE TON

What’s in a century? If you reflect on the past 100 years from any angle, the world has changed and evolved to become almost unrecognisable. There have been World Wars and recession, technological marvels and a new age of exploration. There have been dramatic highs and gut-wrenching lows the world over.

For everything that has changed over this incredible period, there have been a few constants in the Australian landscape. Even our currency has changed in this extended span of time.

One of these constants, though, has been the presence of Queensland-based company Russell Transport, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2025.

It’s a business that has consistently and successfully built on the work of the generations before it – despite the array of challenges it has faced in the past century – and rubs shoulders with the likes of Coopers Brewery and Hutchinson Builders as one of Australia’s oldest family-owned businesses.

Now, Russell Transport provides a variety of services and has brought multiple other businesses under its banner, fast becoming a staple of Queensland’s transport and industrial landscape.

Phil took the reins of the company back in 1970 and says he’s proud to not only see it succeeding, but to see it doing so under the guidance of the family for the past century.

“Each generation grows it,” Phil told OwnerDriver.

“When my father started it back in 1925, it was tough going. The Depression started in the ‘30s and they had to battle their way through that, and then we had World War II in the ‘40s.

“In my term, which was the second 45 years of the company, we drew from a base that was

Images: Russell Transport

established by my parents. Now, the growth is incredibly successful in the third generation.

“You need the enthusiasm of young people, the work ethic of young people, because when you get to my age you want to start to slow down, but fortunately our third generation still has that energy.”

There’s an old saying that the first generation builds a business, the second generation grows it and the third generation kills it. It’s a saying that, for all intents and purposes, has some statistical relevance at the surface level. According to the Harvard Business Review, roughly 30 per cent of businesses make it to the end of the second generation, and only 13 per cent make it to the end of the third.

Granted, that particular study was conducted in the 1980s and consisted of manufacturing companies in the American state of Illinois, but its results have driven the myth and defined the way two whole generations of people look at the transition of family businesses.

Ken is part of this third generation of Russells, alongside Julie and Michael, to take on the challenges presented by Russell Transport over the years. He says the close familial association with the business has driven the company to be bigger and better in an industry known for taking no prisoners.

“Transport’s a hard industry. It’s low margin and high-risk, but so much satisfaction comes from Julie and I being the third generation, because for as long as I can remember I essentially had people knocking me,” Ken says.

“From grade eight or grade nine, people were saying the first generation starts it, the second generation grows it and then the third generation destroys it because they don’t know how to work.

“I was hellbent on not being the person who collapsed the business based off those types of knocks along the way, and that probably builds your character and gives you the resilience to make it through.

“Some people used to say I was stubborn, but I can’t see that. Stubborn people don’t change, but I’m open to change. I was just bloody determined.

“For a business to survive there are hard choices that have to be made along the way, and Dad empowered Julie and I to make those. By him empowering us and his parents empowering him, that’s how you get to 100 years and be able to successfully pass a family business down.”

Phil adds he believes some of the success can be attributed to not shielding his children away from the heavy demands that come with being successful in the transport industry.

“There was always a belief that we enjoyed what we were doing and we got job satisfaction from it,” Phil says.

“We felt we were doing something constructive, and there wasn’t any desire to shield the children from the idea of hard work and being responsible, and I think they’ve accepted that, to their benefit.

“Some of my colleagues over the years haven’t been able to find the next generation to step in and take over because they gave them an easy run or a soft run.

“They didn’t expose them to the reality of this industry

Above: The current generation of Russell Transport leadership includes (from L to R): Ken, Julie, Phil and Michael

Opposite page: The original crew may never have been able to predict how enduring the operator would prove to be

which, being frank, is very tough. 70 hours a week is pretty much the norm, and if you’re not prepared to do that then you move off into a different industry where you might not have to work as long or as hard.”

That desire to learn the job and work hard to progress the business that has been passed down through the generations is obvious in both Ken and Julie, who have each held a variety of roles in their time.

Julie has established herself as a trailblazer of the transport sector. She was named National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year in 2015 and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2023 for her services to the road transport industry.

She also didn’t walk straight into the business; she spent time working away from the family company before being brought back into the fold as a director in 2007.

Ken, like Julie, also brought his talents back to the business as a director in 2007, and has worked in almost every facet of the business to gain a close, hands-on knowledge of its inner day-to-day workings.

But what does the achievement of 100 years of operation – and that stellar growth in the much-maligned third

generation – mean to them?

“For me, 100 years shows how much of a journey we’ve had to go on in the broader world,” Julie says. “This business has had to continue to grow and has had to face challenges front on.

“We’ve been through wars, we’ve been through depressions, we’ve been through big booms. We’ve had to scale up, scale down, adapt, modify.

“The way I see the journey of where we’ve got to today is as a reflection of how our family has adapted to the world around us, and there’s pride in that.

“There’s pride in the fact you’ve been able to keep the business in the family, that you’re looking at the steps of the people before you and sometimes take the same ones, but sometimes deviate.

“That foundation gives the job a sense of purpose and, this may sound terrible, but in this day and age a lot of people just change jobs if things get tough.

“When you’re a family business and all your connections to the business run so deep, you have to rely on a different type of resilience to get you through tougher times rather than defaulting to change, and it ends up being worth it.”

Above: The latest generation of Russell Transport is bringing the outside world into the historic company

“When my father started it back in 1925, it was tough going. The Depression started in the ‘30s and they had to battle their way through that, and then we had World War II in the ‘40s.”

What, then, is the special secret, that secret sauce, secret potion, magical, intangible thing that has allowed Russell Transport to survive and thrive through the ups and downs of the past 100 years?

The big secret is that there is no real secret. Russell Transport has survived in the same way all other long-standing businesses last – through strong management, good decision-making processes, agility and changeability, a brilliant reputation and a litany of other key things.

It’s rare to see all of these factors combine into three generations of the same business, which is what makes this 100-year mark such a worthy recognition of an absolute institution of Australian transport.

“Every business operates in its own rhythm,” Julie says. “It has its own cadence and philosophies that will drive things.

“It’s hard to say our business is different to anyone else’s because of this reason or that one.

“But when I look at us as family members, we’re not replicas of each other. We each have different strengths we bring to the table and we’re recognised at bringing those and bringing those different focuses.

“The business is a reflection of the times it has operated in. In my grandfather’s day and age, safety systems were not the focus necessarily, but when my father came through, those wider focuses had changed.

