Transport & Trucking Australia issue 109 by Transport Publishing Australia

Transport FOR ROAD TRANSPORT & COMMERCIAL VEHICLE PROFESSIONALS

& Trucking Australia

www.truckandbus.net.au Issue 109 Jun/Jul 2016

$8.95 incl. GST

TOUCH DOWN IN TUNLAND FOTON’S IMPRESSIVE CUMMINS POWERED UTE

SINGLE MINDED WE PUT THE LATEST IVECO STRALIS THROUGH ITS PACES ISSN 2206-1495

9 772206 149005 >

HOPKINS TRANSPORT SHOWS WAY IN POULTRY TRANSPORT - INSIDE KENWORTH’S LOCAL PRODUCTION FACILITY - BIG MACKS WITH THE LOT - DIAL HINO FOR EMERGENCY

NEW ISUZU F SERIES.

THE PRIDE OF

THE INTELLIGENT TRUCK NO MATTER WHAT YOU NEED A MEDIUM SIZED TRUCK FOR, YOUR FLEET WILL BE LOT

PICK WHEN YOU NEED A MIX OF POWER,

Plus there’s our new 5.2 litre four cylinder two-stage

ECONOMY AND EASE OF USE.

turbo charged intercooled engine, available in two

Engines include a new, no-nonsense 7.8 litre

variants producing 154kW/210PS and 177kW/240PS.

MORE SHIPSHAPE WITH THE ADDITION OF A

six cylinder direct injection diesel with a maintenance

There are also a number of transmissions

NEW ISUZU F SERIES. WITH A WHOLE HOST OF

- free Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) emission

available, including our new Torque Converter

INTELLIGENT FEATURES, THEY’RE THE PERFECT

management system that produces 191kW/260PS.

Automated Manual Transmission (TC-AMT). This

Body and accessories available at extra cost. F•S•A/ISZ10715

ANY FLEET.

makes the F Series even more responsive and

package of safety features, and three years 24/7

To find out which one’s right for you, head

smoother off the mark for a more effortless drive.

Roadside Assist that means you’ll never be left

to isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu

high and dry.

Truck Dealer.

Rounding out the package are touches like ISRI air suspension driver’s seats, our super-smart,

And with over 85 models, including our biggest

telematics-ready Digital Audio Visual Equipment

ever two-pedal range, there’s sure to be an F Series

(DAVE) with sat-nav as standard, a comprehensive

that will float your boat.

Transport

CONTENTS

FOR ROAD TRANSPORT & COMMERCIAL VEHICLE PROFESSIONALS

& Trucking Australia

16 CONTACT DETAILS PO Box 35 Lindfield, NSW, 2070 www.truckandbus.net.au admin@transportand Enquiries 02 9938 6408

FEATURES

SINGLE MINDED

LOCAL BOY MADE GOOD

DIAL H FOR EMERGENCY

VW GETS TRUCKING SERIOUS

THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews Follow us on Facebook at Truck and Bus Australia Editor in Chief Allan Whiting nofibspublishing@bigpond.com Features & Technical Editor David Meredith dvm@bigpond.com.au Art Director Luke Melbourne www.groeningdesigns.com.au Advertising Sales Paul Franks Mob: 0419 149 358 pfranks@mshmedia.com.au

Editorial Contributors Barry Flanagan, Mark Bean, Howard Shanks, Glenn Torrens

T&TA editor Allan Whiting climbed behind the wheel of Iveco’s latest Stralis iteration powered by the Cursor II engine for a test and found that It’s a formidable single-trailer combination.

While the local car industry is about to shut down, local truck manufacturing seems to be going from strength to strength. We took a visit recently to Paccar’s Australian production facility in Melbourne to see the impressive operation.

Regional Emergency Service volunteers often have to respond to isolated areas in quick time to help rescue their fellow human beings. We take a look at what goes into an SES truck at a Tasmanian rescue base

With troubles in its car making operations courtesy of the diesel emissions scandal Volkswagen is getting serious about heavy trucks, with what could be a seismic shift in the global heavy vehicle market as Jon Thomson investigates.

Tamworth based Hopkins Transport has made a name for itself becoming one of Australia’s most successful and forward thinking poultry transporters, with necessity hatching innovation allowing them to stay ahead of the game.

BIG MACKS WITH THE LOT

Brisbane based transport company S&G has re-embraced the Big Macks and some Volvos after a fraught period with another brand. We visited the diversified operation to take a look at how they do it.

TOUCH DOWN IN TUNLAND

Editor Allan Whiting reckons the Foton Tunland may be the ute market’s best-kept secret and he’s had a taste of what’s to come in 2017.

OUT ON THE TEXAS TUNDRA

JUST HORSING AROUND

US pick-ups have a small but loyal following in Australia with companies like Performax importing and converting the big American ‘Utes’. We grabbed Billy Bob and slid behind the wheel of the big V8 Toyota Tundra for a road test

We slip behind the wheel of the latest version of Ford’s classic Pony Car, the Mustang and discover a surprising and pleasant convertible sports car even with the four cylinder turbo as Jon Thomson reports.

Transport & Trucking Australia is published under licence by Grayhaze Pty. Ltd. 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). 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

34 DEPARTMENTS

BACK TRACKS Musings from the Editor

HIGHWAY 1

News and info from all over

MONEY

Paul’s latest advice on finances

hino.com.au

WITH OVER 300,000 TOWS PER ANNUM, THAT’S RELIABILITY YOU CAN COUNT ON.

