Transport & Trucking Issue 113

www.truckandbus.net.au Issue 113 Feb/Mar 2017

$8.95 incl. GST

SIX APPEAL WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALL NEW KENWORTH T610

NEW MAN D38 ON THE PACIFIC UD’S NEW PW RIGID CUTS A NEW NICHE BLU LOGISITCS ON THE MILK RUN - BORAL BUILDS A SAFER AGITATOR - A CLOSER LOOK AT NEW ACTROS

NEW ISUZU N SERIES WITH TORQUE

CONVERTER AMT.

THE TRUCK FO R EVERYBODY.

NEW ISUZU N SERIES

models* that can be driven on a car licence

This latest TC-AMT has been designed for Australian

The other advantage of the AMT is that while

comes standard with Isuzu’s Digital Audio Visual

To find out more about the new N Series, head to isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer.

THE INTELLIGENT TRUCK

now feature a new Torque Convertor

driving conditions, incorporating revised gear ratios

it’s still a two pedal operation you can choose to

Equipment (DAVE) unit, ready for sat-nav and telematics

Automated Manual Transmission (TC-AMT),

and a kick-down control switch on the accelerator

shift gears manually or drive it like an automatic,

at extra cost. And to keep you safe, there’s four-wheel

Just because you need a truck doesn’t

making them a whole lot more responsive

which means when you put your foot down, the truck

offering both good fuel economy and reduced

disc brakes#, side intrusion bars, driver and passenger

mean that you want to feel like you’re

and sharper off the mark. In fact, you could

automatically selects a lower gear for more controlled

maintenance costs.

airbags and Isuzu Electronic Stability Control (IESC)#.

driving one. So most of Isuzu’s new N Series

forget you’re driving a truck at all.

exits from roundabouts, corners and intersections.

*Most NLR, NNR models up to 4,500kgs GVM. #Available most models. F•S•A/ISZ11098

The smarts don’t end there, though. The N Series

So now your choice of new truck is too easy!

CONTENTS

hino.com.au

DRIVEN TO DO MORE FOR YOU.

22 CONTACT DETAILS PO Box 7046 Warringah Mall NSW 2100

FEATURES

16

SIX APPEAL

22

RIGID DISCIPLINE

28

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

34

AGITATING FOR CHANGE

Editor in Chief Allan Whiting nofibspublishing@bigpond.com

40

I FEEL LIKE A NEW MAN

Art Director Fiona Meadows fionaep@yahoo.com

46

INTO THE WIDE BLU YONDER

Advertising Sales Zara Kilfeather Mob: 0404 883 249 zara@motozedmedia.com.au

54

G WHIZ

Editorial Contributors Barry Flanagan, David Meredith, Mark Bean, Glenn Torrens, Peter Barnwell

58

RANGER TOM

60

NO RESERVATIONS

www.truckandbus.net.au admin@truckandbus.net.au Enquiries 02 9938 6408 Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews Follow us on Facebook at Truck and Bus Australia

Publisher Jon Thomson admin@truckandbus.net.au

Far from being just a cosmetic update The new T610 s a big step forward for Kenworth. T&TA went along to the launch and had the chance of a brief drive of the new Kenny!

UD has developed a pair of vocational rigids, aimed at specific market segments. Editor Allan Whiting reports the new Condor PW 24 280 6x4 variants arecarefully targeted and fine examples of some UD Rigid Discipline.

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There was a time in a galaxy far, far away when Mercedes Benz was a much bigger player in the Australian truck market. we take a look to see if the new Actros can give Benz a much needed sales boost.

Boral believes it has come up with a much-improved concrete agitator design, lowering the centre of gravity, reducing weight, delivering more stability and safety as Jon Thomson reports.

With a new MAN flagship in the D38 the Penske Empire is positioning the brand to take a greater market share. Editor Allan Whiting takes a look at the latest offering.

Queensland based milk transport specialist Blu Logistics has focused on driver training, telematics and high capacity A-Double tankers to improve efficiency, safety and profitability and its fleet of modern trucks is also helping the equation as we found out when we visited the fleet recently.

Late in 2016 Mercedes Benz quietly slipped a tray back version of its tough as nails off roader, the G-Wagon onto the Aussie market T&TA editor Allan Whiting managed to slip behind the wheel of a pre-production unit for an exclusive report.

Some running changes have enhanced Ford’s star ute, the Ranger and sharpened its attack on the market leading Toyota HiLux. We take a look at the running changes and ponder whether the Aussie designed pick up can better the dominant HiLux in the sales race.

Beset by quality problems and its US image the Jeep Grand Cherokee is really a very capable and attractive alternative in the luxury SUV market as we found out with a recent road test in our regular Company Car feature.

Editorial contributions are welcome for consideration. Contact the Editor or Publisher for guidelines, fees and level of interest.

All unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by a stamp, addressed envelope for their return. We will not be held responsible for material supplied electronically.

Proudly printed in Australia

Single copy price $8.95 incl. GST

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Transport & Trucking Australia is published under licence by Transport Publishing Australia. and is distributed to road transport professionals, fleets, business professionals and the industry throughout Australia.

All material contained herein including text, photography, design elements and format are copyright and cannot be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Grayhaze Pty.Ltd. is a member of the Copyright Agency Limited (1800 066 844).

INTRODUCING HINO

46 DEPARTMENTS

04 BACK TRACKS 06 HIGHWAY 1 Musings from the Editor

News and info from all over

64 MONEY

Paul’s latest advice on finances

With Hino Advantage, our innovative new range of support solutions, we’re with you all the way. Helping reduce costs over the life of your vehicle. Hino trucks are famously built on the QDR (Quality, Durability & Reliability) promise, so you’re already off to a great start. And with Hino service and genuine parts your business is all set to keep running smoothly and efficiently. But if bad luck ever strikes, like getting a flat in the middle of nowhere, you will have 24/7 support. With Hino Advantage, we’ll even help you discover everyday operating savings you never thought possible, along with finance solutions to keep your business growing. To find out more visit hino.com.au

AUSTRALIAN MADE. WORLD’S BEST. ALLAN WHITING

For road transport operators and businesses who keep the health, wealth and prosperity of this country moving every day.

LOOKING AT THINGS FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION

T

his column continues the recent theme of rapid change in the truck business, with a brief look at the new way of making some truck parts. Those who think 3D printing is just for producing small plastic novelty toys need to have a rethink.

Today, all major vehicle makers are using 3D printing to produce prototype parts rapidly and cheaply. The previous methods of designing and casting or machining such items took a great deal of time and money. Now, the test part can be designed on a CAD-equipped computer and printed in a matter of days, saving time and money.

‘Printing’ implies built-up, layered plastic-only parts, but the latest 3D machines can sinter metal powder using Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and produce high-strength components.

The 3D printing process is also being used to produce production-quality parts and the long-term aim of all vehicle makers is to have a range of such parts that don’t need to be warehoused for years and then shipped around the world.

They’ll simply be made when required, in any market in the world. It’s good news for people with older or small production run vehicles, because parts should always be available into the future.

Parts prices should also be lower, because there’s no need to factor in the costs of packaging, shipping and storing.

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The most common 3D-printed components that are being produced today are complex plastic panels. These items are notoriously difficult to store and ship, without being damaged and take up a disproportionate amount of warehouse space.

However, smaller items including spacers, spring caps, air and cable ducts, clamps, mountings and control elements are other examples of economical spare parts 3D-printing production.

Many design engineers are finding that SLS 3D printing opens up new fields, because it’s possible to print a part that couldn’t be made economically within conventional manufacturing parameters.

One vehicle maker is integrating carbonfibre chassis ‘rods’ with 3D-printed sintered-metal brackets in a bonded process that would be impossible using conventional casting, machining and attachment methods.

Another use for 3D printing was discovered at BMW, where the company was looking for ways to ease RSI caused by production workers repetitively having to insert blanking plugs in panels. By 3D printing individual ‘thumb gloves’ for each worker the problem was solved.

Some 3D printing has moved from the factory into the outside world. Four 3D printing robots have built a canal bridge in Holland. The robots look very similar to production-line welding robots, but

they’re SLS units that progressively built the bridge in its entirety, from both ends, travelling out along the two incomplete arches until they met in the middle.

Less radical in this issue are some interesting new product stories and some insightful user yarns that impart some interesting business moves.

Headlining this issue is Kenworth’s all new T610, which we were lucky enough to drive and were extremely impressed with. We also have all the info on and a first drive of MAN’s new D38 560, its new flagship prime mover, a truck which gives the German maker a true BDouble line haul contender in this country, now there really are no excuses.

In addition to those debuts we drive UD’s latest niche offering the PW280 we review the launch of the new Benz Actros, a very important truck for the three pointed star.

At the lighter end of the market we look at the new Benz G-Wagon cab chassis model and also at Toyota’s latest LandCruiser workhorse which both draw some interesting conclusions.

We round the issue out with a terrific story on Boral’s innovative concrete agitator design and another yarn on Queensland milk transport company Blu Logistics.

All that and a whole lot more in issue 112, take it easy and stay safe until next time.

kenworth.com.au

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NEW HINO 500 IMPRESSES/ SCANIA DIGITAL INNOVATION S/ VW-NAVISTAR GETS GRE3 EN LIGHT/ NEW RENAULT WO RKERS/BENZ

ELECTRIC TRUCK PLUGS IN

NEW HINO 500 PROVES A VERY HAPPY MEDIUM ON THE SURFACE it looked just like another launch of a Japanese medium duty truck, sure to be fit for purpose, a utilitarian work tool, reliable, economic to run and own and sure to give years of loyal and dependable service, just what Hino is renown for.

The surprise was that this Japanese maker had come up with a truck that not only boasted of

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being Game Changing but actually could be.

For you see loyal reader, the new Hino 500 Series and in particular the new nine-litre inline six cylinder turbo diesel has shifted the goal posts for the market dominating Japanese medium duty trucks and while Hino now says it is not actively pursuing the number one spot from perennial long time

sales leader Isuzu, this new truck, we feel sure, will win some sales from Isuzu in the fiercely contested medium duty sector.

Often a glib marketing line is just that, however we firmly believe that the Hino marketing slogan for the new 500, ‘It’s a Game Changer’ actually has a degree of validity.

It’s been more than a decade since Hino totally overhauled the

500 range and it is clear their engineers have not been idle in that time.

The New Wide Body 500 as Hino has labelled it is however exactly the same width as the 500 it replaces, but there will be some narrow body 500s later in the year we understand.

However nothing takes away from the fact that the new Hino

AO9C nine-litre engine is the new benchmark in the medium sector offering great power, quietness, torque and flexibility.

We preface that statement by saying that while Hino says the trucks we tested on the launch were loaded to 90 per cent of GCM, and we don’t doubt that, we would like to test it with a weighbridge ticket in our hands.

While the traditional JO8E Hino eight-litre has been improved and given an overhaul the new nine litre is so good that it makes the still excellent older engine look and sound dated. There will be applications that will suit the eight litre better, around town in shorter delivery routes and other tasks where its 280 hp would be more than ample. However the new engine with either 320 hp when coupled to an Allison automatic or 350 hp when paired with the excellent new Hino designed nine speed synchromesh manual is just a delight to drive.

The AO9C offers excellent flexibility, is very quiet, has a long flat torque curve with 1275 Nm in the 320 version and 1422Nm in the 350 variant and will eat kilometres with ease and comfort.

During our drive from Sydney via the Central Coast to the Hunter Valley, a brief stint in a GH 1835 with Hendrickson air bag suspension on the rear, a taut liner body, the 350 hp engine and nine speed manual really showed the class of this new Hino medium duty range. As my co-driving partner, editor Allan Whiting proffered, “If it had a European brand badge on it you would not be surprised!”

As we mentioned Hinos have always been functional, purposeful and reliable, like all of the Japanese brands, but this new truck is so much more refined and enjoyable to drive.

Hino has also done a terrific job in a number of other areas, including the introduction of a

Wabco developed VSC stability control across the range It is fair to say that Hino has also taken a very European stance with the suite of safety features on the new 500 delivering ABS anti-lock brakes, ASR skid control, driver’s SRS airbag, ‘Easy Start’ hill-start on manuals, reversing camera, and Euro crash test standard cab, It is an impressive package of features.

The new range boasts either two axle or three axle variants and a range of three GVM capabilities including 16, 18 and 26 tonnes with GCM offerings from 32 to 45 tonnes.

Underlining the importance of the new 500 in Australia, where Hino has lacked the arsenal to challenge Isuzu and in fact has conceded ground in the medium duty sector in recent years, the company brought its managing officer, Kenji Nagakubo down under for the launch. He was previously the chief engineer on 500 so his presence was a big vote of confidence in the new model.

Hino Australia boss officer Steve Lotter had a smile on his face at the launch with good reason, he has been waiting on this truck for some time and its arrival has given the company a much broader and more competitive line up in the tough medium duty market.

“These trucks are a gamechanger for us and now gives us the broadest range in the segments that straddle Australia’s competitive medium and heavyduty markets,” said Steve Lotter, “By increasing the model range, it provides us with an opportunity to engage in different applications which previously hasn’t been possible.”

With new styling that includes a very Euro-style grille and front treatment it is easy to recognize the new truck and tell it apart from the model it replaces. Trucks equipped with the JO8E boast a two bar grille while the AO9C equipped models have a bigger three bar grille. www.truckandbus.net.au 007

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Inside the cab changes are more subtle, with a redesigned dash, new audio and mutti-media unit that also boasts a big screen coupled to the reversing camera and a range of practical office on the road’ features that make a driver’s life more comfortable and easy.