“He’s brought in and added value to the

business to keep it up to date with the times, and as Ken and I have come through, we’ve each added our strengths and focuses from the outside world as it is today rather than trying to repeat what worked back in 1925.

“We’re adding to it, rather than repeating what has worked well in the past. That has formed the foundation and signature pieces, but they don’t define us, and in the future, we can continue to evolve.

“That’s not saying we stand apart, but that’s something family businesses have to ensure are considered and looked at when planning for succession.”

“My grandfather and my father gained a reputation for being legitimate, for being careful

“I was hellbent on not being the person who collapsed the business based off those types of knocks along the way, and that probably builds your character and gives you the resilience to make it through.”

with safety, for paying bills on time and those types of things,” Ken reflects.

“All of that adds up. When I first got a company branded car, I’d pull up at a service station and a random person would walk over and say ‘Beryl Russell? I worked there or I knew her from working somewhere’.

“Or they’d ask who I was, and when I said I was Phil’s son, they would say ‘I’ve known Phil for 35 years, that business has such a great reputation’.

“Those types of things give you satisfaction when you make it here, because hopefully that reputation is the same today as it was then.

“All those little things condition you to want to do the right thing and to not cut corners if you care, which Julie and I do.”

Even though Ken, Julie and Michael are far from finished with their time leading Russell Transport into the future, the fourth generation may just be sniffing around, ready to take over when the time eventually comes.

“I can remember somebody asking one of Ken’s daughters – when she was a lot younger – what she wanted to be,” Julie says. “And she said ‘just like my Dad. Bossy’.

“The next generation is there, and they’ll have their own passions, but hopefully they find something aligned here.”

Russell Transport has set a benchmark for transport companies across Australia in its past 100 years and has achieved things that cannot be bought or rented, but can only come with the passage of time.

So, here’s to the next 100 years, and hopefully more.

Above: Russell Transport has grown to become a staple of Australia’s transport industry Opposite bottom: Vehicle technology has come a long way since 1925

Rocking the Roads Simon

Smith

Historic dates

March is the home of the birthdays of many of Australia’s greatest rock music icons as Simon Smith and Australian Truck Radio take you on a journey back in time

March has seen a number of key events, hit songs and birthdays that have shaped the Aussie rock music scene. Here’s a list of notable anniversaries and birthdays to highlight from The Australian Truck Radio Rock N Roll Diary.

MARCH 2

1956: It’s AC/DC time again, with the birth of former bass guitarist Mark Evans. He rose to fame as part of AC/ DC, playing on albums from 1975 to 1977 including T.N.T, High Voltage, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and Let There Be Rock, before becoming the bass guitarist for Rose Tattoo.

MARCH 5

1954: We go from one popular band to another with the birth of Cold Chisel’s Steve Prestwich on this day. Born in Liverpool, England, he was a drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter. Being part of Cold Chisel since its formation in 1973, he sadly passed in 2011.

MARCH 15

1970: Aussie singer-songwriter Christine Anu is born on this day in

sunny Cairns. The musician and actress gained popularity when she covered Warumpi Band’s ‘My Island Home’ in 1995. Since then, she’s won several ARIA Awards and Deadly Awards.

MARCH 20

1955: We go to Cold Chisel again with the birth of Ian Moss on this day. Born in Alice Springs, he went on to become a founding mainstay guitarist and occasional singer for the band. The guitarrist also went on to have his own solo career.

MARCH 22

1946: Born Johannes Hendricus Jacob Vandenberg in the Netherlands’ The Hague, Harry Vanda was born on this day. He would go on to feature in both The Easybeats and Vanda and Young as a musician, songwriter and record producer.

MARCH 26

2005: A bit of sorrow to mix in with these dates, as Paul Hester sadly passed away on this day. Born in 1959, Hester was both a popular musician as the drummer for Split

Enz in their last year together and a co-founder of Crowded House.

MARCH 27

2006: Just a year and a day later, Pete Wells of Rose Tattoo passed away. He was the founder and slide guitarist of the Aussie hard rock band from 1976 to 1983, while previously being the bass guitarist of heavy metal band Buffalo until 1976.

MARCH 29

1959: A very popular name as INXS’ Andrew Farriss AM was born on this day. With his signature hat, Farriss became an Australian rock music icon for his multi-instrumentalist capabilities, mastering the keyboard while being a backing vocalist and main composer for the incredibly popular band.

MARCH 31

is

manager and producer of

He has been in the radio game for 44 years and has been customising playlists for truckies for at least 20 of those. For great tunes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, download the digital app for your phone at www. australiantruckradio. com.au

OPPOSITE:

1955: From one rock music icon to another, just two days later and a few years earlier saw the birth of AC/DC’s Angus Young. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Young and his brother Malcolm co-founded the hit rock band, with Angus remaining as the only continuous member of AC/DC with his schoolboy-uniform outfits still intact.

HIT SONGS

March, over the past half a century, has been a hot month for hit songs. Starting with the release of ‘Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head’ by John Farnham back in 1970 through to Queen’s popular hits such as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 1976 and ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ in 1980, there are plenty of classics from March.

The trend of March producing rock classics continued into the late ‘80s, where songs like The Proclaimers’ ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ topping the charts in 1989.

That’s just a few of the events for March from The Australian Truck Radio Rock N Roll Diary! Check back in next month for more key dates.

SIMON SMITH

the

Australian Truck Radio.

BELOW: Get on board with Australian Truck Radio

Some of Australia’s best rock music names were born in March

LAST CRUSADE

While in Europe, Warren Aitken came across a special Scania truck that pays homage to a famous movie franchise

Say what you want about the European trucking scene – they have taken ‘over the top’ to a whole new level. The Müller Ermensee GmbH Scania you see before you is about as over the top as you can get.

In 2024, I had the privilege of meeting the driver of this rolling work of art, Benni Van Jaarsm, and doing a bit of a photoshoot in the back blocks of Belgium. It wasn’t the longest interview, as his English was limited, my Swiss was non-existent and, apparently, I still have enough of a Kiwi accent for him to struggle to comprehend my questions. In fairness though, I am doubting many of you are here for the story – I wouldn’t be. Instead, I would just be drooling over the attention to detail and customisation that has gone into every part of this amazing art piece.

no stranger to anyone, as this is not their first customised truck, just their latest and most elaborate.