XAVIER_HINO34915_0516

Mark Beveridge, Operations Manager, Nationwide Towing & Transport

For Nationwide Towing & Transport being Australia’s No.1 means successfully completing over 1,000 tows and vehicle transports per day. It means towing and transporting a staggering array of cargo including cars, trucks, boats, vans, buses, caravans, motorcycles, forklifts, excavators, generators, sheds, containers and much more. It also means stacking your fleet with over 150 Hino 300, 500 and 700 series trucks. So why do they rely so heavily on Hino? “A significant amount of our work is in the emergency services space so our paramount consideration is reliability. That’s everything in our business, and Hino simply delivers.”

HINO. DELIVERING RELIABILITY, FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT.

BACK TRACKS ALLAN WHITING Stop it or you’ll go blind

oys and girls love to play around, don’t they? Especially the boys. They buy a perfectly good vehicle and can’t help wanting to ‘tweak’ it. You know the sort of thing I’m talking about. Before emissions gear was attached to truck diesels the common fiddle was a ‘screwdriver tune up’ to get more fuel injected, drainpipe exhaust stacks with no mufflers and maybe a bigger turbo and even an LPG cylinder behind the cab, for a little extra poke on steep grades. Another popular add-on was the original Franz bypass oil filter. This chromed tube held a number of dunny rolls and really cool guys had a four-stacker. Yet another fad was the ‘sticky foam’ air cleaner. The idea with this was that you worked sticky oil into an open-pore foam element and replaced your paper air cleaner with it. Old timers shook their heads, because they could remember oil-bath air cleaners. It didn’t take long for the foam air cleaner to get discredited as a truck air cleaner: it was a high-maintenance item and when it dried out it didn’t pull dust from the incoming air. It failed ‘open’ where a paper filter failed ‘closed’. Also, sticky oil migrated up the inlet manifold and made a right old mess, especially in turbocharged engines. When speed limiting came along, it provided yet another well-documented challenge for the tweakers. Fiddling has mostly gone these days from

the heavy truck scene, thanks to complicated and interconnected engine-transmission electronics, multiple emissions hardware and software, on-board diagnostics, speed cameras and extended engine warranties. Who wants to risk non-warranted engine failure by fitting so-called ‘go-fasts’? Truck mods these days seem mainly confined to cab bling, chromed stacks and air cleaners, polished wheels and hundreds of LEDs. The focus of fiddling has shifted to the turbo-intercooled diesel ute. The once wellpopulated petrol V8 hot-up scene is rapidly adopting turbo-diesels and money-makers are there in their hundreds to exploit the situation. Only a few years ago a diesel ute wasn’t cool: it was utilitarian. However, now that some are producing the sort of power and torque we used to think was adequate for a four-axle, spread-bogie semi-combination running at 32 tonnes, utes have cred’. Even better, they’ve been styled to look ‘muscular’, as the press kits keep saying, so they look the part as well. Real-cool utes are RHD-converted North American brands and owning one bestows maximum cred. Ute makers who thought the more-thanample standard power and torque figures of 21st-century turbo-diesel utes would satisfy the new breed of ute owners just didn’t understand the passion for fiddling. In no time we had a wide choice of after-

market performance chips and the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) blank-off. All these void engine warranty, of course and are probably illegal from an emissions ADR angle. I say ‘probably illegal’ with some surety, because an EGR blank-off certainly sends NOx emissions through the roof and I’ve asked several chip makers to verify that fitting one doesn’t alter ADR emissions compliance. None wants to go there, but then neither did some VW diesel engineers… The latest ‘must-have’ is an oil ‘catch can’. Catch cans also void engine warranty, because they’re an interference with the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. They probably affect emissions as well. Oil catch cans are being sold as ‘necessary’ to collect excess oil from the PCV system. The excess oil may have something to do with excessive blow-by caused by the much higher combustion chamber pressure caused by fitting a chip. Leave your ute engine alone: stop playing with it right now, before you go blind… In this issue I’ve had a play with the 2017 Foton Tunland ute pre-production model and the latest Stralis. Also, while in other stories we look at where VW may be heading in the Heavy Commercial market on a global basis, we feature some interesting operator stories and all of the usual Transport & Trucking regulars. Until next issue take it easy.

Australia’s Most Reliable Fleet Powered by Australia’s Most Reliable Oil Jim Pearson Transport is highly renowned for its professionalism and commitment to moving large quantities of freight between Brisbane and Sydney. As one of Australia’s leading large volume goods transporter, premier vehicle maintenance is no option. Hi-Tec Oils give Jim Pearson Transport the peace of mind of reliability and performance. To speak to our friendly staff about switching to Hi-Tec Oils. Contact us on 1300 796 009