Allison automatics are now available as a factory fit across the range as the push to self shifters continues apace in the Australian truck marke, while the traditional Hino six-speed manual is joined by an Eaton nine-speed manual as well as that previously mentioned new Hino nine-speed overdrive synchro manual, as the offerings for those who prefer to select their own gears.

The revised JO8E has been uprated to 280hp, as we mentioned, while all the engines now use SCR for emission control, rather than the previous EGR, allowing them to run cooler and more efficiently and no doubt contributing to the performance boost and strong power and torque they deliver. Both engines meet Euro 5, and while Hino did not state it, one gets the impression that swinging to SCR will help Hino easily meet Euro 6 standard when it is mandated.

Another great bonus feature on both GH and FM is the standard fitment of cross diff locks which will be a boost in many applications where traction might be challenged such as tipper, agitator, stock crates to mention a few.

Hino has clearly done a very thorough job in speccing the new 500 and engineering it to a new standard in medium duty. If the Euros thought they ever stood a chance of selling decent numbers in the medium duty market then the new 500 would dispel those 008 www.truckandbus.net.au

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TRUCK PLUGS IN

thoughts or at least make them seriously depressed at the thought.

While the continuing threat of cheaper Chinese trucks looms on the horizon and the upcoming launch of Korean Hyundais will add more competition to the market, a truck like the 500 Hino is so far ahead of the game any price advantage the newcomers might bring will be blown away by the Hinos clear advantages we believe.

Now the market will decide if the new 500 is truly a Game Changer, we think it is and will watch the sales performance with interest.

We will have a full report on the new trucks in upcoming issues of Transport & Trucking Australia.

The new Hino 500 series range FG 1628 4×2 – 280 hp. 6-sp Hino man or 6-sp Allison auto.

GVM 16 tonnes. GCM 32 tonnes.

FL 2628 6×2 – 280 hp. 6-sp Allison auto.

GVM 26 tonnes. GCM 38 tonnes.

FM 2628 6×4 – 280 hp. Eaton 9-sp man or 6-sp Allison auto. GVM 26 tonnes. GCM 33 tonnes (auto) 38 tonnes (man).

FM 2632 6×4 – 320 hp. 6-sp Allison auto.

GVM 26 tonnes. GCM 36.5 tonnes.

FM 2635 6×4 – 350 hp. Hino 9-sp man.

GVM 26 tonnes. GCM 45 tonnes.

GH 1828 4×2 – 280 hp. Eaton 9-sp man or 6-sp Allison auto. GVM 16 tonnes (std) (optional 18 tonnes). GCM 38 tonnes.

GH 1832 4×2 – 320 hp. 6-sp Allison auto. GVM 16 tonnes (std) (optional 18 tonnes). GCM 38 tonnes.

GH 1835 4×2 – 350 hp. Hino 9-speed man. GVM 16 tonnes (std) (optional18 tonnes). GCM 38 tonnes.

SCANIA LAUNCHES NEW DIGITAL PLATFORM AS IT HITS 250,000 CONNECTED VEHICLES

SWEDISH TRUCK AND BUS MAKER Scania has launched a new suite of digitally connected services, known as Scania One. The new platform comes as the brand celebrates a quarter of a million vehicles using connectivity offerings, with 2000 of them in Australia.

According to CEO of Scania, Henrik Henriksson the entire industry is constantly searching for sustainability gains.

“The world of heavy transport stands on the brink of a fundamental shift towards sustainable transport. Digitalisation and connectivity will play a

pivotal role in enabling this shift,” Henriksson said.

“We continue to get a growing share of our revenue from connectivity and other new areas.

This past year we saw about 5% of our top line directly or indirectly depending on connected vehicles.”

Through Scania One, fleet owners and drivers will have access to the most relevant connected services that can simplify and improve their transport assignments.

It constitutes an open customer platform for existing and future Scania services as well as external content in Scania’s Android tablet device.

Executive vice president and head of sales and marketing at Scania, Christian Levin explained the new One platform brings together all the tools relevant to fleet owners.

“Scania One is our framework for seamlessly and efficiently integrating both current and future services in a single environment,” Levin said.

“I am convinced that these services, taken together, will significantly contribute towards greater efficiency and thereby higher revenues for transport companies.”

Scania One features Scania Fleet

Management, the comprehensive monitoring and analytical system that provides fleet owners with an overview of equipment and drivers.

It offers in-depth data on performance and fuel consumption and service needs.

Scania’s connectivity also uses real time data to optimise a flow and predict for the specific route, and for the specific customer, how to get the most out of each vehicle.

Connectivity also enables real-time updates on weather conditions, obstacles on the road, and other hazards that might pose a safety risks.

Efficient, reliable, comfortable.

The new Actros. www.truckandbus.net.au 009

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THEY’RE RACING AGAIN THE LURE OF SUPERCAR racing is continuing to attract truck brands as support sponsors for teams and for the category itself.

Along with Hino’s role as light and medium duty partner of the Supercar category and Kenworth’s position as heavy duty partner, numerous other brands are rolling out new paint schemes and

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announcements of involvement with individual teams most particularly Brad Jones Freightliner Racing and Team Penske DJR. Brad Jones’ Freightliner Racing has revealed its new look for the 2017 Supercars season, unveiling a new Coronado 114 prime mover and the livery for its Commodore racecar driven by Tim Slade.

The Albury-based team has ditched the black this year for a red, white and silver design on Tim Slade’s Holden, matching the white, red and chrome of the new Brad Jones Racing Coronado.

BJR’s team transporter, known affectionately by fans as ‘Stax’, is driven by Paul Eddy and clocks up around 45,000km a year traveling

to and from the 16 rounds of the Supercars series, loaded with the Commodores of Slade and his teammate Nick Percat, as well as enough spares for a near complete rebuild.

Eddy has only done few short stints in his new home away from home, but is looking forward to the 16 rounds he will drive it to this season.

The Coronado replaces an Argosy, and although it is a trade off in the bedding department – moving from a 110-inch to 34-inch sleeper, Eddy is looking forward to spending the year driving the new rig.

BJR also uses two Freightliner Argosys for the rest of its Supercars and Dunlop Series racing fleet.

Meanwhile over at Team Penske DJR a new MAN TGX D38 has joined the team for the upcoming Supercars season.

The team’s heavy-duty D38 will tow the two Shell V-Power Falcons of Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard to all the Australian rounds Supercars series not surprising since the Penske organization is also the distributor of MAN and Western Star in this country.

The smart looking red white and yellow MAN matches the team’s new Shell livery which will feature across both cars in the team this year for Kiwi racers Fabian Coulthard and Scotty MacLachlan.

The Shell sponsorship will mean that the two Penske brands will not have to fill the sponsorship void as they have done on numerous occasions in the past two years.

Stands out on the road, and the balance sheet.

The new Mercedes-Benz Actros.

Visit mercedes-benz.com.au/actros for more information, or contact your local authorised Mercedes-Benz Trucks Dealership.

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CREW GIVES MORE OPTIONS IN THE TRAFIC RENAULT’S TRAFIC VAN has won plenty of friends since it arrived in Australia and the company’s light commercial manager Lyndon Healey believes it will win a lot more when the much desired Dual clutch automatic arrives, however that might not happen for around 18 months.

While they won’t say it directly, you get the impression that Renault Australia would be far happier if they had the auto available right now as it is costing them sales with big fleets.

Despite the lack of a self shifter Trafic continues to do well selling 1730 units in 2016 and with the addition of the new Crew model this week it has added appeal to a wider spectrum of the market, providing a second row of seats and a solid barrier between it and the huge four cubic metre load

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area behind it. It would be ideal for everything from tradies wanting to combine their work van with their family transport, to companies requiring seating for six along with the need for a secure load area. It can still take a payload of 1118 kg with a GVM of 2940kg and maximum towing weight of 2000kg.

The cargo area is still 2314mm long and 1662mm wide, is 1268mm wide between the wheel arches and is 1387mm high while the lad space is totally flat and easy to access thanks to its 552 high sill.

The automatic so needed down under doesn’t and hasn’t had a high priority with Renault in France because while the vans are selling well down under their ultimate volume is but a blip on the radar for Europe’s leading commercial van maker, where it still sells

mostly manuals.

However growing auto demand in the UK market, which is also right-hand drive, has been a factor weighing in favour of Australia receiving a double clutch auto version sooner.

It will, according to Lyndon Healey, deliver about 50 per cent more sales for Renault Trafic and give it entree to bigger fleets which now demand autos for OH&S and policy reasons.

The plan is to use a double clutch auto from the people mover Espace and the large Talisman for the Trafic.

Having said that the highly flexible and lively 1.6-litre turbocharged diesel engine that is fitted to the Trafic is a strong performer and doesn’t need to be rowed through the six speed gearbox. You can lug down quite low in the revs using the torque of the diesel. However it is still not an automatic and everyone is eager for the new option to arrive.

The 1.6-litre twin-turbo diesel with common-rail fuel injection pumps out a strong 340Nm of torque from just 1500 rpm along with 103Kw of power at 3500rpm underlining its

ability to lug from low revs.

“We can say for certain we are getting an auto Trafic, but it’s hard to pin down an exact date,” Healey said, though confirming it’d be in the current car’s life cycle, which began in 2015 and should go to at least 2020.

The Trafic tops the Renault medium van range priced from $42,990 but there are three variants available. The base level Crew is the $42,990 option, which is about $3500 over the plain LWB Trafic van version.

For that you still get cruise control, reversing camera, Bluetooth, dual sliding doors, USB and 12V outlets and full-opening twin rear doors with wipers on each door.

Above the standard Crew is the Premium Pack priced from $45,480, adding a seven-inch touch screen with GPS, heated front seats, 17-inch alloy wheels and a dash featuring more storage and closed bins for security.

At the top of the price list is the Lifestyle which gets climatecontrol air-con along with a handsfree key card and engine start and a price of $49,980.

VW NAVISTAR DEAL GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT THE VOLKSWAGEN-NAVISTAR hookup has moved to the next level with the announcement that the strategic alliance with all regulatory approvals, agreements, the procurement joint venture as well as the technology and supply collaborations have been finalized and are now a happening thing.

Navistar CEO Troy Clarke said the alliance with Volkswagen Truck and Bus marks a significant milestone in the company’s history and he expects it will create multiple benefits for both companies in both the near and long term.

“Now that the transaction has finalsised, we will move quickly to collaborate with our industryleading, strategic partner to increase global scale, strengthen our competitiveness, and provide customers with expanded access to cutting-edge products, technology

and services,” said Clarke.

VW Truck and Bus boss Andreas Renschler said the sign off provides the German based company with access to the all-important North American market and is a major step toward becoming a global champion.

“The authorities have given our strategic alliance with Navistar the green light and our newly-founded purchasing cooperation will begin work immediately putting both partners in a stronger position for the future,” said Renschler.

With the finalisation of the alliance agreement, Volkswagen Truck and Bus acquired approximately 16.2 million newly issued shares in Navistar, representing 16.6 per cent of posttransaction undiluted common stock effective from 28 February, 2017.

As a result, Navistar has received

$256 million to be used for general corporate purposes.

As part of the alliance agreement and in line with Volkswagen Truck and Bus’s ownership stake, Mr. Renschler and Matthias Gründler, chief financial officer of Volkswagen Truck and Bus join Navistar’s board of directors.

“We are excited to welcome Andreas Renschler and Matthias Gründler to the Navistar board and are confident that we will benefit from their deep industry knowledge and fresh perspectives,” said Clarke.

“Their expertise in commercial vehicle production will be invaluable as we strive to become the North American champion in our industry.”

The statement said that Global Truck and Bus Procurement LLC, the procurement joint venture created by Navistar and

Volkswagen Truck and Bus will start work effective immediately.

Both parties are saying the alliance will create new opportunities for quality improvement and cost reduction, and will enable both companies to benefit from increased global scope and scale. The joint venture is operating at Navistar’s headquarters in Lisle, Illinois.

In addition, the companies’ ongoing technology and supply collaboration, which operates in Stockholm is intended to facilitate collaboration on several aspects of commercial vehicle development, including advanced powertrain technology solutions.

Ultimately, it is expected to optimize research and development spend and expand the technology options both companies will be able to offer customers. www.truckandbus.net.au 013

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NEW PETROL TURBO PUTS MORE BOUNCE IN KANGOO AT THE RECENT RENAULT TRAFIC Crew launch T&BN was also given the chance to sample the latest versions of the Renault small van, the Kangoo, which is now available with a 1.2 litre turbocharged petrol engine alongside the 1.6 litre turbo diesel.

The new turbo petrol version comes into the line up at a price of $23,490 and offers more power and torque than the 1.6 litre petrol it replaces and most importantly is more economical to run boasting 21 per cent better fuel-efficiency.

The engine is shared with the Clio, Captur and Megane passenger models and comes mated to a to a six-speed manual or an optional six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The new 1.2 turbo petrol Kangoo offers eight per cent more power than the 1.6 it replaces, with the maximum urge of 84kW delivered at 4500rpm, 1500 rpm lower than the old engine. Even more importantly torque is up a massive 30 per cent now delivering 190 Nm between 2000 and 4000 rpm.

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The little 1.2 turbo is a sweet engine and boasts strong economy as well as good performance with that 21 per cent improvement in fuel economy according to Renault figures. It boasts average cycler of 6.2 l/100km in the manuals and 6.5L/100km in the auto models.