Müller is a fourth-generation transport company that began in Switzerland way back in 1923 with a handful of horses. For decades, the company carted timber and construction material all over Switzerland. By the 1970s, it was even carting product into the likes of Libya, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. By the 1980s, Franz Müller Junior, part of the third generation, was in charge and so began the shift into carting food and consumables.

It is worth noting that in that era, Müller was using flat tops and tarps, not fridge vans, to cart the majority of its consumables. I am guessing being based in Switzerland makes it a little easier to be transporting your food without a fridge van. The natural climate would be kind of like a giant icebox most of the time anyway.

From opposite top: Benni Van Jaarsm is the young man tasked with looking after this amazing truck, inbetween having to work it as well. I swear, it is a working truck; There is no practical usage for the Funko Pop, but it just looks cool; I know, I know, next level. The Indiana

Before I lose too many readers to the visuals, I want to get to one very important and unbelievable point straight away. This is a working truck; it is on the roads of Switzerland and Italy five or six days a week, racking up three to four thousand kilometres each week and with Benni sleeping in it all week as well. I know many of you will be calling me out on that one, rightfully assuming there is no way you could let this thing loose on the highway, but I am fair dinkum. Indy, as it is affectionately known, well and truly earns its keep.

The truck is part of a 10-strong fleet run under the name Müller Ermensee GmbH. If you happen to peruse any of the international social media sites, the Müller fleet will be

By 2012, Franz Müller Jr (the fourth generation) had taken the helm, the fleet was running eight truck and fridge van combos and was specialising in solely refrigerated product. A decade later and the fleet is now at 10, and while none of the others are as elaborate as the Indiana Jones Scania, they are all stand-out vehicles and a brief internet search will bring up some very cool lorries. History lesson behind us, we shall get back to the billboard at hand. Underneath all that artwork sits a 2023 660hp Scania S. One of the crème de la crème of the Scandinavian stable, the truck and trailer underwent a nine month transformation to change from a standard lorry to the masterpiece it is now. The idea for this project

Above: The picturesque Belgium backdrop was perfect for viewing the amazing artwork on this rig. It really makes you appreciate the skills of the artists involved

Jones theme is right through the entire unit, from floor to ceiling

Image: Warren Aitken

“My boss loves trucks and loves Indiana Jones. There were four movies and then during COVID, there were rumours of a fifth one coming out, so my boss decided he wanted to do a special Indiana Jones truck.”

came during the confines of the COVID pandemic.

“My boss loves trucks and loves Indiana Jones. There were four movies and then during COVID, there were rumours of a fifth one coming out, so my boss decided he wanted to do a special Indiana Jones truck,” Benni says.

There were a lot of ideas thrown around by Benni and his boss, with Franz heavily involved in the design and helping the artists with the airbrushing. Did I mention that this is not a wrapped truck? Yes, the whole thing was airbrushed.

MW Designs from the Netherlands deserves all the credit for the amazing artwork on this unit. If my Dutch was any good, I would love to have interviewed the lady responsible and learn how to approach a task so mammoth. They have used scenes from all four movies throughout the truck and trailer and then customised everything from the deck plating and the guards to the toolboxes and the suzi coils.

Then, of course, you have the interior. In Europe, customising your interior is a very big thing – obviously not always to this extreme, but there is a big market for interior customisation. The Indiana Jones design and fit out took a full two months to complete, such was the extravagance and detail.

While doing this shoot, I was able to meet the young man responsible for the interior, Thomas, who works for Enjoy Driving, an Italian company that has been building and outfitting custom interiors for the past 12 years. The pressure was put on Thomas to somehow take Benni and Franz’s ideas and turn them into reality.

“It was very difficult, trying to translate their vision into reality,” Thomas says.

“We mainly used fibreglass and wood, with a special treated paint for all the stuff around the sleeper.”

Making it look amazing while still being practical was a very thin rope to walk, but Benni is adamant it has worked.

“Yes, I sleep in it five to six nights a week, the bed is comfy, I have the air cooler and everything else I need, like my coffee machine,” he says.

There really isn’t a whole lot more I can tell you, due mainly to my questions getting lost in translation a lot. I did learn that Benni starts his week on a Sunday night or Monday morning, returning home the following Saturday. He predominantly pulls fruit and vegetables from local growers and dealers to markets around Switzerland and Italy. It is not unusual to see the big green machine out in a paddock with tractors loading fresh carrots into its 33 space single trailer. For the record, that is 33 European pallet spaces, so smaller than our standard cheap pallets.

As big a truck fan as Benni’s boss is, he still works his trucks and works them hard. It is a real credit to Benni, his very patient partner and the whole team at Müller Ermensee GmbH for the presentation of this amazing lorry. A last shout out to the amazing WM Designs in The Netherlands and Italy’s Enjoy Driving for their efforts bringing this amazing idea to life. Enjoy the photos and make sure you look closely. The detail is even better than you think.

From top to below: It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of fibreglass, some wood and a bit of specialised paint. I reiterate though, this is a working truck and this bunk houses Benni five to six nights a week; Customising interiors is a huge market over in Europe, but Indiana Jones has taken it to the next level; No, this isn’t a permanent fixture, but it is a special setup that Benni and the boys have for truck shows; Being that the Müller trucks don’t work at the same weights as us, or in the same climate, having a fully closed in deck plate is an option. Having a fully airbrushed one, well, that just tops it off; It’s all about the customizing with the big Müller Scania, check out the custom cut light bar; Again, it’s not the fancy photo but it is the best way to appreciate the artwork. This time it’s the passenger side

Opposite: I had a lot of trouble getting rolling shots of this truck, mainly because of the amount of shine. This was one of the lucky few I got where the big Scania had some shade, and you can see the artwork with minimal reflection

PASSION PROJECT

In the space of five years, Francis and Ellen Cains have built a truck polishing and washing empire. Warren Aitken discovers passion is the key to their success

If you own the hat, the stubby cooler or even just have one of their cards in the holder of your truck, you will notice some key words associated with Reflections Metal Polishing. ‘Passion is the Key’ – it is written on all their signage.

This isn’t just some AI generated cliché slogan designed for marketing purposes; it is the cornerstone of Francis and Ellen Cains’ success, and the building blocks on which the young family have managed to turn an enjoyable side hustle into one of the most respected truck polishing teams in the country. Through it all, passion has been the key.