www.hi-tecoils.com.au

highway 1 ALL THE LATEST NEWS AN

D VIEWS FROM ACROSS TH

BATTLE FOR REFUSE TRUC K MARKET / LIMITED EDITIO N STRALIS / VOLVO GETS BEHIND

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PILBARA HEAVYHAULAGE GIRLS

/ DENNIS ADDS SOME ME NACE TO PENSKE

WASTE NOT WANT NOT Euro makers refuse to let Acco have the rubbish market to itself WASTE SEEMS TO be the new trend amongst truck makers in the Australian market, we don’t mean corporate profligacy but rather a focus on rubbish trucks with a plethora of new models aimed at the waste market coming from leading brands. The reigning king of garbage in Australia, Iveco’s aged but well developed Acco continues to be the dominant force in the market and with the facelift that came in 2015 it seems to have a new lease on life. For a truck that can trace its origins back to the late 1950s or early 60s the Acco still has plenty of fans out there with price, simplicity and familiarity playing a key role in its success. With a focus on garbage at the recent Melbourne Truck Show Volvo took the opportunity to launch its new Euro 6 FE along with a new road safety campaign to protect children as pedestrians around trucks. Vice president of Volvo Trucks Australia Mitch Peden said the FE has been designed and adapted locally in consultation with leading Australian waste management companies. A wider windscreen and extra side mirrors provides the FE Dual Control with strong visibility. The company says the new Dual Control will take on the

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Australian market with a cleaner, quieter and more efficient waste truck. “The new truck has improved driver ergonomics and most importantly, features Volvo’s world class safety and technological innovations, including forward collision warning, along with the latest electronically controlled rear air suspension and emergency braking as standard on the 6x4 model,” said Mitch Peden. The dual control system was developed locally for picking up bins along with the confidence to drive at higher speeds on a highway in a right hand drive position. Volvo paired the launch of the FE dual control waste industry model with the launch of its campaign to improve the safety for Australia’s most vulnerable pedestrians – our children. The new classroom safety campaign called Stop Look Wave is being rolled out nationally in a bid to better prepare kids for the road environment and make drivers aware of children around the truck. Meanwhile at Daimler the new Mercedes Econic was launched a month earlier at the start of April. The low cab Econic has the Acco firmly in its sights and Benz reckons the low entry, good visibility, quieter operation

and Euro 6 emission standards gives it a distinct edge over the Acco and also the Volvo FE. “The Euro VI engine is efficient and produces low emissions, but it is quiet in operation too,” says Mercedes-Benz Trucks sales manager, Andrew Assimo. “High levels of safety are a big plus for everyone, especially the driver who also benefits from great ergonomics. There is also the superior vision of this truck, which is of utmost importance given the mixture of pedestrians, cyclists and cars in the urban environments most Econics will operate in,” Mr. Assimo says. The dual control Econic not only has Electronic Stability Program, but an Electronic Braking System and an AntiLock Braking System as standard. The European ECE-R29 crash compliant cab features large panoramic windows while the Econic also features air suspension on all axles and a suspended driver’s seat on both sides of the cab. It uses a 7.7-litre Euro VI diesel engine with 299hp that meets emission standards and delivers a reduction of emissions and particulate matter by up to 90 per cent as is the Volvo Euro V engine and is mated to the industrypreferred six-speed Allison automatic transmission.

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highway 1 ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND

BATTLE FOR REFUSE TRUCK MARKET / LIMITED EDITION STRALIS / VOLVO GETS BEH IND

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PILBARA HEAVYHAULAGE GIRLS / DENNIS ADDS SOM E MENACE TO PENSKE

A BUNCH OF FIVES FOR TRIPLE EIGHT Iveco uses V8 Supercar links to launch limited edition Stralis and announces new dealers

IVECO HAS ANNOUNCED a special edition model that marks the company’s ongoing partnership with Triple Eight Race Engineering, the front running V8 Supercar operation that runs both TeamVortex and Red Bull Racing Australia. The company has revealed it is releasing a limited run of 560hp Stralis AS-L prime movers, with added value built in. Designed and built in Melbourne using 55 per cent local componentry, the Stralis AS-L is the official team transporter of both Craig Lowndes TeamVortex and the two-car Jamie Whincup/ Shane Van Gisbergen Red Bull Racing Australia operation. Each limited edition prime mover is being offered with a $5,000 per month (including GST) operating lease, five year or 1,000,000 kilometre Iveco New Vehicle Warranty; five year or 1,000,000 kilometre Iveco Engine Warranty; five year or 1,000,000 kilometres of Free Scheduled Servicing; a $5,000 TeamVortex fuel card, $5,000 (including GST) rebate on the first monthly lease payment and with the promise of a FIVE week build date. Customers who purchase prior to the

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five week build date start will also be offered an Iveco factory tour to see their completed vehicle leave the production line in Dandenong. The units feature custom Red Bull Racing Australia / TeamVortex livery, a polished alloy front bumper bar, roof foil and side wings along with leather driver and passenger seats. To further commemorate the exclusivity of the release, each Stralis buyer will also be provided with a certificate and plaque featuring its product and build number and this will be signed by either Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup or Shane Van Gisbergen – it’s the new owner’s choice. Buyers will also receive a TeamVortex jacket and cap and 12 months’ supply of Red Bull energy drinks. Other standard features under the offer include a Jost fixed turntable, air and electrics including ABS lead, plastic drive guards, the one-piece alloy walk plate, UHF mounted in overhead console, Viesa air evaporative system, polished fuel tanks, and a chrome kit. Models are equipped with Iveco’s new Cursor 13 Series II engine developing 560 horsepower and 2,300 Nm of torque. The engine is matched to Iveco’s

EuroTronic II 16-speed automated manual transmission. The truck also features front and rear disc brakes with ABS/EBL and ASR, and rear airbag suspension with ECAS for easy height adjustment. Iveco Australia marketing manager, Darren Swenson, said combining the Stralis AS-L’s already impressive list of standard features with the additional incentives would provide prospects with an extremely attractive buying proposition. “If owner-drivers or fleet operators had perhaps been considering a new Stralis AS-L, but were yet to commit, the latest offer provides an outstanding level of additional value that they won’t want to go past,” Mr. Swenson said. “We expect that with the attractive finance offerings combined with marketleading extended warranties, free scheduled servicing and fuel card, that the limited edition Stralis AS-Ls will be in high demand. “And of course for Supercar fans, the tie-in with Triple Eight Engineering is just an added bonus.” Iveco’s limited edition Stralis AS-L models can be ordered now from the Iveco Dealer Network.