CO2 emissions fall to 144g/km and 147g/km respectively.

The petrol turbo is only available in the standard-wheelbase Kangoo while the long wheel base Maxi models are exclusively diesel.

A full suite of safety features is now available in the baby Kangoo with side airbags, reversing sensors, cruise control, hill-start assist something called Grip Xtend which is really an extension of the stability control system along with a cargo area mat.

Renault’s R-Link infotainment system with a 7.inch screen is also available as an option along with sat-nav and a reversing camera.

Buyers can also order windows in the sliding side doors, a steel security bulkhead behind the driver

and passenger and15-inch alloy wheels, an overhead cabin storage shelf, and rear barn doors.

It is a versatile little van and can take a standard pallet between the wheel arches and a 650kg payload in its three cubic meter load area.

Lyndon Healey says that while the buy in price for the new Kangoo petrol turbo is about $3000 higher buyers will make the cost back in the economy and efficiency it delivers.

“It will provide customers with the double benefit of added performance and reduced running costs,” says Lyndon Healey.

The Kangoo petrol auto is best-selling variant for Renault in its small van range and has the biggest market share of any

Renault on the market today.

Healey says to they expect an increased demand for the new dualclutch seven-speed automatic two more gears than the auto it replaces.

Since the launch of Kangoo six years ago Renault has sold more than 4000 of the little vans in Australia and in 2016 it sold 1118 units about 600 behind VW’s Caddy but well ahead of its other rivals.

Renault is backing the Kangoo with a three-year/200,000km warranty with three years’ roadside assistance and service intervals set at 12 months/15,000km with capped-price servicing available for the first three years.

We will have a full test of the new Renault 1.2 turbo petrol in coming weeks.

2017 Renault Kangoo pricing: SWB 1.2 turbo-petrol man SWB 1.2 turbo-petrol EDC Maxi 1.5 turbo-diesel man Maxi Crew 1.5 turbo-diesel

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$23,490 (plus ORCs) $26,490 (plus ORCs) $26,990 (plus ORCs) $29,490 (plus ORCs)

BENZ URBAN eTRUCK

HITS THE ROAD THIS YEAR MERCEDES-BENZ TRUCKS has confirmed it will deliver its first orders of its revolutionary allelectric truck, the Urban eTruck later this year.

The eTruck is a 25 tonne GVM electric model with a range of 200km with a payload of 12.8 tonne, unveiled at last year’s Hannover International Commercial Vehicle Show in 2016.

Global Mercedes-Benz Trucks boss, Stefan Buchner says there is interest from at least 20 customers in the new technology.

“The customer reaction was outstanding. We are currently talking to around 20 potential customers from the disposal, foodstuffs and logistics sector,” he said.

“By 2020 we want to be on the market with the series generation.

The vehicle will initially go in a low two-figure number of units to customers in Germany – and later in Europe too. It will be used in real transportation applications there.”

Mercedes says the idea will be to work with its customers for real world R&D, confirming the vehicles will be handed over for 12 month periods with the support of the road testing department.

“The aim is to use actual application scenarios and requirement profiles together with the customer to further optimise the vehicle concept and the system configurations of the electric truck.

The tests will include use in shift operation, charging times plus battery and range management,” Buchner said.

“When it comes to future technological issues we have set

the standards in the sector, for instance with regard to electric and autonomous driving plus connectivity.”

The Urban eTruck is part of a comprehensive electric initiative from Daimler Trucks. The light-duty electric truck Fuso eCanter will be

in use in a global small series in 2017. Around 150 vehicles will be handed over to selected customers in Europe, Japan and the USA. Daimler Trucks is thus covering a wide application portfolio of electric trucks all over the world. www.truckandbus.net.au 015

New Model

SIX APPEAL It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does sceptics dismiss it as being purely cosmetic.

We are speaking of the launch of a new model Kenworth, which happened recently with the unveiling of the new Kenworth T610 and far from being just a cosmetic update this is a big step forward for Australia’s heavy duty truck market leader. T&TA went along to the launch and had the chance of a brief drive of the new Kenny!

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n face value, if you saw the new T610 off in the distance the untrained observer would probably say it looks just like a Kenworth always has, a conventional bonneted truck with a dominant chrome grille.

However be under no illusions, this is a big step forward for the Paccar organization down under. It has spent a lot of money on this new track and in many areas it has dragged its design and technology into the 21st century.

It has launched a new generation conventional truck that it believes will enable it to help fend off the onslaught of European truck makers while still serving its loyal and devoted customer base.

The new T610 was unveiled in front of close to 400 customers, dealers and the media at the company’s Bayswater manufacturing plant in Melbourne’s east in early December.

Kenworth says the new T610 and T610 SAR are a result of more than 100,000 Australian design hours and more than ten million kilometres of testing and Validation. The new truck is the single largest investment in product development

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the company has ever made in Australia.

T&TA was one of the first media outlets in Australia to sample the new T610 and T610 SAR, piloting both trucks over a 200 km route through the outer suburbs and country side north of Melbourne and can report that the work has produced two vastly improved prime movers boasting better steering, visibility, vastly improved ergonomics and a much roomier and more user friendly cabin.

While our drive was relatively brief it showcased the vast array of changes and improvements local Kenworth engineers have made to take Kenworth to a new level, if you believe the marketing slogan Paccar used for the launch it has taken them to the ‘sixth dimension’.

The improved steering is the most obvious change when driving. It is more direct, has better feel and is more forgiving on choppy tarmac. This is partly thanks to a new straight steering shaft that is able to take input direct from the wheel to the steering box with a single shaft and joint.

Even in the SAR a new mitre box system, a system borrowed from Paccar’s Euro subsidiary DAF, has been used to overcome the challenges of the set forward axle and

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1. The new T610 and T610 SAR continue Kenworth’s styling cues and won’t offend traditional buyers.

2. There is no shortage of bling on the new 610 3. Cummins’ 15 litre SCR engine is the only power plant available at this stage but expect the MX13 at some time in the future.

4. The T610 is smoother and more aero than previous cvonventional Kennies.

5. One piece ‘aero’ headligfhts deliver great lighting.

6. No Kenny would be complete without the ‘Bug”

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3 slightly different configuration. The result is very good steering The trucks are quieter and a lot more pleasant to travel in and should win buyers over from some of the Euros while not alienating any of the current Kenworth tribe which Paccar Australia. director of sales and marketing, Brad May emphasized during our drive.

Climbing aboard the new trucks the most striking feature is the all-new dash that really hauls the brand into the 21st century, with a layout and design that is the equal of anything in the market.

While at first glance the trucks look more ‘evolutionary’ than revolutionary they are in fact considerably different, more aerodynamic and smoother with better cab rigidity and finish. However when seen alongside older models the changes are far more apparent than the first glance might .

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Kenworth says the trucks have been designed from the inside out taking the original US models they were based on and making a huge number of changes and adaptations to tailor them for local conditions. The company claims the new cabin is centred entirely on the needs of the driver, with greater foot space, more standing room and storage, wider walkthrough access between the seats and more expansive door and windscreen glass and we can only agree.

“The core of this project was about building a bigger cab but it’s really about creating the ultimate driver environment,” said Brad May. Brad acknowledged the driver as being the most important asset of the truck.

“A good driver environment leads to better all-round driving performance, safety, efficiency and productivity.”

4 The all-new 2.1m wide cab is almost 300mm wider than the outgoing cab, with the engineers having also pushed the cab 300mm forward over the engine to meet Australia’s stringent length laws.

Kenworth Australia started work in tandem with a US program to determine the feasibility of building a new Australian truck almost six years ago when a team of Kenworth Australia engineers immersed themselves in all aspects of the US program working to develop an Australian, right- hand drive version. After building a virtual concept model and a physical prototype, the truck was given the ‘green-light’ in mid-2012 to go to market.

“The T610 has been tested three times more than any Australian Kenworth truck that’s gone before it” said Kenworth’s Engineering Project Design Manager,

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Ross Cureton.

“In all, ten prototypes have been on the road with Kenworth customers testing the product, and the feedback to date has been overwhelmingly positive; the truck drives better than anything else they’ve driven, and drivers feel in command”, continued Ross.

“It’s a massive project that’s been undertaken by a team of Australian designers and engineers. The T610 has some new materials as well as new processes and techniques that our current trucks don’t utilise, which has required different people to be involved with different design and engineering skill-sets, as well as different approaches” Brad May stated.

“When you look at it come to life, you just think ‘wow’, and that’s an amazing effort for a small team. I really hope everyone who has worked on the T610 feels great pride now this truck is released.”

Tasked with creating the ultimate driver experience, the T610 design team first enlarged the cabin envelope achieving the optimal lengths needed for maximum payloads in Australia they moved the entire cabin 300mm further forward on the frame than the comparative US T680 model, to provide Bumper to Back of Cab (BBC) dimensions that meet Australian length laws.

The firewall and floor have been completely new designs to suit right-hand drive short BBC applications.

The new cabin boasts new triple sealed doors and door apertures—minimising noise and dust leaks and it is pretty obvious when opening and closing the new doors, this is not like any Kenworth that has come before, the doors close with a pleasing thud and it is clear these trucks are oozing quality.

The bonnet design of both the T610 and T610SAR is firmly grounded in Kenworth heritage and are both manufactured in Australia with a stainless steel and mesh grille with the Kenworth badge sitting proudly on top.

New bright, projector-style lights with halogen high beams adorn the Aero bonnet of the T610 while on the SAR, the standard package comes with 4×7 inch round lights with two outer H4 Hi/Lo Halogen and the two inner H4 Hi beams.

The new aluminium core radiator is 100kgs lighter than its copper brass equivalent and provides a level of cooling performance that betters many of Kenworth’s existing model line-up and

facilitates the full range of Cummins X15 power ratings, with power ratings up to 600hp and 2800Nm of torque, making it a suitable for a wide range of transport applications.

The T610 ‘s Cummins X15 Euro V engine also boasts Advanced Dynamic Efficient Powertrain (ADEPT) technology with a suite of electronic features that interact with Eaton’s automated manual UltraShift transmissions and which dynamically adapt to conditions for fuel-efficient operation with no impact on productivity. Manual RoadRanger transmissions with a range of torque ratings in 10, 13 and 18 speed variants are also available.

T610 is suitable for virtually any application, including maximum payload 26-metre B- Double and road train configurations while the T610SAR with set forward front axle is ideal for 19-metre B-Double, or tipper and dog applications.

The new models can be specified to a GCM rating of up to 140t with engineering application approval, and with both a set forward and set back steer axle option, can meet a range of PBS applications.

Kenworth Airglide 460 airbag suspension is standard, and depending on the proposed application of the vehicle, a variety of optional rear suspensions can be specified, such as the Kenworth six-rod mechanical suspension and Neway options.

The T610 is also available with the latest collision avoidance and mitigation technology, including active cruise with braking and lane departure warning adding to the improved safety package within the new trucks.

Rather than being the culmination of the development process the launch should be seen as the start of the next phase of the development of the T610 accordion to Brad May. “We have a whole lot of things we still want to develop in order to offer our customers all of the options and flexibility they want and know we can give them,” said Brad May. As far as T&TA is concerned at the very least it is a great starting point and we believe the T610 will win plenty of friends in the truck buying market with its mix of US muscle and Euro sophistication.

As one wag was heard to say at the launch, ”is this what happens when you leave a T409 and a DAF in the shed overnight?”. One can only wonder.

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DRIVING THE 610 The prospect of jumping behind the wheel of the 610 for a steer, immediately after the unveiling event was too good an opportunity for T&TA to pass up. It was never going to be a long drive but one that showed some of the character and nature of the new truck.

Climbing aboard the new 610 the first thing that takes your eye is the all-new dash. It is a real wrap around style that is clearer, better laid out and much easier on the eye than previous Kenny cockpits.

Once inside the new 610 the second impression is the space and roominess available in the 2.1 metre cab which offers so much more practicality and versatility than the old 1.83 metre cab. It is quieter and more spacious, with better usable space thanks to the flat floor and better layout.

The wider T610 cab delivers 30 per cent extra space giving a lot more room around the footwell, and the area between the seats has been significantly opened up while there is now room for a slide out fridge because the bunk has been able to be raised.

So with an added 270 mm between the pillars and a floor height that is around 75 mm higher than the previous T409 you come up with a number of advantage, not the least being the ability to move the cab further forward so that the new truck now has a bumper to back of cab length of just 112 inches for the day cab model, four inches better than its predecessor.

More room in the cab has a gentle almost imperceptible affect on you as you drive the new KW, it is more relaxed, less claustrophobic and we reckon that a good 12 hour stint in the 610 would be a whole lot more relaxed than tackling a similkar shift in a 409. Similarly the quietness of the new cab is very noticeable and again would work to reduce fatigue and make life easier for drivers.

As outlined before that raised floor and height of the cab achieves a number of goals delivering better airflow and cooling efficiency as well as better service access to the rear of the engine, not to mention allowing that straight steering shaft that enhances steering feel and accuracy for the driver. That alone is worth the price of admission for the reduction in driver fatigue and increase in safe running.

As well as all that you get better all round visibility from the slightly higher cab while the mirrors are excellent. The new mirrors have been adapted from US designs and offer good sight lines as well as delivering good rearward visibility for drivers. Also enhancing visibility and aerodynamics is the single piece windscreen, which really does drag the new Kenworth into the 21st century.