Now I want to establish one thing right from the get-go – Reflections is a co-op company. These days, when people hear the name, it is Francis that people associate it with. Yes, it was his side hustle that began it all, but that was in the days when he tried to carry the moniker ‘My Buffer’.

In reality, Francis is merely the quarterback of the company – he gets to do all the fancy finishing. His mirror finishes flash all over social media and he garners the fanbase. From day dot, when Ellen wandered out to the backyard to watch her hubby and asked to give him a hand, she has been an integral part of the Reflections reputation.

In the early years, many clients were a little taken aback when this petite young lady rocked

up with her protective mask and a sander almost as big as her. However, when they saw her sanding out the scratches and getting out all the gouges, they soon realised that Ellen is the one that makes Francis look good.

The company now has several staff on board, and Ellen’s role has shifted more towards the corporate side, but whenever she is needed, Ellen is always happy to suit up and get her sander on. The world of polishing is not the first-choice option for many females, but Ellen is keen to show that it is not a profession restricted to men and, if you have the passion and drive, it is an extremely satisfying occupation.

I have jumped ahead though – the point of my story is to highlight how ‘Passion is the Key’ is not just the Reflections’ motto; it is their mantra, and it is the key to Francis and Ellen’s success. The best way to illustrate my point is to give you a bit of an overview of how the couple have gone from very humble beginnings to having a fully staffed polishing shop with a truck washing facility as well, all of which has been grown on the back of hard work and a lot of passion.

Francis and Ellen are both from the Philippines. Francis grew up around trucks in the Phillipines but had zero interest in them over there. Ellen, on the other hand, had absolutely no trucking influences in her life –her area of expertise was actually medicinal. She met Francis in Melbourne after completing her Bachelor of Nursing and the two hit it off immediately. While Ellen was a nurse, Francis had been doing an apprenticeship. This is where it gets interesting – it wasn’t an electrical apprenticeship, diesel fitter or anything like that. Francis is a fully qualified silversmith.

Yes, I had to ask as well, what is a silversmith? To put it simply, Francis was making trophies, top of the tree kind trophies that set you back almost as much as the trucks Francis now polishes. He was working for one of Melbourne’s most prestigious silverware companies and has had a hand in creating icons like the Cox Plate, the Peter Brock Trophy, the Australian Open runner up trophies and even the Melbourne Cup.

Back when the couple first met, the idea of owning a truck detailing company would have been laughable. Even after the couple had their first baby and Francis needed to find a job with better pay and bigger hours, and would find himself working for Kentweld Bullbars and Bumpers, never did they think that job would uncover the passion it did.

“I’d done a little bit of polishing with the trophies, but I knew nothing about polishing bull bars,” Francis says.

“I didn’t really know much about trucks either, but we were struggling and needed a job with more hours.”

It was this job that was the seed for what

you see now. It would be fairly easy to follow the trajectory of the couple from that first role with Kentweld Bullbars all the way to their Yatala shop today. However, that would be glossing over the passion that has underwritten their journey.

“When I started at Kentweld, I had one workmate who was very negative, always running down me and my work,” Francis says.

“I fed off that though – if people tell me I can’t do something, I use that to get better, and I did. I wasn’t shown how to do it, I had one fabricator who helped a bit, but I just taught myself.”

Along with teaching Francis the initial skills, the job at Kentweld also created Francis’ passion for trucks.

“We used to get all the big trucks coming in

There’s no quick wash with the Reflections team. “It’s normally about two and a half hours for a proper wash,” Francis says

Above: The power couple behind the Reflections brand, Ellen and Francis Cain, with their tools of the trade

Right:

Opposite top: Their branding is all over the shed, emphasising that ‘Passion is the Key’

Opposite bottom: One of Reflections’ other valued workers, Tekorana Frank, finishes off another bulbar in the company’s Yatala workshop

to get fitted and I just thought they looked so cool,” he says.

“Then I started noticing all the big ones on the Hume, like the DRT Kenworths, and found myself noticing them all.”

His growing love of trucks was matched by his growing sanding and polishing skills. His passion for the job saw Francis climb the ranks at Kentweld. Within six months, Francis was the lead polisher and soon he was the guy in charge of training the new recruits. By the time Francis left, he was managing the whole place. The polishing had been replaced with sales and the training polishers replaced with managing staff.

While Kentweld introduced Francis to the skills he would soon master, it was Francis’ next role that would be the ignition point for Reflections. Francis had taken on a new role with Preston General Engineering, a division of ABCOR. These are the guys that make a lot of the factory bars for many of Australia’s OEMs.

Francis’ role was overseeing all the pre-delivery products, checking for blemishes, quality control and ensuring everything was running to schedule – very tough when you are putting out over 300 bars a week.

While he was undertaking this new role, Francis and Ellen had welcomed their second child, Kenny. Even with the new job, money was tight and, to make a little extra cash, Francis had bought a few tools and advertised on Gumtree to do some polishing. His first job was a straight bar off a T900 Legend that the owner dropped off at the family home and Francis would work on it after his shift at PGE.

Many people already knew Francis’ quality of work from his Kentweld days, and word soon spread about the

Above: From working out the back of a second hand Kluger to having their own shed and shop, Francis and Ellen have proven that hard work and passion pays off

Below: It’s not easy work, definitely not clean work, but young Deakin Fielder still spends the day with a smile

Opposite page: The after shot; Francis Cain, the very first silversmith I have met, now proudly displaying his Detailer position; While Ellen spends more time now behind the company desk, sanding and prepping were where she made her mark

“I’d done a little bit of polishing with the trophies, but I knew nothing about polishing bull bars.”

backyard polisher. As their yard started to fill with jobs to be done, Ellen would find herself settling the kids and then joining her husband outside sanding and prepping bars for her hubby to polish off. The couple became quite an efficient production line.

In no time at all, the request for work started mounting up, with more and more asking for full truck polishes –wheels, tanks, deck plating, bars, the lot. In 2018, Francis and Ellen decided to follow their growing passion and go full time with Reflections Metal Polishing. Francis left his job, the couple bought a second hand Kluger, filled it with the tools of the trade and began doing onsite jobs around the Melbourne area.

Shine begets shine begets shine. Local work soon led to regional work, which soon led to interstate work, all based on the passion they were putting into their work.

“Our first out of town job was down in Tassie,” Ellen says.