…. NEW DEALERS SIGN ON AS WELL Iveco has also announced an expansion to its Dealer Network with recent appointments in WA and Queensland, covering both the Iveco van and truck range. The company claims the latest additions make this Iveco’s strongest dealer network expansion in a decade. Following the appointment of AV Truck Services earlier this year in WA as a full line dealership, Kalgoorlie-based Goldfields Truck Power has also come on board as a full line Iveco outlet. Iveco has also appointed specialist Daily van and cab chassis dealerships, offering dedicated sales, servicing and parts support for these models. The new Daily dealerships include Perth Iveco Centre (DVG Group) in Victoria Park and Rockinghambased Bergman Auto Group Iveco, to handle the region South of Perth to better service its light commercial customers. Meanwhile in Queensland, North Pine Daily Iveco in Petrie has also been appointed as a specialist Daily dealership.

ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANT FUEL REDUCTIONS.

GREG GOODCHILD

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

NEW SOUTH WALES Scania Prestons Tel: (02) 9825 7900 Scania Newcastle Tel: (02) 9825 7940 K&J Trucks, Coffs Harbour Tel: (02) 6652 7218 NJ’s of Wagga Tel: (02) 6971 7214

QUEENSLAND Scania Richlands Tel: (07) 3712 8500 Scania Pinkenba Tel: (07) 3712 7900 Spann’s Trucks, Toowoomba Tel: (07) 4634 4400 RSC Diesels, Cairns Tel: (07) 4054 5440

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Scania Kewdale Tel: (08) 9360 8500 Scania Bunbury Tel: (08) 9724 6200

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highway 1 ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND

BATTLE FOR REFUSE TRUCK MARKET / LIMITED EDITION STRALIS / VOLVO GETS BEH IND

VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE

GLOBE

PILBARA HEAVYHAULAGE GIRLS / DENNIS ADDS SOM E MENACE TO PENSKE

DENNIS TO GIVE PENSKE COMMERCIAL MORE MENACE! Former Navistar boss to give Roger's Down Under operation more focus THE UNDERWHELMING SALES performance of both MAN and Western Star in Australia, since the Penske organisation took over previous distributor Trans Pacific, has seen a management shake up at the company’s Brisbane headquarters with Kevin Dennis being appointed as managing director of Penske Commercial Vehicles in Australia. Dennis brings a world of experience to the job including previous roles as managing director of Navistar Australia, 13 years with Detroit Diesel and Daimler Trucks North America in various senior sales and service management roles while for the past two years he has been Director for On Highway business with Penske Power

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Systems in Australia. “Kevin brings a passion for developing new business sales opportunities and an unwavering commitment to customer engagement and service delivery. His background and wealth of experience is a perfect fit to continue the development and implementation of our strategy, including our customer first philosophy” said Randall Seymore, President Penske Transportation Group International. “I am excited by the opportunity to get out there and tell the market about the great line up of trucks we represent in Western Star Trucks, MAN Truck and Bus as well as Dennis Eagle; and the effort the company has put into building true working partnerships with our customer base.” said Kevin.

VOLVO GETS BEHIND PILBARA HEAVY HAULAGE GIRLS VGA puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to the driver shortage crisis VOLVO’S QUEST TO help address the chronic shortage of heavy vehicle drivers in Australia has seen the company announce it is formally supporting the ground breaking Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls driving academy, based in Karatha in WA. The increasing demand for road based transport in Australia along with an ageing driver population and fewer young drivers entering the industry all mean the demand for experienced driving professionals is becoming a major national issue. The Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls have been trying to raise awareness of this issue for some time now, taking innovative approaches to the issue, such as targeting female drivers. “Women make up a tiny proportion of

Australian heavy vehicle drivers,” said cofounder of the company, Heather Jones, “but they’re just as capable of driving a big rig as a man.” “We know that the road freight task is increasing, but fewer people are entering the industry, and a big part of this is an image problem. We want to change that. For a lot of people, driving a truck is all about machismo but to us it’s about getting the job done safely and efficiently.” Heather first came to the attention of VGA President, Peter Voorhoeve, when he awarded her the ATA’s ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award in 2015. Since then he has been planning ways to support her crusade. The outcome; two prime movers, a 700hp Volvo FH16 and 685hp Mack SuperLiner, and access to Volvo Group’s