Kenworth reckons the new, bigger cab is no heavier than the old one thanks to extensive use of aluminium while they also reckon it is the strongest cab ever and has undergone a huge amount of testing in all Aussie conditions.

A cross cab steel beam running behind the new dash is apparently a huge part of the rigidity and strength in the cab structure. Certainly from the drivers seat the truck feels tight and strong.

The dash is easy to read and use and a lot more ordered and tidy than past Kenworth dashes. All the gauges are easy to read and well laid out.

Cruise control, audio and menu functions can be accessed via the well positioned and tactile stalks on either side of the nicely trimmed steering wheel. One thing that Paccar people point out is the easily unfastened dash panels, bucking the trend for hidden screws and fasteners in automotive interiors. The reason of course is so that remote service centres or drivers and operators can easily access behind the dash for on the road repairs or troubleshooting.

The proof in the pudding both in the T610 and the T610 SAR was the on road manners and steering. On a choppy piece of tarmac back road running into Tallarook near Seymour in Victoria the truck tracked straight and true, was easy to guide and gave excellent feedback to the driver. Couple all that with the quieter cab, better visibility, better aero performance, lower wind noise and a roomier and more accessible cab and Kenworth seems to have come up with a real winner. We’d like to try one on a longer trip but at this point in time the new T610 gets out thumbs up.

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The new Kenworth T610 dash is a breath of fresh air for a Paccar truck and could win over buyers seeking Euro ergonomics

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Insurance is underwritten by QBE Insurance (Australia) Limited ABN 78 003 191 035 AFSL 239545. Guaranteed Buy Back is subject to Excess Kilometre charges. Fair Wear and Use return conditions apply.

RIGID DISCIPLINE UD

As it did with last year’s introduction of PD and CD 6x2 models UD has developed a pair of vocational rigids, aimed at specific market segments.

Editor Allan Whiting reports the new Condor PW 24 280 6x4 variants are carefully targeted.

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n 2007 UD was taken over by Volvo AB. In the year prior UD had 4.4-percent share of the Australian heavy duty truck market. By 2009 – two years after the integration - UD’s share had slumped to an unprecedented 1.8 percent and has hovered around two percent ever since.

According to UD Australia’s acting vice president, Mark Strambi, the PW

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is expected to contribute 180 sales in 2017; more than doubling that share, to 4.5 percent.

There is no doubt that UD should have a larger market share than it has had since 2007 and there is also no doubt that Volvo limits UD’s product offerings.

At the UD Quon C- and G-Series launch in Tokyo in 2012 the Europeans made it plain that they were in charge: The

marketing presentations were made by a Swede and a Frenchman. It’s the first truck launch in Japan I’ve attended in 30 years where not one Japanese executive was present.

The gist of the presentations was that Volvo saw UD as: “the global Japanese value-brand of the Volvo Group – not cheap, but not a premium brand like Volvo”.

In the Q&A session UD’s then senior

vice president, Frenchman Loic Mellinand – now thankfully moved elsewhere used that favourite word of Charles de Gaulle – “Non!” – three times in a row.

A 13-litre variant? Non! 470hp? Non! An eight-wheeler? Non! (There’s since been a rumour that an 8x4 with load-sharing front end is in the pipeline.)

This structure is in stark contrast to the way Daimler has handled Fuso since

that brand’s absorption into its worldleading truck empire. Fuso has been given responsibility for global hybrid and electric truck development and, when that announcement was made, Daimler’s CEO took a back seat and let Japanese engineers and executives have the limelight.

Of course, the Volvo takeover has been good for UD in other ways. A positive

side of the Volvo-UD combo is that the old Ageo plant in Tokyo has been given a brand new, state of the art engine line, with a capacity of 140 engines per day.

Also, the UD cab paint line has been upgraded to handle any customer colour, including fleet schemes with up to three colours. This can save thousands of dollars and weeks of delay in getting a new truck into action.

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1. UD is targeting the PW at a number of niche vocational applications as can be seen in this line up. 2. The PW’s neat and well designed interior includes. the integration of Allison’s touch pad selector for the automatic transmission. 3. The UD cab is a handsome fella, less fussy and tidier than some of its Japanese rivals. 4. UD’s UD’s seven-litre GH7TB six is fitted with common-rail injection, a variable geometry turbocharger, intercooler and PTO outlet. 5. The cab door and steps allow for easy entry and egress from the UD cab.

Vocational 6x4 rigids You have to hand it to the dedicated team at UD Trucks Australia that finds ways to exploit UD strengths, without treading on Volvo-forbidden territory.

The new PW 6x4 is a perfect example of this strategy: vocational chassis and powertrains that are aimed at some of the 2000-trucks-per-year sales in the sub-36tonnes-GCM segment.

The basis of the two PW 6x4 variants is a 250mm x 80mm x 8mm chassis that can be fitted with two types of reinforcement: a 6mm full-length inner rail, for use on 6710mm wheelbase models fitted with Hendrickson HAS460 four-bag air-leaf suspension; or 10mm upper and lower reinforcement flitches on 5300mm wheelbase models fitted with UD’s six-rod, trunnion, inverted- leaf-spring suspension.

Interestingly, the upper reinforcement plates on six-road-suspension models are selectively welded as well as riveted to the chassis rails.

The drive tandem is a Meritor MT44144GP, fitted with power divider and front

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axle DCDL differential locks.

Both variants have the same powertrain.

UD’s seven-litre GH7TB six is fitted with common-rail injection, a variablegeometry turbocharger, intercooler and PTO outlet. The engine achieves Euro 5 emissions levels with only selective catalytic reduction (SCR), fed with AdBlue from a 50-litre tank.

Net outputs are 206kW (280hp) at 2500rpm and 883Nm (676lb ft) at 1400rpm.

The only transmission available is an Allison 3500 six-speed torque-converter automatic box, with 4.59:1 bottom cog and 0.75:1 and 0.65:1 overdrive ratios. In combination with a torque converter stall ratio of 2.35:1 and final drives of 6.14:1 the overall gearing at lift-off is a stumppulling 66:1. Gradeability is 41.9 percent.

The transmission has two flywheel PTO outlets and is filled with synthetic oil.

Because of the PW’s simple SCR exhaust system the transmission has Electronic Brake Interface (EBI) enabled, providing automated downshifts when the exhaust

brake is activated and the driver’s foot is off the loud pedal.

Braking is via drums front and rear, with Wabco four-channel ABS: tapered roller fronts and Meritor Q-Plus S-cam rears.

Rear spring brakes are controlled by a graduated-release lever in the cab.

On top of these desirably strong mechanicals sits a spring-suspended, compliant sleeper cab, with ECE R-29 strength and integrated front underrun protection (FUPS).

Cab kit includes: a driver’s side airbag and seatbelt pre-tensioner, air-suspended seat, powered and heated mirrors, power windows, full instrumentation, a driver information screen and Fleet Max Plus telematics.

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How does it work We’re often left with plenty of questions after product launches, but not in this case.

UD pulled out all the stops, by spec’ing up five trucks with different vocational bodywork and payloads, and the Mt Cotton facility in Brisbane provided varying on-road and off-road conditions.

Long-wheelbase, air-rear-suspension models were a crane-tray, a fridge body and a tilt-tray.

Medium-wheelbase, six-rod-suspension models were a hook-lift tray and a skip bin loader.

The drive circuit for the air-suspension models was on-bitumen, with an interesting diversion along a 50-metre length of deep pea-gravel that required power divider and diff lock operation on

the heavier test vehicles.

Six-rod-suspended test trucks were sited on an on- and off-road circuit, with a mixture of bitumen, gravel and potholed dirt. There was also a short section of the Mt Cotton 4WD track that featured very tight turns and a large mound that tested belly clearance.

The partially loaded PWs handled and rode very well, with very little driver effort needed. I played around with the auto box selector pad, but in most situations the truck worked out the best ratio by itself.

Engine/transmission braking was excellent, thanks to the Allison EBI link that gave progressive downshifting to maximise engine revs and retardation.

Manoeuvrability of each long wheelbase truck was aided by a tight steering arc and cab mirrors that gave a clear view of the front bumper, the left side wheel and the drive tandem.

The six-rod models were something of a revelation in the rough stuff: with power dividers locked they climbed loose grades without effort and needed their across-axle locks only to climb and descend a very steep mound.

Surprisingly, there was no vibration from the driveline and no groaning from the suspension or bodywork as the axles used up their full travel.

A most impressive product launch that should help propel the PWs to market success in 2017.

\ Paul Jukes Victorian State Manager, Hertz Truck Rental

Efficiency for hire Australian Truck and 4WD Rentals, the Hertz Truck Rental franchisee for South Australia, NSW and Victoria, has decided to replace all of the manual trucks in its fleet with Allison fully automatic equipped trucks.

Paul Jukes, Victorian State Manager, Hertz Truck Rentals, reckons that since adding Allison equipped UD Trucks to the Hertz fleet they have delivered lower maintenance and repair costs as well as saving money when it comes to operating costs.

“Our Allison automatic trucks are easier on clutches and brakes and that means we save money, not to mention the reduced down time,” says Paul Jukes.

Hertz customers can now enjoy improved productivity through full powershifts, with faster acceleration and increase fuel efficiency in city, and suburban applications thanks to Allison.

Fully integrated, sophisticated electronic controls enable precise, smooth shifts and provide expanded prognostics and diagnostic capabilities which reduce driver fatigue, enhance safety and make the truck more reliable and efficient to operate.

Make the smart choice…. Allison automatics

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www.truckandbus.net.au 027 © 2015 Allison Transmission Inc. All Rights Reserved.

New Model

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

There was a time in a galaxy far, far away when Mercedes Benz was a much bigger player in the Australian truck market. It was a go to brand for many fleets and had a strong grip on a healthy market share, we take a look to see if the new Actros can give Benz a much needed sales boost

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1. New Actros will find a ready market in linehaul operations 2. Euro v US. Can Actros convince conventional operators of its charms and attractions?

3. The new Actros is a striking looker on the highway

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ales have been off the boil for Daimler Trucks flagship Mercedes Benz brand in recent times while the stove has still been blazing away in an Australian truck market that has been cooking up a storm It has taken Benz almost four years to bring the latest Actros to the Australian market as we reported in previous issues, via our sneak peak drive of the new line haul prime mover as well as the intra state distribution spec models. That may seem like a long gestation period but there was simply too much riding on this new model and the company has deliberately taken its time in testing and ironing out any bugs while ensuring the spec was totally suited to our local demands.

Ten years ago Daimler Trucks commercial vehicle sales were close on its Euro rival Volvo. In 2005 there Benz sold 2447 commercial vehicles in this country along with another 413 of the now defunct US sourced Sterlings and another 921 Freightliners, all up a tally of 3781 commercials. By comparison Volvo sold 1137 of its own brand and another 1137 of its US Mack brand down under.

Fast forward and today Volvo easily

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outsells the Mercedes brand and is starting to worry long time heavy-duty market leader Kenworth, while Mack sales have also accelerated. Benz truck sales have been less than impressive by comparison and after all this is the flagship brand of the Daimler stable, so there was a lot riding on the launch of the new Actros.

To mark the launch the company hosted a weeklong event event in North Queensland late in 2016 to unveil the new flagship to an audience of more than 250 customers as well as its all important dealer network along with a separate event for the truck media. The media event was followed by a drive south down the Bruce Highway to Townsville, allowing the trade press to sample the range of trucks including a rigid Actros, which is set to be launched later this year.

The new Actros comes to Australia following 18-months of intensive local tests and trials involving 20 trucks, one million kms. and 35 customers operating the trucks in their own fleets.

Mercedes Benz director of Truck and Bus Michael May is obviously excited about the introduction of the next generation truck to their key Australian customers.

3 “They have helped us put together a fantastic line up of trucks that will deliver new standards of efficiency, reliability and comfort,” said May. Benz will be offering four engine variants ranging with three different capacities including 11 and 13-litre options and the big banger 16-litre engine, with two different lines of tune to produce different horsepower outputs allowing the new Benz to cover everything from metro and regional single trailer distribution work all the way up to line haul B-double and road train work.

As we said earlier the Actros was originally launched in Europe back in 2012 when it collected the 2012 International Truck of the Year for its in-line six-cylinder engine, fuel savings, AdBlue consumption reduction, safety improvements and automated transmission.

On the drive south from Cairns to Townsville at the launch TTA had the opportunity to drive all of the variants, some more extensively than others but there was a lot to like about the latest offering from the big German.

TTA is particularly excited about the

“They have helped us put together a fantastic line up of trucks that will deliver new standards of efficiency, reliability and comfort” rigid variants which will proved to be an agile and nimble performer and will have an enormous amount of appeal in the top end of the rigid market. We have already passed some judgment on the prime mover variants in our preview drives and as we send then they are strong performers.

Certainly the new Actros is not going to fail as a result of the hardware, by any measure the new truck delivers in terms of performance, comfort, economy, safety and technology. The area that we cannot assess easily is how prepared the Daimler Truck organisation in Australia is to service the industry and to take the fight up to the likes of Volvo and Paccar.

We would be most surprised if they were not prepared after such an extensive and relentless program of preparation leading up to the launch of the new Actros.

The question remains however, will the new Actros be the game changer that Benz hopes it will be and allow The Empire to reclaim its lost glory?

