Life is a Highway

A marketing alliance between Ampol and ExxonMobil will involve Ampol blending, distributing and marketing Mobil lubricants in Australia, including the premium product range Mobil Delvac.

Iconic Australian brand Ampol, a

presence on local forecourts since 1936, returned in 2020 after a 25- year hiatus. Part of the revitalisation of the iconic brand across Australia, is rebranding all of its service stations to

Ampol. As it is committed to delivering world-class products to Australian customers, Ampol, in line with the agreement announced last year, that it will blend, distribute and market Mobil lubricants in Australia.

By leveraging Ampol’s scale and strong customer relationships, ExxonMobil can deliver its advanced lubricants to an increased number of customers across the country. Mobil Delvac is expected to form the bulk of these products and

will be supplied to retail and business customers through a combination of direct and distributor channels. Nearly a century of experience and innovation has gone into Mobil Delvac. Its uses are many in the rugged environs Australian trucks are asked to operate daily, often without reprieve. National transport company KS Freighters have recently transitioned to the Mobil Delvac products. The fleet had formerly been relying on a previous range of products. Darryn Hall, K&S Group National Maintenance Manager, joined the company following commencement of the introduction of the Mobil Delvac Modern product range into a fleet that operates in a range of challenging conditions across the country. At present the main product – namely 15w-40 rated Delvac Modern – is being evaluated through three different segments of its national operations. These are the heavy haulage fleet, linehaul prime movers and Chemtrans, its licenced dangerous goods and explosives speciality division. The predominant truck brand is Scania, but there are also a few Kenworth and Mack trucks involved. In total this would involve close to 2000 commercial vehicles nationwide. “The underlying driver was really about the alignment of the oils for our equipment,” says Darryn. “The decision to do so was primarily made regarding the performance and cost, as is most things.”

A trial process of three months eventuated after Ampol pitched K&S Freighterrs the Mobil Delvac Modern products. The range of engine oils and advanced lubricants have been formulated to extend the life of road transport equipment. Leading transport operators like K&S Freighters are, through close examination, checking to see if fifth wheels and universal joints receive greater protection against rust and corrosion, transmissions are running smoother, and if leakage on steer axles wheel bearings have been noticeably reduced. In heavy haulage operations, the differentials are operating under extreme conditions. Greasing points on the tierod ends, spring pin bushings, king pins and chassis must also be protected. Upon completion of this 12-week evaluation period K&S Freighters, according to Darryn, were more than happy to proceed with a commitment to the Mobil Delvac products. “As part of the transition we’re doing a fairly deep system of oil testing to monitor how it’s going,” says Darryn. “We put into play a full-service cycle but instead of doing the sampling at the service interval we have performed it every four weeks to see how it was tracking.” In this way K&S Freighters can better stay on top of the monitoring of the equipment in direct comparison to the new oil and note any changes. “What we were interested in seeing is if

there are any adverse reactions,” he says. “We didn’t believe there were going to be any big differences. But we wanted to make sure the oil was behaving the way it was supposed to behave. That’s why we looked at it on a shorter cycle of monthly runs rather than the full-service cycle.” K&S usually performs oil sampling at each of its prescribed service intervals. These samples are subsequently analysed. Confirmation is sought on whether the oil is holding its consistency and the base is still intact. It’s also checked for signs of any wear with metals in the oil or in case dirt may have found its way into the mix. “We’re seeing nothing in the oil tests to suggest there’s any issues,” says Darryn. “They’re certainly doing their service intervals. At this stage we’re very happy.” Part of Darryn’s job is to centralise the results he collects from various workshop managers across the country. The data records are held by Darryn through the fleet maintenance systems. As trucks used on operations for interstate linehaul, heavy haulage and dangerous goods hauling utilise different operating systems it was crucial for Darryn that he found a single point of lubricant source that meets with all of these conditions. “What we didn’t want was to have an oil drum for linehaul, an oil drum for local,” he says. “We were looking for a product that could actually work under all types of operating conditions and what we’ve seen with the Delvac range so far is it does that.”

