> Hannah’s Haulage boosts heavy vehicle arsenal

Sydney-based transport company

Hannah’s Haulage has added two new prime movers to its fleet. The pair of range-topping Mercedes-Benz Actros models bring the truck count to 34 for the family operation.

Having previously been impressed by the performance of a 13-litre 530hp Actros, the company recently invested in two top-of-the-line 16-litre 2663s through Joanne Eisel at Daimler Trucks Huntingwood.

Hannah’s Haulage Director, Scott Hannah, says the 530hp Actros was doing “really well” across several roles including a run to Maitland as a B-double.

“The 530 has been really good on fuel.

As a double, it was doing the same job as a 600hp truck (from a rival brand) between Sydney and Brisbane and was clearly better on fuel,” he said.“Running as a single, the fuel economy was just exceptional.”

The two new Actros 2663s have been put to work running as B-doubles for now, transporting aluminium material for cans to a softdrink producer in Melbourne before carrying a load of full soft drinks cans on the return journey. Plans are underway to have the new trucks run as A-doubles to boost productivity. Soon after delivery, Hannah took one of the new MercedesBenz trucks down to Melbourne to pick up a new trailer set.

“I took one for its first run down to Melbourne to pick up a trailer and it was really impressive. I’m not alone there, the guys who drive them just absolutely love them,” he said.

“The quality of the interior and the ergonomics are really excellent. The performance is really great as well.”

The two new Mercedes-Benz trucks feature the new eye-catching Hannah Haulage paint scheme.

“The yellow is not just the company colour, but also perfect for safety,” said Hannah.

“The stripe on the truck and the trailers really stands out, even in adverse weather. You also notice it, but it is not in your face or over the top,” he said.

> NSW Government funds state-wide pothole repairs

Regional councils will soon start receiving funds for urgent pothole repairs, under the New South Wales Government’s $50 million Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said all 94 regional councils that applied for funding have been approved for grants.

“From December, councils across regional NSW will receive their share of $50 million to repair potholeravaged local and regional roads,” he said.

“That’s money going straight into the bank accounts of councils like

MidCoast, Tamworth and Dubbo to help them cover the extra costs and workload pressures following this year’s unprecedented rain and storms.

“These grants are a rapid injection of cash to help councils get on with the job of repairing potholes to get us through the wet summer ahead.”

According to Farraway, this additional support will help councils to repair their most damaged roads, thus improving safety and reducing wear and tear on vehicles.

“The NSW Government is backing our councils with this dedicated pothole repair funding which is the first of its kind in NSW,” he said. “This is on top of the ongoing investment in a stronger road network through Fixing Local Roads, Fixing Country Roads and Fixing Country Bridges.”

MidCoast Council Mayor, Claire Pontin, welcomed the funding after the region had experienced several floods and severe weather conditions this year. “We have more than 3600 kilometres of local and regional roads to manage across the MidCoast Council area that have been badly damaged,” she said. “Every dollar counts towards ensuring they are repaired as quickly as possible.”

> Major agriculture cooperative partners with iNSTRUCKTA! safety project

TRANSAFE WA has announced a new partner for its iNSTRUCKTA! safety truck initiative project.

iNSTRUCKTA! is the name of TRANSAFE WA’s custom truck and semi-trailer combination in development, which is spec’d to deliver innovative educational road safety programs.

The project was made possible with the support of the Federal Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), WA’s Road Safety Commission and other industry partners.

CBH Group has joined forces with TRANSAFE WA as the truck’s newest Gold Safety Partner. Under this agreement, CBH will contribute $25,000 on behalf of Western Australian growers which will help support iNSTRUCKTA! to visit schools and community events within grain growing areas in the state. At the events, participants will be encouraged to enter the prime mover to receive the full truck driver experience, while getting a visual of what operators can and can’t see.

There will also be ten real truck seats with virtual reality equipment which will simulate real-life situations such as overtaking, turning trucks, blind spots and cutting in. In addition, there will be various road safety videos and quizzes which will encourage participants to do their part in reducing the road toll.

TRANSAFE WA Executive Officer, Robin Sharpe, said he was very grateful for the support of CBH Group.

“CBH have taken the time and energy to invest in our vision of a safe, professional and sustainable road transport industry that protects its employees and the broader community,” he said. “CBH’s sponsorship is integral to our ability to deliver our road transport industry safety initiatives like iNSTRUCKTA! which is our dedicated Western Australian safety truck resource.”

CBH Group COO, Mick Daw, said the partnership is a step forward in making regional WA roads safer for everyone.

“Each year we see a large increase of heavy vehicles on country roads during the busy harvest period,” he said. “We are pleased to partner with iNSTRUCKTA! to educate Western Australian drivers on how to drive safely around trucks.”