This writer’s view is that Actros puts Benz on an equal footing with the likes of Volvo and Scania in terms of technology, safety and performance but selling trucks is about a lot more than the hardware and no

matter how good the truck, the back up and targeted selling are what make the difference these days, as Volvo has been proving.

Certainly with Benz offering things such as a 500,000km/five year free scheduled servicing on all new Actros prime movers and the way the company has actively courted major fleets particularly through the trial program the belief is there that they will attract buyers to Actros.

With Daimler being amongst the leaders in the development of autonomous truck technology it is not surprising that the Actros is brim full of features that can trace their origins back to the autonomous development program.

Proximity Control Assist adaptive cruise control with stop/start function for instance is one such driver aid that adds a degree of autonomy to the Actros. Having said that similar systems are now being offered in most of the Actros key opponents from Volvo to Mack, Scania, MAN and even Kenworth, further underlining the fact that it will be about more than just the hardware if Actros is to succeed.

Having said that the technologically advanced suite of driver aids not only reduce the chance of collisions but also

can deliver feedback to fleet operators on driver performance The truck watches the road in front, looking for obstacles as well as whether the truck is sitting in its lane correctly. It is also monitors driver input and will decide whether the driver is doing a good job or not, and mark them accordingly, something many fleet managers will be looking closely at we are sure.

One ethereal selling point that is always difficult to quantify is the physical appearance and bearing of the truck on the road. it is a very subjective quality, one person’s view of how good a truck looks may not be the same as another but from our perspective the new Actros has a very strong presence on the road, particularly the flagship 2658 Actros 16-litre with its high cab and big grille dominated by the traditional tri-star emblem. Since the launch we have seen a couple of new Actros on the road and they standout as a handsome truck that will surely win hearts as well as heads.

Entering that high wide and handsome cab is a big climb but the steps and handles are well designed and it is easy to scale the lofty heights to enter the cab proper.

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Once inside it is a big roomy cab as you would expect, offering tremendous comfort whether you’re tackling the Hume overnight or barreling down the Bruce from Cairns to Townsville. Benz designers have delivered a very straightforward and well laid out cabin with excellent dash and switchgear that is both simple and easy to use.

To de clutter the steering column they have positioned a floor mounted foot switch that allows the driver to adjust the steering wheel position to his or her optimal setting with both hands on the wheel. This leaves the column free and relatively uncluttered for a wand on the left side controlling wipers and indicators with another on the right allowing control of the multi-stage engine retardation and transmission shift modes.

Behind the driver and under the big wide bunk, which is equipped with a full inner spring mattress, there are also two big slide-out bins with one incorporating a built in large sized fridge, which is easily accessed without leaving the driver’s seat.

One of the most impressive parts of the design is the wide flat floor of the cab, which makes it very easy to move about the cab in comfort and convenience with plenty of head and maneuvering room.

We’ve described the flagship Actros in previous issues but on the drive south on the Bruce it was no less impressive in all its forms. The flagship 2658 which can

handle a gross combination mass up to 90 tonnes but was hauling a little less than 60 tonnes in B-Double configuration at the launch, is powered by Benz’s new in-line six-cylinder 15.6-litre engine known as the OM473. It is Euro VI spec compliant and boasts peak power of 578hp at 1,600rpm and an impressive 2,800Nm of peak torque delivered from 1,080 to 1,400rpm.

Daimler’s own 12-speed PowerShift direct-drive automated transmission is mated to the engine wit Daimler’s own hypoid drive tandem axles running a the tall 2.533:1 final drive ratio.

Also Daimler developed and manufactured is the rear airbag suspension while at the front long two-leaf spring packs are used.

The Actros flagship has discs all around coupled with ABS anti-lock and ASR anti-skid systems and this means that stopping power is very impressive indeed especially used in tandem with the three stage engine brake.

Benz’s move away from its big V8s to inline sixes we understand came as a result of the need to improve engine efficiency and to better and more easily meet Euro VI and possibly even Euro VII rules if and when they are promulgated. But the side benefit of this is the fact that the inline six offers better weight distribution than the old bent eight.

The big bore Benz was a standout in

terms of performance on the drive down the Bruce using the considerable reserves of torque it has on offer tackling any hill the Bruce put in front of it, not that there are two many taxing climbs but what was there was handled with ease and aplomb.

Equally the smaller 13-litre and 11-litre engines came up trumps in the specs they were fitted to and will we believe give a range of operators strong reason to think about Actros for new fleet purchases.

We know of at least one major fleet considering a switch away from an American brand to the big Benz for linehaul operations, albeit that the fleet in question currently relies heavily on Daimler’s Freightliner. We’re sure Daimler bosses will prefer their sales people be targeting conquest fleets that won’t potentially cannibalise sales from other brands in the Daimler group. But the fact is there is interest in the new big Benz There are many questions that remain unanswered when it comes to the new Actros range and they will only be answered in time by the truck buyers of Australia. It is up to Daimler to convince those buyers to add the Actros to their fleets but from a pure hardware point of view we don’t see a reason why forward thinking transport companies won’t embrace this technologically advanced and very efficient new flagship of the Mercedes Benz truck range.

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032 www.truckandbus.net.au

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Innovation

AGITATING FOR CHANGE Concrete agitators pose a significant challenge for truck designers and engineers. They have to carry a heavy load that is moving about inside a big barrel that is constantly revolving and has a high centre of gravity. Leading concrete supplier, Boral believes it has come up with a much-improved concrete agitator design, lowering the centre of gravity, reducing weight, delivering more stability and safety as Jon Thomson reports.

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Lower and lighter, Boral’s new design concrete agitator sits lower in the chassis and is significantly lighter than conventional barrels.

D

uty of care is a pressing and urgent requirement for many large corporations, increasingly the chain of responsibility is requiring management of large companies to do everything they can to ameliorate risk when employees are operating their machines, even if the operators have taken risks and done plain stupid things.

In an era when there is a massive building boom going on up and down Australia’s east coast the demand for concrete had never been higher. With tight deadlines and timelines the need to get concrete delivered fast means sometimes drivers push just a little bit hard. Stability control and other electronic solutions have made a difference but Boral fleet engineering manager, Merv Rowlands saw some potential to re design the company’s agitators to deliver even more stability and safety.

Merv a veteran of the Boral group normally works closely with the

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company’s fleet of tipper dogs and quarry trucks but was called into cast a fresh set of eyes on the agitator fleet to see if there was a way to deliver safer operations.

Boral takes the safety task seriously. It operates a fleet of 2500 trucks nationwide, and many of the trucks are operated by contractors but bear the distinctive green and gold Boral logo.

Merv reckons that despite the fact that the tippers do three to four times the number of kilometres that the company’s concrete agitators do, the concrete agitators are three times more likely to have an on-road accident per kilometre travelled.

“Clearly we realised that the risk of rollover for agitators needed to be addressed and while ESP has been a major advance, the risk was still too big for us to rely solely on stability control,” said Merv.

“We figured that if we could lower the centre of gravity and give the truck more roll stability right from the start that would make a big difference,” he added.

Looking at the traditional way concrete agitators have been built the barrel and agitators mechanism has been constructed on a frame that then bolts on to the truck’s chassis, sitting on top of the actual frame of the truck.

Merv and the Boral team worked closely with CESCO, the company’s preferred agitator supplier in Queensland to look at redesigning the set up to make the mixer lighter and lower. Merv’s idea was to build the mixer without a sub-frame, mounting it directly to the truck chassis to get the whole set up lower to the ground and a lot lighter.

For this to work truck maker Mack had to be involved as well because without a stronger reinforced chassis the concept of a mixer without a sub-0frame was not going to work. Rowlands and his Boral team worked closely with both Mack and CESCO using 3D design software to develop the concept.

Mack designed in 9.5mm chassis rails and extra cross members to strengthen the

8x4 chassis to cope with fitting the mixer unit directly to the truck. As well as that Merv Rowlands figured that it might also be better to have steel leaf springs rather than airbag suspension on the back of the Mack’s for added stability.

Over the years concrete mixer specs had become lighter and lighter in the chassis rail in a bid to get better payload and the use of airbags was also in the same vein.

Rowlands decided to come at the whole thing from another angle.

“It is a little counter intuitive I know but the road friendly rated steel springs give a slightly stiffer but more stable ride and that was what we were after,” he said.

Running the steel springs with a stabiliser bar enhanced this further, while lower profile 275/70 tyres were specified all round to lower centre of gravity and provide further stability gains.

CESCO managed to build the barrel in its new spec making it 136mm lower than the previous one and when combined with the

other lowering solutions such as the tyres, springs and chassis the overall height of the new mixer barrel when fitted to the Mack Granite was 204mm lower than before.

Lowering the C of G was one aspect, getting the overall weight down was also an important factor. While the chassis rails and extra cross members add to the truck weight, building it without the mixer sub frame meant a significant weight saving.

Meanwhile CESCO also went to work building a lighter mixer barrel employing a new lighter but stronger Hardox steel. This alone resulted in a weight saving of more than 200kgs.

Overall the revised design meant a Mack Granite 8x4 with the new design mixer set up was 360kg lighter than the old design as well as being 220mm lower.

When the first new Boral ‘lowrider’ cab/ chassis was built Mack packed it off to the DECA centre at Shepparton in rural Victoria where Knorr-Bremse carries out most of its testing. The ESP for the truck

had to be calibrated and a range of tests were scheduled to prove the design concept in real world conditions rather than in a 3D design program on a computer.

Knorr-Bremse attached their “trainer wheel” jig to the truck and tested it in a number of different configurations to explore the limits and to ascertain the effectiveness of the new design. They jacked up the load in the gantry frame to reflect conventional agitator barrel ride height and found that in the standard J-curve ESP test a rollover would have resulted. At the new lower ride height and C of G the testers could not get the truck into a rollover situation.

“It was a stark contrast and really proved the design concept, which was very pleasing,” said Merv.

The first prototype was completed in April 2016 and Boral placed it in various depots around the state to test it in a wide variety of conditions in both city and country environments.

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Feedback from every driver that has put the truck to work has been overwhelmingly positive, and now that the concept has been successfully proven in the field Boral have built an additional four 8x4 Mack Granites and are presently completing the build of four 10x4 Granites with the new mixer designs. All new company-owned agitator trucks built in the future will be to this specification. Of around 2500 Boral agitators in operation around the country about half are company owned and the other half operated by contractors.

It won’t be an easy or short-term task but any project like this has to start somewhere.

Rowlands is at pains to point out that engineering isn’t the only way the company is aiming to lift safety.

“We are always trying to improve the margin for safety in any given situation and with trucks there is a huge driver input. There is no point in improving the safe limits of the truck if the driver just goes faster and faster, so there is also a big responsibility on driver training and behaviour management,” said Merv He was also keen to make sure that the industry understands that Boral has no intention of trying to keep this design idea to itself and is more than happy for other companies to employ the concept in their truck fleets.

“We are not trying to keep this to ourselves. We are under no illusions about just how hazardous the world is out there and we want as many as possible to embrace the concept and make the concrete transport industry a safer one for everyone,” he said.

“We won’t be upset if other companies adopt this idea and use it. CESCO and Mack will be pushing it from their sides as well,” he added.

Since 2015 Boral has mandated that ESP is standard on all its new trucks and those of its contractors as well. Now that the new low centre of gravity lightweight ‘low rider’ concrete agitator is proven the company is moving to ensure that all new mixers from now on are of the new design.

It’s a solid move forward in an industry that has struggled to improve transport safety and the new design is set to cement an entirely new attitude to safety in the concrete business, if you will pardon the pun!

1. Its clear that the new barrel sits much lower in the chassis.

2. The key is a strengthened and reinforced chassis that negates the need for a sub frame.

3. Safety is the key to the new barrel and agitator design

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ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANT FUEL REDUCTIONS. 1

“We are always trying to improve the margin for safety and with trucks there is a huge driver input”

2

GREG GOODCHILD

3

GREG’S MEAT TRANSPORT

“Scania driver training is excellent. A guy who’d been

working here for 26 years did the course and straight off his fuel economy was 10% better.”

So contact your local branch or authorised dealer to find out how a Scania Total Transport Solution can work for your business.

VICTORIA Scania Campbellfield Tel: (03) 9217 3300 Scania Dandenong Tel: (03) 9217 3600 Scania Laverton Tel: (03) 9369 8666 SOUTH AUSTRALIA Scania Wingfield Tel: (08) 8406 0200

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New Model

I FEEL LIKE A NEW MAN German maker MAN has been in the Australian truck market since the 1930s, but has never been more than a niche player. Now the Penske Empire is positioning the brand to take a greater market share with a streamlined model line up and dealer network, better service and a new flagship line-hauler. Editor Allan Whiting (who remembers almost all of the company’s exploits down under) reports on the new MAN. 040 www.truckandbus.net.au

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I

n the 1970s MAN looked like it was headed for greatness Down Under: parcel carrier IPEC and other carriers were buying plenty of its rigids and the MAN 4x4 and 6x6 models were picking up good mining and exploration business.

German expat, Eric Stuelcken, was IPEC’s national equipment manager and he saw the need for semi-trailers in the fast-freight business. IPEC built up a special MAN prime mover named ‘Tiger’ that was intended to show the Europeans what this market needed.

He took out the European powertrain and slotted in a Detroit Diesel 8V92TTA, bolted to an Eaton Roadranger transmission, and presented his creation at the 1980 Sydney Truck Show, where it caused a sensation. With 365hp and 1660Nm on tap the two-stroke ‘Jimmy’ was the leading power-for-weight engine of its time.