“We decided we’d pack up the kids and make it a bit of a holiday as well. After that, we pretty much covered all of the east coast, the kids were at school so we would do that stuff over weekends.

“Leave Friday, polish in the weekend and drive back home for Sunday night.”

It was perfect for a family loving their work and amounting experiences and friends up and down the east

coast. By 2020, the family found much of their work was up in Queensland, and Ellen had tired of the colder Melbourne climate, so they packed up and made the move north.

They now had regular clients as far south as Tasmania and as far north as Mackay. The Kluger was gone, and a custom-made trailer was fitted with all the best tools and material. The shine was bright.

While the work was increasing, and the physical demands of such a labour-intensive job were no doubt accumulating, the passion for polishing and trucks was just growing for Francis and Ellen. They picked up more constant contract work that required a base of operations and, in 2023, found themselves

with an office and a shed for the first time.

“It was very cool, we only had an old donger for an office but it was really special,” Ellen says.

That was the stepping stone again for the hard-working family company. In 2024 they took a lease at the Ritchies Auctions yard at Yatala and expanded their repertoire to include truck washing facilities.

“It’s not your standard half hour truck wash that we want to offer,” Francis says.

“When a truck books in for a wash, it is a full-service wash. We allow two and a half hours for a complete wash.”

Adding this service has obviously seen the need for staff to be added to the books, and

that has allowed Francis and Ellen to share their passion with new trucking addicts.

“We have a great team here at the moment and we are training and teaching them all the skills,” Francis says, emphasising the need for each truck to carry the Reflections’ passion for perfection.

We all know there is nothing better than driving past a shop window and catching the reflection of the reflection of the reflection, or even just standing back and admiring the shine on our ride. Francis and Ellen share that addiction and that is what has led to the success story that is Reflections Metal Polishing, proving passion really is the key.

NRFA Glyn Castanelli

The path forward

Glyn

Castanelli looks at the opportunities for the industry

that lay ahead and calls for the sector to remain united heading into an upcoming federal election

As 2025 is well underway, the road transport industry stands at a crossroads. Years of effort, consultation and advocacy have led to significant reforms, but now we must focus on ensuring these changes deliver real benefits for drivers, owner operators and transport businesses. The industry has shown an unprecedented level of unity, and it is critical that we maintain this momentum to shape a fairer, safer and more sustainable future.

A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY

One of the most significant developments in our industry is the establishment of the Transport Division within Fair Work. For the first time, we have a structured mechanism to set enforceable minimum standards that reflect the realities of transport work. Applications have already been submitted for various protections, including:

• Maximum 30-day payment terms –to protect road transport businesses

and regulated road transport contractors against unjust and unsustainable delays in payment.

• Prohibition of automatic reduction or set-off terms – to better protect regulated road transport contractors and road transport businesses from unfair contractual terms.

• Compulsory Rate Review Provisions – to promote proactive cost adjustments.

The industry’s strong support for these reforms has been clear, but as we approach the next federal election, we must remain vigilant. While the current government supports the Transport Division of Fair Work, the opposition has indicated they will dismantle it if they take power. This is where unity across all industry sectors matters most. Regardless of political outcomes, we need a bipartisan commitment to keeping and improving these reforms. The industry fought too hard for this breakthrough to let it be undone

by political shifts.

The NRFA will continue to push for these protections and work with Fair Work’s Road Transport Advisory Group (RTAG) to ensure that standards reflect the needs of drivers, owner operators and transport businesses. Our participation in the subcommittee for the Road Transport Contractual Chain Order is a key part of this process, and we encourage industry stakeholders to engage in the consultation process.

HVNL 2

After years of debate and review, the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) reforms are finally moving forward. The changes offer a more streamlined, flexible approach, particularly in areas such as fatigue management, alternate compliance accreditation, safety management systems and vehicle standards requirements. However, the real challenge lies in the implementation.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) will be responsible for developing new fatigue management options under the revised framework. These need to provide operators and drivers with the flexibility they have long been asking for, while still maintaining safety on the roads. The NRFA is committed to ensuring that the industry is actively consulted in this process.

Key areas of focus include:

• Fatigue Management: The removal of BFM and AFM accreditation schemes means a new system is needed. The shift to outer limits (15.5 hours per day and 154 hours per fortnight) must come with practical compliance options for those operating in realworld conditions.

• General Access Vehicle Length: The increase to 20 metres

GLYN CASTANELLI is the president of the NRFA

BELOW: The NRFA president wants the industry to keep sticking together to see national change

is a welcome change, but additional safety technology requirements must not disadvantage operators. The NRFA is advocating for standard 45ft trailers to be included without unnecessary restrictions.

• Enforcement and Penalties: With increased penalties for breaches, the enforcement approach must be fair. The NHVR’s ‘Inform, Educate, Enforce’ model should be embedded in law to ensure enforcement agencies prioritise compliance support over punitive measures.

The NHVR must work closely with industry representatives to ensure that these changes do not create additional red tape or impractical restrictions. The NRFA will continue to engage in this process and fight for solutions that work for drivers and businesses alike.

BUILDING A SKILLED AND SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE

Another major challenge facing our industry is workforce sustainability. The driver shortage has reached critical levels and without action it will only get worse. A national apprenticeship scheme is urgently needed, and the NRFA is advocating for all levels of government to collaborate in making this happen.

Key elements of a successful scheme include:

• Structured training pathways that allow apprentices to enter the industry with clear progression opportunities.

• A fast-tracked heavy vehicle licensing system allowing apprentices to obtain a Heavy Rigid (HR) licence at 18 and progress to Multi-Combination (MC) before completing their apprenticeship.

“The industry’s strong support for these reforms has been clear, but as we approach the next federal election, we must remain vigilant. While the current government supports the Transport Division of Fair Work, the opposition has indicated they will dismantle it if they take power.”

• Employer incentives to support businesses in taking on apprentices and training the next generation of drivers.

While this is a federal initiative, state governments must play a key role in implementation. We are calling on all state transport ministers to support and prioritise these reforms.

MOVING FORWARD – A UNITED INDUSTRY

The unity we have seen in recent years has been one of the most encouraging signs for the future of our industry. For too long, transport operators, associations and drivers have been divided by competing interests. That has changed. The success of the Fair Work reforms, the HVNL review and the push for

a national apprenticeship scheme all come down to industry standing together with a clear, united voice.