extensive driver training and competence development assets. “Australia is facing a big problem when it comes to driver availability, and its only getting worse. We’ve been looking for ways to address the issue for some time now,” said Peter, “and what Heather is doing is exactly what we need more of.” “The Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls has a waiting list of licensed people who want to be drivers but can’t get a job because they’re lacking experience - Heather provides that much needed experience and stepping stone to the industry!” “I’m still in shock to be honest,” said Heather, “it’s a fantastically generous offer from Volvo Group Australia and it vindicates our decision to think differently. With their support, we’re now able to train more people, and train them to the world-

class standard of the Volvo Group. “We focus on giving our students the necessary experience to get a job in the real world, with an emphasis on safety and efficiency,” she said. Heather’s approach is to give qualified drivers intensive training to address their experience gap with a focus on safety and fuel efficiency as the fundamental driver skills. Driver coaching is of course, a key aspect of Volvo Group Australia’s commitment to safety and environmental responsibility. “Australia has a long history of pioneers and Heather is a true pioneer in the Australian transport industry. She has a vision of the future and committed to make it happen. Volvo Group is incredibly proud to be a partner of The Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls,” Peter Voorhoeve said.

VGA president Peter Voorhoeve hands the keys over to PHHG boss Heather Jones

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highway 1 ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND

BATTLE FOR REFUSE TRUCK MARKET / LIMITED EDITION STRALIS / VOLVO GETS BEH IND

VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE

GLOBE

PILBARA HEAVYHAULAGE GIRLS / DENNIS ADDS SOM E MENACE TO PENSKE

NAVISTAR JUMPS INTO BED WITH GM GM pushing back into commercial vehicles NAVISTAR HAS ANNOUNCED that it has partnered with General Motors to manufacture a cab/chassis version of GM’s G Van at its Springfield, Ohio plant starting in early 2017. Navistar said the deal is a multiyear contract and it will enable the truck maker to add 300 new jobs and re-commission a second line at the plant. “We’re very pleased to partner with GM on this important manufacturing opportunity,” said Persio Lisboa, president, Navistar operations. “Our Springfield plant is an important part of our manufacturing

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footprint, and we’ve been preparing it for a higher volume concentration of light-and medium-duty products as part of our manufacturing strategy. This is an important step towards our goal to drive automotive quality into the commercial vehicle industry.” GM’s cab/chassis version of the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana are full-length on frame commercial vehicles and are popular with public utilities, tradesmen, ambulance and rescue vehicles as well as shuttle and school buses. They’re powered by either a 6.6

litre Duramax V8 turbo diesel or a 4.8 litre normally aspirated petrol engine mated to a six-speed automatic. GM says the partnership will provide more flexibility to keep up with continued demand for mid-size trucks and full size vans Navistar and GM are not disclosing any further details of the agreement at this time. GM announced plans in April to re badge Isuzu light duty cab-over trucks as Chevrolets in the US market as the automotive giant looks to build its commercial vehicle portfolio in its home market.

…AND NO NEWS ON INTERNATIONAL’S AUSTRALIAN RETURN Meantime here in Australia we are still waiting to hear any information or details around the re-introduction of the International brand down under. We reported back in mid-March that a decision was imminent and local Navistar spokesman Glen Sharman told us that announcement was expected in the next month. Three months on the return of International and how the brand will be distributed here is no clearer and we are no closer to knowing. Back in March Sharman told T&TA “We’re hoping to make an announcement in the next month or so, I suppose you could say we have been looking at a lot of different options,” he said. “There are lots of rumours out there, let the rumours flow as far as I am concerned,” Sharman added. The Navistar AusPac marketing man said that there are a lot of dealers who would like to have access to the Navistar International range. Exactly when an announcement is coming is anyone’s guess. When we hear you’ll be the first to know.

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The reservoir is factory set with 50psi of air/gas pressure and can be adjusted to as low as 20psi or a high as 120psi via a simple Schrader valve fitting. This enables the user to adjust the rebound characteristics of the shock absorber to suit variable road conditions and loads. Red Roo shocks have a number of dealers and mechanics throughout Australia. For further information: www.redrooshocks.com.au 03 9751 7999

with cooled EGR, as well as Caterpillar ACERT engines and Volvo engines requiring the latest VDS-4 specification. Available in: Bulk, 200 Litres, 20 Litres, 10 Litres, 5 Litres For further information: hitecoils@hi-tecoils.com.au 1300 796 009 www.hi-tecoils.com.au

AEROMAX

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NARVA CONTINUES TO expand its impressive emergency lighting range with the recent launch of all-new Aeromax L.E.D mini light boxes, which combine style and functionality in a compact design while still providing superior light output. The modern-styled, premium Aeromax boxes are available in 12/24V and in two sizes (200mm and 365mm) and with a height of only 47mm. The 200mm models feature 10 x 3 high-powered L.E.Ds while the 365mm variants make use of 14 x 3 high-powered L.E.Ds for even greater

light output. All lights feature eight selectable flash patterns: Single (constantly on), Double (all flashing), Ultra (alternate flashing), Ultra (cross flashing), Quint Rotating, Rotating, Ultra (alt/alt. flash) and Ultra-Double (all flashing). All lenses are constructed from tough, virtually unbreakable polycarbonate, while L.E.Ds are covered by a 5-year warranty. For further information: www.narva.com.au Phone: (03) 9730 6000 National Toll Free: 1800 113 443

 DR1000  DR1200 RSP also carry pre-cut DR1200 for customers convenience.  DR200C (200MM)  DR300C (300MM)  DR400C (400MM)  DR600C (600MM) RSP Automotive & Industrial P/L For further information: 03 9305 4000 or rsp@rsp.net.au www.rsp.net.au

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Road Test

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T&TA editor Allan Whiting climbed behind the wheel of Ivecoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest Stralis iteration powered by the Cursor II engine for a test and found that Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a formidable single-trailer combination and wonders if it is JUST...