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This truck proved its worth for the next three years and clocked up nearly 700,000km, but the lesson was lost on the Germans. That lesson was already understood by Max Winkless, at a fledgling Volvo Australia, pestering the Swedes for Australian-spec’ trucks. Volvo is now Number Two in the Australian market while MAN has struggled to achieve two per cent share.

Both MAN and its German counterpart make, Mercedes insisted for years that their V8 diesels were what the market needed, but Aussie buyers went elsewhere. (The V8 suits short-COE 4x2 European prime movers.) Some 30-odd years later both German truck makers have finally responded with big-bore, in-line sixes for their line-haul prime movers.

The new Actros has been well covered in previous issues of this magazine (and in this one) and now it’s MAN’s turn

Roger’s your MAN On paper and following an inspection and short test drive around the compact circuit at Brisbane’s Mt Cotton test track the new MAN certainly has the goods to challenge the big players in the linehaul market.

The iron is state of the art, but the main hurdles in the way of success are price packaging, dealer activity and aftersales support. To help in these areas the MAN truck range in Australia has been rationalised to five models, replacing the previous 19.

MAN is marketed in Australia by Penske Commercial Vehicles and the press, customer and dealer launch in Australia was spearheaded by the man himself, Roger Penske. Some of the grey-headed Aussie trucking press met Roger before, back in his post-1988 Detroit Diesel days and it’s obvious that this 79-year-old has lost none of the fire in his belly since then.

Roger Penske is a unique truck

distributor, because he’s also one of the largest truck fleet owners in the world, with 244,000 vehicles in his leasing and rental businesses. If there’s a person who appreciates the truck business from the seller’s and the operator’s sides, he’s the man.

Graciously, Roger didn’t dominate the TGX D38 presentation, but his follow-up remarks had a determined note: “The MAN D38 has been engineered for local customers, with their need for economy to the fore.

“I believe that the MAN D38 package from Penske Commercial Vehicles will quickly become an attractive and viable business option, giving our customers the edge they need.”

Roger Penske also had a strong message for the dealer network, stating that much was expected of them. He also indicated that Penske Commercial Vehicles wouldn’t be above opening its own outlets, to boost the number of dealerships across the country.

The TGX D38 After more than 18 months of local research, testing and development, MAN Trucks has released its new TGX D38 truck to the Australian market. The TGX flagship is intended to make MAN a major player in the 15-litre, heavy-duty truck market.

The new 15.2-litre has the goods, with figures of 560 hp (411 kW) and 2700 Nm in the 930-1350rpm band.

This state-of-the-art D3876 engine is an evolution of the D20/D26 series that have proved themselves over millions of kilometres. It features a single overhead camshaft, common-rail injection at up to 2500bar and twin sequential turbochargers.

The high-pressure turbo boosts at low engine revs, with assistance from the low-pressure turbo as revs increase. Aftercooling is achieved by two air-to-coolant intercoolers.

Derived from the separate head and block coolant systems of the D26 the 15.2-litre powerplant has ‘top down’ cooling flow, to maximise heat absorption around the injectors and exhaust valves.

Domed valves are another innovation.

To prevent deformity, convex shaping strengthens the valve face and increases the service life of the valve seating ring.

MAN says this is critical for Euro 6 engines that must maintain stringent emission levels over a prolonged period.

A Turbo Exhaust Valve Brake (TEVB) gas flap has been used for the first time, delivering an impressive retarding capacity of up to 600kW in engine braking mode.

Euro 6 emission-reducing technologies include Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) with AdBlue injection, plus a combination of cooled, high-pressure Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and a CRT closed particulate filter system. The CRT system is said to be a continuous regenerative system and not a DPF filter that requires servicing. MAN is hoping for a 500,000km life from this component.

A two-cylinder air compressor is designed to disengage whenever charging of the air system isn’t needed.

The D38 is said to be one of the lightest engines in its class, weighing 160 kg less than its V8 predecessor, thanks to an aluminium flywheel housing; lightweight, compacted graphite iron engine block and cylinder head; and plastic sump and rocker cover.

There is some commonality of parts with the D20/D26 engines currently in use in Australia.

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Oil drain intervals are scheduled at up to 70,000km in heavy B-Double applications and up to 100,000km in single-trailer applications.

The drivetrain starts with a ZF automated-manual 12-speed Traxion TipMatic2 transmission that has t hree new fuel-saving modes: Idle Speed Driving, Speed-Shifting and Efficient-Roll.

Idle Speed mode enables controlled driving at idle speed and allows the driver to manoeuvre the truck with great precision, making it ideal for working in the tight confines of a transport terminal. The engine maintains around 600rpm, without the driver’s having to press the accelerator. If there is insufficient engine torque the transmission will downshift. For safety, the clutch disengages when the driver presses the brake pedal.

With Speed-Shifting mode, the MAN TipMatic2 upshifts faster between the three highest gears 10, 11 and 12 and rapidly downshifts on inclines to maintain momentum and use less fuel.

Efficient-Roll mode saves fuel by selecting neutral, without engine braking, on slight declines. This allows the truck to travel with the additional momentum gained from the decline.

However, if rolling truck velocity exceeds the permitted speed, the transmission automatically engages the appropriate gear.

Another key technology of the TGX D38 is EfficientCruise GPScontrolled cruise control, which uses

saved topographical map data to ‘read’ gradients on the route.

Following route information input from the driver, MAN EfficientCruise determines optimum speeds for the best fuel consumption. For example, truck speed increases in a pre-determined manner before a hill and then falls marginally so that the truck can coast over the crest at reduced, fuel-saving speed.

Speaking at the launch, Mark Mello, general manager, MAN Truck and Bus Australia, said: “The MAN TGX D38 strikes an excellent balance of capacity and cost efficiency for customers who transport high-gross combination weights.

“We believe these qualities stand operators requiring B-Double and heavyduty applications in Australia in good stead.”

MAN behind the wheel My brief driving stint in a couple of the new TGX D38 prime movers started with a quick walk-around that revealed fine attention to detail.

MAN has had plenty of experience with the harsh Australian environment that shows in nice touches such as cables encased in foam-filled harnesses, to reduce material-fatiguing vibration.

The emissions-after-treatment kit and the muffler were arranged in a single chassis-mounted module and that, plus an 80-litre AdBlue tank, left chassis space for fuel tankage of 1050 litres. That’s a marginal figure for some remote-area operators, but should suit

major highway operators.

Standard rubber was up-spec’ 385/65 Contis at the front and 295/80s on the drive.

Getting in and out of the tall cab wasn’t a problem, thanks to steps that are kept clean behind the door panel and well-placed grab handles.

The MAN TGX D38 cabin was as good as it gets, with a four-spoke, tilt and telescopic, multi-function steering wheel; comfortable, multi-adjustable suspension seats, power windows and mirrors, air conditioning and an excellent audio system.

Ergonomics had been well thought out, with easy-to-read analogue instruments and all switches and controls within easy reach of the driver. A flat centre console held cup holders and there was ample storage.

The sleeper area was typical Euro style, with additional storage, a drop-down upper bunk and a pop-up roof vent. The lower bunk featured an inner spring mattress.

I checked out the Idle Speed function and found it ideal for low-speed manoeuvring, giving the driver easy control going forward or in reverse. The mirrors provided an excellent rear view.

On the track section shift quality was smooth and rapid, and the engine braking program gave strong retardation, with automated downshifts to maximise braking pressure.

Are the new truck and the Penske organisation MAN enough for a huge task? Time will tell.

Now with a competitive engine the big MAN has a chance.

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DRIVING THE PACIFIC IN THE NEW D38 Just a few weeks after the launch event T&TA’s Jon Thomson was given the chance to have a longer steer of the new MAN flagship.

Coupled to a BDouble tautliner set up and grossing 62.4 tonnes we set out early one morning a few days before Christmas to tackle the infamous Pacific on an 720-kilometre test to MAN Aussie HQ in Brisbane.

Facing a myriad of road works as the NSW government pushes belatedly toward a dual carriageway highway, not to mention the fleet of holiday car drivers all seemingly racing to get to their spot on the coast for the festive season, the trip north would be a challenge but not uncomfortable.

The D38 with its 15 litre 560 hp in line six cylinder diesel coupled to the 12 speed automated manual transmission is easy to drive and inside the well insulated and extremely comfortable cab the task of piloting the big MAN is certainly not stressful.

Initially we selected the adaptive Cruise Control and let the truck do the thinking on the first section of freeway north or MAN’s dealership, North Star at Heatherbrae on the outskirts of Newcastle. The challenging hills of the Bulahdelah area are always a challenge for fully laden B Double no matter how much horsepower you have.

The MAN selected gears well and quickly, making decisions just a few microseconds before I would have made them ensuring speed were maintained and reasonable economy was achieved.

In the initial stages up to around Taree running with the adaptive cruise we were averaging around 1.91 km /litre which

was not to be sneezed at.

Then with some advice from my driving partner for the day, Stephen Gibbens, MAN’s national driver training manager we came off the cruise control on hills.

This meant I would button off at the crest of each hill as the trans shifted up into a higher gear and roll into the downward side. With the cruise control on the truck would breast the hill generally to full throttle and carry a bit too much speed into the downward stretch that would require the system to brake on the descent.

In the manual mode there was generally not the need to slow and burn off the energy. The result was an improvement in fuel economy and as we headed to toward the Queensland border, even into the hilly far North Coast the economy climbed above 2km /litre and was really starting to look impressive.

It has to be said that the prime mover was very new and in fact broke through the 2000km mark on the odometer half way up the Pacific. With so few clicks on the clock and such a substantial load on board you have to say the economy was impressive and could only get better. On a less hilly route say across the Paddock to Perth or down the Newell it would climb even further I would have thought. On a flatter run the adaptive cruise control could be used and relied on to give strong fuel economy as well.

Don’t get me wrong, the Adaptive Cruise works terrifically well and I reckon if I was steering this truck all the time I would not hesitate to use it.

Like the similar system on the recently launched Benz Actors this delivers great information and works very well in

traffic, which we found on the run into Macksville where the start of the holiday traffic meant an 8km tailback from the ancient bridge over the Nambucca. The 40 minutes or so negotiating that last 8kays into town demonstrated its benefits at slow speed allowing the driver to steer and let the system keep pace with the crawling pace in absolute safety.

By the time we cruised through the late afternoon traffic the fuel economy had reached 2.1 km /litre, a truly impressive figure and we had completed the 720km trip in absolute comfort and ease in a shade over 10 hours including two stops from brekkie and lunch.

It is the sort of truck that a fleet could depend on to deliver good trip times, good payload, safety, comfort and excellent fuel economy.

MAN just has the task of selling its big banger to the demanding fleets of line haul operators around the country.

Despite a good reputation MAN has not had a record of strong sales down under, so it is up to Roger Penske and his team to turn that around because with this truck they have no excuses!

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Operator

INTO THE WIDE

BLU YONDER

Queensland based milk transport specialist Blu Logistics has focussed on driver training, telematics and high capacity A-Double tankers to improve efficiency, safety and profitability and its fleet of modern trucks is also helping the equation as we found out when we visited the fleet recently.

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1. Blue employs the latest in tanker technology.

2. Blu Logistics director Steve Wastell with one of the company’s high tech tankers

“We started buying Volvos about six years ago and we have had a very good run with them, the service back up has been excellent and that is vital”

1 2

I

n this modern disconnected world when we can walk into the local super market or convenience store and grab a container of fresh milk it’s easy to forget the often long and circuitous route that milk has taken from the farm shed to your morning bowl of cereal.

For Brisbane based dairy logistics company Blu Logistics the task of transporting milk from the farm to the dairy processing plant is something it takes very seriously and these days it involves more than just pumping the milk into the tanker and pumping it out at the other end.

It involves increasing pressure for efficiency, cost effectiveness, on time

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delivery and the need for drivers to test and ‘tag’ all milk they pick up. Its come a long way from the old days when those big aluminium cans sat on the wooden platform at the farm gate waiting to be picked up.

These days milk tanker drivers are part lab technician, part food scientist and part transport operator.

For Steve Wastell, one of the directors of Blu Logistics the increasing responsibilities, documentation and requirements are not a bad thing and actually are an advantage for transport companies that do the right thing.

Blu can trace its origins back to 1969 and

has been providing logistics services in Queensland from Mackay to Brisbane, and west to Mundubbera, the Darling Downs, Toowoomba and Warwick as well as down into Northern NSW, covering Casino and Grafton over that time. In 2014 the company decided to spread its wings and expand into South Australia while also looking at other ‘food grade’ bulk liquid transport opportunities.

Steve Wastell’s background in the truck business goes back to when his father‘s career as a truck driver and specifically running a milk tanker. Steve drove for his father learning all about the milk transport business as it was in those days, but not

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“We are in the business of transporting milk, not fixing trucks”

1

2 1. Each. of the Blu Logistics tankers is equipped with a virtual ‘mini lab’ to analyse milk being picked up from the farm gate as well as taking and storing samp0les of each batch.

2. Steve Wastell says the comp0any has tried a lot of trucks and decided that European and in particular Volvos are the preference.

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before he completed an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic doing his time working on two-stroke Detroits.

“It gave me a great grounding in the industry and taught me an enormous amount about trucks and that has been invaluable in running a transport logistics operation such as Blu,” he said.

The company has successfully pursued accreditation through NHVAS covering Mass management, maintenance management, Trucksafe and Fatigue management.