Governments and regulators must now do their part by ensuring the implementation of these reforms is practical, effective and beneficial for all transport operators, not just the big players.

The NRFA will continue to lead from the front, advocating for fair and sustainable reforms while ensuring that drivers and small businesses are not left behind. We urge all industry members to stay engaged, have their say and support the ongoing push for positive change.

2025 is shaping up to be a year of action, and together, we can drive the industry forward.

KEEPING TRUCKIES HEALTHY - Healthy Heads

Sharing better choices

Healthy Heads is spreading the word about its new nutrition promotions to help truck drivers make healthier food choices

Following the release of targeted nutrition resources for people working in transport, warehousing and logistics by Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds (Healthy Heads) late last year, promotional materials have now been developed to help promote the information packages, posters, infographics, recipes and social media tiles created in collaboration with the National Nutrition Foundation. These materials include copy designed for easy sharing online, helping to educate, raise awareness and inspire everyone in the industry – including colleagues, mates and even family – to make healthier food and drink choices.

These resources are especially

valuable for truck drivers and warehouse team members, who are no strangers to long hours, varying shifts and hard work, which can make it tempting to eat and drink whatever is quickest to grab – like a pie, some chips or a sugary snack. One important message in our nutrition program and promotional resources is that grabbing a ready-made sandwich or wrap with lean meats and salad from the servo fridge is not only healthier, but just as easy. This is an important message to share because not only will it remind you and your workmates to grab healthier food choices even when you are on the go, but healthier choices also help everyone stay energised, alert, safe and performing at their best.

The promotional resources and social media assets aren’t just about swapping fatty foods and sugary treats for healthier alternatives. Some of the key lessons you’ll learn from these resources are the things you can do to create a tea room that supports healthy eating, how to read food labels to ensure you are actually making a healthier choice and tips for reaching your hydration goals which can help fight fatigue on the road. Even better, the social media tiles and the copy provided break the information down into bite-sized, easy-to-understand pieces of advice that you can follow the next time you’re looking at a fridge, freezer or shelf. Then, if you want more information, readers can simply click the link in the copy, which directs you to a more in-depth poster.

Don’t forget that Healthy Heads also has a bunch of other great nutrition resources. One of these is the bp Healthier Choices Menu, which you’ll find at 32 bp sites. It’s perfect for truck drivers on the go, offering freshly cooked meals 24/7, all rated green based on the Victorian government’s Healthy Choices food guide. And the best part? If you’re using the Healthy Heads App, you’ll get an instant $5 discount on selected items from the menu. So, next time you pull into a participating bp truck stop, why not grab a healthier choice instead?

Our Nutrition in Sheds pilot program is designed to bring healthy food options into sheds and warehouses, ensuring that wherever you work, you have access to meals that fuel both your body and mind throughout the day. Additionally, we’re collaborating with Be Fit Food, offering a discount code following the results of an eye-opening trial, which showed that access to preprepared, dietitian-designed meals can help truck drivers and warehouse team members lose weight as well as improve their health and quality of life. These meals and snacks are simple to pre-order, have delivered to home and take on the road or pack for easy healthy meals at work.

The reason for this focus on nutrition in the sector is that Healthy Heads is all about supporting people to make better, healthier food choices for themselves and their businesses. The link between food and mood is clear – good physical health, of which nutrition is key, is critical to good mental health. That’s why we partner with the National Nutrition Foundation, bp and Be Fit Food who all care about making a difference when it comes to the food and drink that people in the industry have access to and consume. We want everyone in the sector to feel good, both physically and mentally, which is why we ask that you share these resources with your friends, family and workmates. When you’re on the road, it’s easy to feel disconnected, but by promoting our resources on social media, you’ll not only connect with your mates, but also help drive positive change in the industry.

To access our social tiles, accompanying copy and other nutritional resources, head to the “Nutrition Resources” section on the Healthy Heads website.

Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds is dedicated to improving mental health and physical wellbeing in Australia’s road transport, warehousing and logistics sectors.

LEFT: Healthy Heads is helping truckies make healthier food choices

BELOW: A healthy snack can help drivers stay more alert at the wheel

THE LEGAL VIEW Sarah Marinovic

Seatbelt enforcement

Sarah Marinovic breaks down the way seatbelt enforcement cameras have changed the way seatbelt offences are regulated

The new seatbelt cameras in New South Wales have been in operation for a few months now. We’re seeing a lot of fines being issued and we’re also starting to see how courts are approaching them.

The seatbelt offences carry three demerit points, which can very quickly add up to a licence suspension if the driver and their passengers all don’t have their seatbelts on properly. I wanted to go over the rules with you so that you don’t get caught too.

The seatbelt rules themselves aren’t new. There has always been an obligation on the driver of a vehicle to wear their own belt properly, and to ensure that all passengers are wearing their seatbelts properly as well. But usually these were only detected when people were stopped by police, often when the kids thought it funny to wriggle out of their belts right before an RBT! But now the cameras are in operation, people are being detected far more often.

The things to know are:

1. This technology is everywhere where mobile phone cameras are: so there are plenty of them on all sorts of roads.

2. The cameras are looking at both the driver AND the passenger, and if either isn’t complying with the law, the driver is the one held responsible. You can’t nominate your passenger, even when it was

them doing the wrong thing.

3. It’s not enough to simply have the belt on – it has to be on properly. This means belt across the lap, buckle clicked in and sash over the shoulder. I’ve seen a matter recently where my driver’s passenger had the shoulder strap across the top of their arm instead of over their shoulder, and that was enough to get the driver in trouble.

4. IMedical exemptions: there are limited circumstances where a person can be exempted from wearing a seatbelt properly. This has to be granted by a medical professional BEFORE a passenger doesn’t wear their belt properly. I’ve heard a few drivers say that they or their passengers weren’t wearing their belts properly because they were injured or unwell and the belts were uncomfortable – this is not a defence.

5. Exemptions generally: interestingly, a fully licenced driver does not need to wear their seatbelt while reversing. There are a handful of other situations, like when there is a medical emergency, or when driving a garbage truck very slowly, where the rules change as well, but for general driving purposes – keep your belt on.