SINGLE MINDED?

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The Stralis test truck hauled Freighter’s latest EzyLiner trailer, one of its most successful developments and the winner of an Australian Design Award.

veco’s principal marketing challenge in this market is similar to what it faces in Europe: image. The brand is viewed as second-tier, rather than top-shelf, despite the fact that it’s still the only truck maker to have achieved Euro VI compliance across the Cursor engine range with only SCR and DPF. Scania has managed to the same with only some engine variants. We’re sure that engineers at other diesel engine corporations are getting their bums kicked for not being able to what Iveco has done! Then there’s the Stralis cab, which in Europe has the reputation of not being state of the art. Having cruised around in the cab for half a day; taken a nap on the comfy bed; checked out the myriad storage areas; confirmed that a largish fridge can roll out from under the bottom bunk (there are two bunks) and climbed in and out a few times I’m at a loss to see where it could be improved very much. So, maybe it’s the chassis. Don’t think so: heavy-duty European-width frame (not the narrow ACCO frame used on the Stralis 8x4); state of the art eight-bellows air rear suspension with electronic height control; six-wheel disc brakes; 7.5-tonne-rated front axle on long, parabolic leaves and, for Australia, Meritor drive axles. The driveline is also as good as it gets, thanks to the foolproof ZF Eurotronic II 16-speed self-shifter. Maybe it’s the Iveco people. Now partlyretired fiormer marketing boss, Lloyd Reeman, reported to 17 different managing directors in his longish tenure at IH/Iveco, so that ‘revolving door’ image hasn’t helped. Thankfully, Iveco Trucks Australia now

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appears to have better stability among personnel and dealers.

So is it still the engine question? The Australian market is wary of a 13-litre being pushed to handle B-Double weights, despite Iveco’s extended warranty packages. When the Cursor II was launched at the 2015 Brisbane Truck Show the company made much of warranty terms that offered protection out to one million kilometres, but they’d already offered that eight years before…at the same venue. A 2007 sign-written Stralis highlighted the company’s then-new Drive Plus, powertrain insurance program that extended the warranty on Cursor-powered trucks to one million kilometres/ five years/ 425,000 litres of fuel burn. Now, with a similar extended warranty, the 560hp Series II Cursor has less torque than its predecessor, confirming the market’s suspicion that the previous 2495Nm (1840lb ft) rating was too high. Both versions of the Series II engine have 2300Nm (1696lb ft), in 500hp and 560hp settings. The 560’s torque curve has a clipped-off, flat top and seems shaped for performance, where the higher torque rise curve of the 500hp version looks tailored for fuel economy. The Cursor story began in the mid1990s, when Iveco collaborated with then-independent UD (now part of Volvo) in the design of a series of advanced diesel engines. The Iveco Cursor 8 was released in 1998; Cursor 10 a year later and Cursor 13 followed in 2000. Interestingly, UD never rated its 13-litre engine at Iveco’s levels.

The high roof Stralis cab has it all with two comfy bunks, myriad storage areas, a largish fridge that rolls out from under the bottom bunk (there are two bunks) and climbed in and an ergonomic design that puts some others to shame.

The Red Bull liveried Stralis underlines the company’s commitment to successful the Tripke8 Red Bull V8 Supercar Race Team

The Stralis fuel tank and Ad Blue tank are well positioned and nicely integrated.

FREIGHTER’S LATEST EZILINER

“The Australian market is wary of a 13-litre being pushed to handle B-Double weights, despite Iveco’s extended warranty packages.“

The trailer we hauled behind the Stralis II featured the latest advancements from Freighter, released over the last six to 12 months. The patented EziLiner is one of Freighter’s most successful developments and is available in trailer or rigid truck body configurations. EziLiner was the winner of an Australian Design Award in 2008. The curtain tension system uses a pneumatically actuated arm, which hooks to a high tensile cable running through a series of arcs at the bottom of the curtain. Tightening or releasing the entire curtain can be done with the flick of a single lever on the front of the trailer. Redesigned curtain rollers require about half the effort to slide open and closed, and can be virtually self-opening and closing if the vehicle is parked on an incline. The latest curtain pole is also restrained and can’t swing free in a strong wind. Freighter’s new sliding-post gates are rated to restrain pallets to a maximum weight of 1300kg per pallet or load in a 1200x1200mm pallet space. These gates are virtually weightless, thanks to a spring-assisted design, so there is almost no risk of heavy gates causing back, arm or shoulder injuries, or of gates falling on people. After opening, the gates can be stacked at the front or rear of the trailer, ready for loading. Rollers on the sliding post are raised off the track when the post is locked into position, reducing wear and vibration, and lengthening life. Freighter’s sliding post load restraint gates can be custom designed using the latest 3D CAD software. Freighter’s new roof rail ensures the curtain rail be replaced in the case of accidental forklift damage, without the need to remove the roof. The curtain rail can be removed from the roof by drilling out the rivets and riveting on a new rail.

