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> Carey’s Freight Lines unveils special edition Actros

Tamworth’s Carey’s Freight Lines has taken delivery of Australia’s first Actros 25 Driver Edition. The special edition model was developed locally to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Mercedes-Benz Trucks Actros being introduced in Australia.

Carey’s Freight Lines Managing Director, Darren Carey, first put his hand up for one of the limited-run Actros trucks at the Brisbane Truck Show in May. The unit was delivered recently by Mavin Truck Centre salesman, Steve Pinkstone.

The first Actros debuted with the Carey’s Freight Lines fleet in 2017. Since then, the company has purchased 18 units of the 2663 model. According to Carey, the Actros has been a solid and reliable performer for the company.

“Right from the start, the Actros has given us great fuel economy and we also appreciate the safety features and the comfort,” he said. “The acceptance welcome addition to the fleet said Carey. “It looked good on the stand, but it looks even better in the metal, in our yard with our trailers,” he said. It features a grey metallic paint scheme matched with Alcoa Dura-Bright wheels and a raft of upgrades that ensure it stands out on the highway.

The Actros 25 Driver Edition features the Gigaspace cab, which is taller and provides more headroom and space for front-mounted cabinets above the windscreen. One of these cabinets includes a microwave. On the rear wall of the cab, there are two beds including a fixed bed at the bottom and folding bunk at the top. Below the bottom bed are twin fridges that are within easy reach of the driver.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks Vice President, Andrew Assimo, is thrilled the milestone truck is joining the Carey Freight Lines fleet.

“The special edition Actros 25 Driver Edition is full of features that drivers said. “Carey’s Freight Lines is known for its well-presented trucks, its customer dedication and safety-first approach and is a wonderful brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz Trucks.”

Carey’s Freight Lines dates back to 1947, when Harold Carey bought his first truck after returning from World War II.

Having bought the company in the 1980s, his sons, Mick and John, grew the business. Now, Harold Carey’s grandsons Darren, Todd and Rick have assumed control of the business.

The Actros 25 Driver Edition is a 2663 that features the top-of-the-line 630hp 16-litre six-cylinder OM473 engine linked to the latest generation 12-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). It also comes with the Predictive Powertrain Control system, which uses topographical information, including pre-mapped three-dimensional GPS data, to enable the truck to make the best, and most economical, choice of

This includes saving fuel by coasting for Darren Carey.

> Industry bodies’ first update on coupling strength report

The first update on an investigation into dynamic loads on couplings fitted to heavy High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFV) and PerformanceBased Standards (PBS) combinations has been released. Led by the ARTSA Institute (ARTSA-i), Australian Trucking Association (ATA), Truck Industry Council (TIC) and Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), the coupling safety project is funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) and supported by the Australian Government.

The project’s objective is to address the knowledge gap surrounding coupling forces experienced in roadtrains with a Gross Combination Mass (GCM) above 125 tonnes.

ARTSA-i Chair, Martin Toomey, said the project has conducted extensive onroad testing of high GCM combinations to enhance industry understanding of the dynamic forces experienced by fifth wheels and pin couplings, and a tri-axle ‘test dolly’, to which 14 load cells were fitted beneath the fifth wheel and a further six mounted directly behind the tow eye, within the customdesigned drawbar manufactured by CIMC. constantly and less common large force events, stemming from low-speed shunting events within the combination when coming to a stop and high-speed rough road events.

Northern Territory-based bulk fuel transportation specialist, Direct Haul, partnered with the project to facilitate the on-road testing between Darwin, Katherine and the surrounding areas. The test route covered a broad range of road conditions and speeds, both laden and unladen, including highspeed sections and rough roads with demanding conditions featuring hills, cattle grids and flood crossings. For each test run, the test dolly was placed in a different position within the BAA and AAB Quad combination to allow the coupling forces in the front, centre and rear positions to be recorded along the 473km test route.

Preliminary results showed that there are two major types of events that contribute to the life of a coupling.

The results found that coupling location within the combination and the road profile affects the forces transmitted through the coupling, with positions closer to the front of the combination typically seeing higher longitudinal forces. Using data obtained from the on-road testing, Smedley’s Engineers are developing a computer simulation that replicates the vehicle combination and road conditions of the physical test, enabling further testing and investigation of coupling forces to be carried out in a repeatable and costeffective environment. According to ARTSA-i, preliminary simulations of the virtual combinations travelling through recreated sections of the test road are promising.

The project is expected to be completed in the coming months, with