inaugural Premier Commercial Vehicle Fleet Report. The intention of this nascent guide is to provide a benchmark of the established road transport organisations in Australia including those companies rising in recent years, the groups that are essential to the national economy, major investors in new mobile assets, trendsetters, regional powerhouses and firms undergoing investment and growth. By increasing the visibility of the premier fleets in the industry, suppliers, dealers, repairers, tech specialists, startups and those companies in and adjacent to the aftermarket will have greater visibility with which to familiarise operational specs, create alliances and generate new

leads. That is our intention at any rate. Putting together these lists will likely cause debate. As with any exercise like this one, data is approximate and mined via the means available at the

time. Last year Prime Mover circulated a survey of which many fleets volunteered to respond in regard to unit numbers as they pertained to prime movers, drivers and Performance-Based Standards

(PBS) combinations. The responses to this survey along with annual reports, recent records and information available in the public domain have helped in collating raw figures of this first attempt at an annual survey across multi-faceted Australian transport operators and the many mobile assets currently in their possession. These numbers, given the nature of the industry, are always in flux as managers refresh their fleets, mergers occur,

acquisitions are actioned and older vehicles are sold or phased out. Fleet numbers can also change quickly in accordance with management schedules and asset availabilities. These numbers are those that have been provided to us at the close of 2021 or through the annual reports that are circulated. Japan Post’s divestiture of Global Express last year saw the mighty titan of Toll Group fissure and this, as we enter the embryonic

stages following that momentous deal, has been represented accordingly. Freight specialists who are no longer independent and work under the aegis of another, larger freight company have been counted, where applicable, in the numbers of the parent. Not all numbers were available across the entire industry. Where there might be a glaring omission regarding a certain company in a category it’s fair to assume that figures with any semblance

of accuracy could not be obtained. In future versions of this report we hope to have the most updated numbers supplied to us by as many major players within the industry as possible. Additional support with such things by those in the know is always welcome. Approximate numbers have been applied even when exact figures have been supplied to us as large orders and supply chain disruptions can alter the business picture in just a matter of weeks. Just as tax write-off asset incentives have been welcomed by many companies over the last 18 months compressed orders by supply chain strangulation may have stagnated investments made by some firms that would have inordinately been made by now.

The Report doesn’t pretend to be exhaustive or comprehensive by any measure but rather indicate as to which players are growing in the market, those having consolidated in recent times and who might be up and coming. Where possible we’ve concentrated on companies whose businesses are synonymous with commercial road transport or that rely foremost on the use of commercial vehicles and/or heavy trucks in their daily operations. Operations with ‘wharf horses’ have grown exponentially with the rise in containerised transport which, outside of last mile delivery, remains perhaps the biggest trending segment as it pertains to prime movers of the commercial road transport industry in this country.

No doubt growth by acquisition strategies will again come to the fore as the bigger players look to expand. Many organisations are also at the mercy of single-enterprise bargaining agreements which can impact future plans for investment and growth, not to mention staffing and with that, naturally, drivers and contractors. Disruptions to supply chains, COVID variant outbreaks, changes in testing requirements and industrial action have made the last 12 months a minefield for growing and established freight operators, logistics providers and infrastructure transport specialists. Geo-political risks in increasingly uncertain times where tariffs are becoming par-for-the-course are fast becoming a way of life for asset management teams who are looking to hold onto trucks, it appears, much longer than usual. The Premier Commercial Vehicle Fleet Guide 2021 is endorsed by ARTSA-i and Victorian Transport Association (VTA). It will be a valuable resource offering truck manufacturers and OEMs the ability to ascertain and discern sales targets for new business, connect geographically with buyers and identify fleets with needs that they can meet. In time we are hoping we can grow this across all segments and categories.