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2 1. Trucking has come a long way since the Truck Blockade on Razorback back in the late 1970s and the efficiency and ergonomics of the Stralis is an example of this. 2. The Stralis and the Ezyliner cut a sharp vision on the road

“Will 560hp/2300Nm feel right at 60+ tonnes? The market will decide.“ Engines around 13-litre capacity are the most popular for linehaul applications in European and American markets, where gross load limits are 35-42 tonnes. However, the demand for more performance by owner drivers and heavyhaulage contractors had already led Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and Cummins to produce 15-16-litre engines, with up to 750hp outputs. Iveco finally launched a 16-litre engine in Europe, in 2014. The Cursor 16 has a rating up to 775hp and with maximum torque of 3500Nm at 1400rpm. The engine won the ‘Engine of the Year 2014 Award’ that is judged on technical innovation and design. The Cursor 16 achieved this award in a most innovative way: a 16-litre engine delivering 18-litre power from the size of a 13-litre package. At this stage Iveco hasn’t installed the Cursor 16 in a truck, because of what the company sees as limited market opportunities. Dare we suggest that a derated 16-litre with 600hp and 3000Nm is precisely what Iveco needs in this market?

Stralis II on the road The flagship of the Stralis range, the AS-L, has a 2.3-metre wide and two- metre long cab, providing plenty of living and storage space. The test truck was kitted with a roofmounted evaporative air cooler and twin bunks.

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Getting into this home on wheels was safe and easy, thanks to well-placed grab rails and steps, and getting comfortable behind the multi-adjustable wheel in a multiadjustable seat was also easy. I had to couple it to a loaded Freighter EziLiner tri-axle semi-trailer, so I appreciated the easy of entry and exit and the well-placed tank steps and grab handle behind the cab. Coupling up provided a great opportunity to check out the low-ratio section of the automated transmission. Low speed is selected by holding down the direction buttons. After dumping some rear suspension air via an ECAS button under the driver’s seat and holding the ‘R’ dashboard button down for two seconds, I let the Stralis creep rearwards at a very controllable pace. I tapped the ‘D’ button and, with a tugtest and light check completed, steered the combination around the crowded Iveco site in western Sydney. This facility has two tight turns and some very sharp speed bumps, so I discovered a tight turning circle and quite reactive cab air suspension. Fortunately, the cab suspension firmed up nicely in on-road manoeuvers and there was no alarming sway when cornering at road speeds. Vision through the huge screen and four electrically adjustable and heated mirrors was excellent. Iveco’s ergonomics were logical, with

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the right hand steering column wand controlling engine/exhaust brake, cruise control and manual gear up and down. The left wand looked after washers and wipers. Easy. At a gross mass of 41 tonnes the 500hp/2300Nm Stralis knew it was working, but automated shifting was seamless and allowed the truck to keep up easily with commercial traffic. The box could be left to its own devices, or shifts could be actuated with a right lever flick, or by feathering the accelerator. There was no need to change the mode from automatic to manual to effect driveractuated shifts. Engine/exhaust braking was quite effective at this GCM and when in cruise control the box downshifted to optimise

engine revs for retardation. Hill starts were easy enough, with a quick foot transfer from brake to accelerator. On very steep lift offs I used the graduated-release parking brake as insurance. Dynamically, there was nothing to complain about with the Stralis: it was as pleasant to operate as any of its supposed superiors. The question remains: how will it go as a B-Double prime mover? Previously Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d driven a 560hp/2495Nm Powerstar hauling a dog trailer at a GCM of 46 tonnes and it felt about right. The Stralis II with 500hp/2300Nm also felt about right. Will 560hp/2300Nm feel right at 60+ tonnes? The market will decide.

The Stralis test truck hauled Freighterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest EzyLiner trailer, one of its most successful developments and the winner of an Australian Design Award.

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\ 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

Industy

LOCAL BOY MADE GOOD While the local car industry is about to shut down, local truck manufacturing seems to be going from strength to strength. We took a visit recently to Paccarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Australian production facility in Melbourne to see the impressive operation and came away realising that as a nation we should not only value the returns these plants deliver to our economy but also that we should never take them for granted.

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W The average tenure for a Paccar employee is 11 years and the voluntary turnover rate is just 5 per cent.

Robots are employed in the spray booths ensuring the best paint quality and consistency possible

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ay back in March 1971, Billy McMahon was PM, Gough Whitlam was 18 months away from becoming the first Labor leader to take the top job in more than two decades, the Nickel boom was still on the boil and the Australian vehicle manufacturing industry was at its peak. Back in 1971 car assembly plants dotted the country, trucks were also bolted together from CKD kits in various assembly operations ranging from near cottage industry to major operations. Holden had a car assembly plant in every mainland state and Ford wasn’t much different. One by one all of those car assembly plants and most of the truck operations have disappeared, the final three car plants are scheduled to pull the shutters down in the next 12 months. The glamour world of cars takes all the headlines and the manufacturing shutdown has been grabbing them for the past two years, totally overshadowing Australia’s truck manufacturing operations which continue to pump out commercial vehicles in what should be a lesson to manufacturing in this country. We mentioned 1971 at the start of this story because that was the year that Paccar opened the doors of its Bayswater plant in Melbourne’s East and started turning out Kenworths. 45 years later Kenworth is an icon of the Australian commercial vehicle industry and a shining example of a profitable, relatively low volume, successful, niche manufacturer. Since 1971 close to 60,000 Kenworths have been built locally and the number keeps rising. It took almost 17 years to build the first 10,000 local Kennies, another eight years to reach 15,000 and after that things really accelerated. The tally reached the 40,000 mark in 2009, 50,000 in 2013 while 60,000 will be notched sometime in the next year so on current projections. By any stretch of the imagination that is one hell of a niche. Look at photos of the Paccar Australia plant from back in the early 1970s and the relatively tiny facility that was the Kenworth factory looked lonely in the empty paddocks of Bayswater. Subsequent management decisions to buy surrounding land for expansion were pretty far sighted but underline Paccar’s commitment to the Australian market. It’s a commitment that has paid dividends