6. We are seeing a mixed approach by the courts in dealing with seatbelt fines. I have seen some magistrates

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

BELOW: Seatbelts need to generally be worn at all times while driving

be lenient, particularly where a passenger has adjusted their seatbelt into the wrong position without the driver knowing. However, I’ve also seen magistrates and judges be pretty tough on them. We’ve all seen the videos of what happens to crash dummies when a car stops suddenly and they’re not wearing a seatbelt. This image is front of mind for magistrates who are sentencing for this offence, and they are regularly convicting drivers and giving hefty fines with the demerit points.

7. If found guilty, the maximum fine in court for seatbelt offences is $2,200. Courts do have the option of not recording a conviction, which means no fine and no demerit points. So if the points from a seatbelt offence are going to put you off the road, then it might be worth taking it to court. If you’re considering this, it is important to get legal advice first.

If you have been picked up by one of the seatbelt cameras and it could cost you your licence, the lawyers at Ainsley Law would be happy to discuss whether taking the ticket to court is a good idea for you.

“We are seeing a mixed approach by the courts in dealing with seatbelt fines. I have seen some magistrates be lenient, particularly where a passenger has adjusted their seatbelt into the wrong position without the driver knowing. However, I’ve also seen magistrates and judges be pretty tough on them.”

SARAH MARINOVIC

ABOVE: Cameras can now pick up whether drivers and passengers are wearing seatbelts

truck sales

INDUSTRY WARMS UP

The truck sales data for the first month of 2025 sees the market get off to a steady start

The Truck Industry Council’s (TIC) T-Mark first truck sales data of the year has been released for January, with the industry starting to get the wheels turning again for 2025. In January, a total of 2,786 heavy vehicles were sold, with some of the industry’s big players fighting for the leading spots early.

Total trucks

In the total trucks market, the consistent market leader got off to a hot start yet again. Isuzu was the clear winner for January, with 765 truck sales, or 27.5 per cent of the market, made in January. Hino narrowly claimed second, with its 241 sales being just enough to finish ahead of Fuso’s 230. Kenworth was a close fourth with 216 sales made in January, with Volvo (129) and Mercedes-Benz (102) being the other brands to reach three figures for the month.

Scania was the next best with 74, while Fiat (60) stayed ahead of the tied Mack and IVECO with 50 sales apiece. Renault (41) stayed ahead of the final pack, with the usual suspects all continuing

consistent sales trends and Volkswagen, Ford and Foton Mobility recording the solitary sale each.

Heavy duty

When it comes to heavy duty sales, a total of 898 trucks were sold for January. Kenworth continued on from its 2024 success with 216 sales made in the month. Isuzu solidified second spot for January with 147 sales, with Volvo (128) close behind in third. A gap then ensured, with Scania and Mercedes-Benz finishing tied with 74 sales apiece. Hino’s 56 sales saw it finish narrowly ahead of Mack with 50, while Fuso (36) and MAN (27) stayed ahead of the final pack of brands sharing the remaining sales.

Medium duty

The medium duty market had a quiet start to the year, with 472 sales made in January. Out of these 472, Isuzu claimed more than half of them – 263, or 55.7 per cent, of the market belonged to the leading medium duty brand in January, with the

next best numbers coming from Hino with 125 sales. Fuso came third with 55 sales, well and truly ahead of the next best Mercedes-Benz and UD Trucks with eight sales each. Hyundai had the five, IVECO four and MAN three, while Volvo had a single sale in the sector.

Light duty

With 728 sales made for the month, Isuzu was once again the leader in the space. Its 355 sales saw it claim just short of half of the market, doubling the second placed Fuso and its 139 sales. Fiat and Hino couldn’t be split in third place with their 60 sales each, while Renault got some space in fifth with its 41 sales. IVECO (23) and Mercedes-Benz (20) were both neck and neck for the month, with Hyundai and LDV (14), as well as Ford and Volkswagen (one), both being tied with each other for January.

Vans

The van market had a strong start to the year as

688 sales were made in January. At the top of the tree was Mercedes-Benz, recording Richie Benaud style numbers with 222 sales made. LDV claimed second with 155 sales while Ford wrapped up the podium with 127. Renault finished firmly in fourth with 84 sales while Fiat found itself in fifth with the 66, keeping ahead of IVECO (20) and Volkswagen (14).

“Out of these 472, Isuzu claimed more than half of them – 263, or 55.7 per cent, of the market belonged to the leading medium duty brand in January, with the next best numbers coming from Hino with 125 sales.”

Above: Kenworth continued its heavy duty success in January Image: Rod Simmonds

WHAT’S ON upcoming events

LOCKHART TRUCK SHOW

March 1, 2025

Road transport history, both past and present, will be celebrated at the annual Lockhart Truck Show. The event features historic and modern trucks and other vehicles such as motorbikes, and classic and vintage cars, on display in the pavilion. There will also be food and prizes for winners in a wide range of categories. Camping is available overnight for a donation and includes a Sunday morning breakfast.

CLUNES HISTORIC VEHICLE SHOW

March 9, 2025

The annual Clunes Historic Vehicle Show, brought to you by the Historic Commercial Vehicle Club of Australia’s Ballarat branch, will see trucks descend on Clunes. The event has something for everyone, with a vast array of vintage and classic vehicles and motoring memorabilia. Expect food vans, photos and working displays with like-minded people displaying their vehicles, engines.

AUSTRALIAN WHITE TRUCK MUSTER

March 15-16, 2025

It’ll be a big deal at the Kyabram Showgrounds in March when the 100th Australian White Truck Muster sees trucks, buses, cars, tractors and memorabilia displayed. There will also be a Saturday night white truck muster dinner featuring a guest speaker, visual presentation raffl es and auction.

COLAC TRUCK & UTE SHOW

March 22, 2025

Situated at the Colac Showgrounds, the Colac Truck & Ute Show includes a Show & Shine, live entertainment, merchandise and industry stalls and food vans. A collaboration of the Colac Fire Brigade and Colac SES Unit to raise funds for equipment and facility upgrades into the future.

HAULIN THE HUME

April 12-13, 2025

This year the convoy will be leaving from Luddenham Showgrounds on April 12 and making its way down the Hume Highway via Goulburn through Yass and then onto Gundagai. After camping at Gundagai overnight, the convoy has a short awards ceremony before heading home on the Sunday. Details of entry and forms are on the Haulin’ the Hume Facebook page. Any enquires can be directed to Deb Cooper at haulinthehume@outlook.com

Entries close when the convoy reaches 300 vehicles or March 7, whichever comes fi rst.Trucking Australia

TRUCKING AUSTRALIA

April 28-30, 2025

Trucking Australia is the industry’s premier annual event and a great opportunity for industry professionals to meet face-to-face and collaborate on potential solutions. Join over 400 other delegates at the 2.5-day conference, which presents ample networking opportunities to meet industry experts and a chance to build new connections.