Today the fleet consists of close to 50 prime movers and more than 60 stainless steel food grade tankers with a staff of

more than 120 drivers.

Currently Blu is primarily a Volvo fleet with 43 of its trucks coming from the Swedish maker, a factor that is largely down to the customer service and contract maintenance Volvo offers.

“We are in the business of transporting milk, not fixing trucks,” said Steve Wastell. “It is simple really, we have tried all sort of trucks, but Volvo offered the best solutions,” he added.

“We have tried American trucks, but they are quite rough by comparison with the Volvos. The Volvos are more comfortable, safer and perform well both on and off road, which is vital given many of our

pick ups are down dirt roads that can be quite demanding on any truck,” he said.

The company operates on a network of fixed runs into dairy farms and out to the dairy processing plants. In all it currently picks up from around 160 farms and has worked hard to increase efficiency by embracing Performance Based Standards (PBS) with new 19 metre and 26 metre A Double tankers produced by Byfords in Victoria. (Readers may remember TTA has covered these Byfords tankers in previous issues.)

The switch up to these new high volume tanker solutions and PBS has meant Blu has been able to significantly improve key

performance indicators, most particularly the litre per kilometre measure bumping that up from around 70litres /km to 100 litres/km using the A Doubles.

“With PBS and the new Byfords A doubles we can haul up to 74.5 tonnes or 47,000 litres of milk on very specific routes, we can’t use it everywhere but it is a big efficiency gain where we can use it,” said Steve.

“The A double rigs tackle two trips a day, but also means we have been able to save one truck and driver out of the equation each day, which is a big saving,” he added.

Blu has to be re-approved for its PBS credentials and approvals take place

every nine months and has a range of obligations and requirements to meet, which according to Steve Wastell are all good and essential requirements for running a modern milk tanker operation.

“We use full telematics using NAVMAN systems on every truck with real time tracking and use onboard mass monitoring to know exactly how much each truck weighs at any time or any place on its route,” said Steve.

“As I said we cannot deviate from our approved PBS route at all so it is essential that we track every metre a truck travels and keep a record of that,” he said.

The company also employs Dynafleet

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driver training and we actively engages its drivers to improve their performance and efficiency.

“We look at such things as anticipation and braking and record all results with drivers who achieve or better a set standard receiving a gift card as an added incentive.

“Drivers who don’t achieve the standard receive added driver training and the performance of all our drivers has improved greatly as a result of the policies,” he added.

“We have also been targeting a different style of driver, generally older drivers with some life experience and those we can teach how to do it properly,” Steve added.

All Blu Logistics trucks carry onboard cameras for tracking driver performance but also for chain of responsibility issues and to protect against vexatious and spurious claims by car drivers who see transport companies as a potential target.

“The cameras provide a record that proves what happened in any incident on the road, in fact we had a fatality in 2015 which turned out to be a car driver committing suicide by driving into our truck at 140km/h, it was dreadful but it removes any doubt about the performance of our drivers,” he added.

As mentioned the Blu Logistics drivers have to fulfill more than just a driving role, analysing the milk they pick up from farms to ensure it meets the appropriate standards before it is pumped in to the tanks.

“When we pick up the milk at the farm we have 12 hours to get the load to the processing plant and apart from that the drivers test each load from each farm, taking samples to determine, butter fat, protein and bacteria count, while the milk has to be below 5 deg. Celsius at pick up and has to pass a visual check as well,” said Steve.

All of the samples the drivers take are labeled and then kept securely in a cold box for later analysis and back up. To better enable drivers to complete the sample taking each truck is being fitted with a high technology computer analysis system in a compartment5 at the back of the trailer.

“This testing and analysis is vital and part of our responsibilities these days and that’s why I say our drivers are part lab technician, part food scientist, part driver,” laughs Steve.

Maximising the efficiency of the fleet is also about ensuring optimum usage and to do this Blu uses a rotating roster of three drivers per truck with each driver working three days on and three off with each truck running both day and night shifts, each day. The need to keep the milk flowing from farm to factory means it is unrelenting.

“The cows don’t stop and the farmers have to keep milking them everyday so we have to keep transporting it, it never stops.

The Blu fleet comprises mostly Volvo FM540 prime movers, which is currently

the truck of choice, while it also features Volvo FM 460 and 500s as well. The company is currently running six FM540s ‘We started buying Volvos about six years ago and we have had a very good run with them, the service back up as I say has been excellent and that is vital,” said Steve.

Along with the majority of Volvos the company is also giving a couple of Scanias a run on the fleet but Steve said it was a bit early to pass judgment on the European counterparts.

“We generally keep our trucks on fleet for four years and about 900,000km before replacing them with new trucks and we keep our tankers on fleet for about 15 years,” Steve says.

In recent times Blu has looked to exploit some lulls in milk production during the autumn and winter to deploy its vehicles to cart canola oil, wine and a variety of other food grade liquids.

“We have had a couple of tankers employed on canola oil based out of Adelaide and we are looking at that situation as a way of diversifying and we can do that because our tankers are multi-purpose and able to be tasked across a variety of different commodities,” Steve added.

So next time you grab that two-litre bottle of milk from the fridge at the supermarket spare a thought for the journey it has travelled and the likes of Blu Logistics who get that delicious white liquid from the farm to the bottle.

“The cows don’t stop and the farmers have to keep milking them everyday so we have to keep transporting it, it never stops”

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Late in 2016 Mercedes Benz quietly slipped a tray back version of its tough as nails off roader, the G-Wagon onto the Aussie market T&TA editor Allan Whiting managed to slip behind the wheel of a pre-production for an exclusive report.

T

G WHIZZ! 054 www.truckandbus.net.au

he Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen or as it is more easily labelled, the G Wagon was originally designed as a German Army vehicle, displacing the VW Iltis and the first civilian version was produced back in 1979.

M-B has had three goes at selling the Gelandewagen in Australia, as short and long wheelbase wagons and has only ever managed to sell it in microscopic numbers. It’s always been too expensive in this market and has traditionally been powered by either an asthmatic diesel or thirsty petrol engine.

It’s not clear to us what MercedesBenz was thinking when it decided to re-introduce the Gelandewagen to the Australian 4WD wagon market in 2010. The company’s two previous efforts in the 1980s and 1990s proved unsuccessful and the two models recently on offer were at stratospheric price levels.

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The ‘base’ G350 vehicle was powered

by M-B’s aluminium-block BlueTEC, 3.0-litre V6 diesel, with 155kW and 540Nm, driving through a seven-speed, 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission to coil-sprung live axles front and rear with full-time 4WD. Diff locks were fitted to the transfer case differential and both axles. At $163,900 in 2016 the vehicle was in Range Rover territory, or nearly twice what you’d pay for a LandCruiser 200 Series.

But there was more: the G55 AMG version, powered by a 5.4-litre petrol V8 with 373kW and 700Nm could be yours for a mere $233,900!

All that money could possibly be justified if the fit and finish and the inclusions were even a tenth of what’s de rigueur in all other 4WD wagons these days, or if the powertrain was matched to class-competitive chassis dynamics, but they were not.

The G-Wagon was crude and illequipped and its coil-sprung live axles front and rear couldn’t deliver the on-road behaviour that even bargain-basement 4WD wagons have these days.

We drove the previous-model AMG version in Germany a few years back and the flat-faced G-Wagon felt really weird at anything over 160km/h on the autobahn – it was no high-speed cruiser.

Sure, the G-Wagon was unbeatable off-road, but who was going to risk damaging such an expensive machine to prove that point?

However, all may not be lost. The G-Wagon models Mercedes-Benz successfully tendered to the Australian Army were tray-back derivatives. The Army has now taken delivery of 1200 4WD and 6WD G-Wagons.

It must have dawned on someone at Mercedes-Benz HQ in Victoria that there may be a commercial market for a trayback G-Wagon, whose old-fashioned cab and ‘square-rigged’ chassis may actually be assets.

We’ve been telling them that for years – as well as suggesting they might make even a half-hearted effort with the Sprinter 4WD.

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On and off road

G-Professional Our reasoning is that the moniker ‘Professional’ prepares prospective buyers to shell out plenty for what is a workhorse, but not a cheap one. The RRP is still around $120,000.

Now, before you discount that as excessive, take a look at the specifications.

For a start, the G-Professional has 4.5 tonnes GVM, with a front axle rating of 2.2 tonnes and a rear axle rating of 2.8 tonnes. Tare weight is 2.26 tonnes, giving the G-Professional a payload capacity of 2.24 tonnes: around twice that of most utes.

The G-Professional sits on a 3400mm wheelbase that makes it easy to mount a 2.4-metre-long tray. This wheelbase length ensures that front and rear axles share the payload, unlike the short wheelbases prevalent in the Australian ute market that almost guarantee rear axle overloading at GVM. The wheelbase length provides space for twin spare wheel storage, horizontally on

each side of the vehicle, between frame and tray, and also space for the exhaust pipe to emerge in front of the LHS rear wheel..

The frame is a boxed ladder design, with heavy duty coil springs at all four corners and live axles front and rear. Braking is by discs up front and drums, rear.

Wheels are as fitted to Australia Army G-Wagons: aluminium spoked one-piece 7.5J16s, shod with BFG 265/75R6 A/T LT tyres A tow bar is standard and, while the tow rating is only 2.2 tonnes, the bar looks strong enough to haul eight! Huge, redpainted recovery points are fitted front and rear.

The pre-production vehicle also sported the same ‘roo bar as fitted to the Australian Army G-Wagons and a Warn winch with steel-wire cable.

This single-cab vehicle was powered by the three-litre aluminium-head-and-block Mercedes-Benz V6 diesel, de-rated to around 135kW and 400Nm. The standard transmission is a five-speed, torque converter automatic box, driving

through a two-speed transfer case, with 2.1:1 low-range ratio.

The 4WD system is full time, with membrane push switch control of low and high range.

This combination of an auto box and full-time 4WD is unique in the heavy ute market.

As with all G-Wagons the Professional cab-chassis has a centre differential lock and across-axle locks in both axles.

The cab is squeezy for two and is as basic as they come: wind-up windows; no cup holders; no centre console; no floor coverings; only two SRS airbags and simple slide controls for a ventilation system that did include air conditioning.

What looks like a centre console is a sealed housing for the electronics.

Our favourite interior touch is a pair of removable floor plugs – like grandma’s bath plug – that you can pull up to let creek water drain out.

The fuel tank has 96-litre capacity and two 12-volt batteries are fitted. A tyre pressure monitoring system is standard.

If the cab has a stripped-out look the same can’t be said for an engine bay that’s as full as a fat person’s sock. Critical components are mounted as high up as possible and the location of some kit has dictated a small bonnet bulge that’s also evident on the Australian Army vehicles.

In any assessment of whether the G-Professional is reasonable value for money it’s important to consider that it’s a standard package.

To bring a LandCruiser 79 Series to G-Wagon level you’d need to option air conditioning, the factory diff locks and tow bar, then pay for a wheelbase extension, stronger springs and shocks and a GVM upgrade. Additionally, you’d need an automatic transmission conversion and a rear axle-track widening job or a replacement Dana rear axle.

Guess what that all that totals: 110 grand.

Of course, a cheaper option to both the G-Professional and an upgraded LandCruiser 79 is the Iveco Daily 4x4 that comes with even more payload capacity and better off-road gearing.

We managed only a short dirt-road drive and some rock climbing in an unladen G-Professional and with 40psi up front and 35psi in the rear the ride was quite firm. The springs seem to be designed for a permanent load.

The steering was very heavy, despite power assistance and the turning circle was wide.

Performance from the de-rated V6 diesel was excellent and shift quality, superb. The lever could be flicked for up and down manual shifts, when required.

There was the occasional gurgle from the A-pillar-mounted snorkel, but otherwise cab noise levels were very low.

Forward vision was excellent, thanks to a high-set driving position and rear vision was fine, through an interior mirror and two door-mounted, swing-away mirrors – manually adjustable, of course.

The vinyl-covered seats were quite supportive and had sufficient adjustment for drivers up to two-metres in height.

Tallies and fatties might have some space issues.

Our off-road evaluation was done on slippery, muddy trails and over steep rock shelves. The G-Wagon took all in its stride.

The shift from high range to low and back again could be done at walking speed, with the transmission in neutral.

The centre diff lock and across-axle locks worked quickly after each pressurepad switch was pushed. The switches are numbered one to three, in the desired sequence of centre then rear then front locks, but the switches aren’t stacked in that sequence, for some odd reason.

In summary, the Mercedes-Benz G-Professional is a rugged, wellproportioned cab-chassis with excellent performance, load carrying capacity and off-road ability. It lacks much of the equipment that todays’ ute buyers expect, but will appeal to the well-heeled who want strength without frills.

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RANGER TOM Some running changes have enhanced Ford’s star ute, the Ranger and sharpened its attack on the market leading Toyota HiLux. We take a look at the running changes and ponder whether the Aussie designed pick up can better the dominant HiLux in the sales race.

I

ts clear that the Ranger pick up has been one of the shining lights of Ford’s at times dismal sales performance in the Australian market over the past few years.

In fact utes, and in particular one tone pick up style utes like the Ranger, have been the sales stars of the entire market with the benefit of lower fringe benefits tax commitment, practicality for leisure activities and cross over between work and play with plenty of creature comforts, quietness and comfort making them an attractive option for many.