Book your ticket on the ATA website.

BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW

May 15-18, 2025

Head on down to the southern hemisphere’s largest festival of all things trucking. Building on the success of past shows, all exhibition space is already sold out, guaranteeing attendees over 30,000 square metres of exhibitions of the latest trucks, trailers, technologies and parts and accessories available on the Australian market.

SCENIC RIM TRUCK SHOW

May 3, 2025

Get excited for the Scenic Rim Truck Show! Held from 10am to 6pm, the show will feature plenty of trucks along with market stalls, rides, entertainment, raffl es and a live auction. All profi ts will be donated to the KIDS Foundation.

People from all over the country are set to gather at truck shows to celebrate the industry. Image: Prime Creative Media

NO BULL

TRUCKIN’ TALENT

With the Oscars just around the corner, we thought it time to crown some of our favourite trucks featured in film

SCREEN TIME

Taking a look back at cinematic history, trucks have often times played starring roles in some of our favourite films. Going back to the ‘70s, we have uncovered movies where the real heroes or villains were mechanical in nature.

Best villain: The 1957 Peterbilt 281 featured in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Duel’. Talk about a determined rig Best supporting actor: The award has to go to the 1974 Kenworth W900A in 1977’s ‘Smokey and the Bandit’

Best documentary: Doug Pray’s documentary ‘Big Rig’ shows a side of the trucking life that isn’t often portrayed Best action: The 1977 film ‘Breaker!

Breaker!’ has a climax with about a dozen big rig trucks bulldozing the town to cinders. Enough said.

THE ALIENS ARE COMING

Ok not really. But locals in Darling Downs, Queensland were shocked to look out their windows this past month and see a rare weather phenomenon that made the clouds look suspiciously like a UFO. Later explained as a lenticular storm cloud

that

NOT EGG-ACTLY HELPFUL

The commute to work was halted in Los Angeles, California recently when hundreds of eggs – a precious commodity at the moment – were left scattered on a freeway after a

delivery truck accident. The crash whipped up plenty of attention online, with social media users stressing how the price of their daily brekky protein will now cost more than their Netflix subscription. Egg prices were one of the biggest issues for American voters during the latest election, with prices jumping 40 per cent since November. Things aren’t looking egg-cellent at the minute.

FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black

Keeping drivers safe

Frank Black casts his eye over the legislation and projects on the way that are set to benefit truck drivers around Australia

When I’ve talked about the underlying causes of accidents and fatalities in the trucking industry in this column, we have – quite rightly – focused on the top of the supply chain and the amount of money that trickles down to keep us truck operators safe on the road. People at the top paying their fair share means more money to cover essential truck maintenance and less dangerous practices rushing from pick up to drop off at record pace to ensure we stay economically viable.

When we’re out on the open road, our immediate concern when it comes to accidents, irrespective of the root cause, is driver fatigue. The Closing Loopholes laws will change the game when it comes to those root causes. They’re working hand in hand with rest area initiatives to tackle driver fatigue head on — all part of reducing the truck-related road toll.

This is why we should be very pleased that six new projects have been named as part of the Heavy Vehicle Rest Area initiative, which in itself is part of a joint $17.4 million investment between federal, state and local governments.

After Senator Glenn Sterle’s inquiry into the trucking industry, it became clearer than ever how much work some of these rest stops need. Most of these investments involve vitally important maintenance to keep these facilities up to standard. Overall, this is part of $140 million in funding over 10 years for the construction of new and upgraded heavy vehicle rest areas.

In Maranoa Shire Council in Queensland, asphalt surfacing will improve the Roma Truck Stop precinct. While we’re on Queensland, a new heavy vehicle rest area will be created at Homestead West on Flinders Highway, which drivers in that area will welcome.

In New South Wales, heavy vehicle rest areas will be upgraded at Tomingley in the Narromine Shire Council and on Sturt Highway in Maude, with improvements to both the Ravensworth Eastbound and Westbound rest areas.

In the Yarriambiack Shire, there will be upgrades to nine existing truck parking locations, while in South Australia a new heavy vehicle rest area will be created at Pimba and the Stuart

Highway rest area will be upgraded at Arcoona.

The approval of these infrastructure projects demonstrates that the current government is listening to the industry on the importance of decent rest areas when it comes to safety and fatigue management. In addition, there is clearly a long-term view to this sort of infrastructure, as a lot of the investment has gone into maintenance.

Creating better rest areas is not about making an initial investment and then taking a ‘set-and-forget’ attitude – it’s an ongoing commitment to significant infrastructure maintenance. Like all parts of road infrastructure, truck stops and rest areas need ongoing maintenance over time, not just out of respect for the truck operators, but

because well-rested and refreshed drivers mean a safer road network for everyone. It’s my hope that this approach will remain consistent in the years to come as maintenance will be required periodically to keep our road transport industry safe for future generations.

I’m proud to be part of the Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Steering Committee which first-hand is responsible for identifying these key strategic locations. Relying on the advice of truck drivers, like myself, as part of the Committee means that policy initiatives are driven by the people who have experienced driver-fatigue issues first-hand. Even the Chair of the Committee, Senator Glenn Sterle, is a former truck operator, so this reliance on experience reaches all the way to Federal Parliament. This is fantastic for us truck operators and the industry. It means key advice on creating and improving rest areas is not solely provided by a bunch of bureaucratic suits who have the lives of truck drivers and owner-drivers in their hands, but by people who truly understand the industry.

With improvements made to heavy vehicle rest area infrastructure, new rest areas created and people with first-hand knowledge of the industry providing advice in this process, I have full confidence in the management of rest areas under the current administration. As always, better-rested truck drivers mean better safety for our roads, so both truck operators and members of the communities come out on top.

“With improvements made to heavy vehicle rest area infrastructure, new rest areas created and people with first-hand knowledge of the industry providing advice in this process, I have full confidence in the management of rest areas under the current administration”

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.

BELOW: Focusing on keeping truck drivers safe is critical to an effective road transport network