Ford, conscious of its diminishing traction in the passenger car market, has made some running changes to the Ranger, a vehicle designed here in Australia but built in the company’s Thai manufacturing plant. With Toyota’s HiLux still the dominant player in the market Ford needed to make the changes to keep Ranger in sight of its Toyota rival. In 2016 Toyota sold 31776 HiLux 4x4 and 11028 4x2 models, while Ford sold 30880 4x4 Rangers and 6054 4x2s.

In the updated Ranger, Ford has introduced updates including a six speed automatic to partner the superb 3.2 litre five cylinder turbo diesel in the 4x4 XL Super Cab Chassis which used to have just a six speed manual.

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Significantly rear parking-sensors and a reversing camera for all XL and XLS pickup models is now standard making it not only better for safety but also for towing with the reverse camera making trailer hook up so much easier. Previously the rear view camera was standard only on the fancy Wildtrak model but an $1100 option on XLT grade utes.

Both the XLT and high end Wildtrak get Ford’s very good SYNC 3, infotainment system with improved graphic interface, voice recognition as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity.

The Wildtrak now gets adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert, automatic high beam control, lane assist, lane departure warning, and driver impairment monitoring all as standard, all once option features in the Tech Pack.

Toyota is still king of the heap with HiLux but ranger has closed the gap as mentioned before and is the best alternative to HiLux and as at the end of February the Ranger 4x4 had outsold HiLux 4x4 across the first two months of 2017. HiLux is outselling Ranger in 4x2 by a factor of two to one but overall Ranger trails by just 553 units, hardly the comfortable margin Toyota once enjoyed.

The new innovations combined with Ranger’s excellent towing capability has

helped continue the Ford momentum.

Whether it can capture HiLux is yet to be seen.

Ranger is by far the most important component in Ford’s portfolio, totally virtually half of the brand’s sales.

TT&A will have a full road test on the updated Ranger in coming issues , however we can tell you that the latest updates make the Ranger a very enjoyable, comfortable and accomplished 4x4 pick up and one we would gladly take just about anywhere.

Ford’s dilemma is that a lot of its eggs are the Ranger basket. If there is a supply interruption or a production glitch in in Thailand and Ranger stock problems will cause Ford Australia some headaches. However until then Ford is hoping more and more Aussies will want to buy its Ranger ‘eggs’ and perhaps enable it to catch Toyota in the all important ute market.

t r o p s TranTransport NALS OFESSIO ICLE PR AL VEH MMERCI CO & NSPORT AD TRA FOR RO FOR ROAD TRANSPORT & COMMERCIAL VEH ICLE PROFESSIONALS u us.net.a ckandb www.tru Feb /Mar 2016 7 Issue 10

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Company Car

GRAND CHEROKEE

NO RESERVATIONS

S

Beset by quality problems and its US image the Jeep Grand Cherokee is really a very capable and attractive alternative in the luxury SUV market as we found out with a recent road test.

060 www.truckandbus.net.au

o you bought a Jeep? Or so the advertising line goes, it has been a boon for the American brand that’s origins were in the original off road machine, the US Army Jeep from WWII. Jeep has come a long way since the days of 1939-45 and through conflicts in Korea in Vietnam when the familiar image of the bare bones Army Jeeps pounded their way across our TV and movie screens.

In fact Jeep is celebrating its 75th birthday and the heritage of the brand is being played out around the world. It is an important heritage and the credentials are something many other SUV brands would die for. Jeep has suffered from some quality issues in recent times but appears to be rebuilding its reputation and in testing the latest model we felt quality and finish were very good. It may be different living with it day to day but on face value it feels more Euro than US from behind the wheel.

Today’s Grand Cherokee is a refined and very impressive SUV that is at home in the cut and thrust of city traffic as it is on the trail.

The Grand Cherokee is very important to

Jeep and its parent company Fiat Chrysler as the whole world has fallen in love with the SUV concept and everyone seems to want to have at least the image of off roading in their lives, even if the only dirt they ever see is the gravel car park down at the beach.

With the lead by Jeep’s long time British rival Land Rover, expectations have been raised and high-end SUVs need off road credentials along with the luxury and comfort that buyers are demanding.

With the latest Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Jeep has toughened up the exterior and off road cred without diminishing its luxury interior. Outside designers have toughened up the Grand Cherokee removing modesty of the bright work and chrome using contrasting darker tones along with new alloy wheels and new Kevlar reinforced Goodyear Adventure off-road tyres.

They have also added tough rock rails along the sills along with some skid plates protecting vulnerable underside components.

Getting the Jeep’s drive to the ground is Jeep’s Quadra-Drive II 4WD system using an electronically controlled Limited

Slip Diff at the rear. As well there is a special version of Jeep’s Quadra-Lift air suspension and Selec-Speed Control with hill-ascent and hill-descent.

The current Grand Cherokee has the benefit of sitting on an evolution of Mercedes Benz ML platform, a legacy of the one time joint venture/merger with the Daimler organization so its ride comfort, handling and overall drivability are excellent The addition of the top of the line SRT seats inside the cabin along with attractive black leather and suede trim with red accent stitching and brushed black gunmetal finish makes the interior a real sanctuary of civilization and place as much at home at Valet parking as it is on to of the Great Dividing Range.

The Grand Cherokee is built largely for US buyers so comfort is the key and naturally there are plenty of cupholders, four in fact along with four bottle holders and a plethora of storage around the cabin.

There are other nice touches like heated front and rear leather trimmed seats, a pair of USB ports and air vents for rear seat passengers, LED lighting throughout.

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GRAVEL ROADS

AUSTRALIA COMING SOON!

Fiat Chrysler’s U-Connect entertainment system with its 8.4-inch touch screen with updated off-road pages that relay information like wheel articulation, suspension height and Selec-Terrain modes.

Three engines are available in the standard Grand Cherokee from the base model excellent Pentastar 3.6-liter petrol V-6 with 220kW on tap up to the hugely enjoyable 5.7-liter V-8 with a massive 270 kW available. The most sensible and efficient engine however is the torquey and flexible three litre turbodiesel V-6, with a massive 570 Nm of torque at

062 www.truckandbus.net.au

2000rpm. It achieves up to 7.8 l/100km on the highway with a range of up to 1100km. All three engines have the latest technology, smooth shifting eight speed automatic from ZF for some of the most pleasant and seamless shifts around.

The oiler makes sense for anyone wanting to head off-road as well as making sense at the fuel station.

The engine works terrifically well giving huge amounts of urge and when coupled with low range in the transfer case it feels like it could pull the Queen Mary into its berth.

The ride is smooth and very accomplished, as we mentioned, thanks partly to those impeccable manners traced to its Daimler lineage. It is smooth, quiet, well damped; the steering is well weighted and precise.

Off road the electronic selection gives a number of different modes that allow you to select the best traction program for the terrain you are tackling at any given time. No matter which way you cut it the Cherokee is a very capable performer when heading off the tarmac, whether you want to let the car do the thinking or make decisions yourself.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a great looking, sophisticated and smooth SUV that can hold its one with any competitor and that includes the Land Rover The cabin is richly furnished with marvelous textures and materials and a great layout and design even on the basic models and as we say is fully competitive with other models carrying luxury badges.

Its well worth consideration and certainly wouldn’t feel like a derogatory question if someone asks that over used question, “You bought a Jeep?”

AN ALL NEW MAGAZINE AIMED SQUARELY AT BUILDING AND MAINTAINING GRAVEL ROADS IN THIS COUNTRY

WELCOME TO GRAVEL ROADS AUSTRALIA AN ALL-NEW niche publication will be hitting your desk in early 2016 when Gravel Roads Australia arrives on the scene.

Gravel roads make up almost 66 per cent of the nation’s road network with close to 600,000 kms of unsealed thoroughfares across this wide brown land. Many have low traffic volumes while others are vital arteries providing access to some of our most valuable resource assets.

Building and maintaining our unsealed road network is a major industry in itself with Local Govt, Civil Contractors, Mining Companies, Forestry, Farmers and a myriad of others all

involved in ensuring these vital routes are available to industry and travellers alike.

successful transport website, www.truckandbus.net.au.

Now, for the first time, this sector will have its own journal featuring interesting stories about road construction practices, new equipment, case studies, planned projects and new techniques - in fact anything that involves the building and maintaining of gravel roads.

Gravel Roads Australia will feature great writers with features and news produced by some of the best journalists in Australia with high quality photography and design.

Gravel Roads Australia will be a high quality 64-page publication, produced four times a year by Grayhaze Publishing, publisher of Transport & Trucking Australia and Coach and Bus magazine as well as the highly

The first edition will be published in March 2016 and then in June, September and December each year. The magazine will be direct mailed to more than 3000 Local Govt Works Officers, Civil Contractors, Transport Operators, Machinery Dealers and Manufacturers as well as Mining Companies.

For advertising please contact: Grayhaze Publishing 02 9938 6408 admin@transportandtruckingtoday.com.au - ads@transportandtruckingtoday.com.au www.truckandbus.net.au 063

MONEY MATTERS PAUL CLITHROE WORK ON YOUR DEBT AND PLAN AHEAD

F

ew things are harder than admitting you’re struggling with debt, but help is at hand.

I recently attended the launch of the National Debt Helpline, a service funded by federal and state governments, which has the potential to turn around the fortunes of Australians weighed down by runaway debt.

We are collectively carrying more debt than ever before – at a time when wages growth is the slowest in decades. It’s not a great combination. On top of this, interest rates are at historic lows but it’s unlikely they’ll stay that way forever.

If rates start to climb, it’s a fair bet a growing number of households will feel the financial pinch.

To be fair, our home loans represent a significant chunk of household debt. If you can manage your loan repayments, this type of debt is not a problem as a well-located home will rise in value over time, and at some stage you’ll own the place debt-free.

cards. That could mean facing a debt of $10,000 or more at interest of around 18% (by the way, the highest card rate on the market is a whopping 24.5%).

Looked at in this light it’s easy to see how disastrous this sort of debt can be.

If you feel debt is getting the better of you, it’s worth giving the National Debt Hotline a call on 1800 007 007 (James Bond fans will have no trouble remembering the number!). Not only is this a free service, you won’t be sold additional loans as a way of paying off your current debts, or be steered towards complex debt arrangements that can seriously tarnish your credit record.

Admitting you’re sinking in debt is never easy but it’s better to take positive action today than allow it to overwhelm you.

Researchers in Britain have found people could manage their money better if they planned ahead for both the good – and bad – events in life.

It turns out the Brits often plan for

Regular saving is the best way to build up a buffer against life’s curve balls.

Everyone’s situation and ability to save is different, so it’s important to find an approach that’s right for you and your household.

If you earn enough to set a little aside each month that’s great. Think about asking the boss to deposit a portion of your salary directly into a nominated savings account instead of your everyday account. Or set up your own electronic transfer to coincide with pay days.

Unless your finances are very tight, chances are, after a few months you won’t miss it, but this sort of regular savings can grow to a decent balance, even if you start small and increase the amount with time.

I understand that for low income earners, saving presents a particular challenge. If household finances are already stretched to make ends meet then saving is difficult. But in my experience, we can almost always find areas where

“in my experience, we can almost always find areas where spending can be trimmed” The type of debt that tends to land people in financial hot water is ‘have it now’ debt. I’m talking about credit cards, store debt and payday loans that let us buy more stuff we often don’t need, and which certainly doesn’t rise in value.

Australians owe a total of $35 billion on their credit cards. And while we are using debit cards a lot more these days, the purchases made on credit cards tend to be big ticket items. The average credit card purchase is $120 compared to just $50 for debit card buys. So, it only takes a handful of big purchases to rack up a four-figure card balance.

Now, you could say that compared to the balance of our home loans, the average card debt of $3,100 isn’t worth worrying about. The trouble is, surprisingly few people have just one credit card. It turns out close to one in five cardholders have three or more

the good things - like buying a home or starting a family. But far fewer people plan for difficult events because they don’t believe, or don’t like to believe that those setbacks could happen to them.

It’s a fair bet many Australians take the same approach. Understandably, no one likes to think about negative events impacting our life, but many of us share common money worries based on ‘what ifs’.

A survey by Finder for instance, found 58% of us worry about being able to afford a surprise expense such as a medical emergency. That’s equivalent to 10.5 million adults who believe they may not cope financially with an unforeseen event. Two out of five people also worry about losing their job.

The thing is, it is possible to enjoy life’s milestones while also navigating any millstones. The key is to have a pool of emergency funds.

spending can be trimmed. Take a close look at where your money is going to see where you could cut back. The internet makes it easy to shop around on fixed costs like power bills, phone and internet plans to see if you could get a better deal and enjoy savings this way.

Be sure to check too that your personal insurance cover – including income protection insurance, is sufficient to protect you and your family if the unexpected occurred. This is an area where many workers tend to be underinsured, based on the assumption ‘it won’t happen to me’ but unfortunately it can – and sometimes does. So it pays to be prepared.

Paul Clitheroe is a founding director of financial planning firm ipac, Chairman of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board and chief commentator for Money Magazine. Visit www.paulsmoney. com.au for more information.

Renault MASTER

Always delivers

When it comes to safety and practicality, the Renault Master Van always delivers. It sets the standard for easy parking and deliveries with rear camera and sensors as standard, while front and side driver and passenger airbags ensure your crew is well looked after. When it comes to keeping your business running, the Master Van keeps on delivering with a 3 year/200,000km warranty and 24/7 roadside assist Australia-wide for the length of your warranty. If you’re looking for a van that always delivers, upgrade to Europe’s No. 1 van range, visit Renault.com.au