NEW BOSSSAME PHILOSOPY Paccar Australia’s announcement back in February that Andrew Hadjikakou would be promoted to take over as local managing director following the departure of Mike Dozier was met with universal praise. Dozier finished his three year role in March and went back to Seattle to take up a new post as vice president and general manager of Kenworth Trucks. Dozier arrived down under in 2013 to replace the retiring Joe Rizzo who had been in charge of the Paccar operation since 2007 Andrew Hadjikakou has been Paccar’s director of sales and marketing since 2008 and overseen some tremendous results in that time, even through the GFC and the downturn in the mining boom. His promotion from within is a sign that head office in Seattle has been well pleased with his performance, while his predecessor surely had a say in anointing his successor, given his new role as the global boss of the Kenworth brand. Dozier worked closely with Hadjikakou over the past three years and the runs are clearly on the board for the duo and the team they had around them. Hadjikakou has a disarming demeanor, friendly and relaxed but with a clearly steely determination and focus in his eyes. Kenworth has led the industry for many years and the new MD’s history with the brand along with his obvious talent demonstrated over the past eight years means he won’t be giving up the market leadership without one hell of a battle. While Volvo has made some inroads in the past two years, the gains have been relatively small in volume terms and Kenworth has maintained a market share in excess of 20 per cent, while its volumes have stayed above 2000 units per year for the past three years. It’s numbers have dropped by about 350 units in that time when the overall market has contracted (2392 units in ’13, 2186 in ’14 and 2014 in ’15). Volvo on the other hand has lifted its share in the falling market from 12.9 per cent in ‘13 to 14.7 per cent last year but its actual volume only rose by 37 units over the time. To overtake Kenworth’s individual lead, Volvo would have to sell another 500 units a year, a big leap in anyone’s language. Hadjikakou and his team aren’t taking anything for granted and don’t underestimate the resolve of the Swedish opponent but that steely resolve will surely play a significant role in Kenworth’s arsenal and the ongoing fight.

financially, the company turned revenues of $750 million last year and it continues to be the top selling heavy duty brand, in this country, although the Volvo Group topped it last year when Volvo, Mack and UD sales were tallied. But Kenworth remains the king of the heavy brands in Australia. More important than just bolting trucks together is the engineering input and store of knowledge Paccar has built up by at its Australian operation. While the basic truck design comes from Paccar HQ in Seattle, the local input is extensive with around 120 specialist design and production engineers employed by Paccar in Australia. However as Paccar Australia Human Resources manager Rob Brierley likes to point out 60 per cent of the company’s Australian personnel are really in “engineering jobs- because everyone that works on the production line is engaging in an engineering job.” “You could really consider that 60per cent of our workers are in engineering while 40 per cent are in a business management, accountancy, logistics etc.,” Brierley told T&TA. Brierley, makes no apologies for displaying an almost missionary zeal in his advocacy of Paccar’s constant skills development and

focus on training, his enthusiasm is palpable when you speak with him. “We have a very real culture of natural promotion and skill development,” he adds, citing the fact that 50 per cent of vacant positions are filled by internal applicants with new recruits drafted in to fill places left vacant by those who have been promoted. Up to 10 per cent of the Paccar staff in Australia are employed as part of its graduate program, where it recruits university graduates in various disciplines and trains them not just in their own particular area of study but across the entire Paccar business. “We put business graduates in engineering roles and vice versa, this means they get skills that are invaluable as they move up the ranks in the company” says Brierley. “It gives us a work force that is agile and able to respond to challenges and changing needs more quickly and skilfully,” he adds. The proof is no doubt in the pudding and when Brierley quotes staff turnover rates and job satisfaction levels its apparent they’re doing something right. The average tenure for a Paccar employee, including on the production line is 11 years and the voluntary turnover rate is just 5 per cent. The enthusiasm that is heard in Brierley’s voice and for that matter from all of the

“Up to 10 per cent of the Paccar staff in Australia are employed as part of its graduate program, where it recruits university graduates in various disciplines“

Automation is used extensively on the Paccar production line but people are still the key asset.

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other executives, most particularly the new boss, the recently appointed Australian MD Andrew Hadjikakou, is also apparent on the production line. There is a genuine enthusiasm and pride in the workers that you just can’t fake. The smiles and the friendly banter are not bunged on for the camera, it’s obvious that it is a natural occurrence that comes as a result of the way the place is run. Kenworth believes another part of its success has been tied to the fact that each truck it produces in Australia is in fact a customised unit, built to the specific order of each client. In the words of Martin Lundstedt, the president of global rival, Volvo, “people still think that scale is about doing a lot of things, it is maybe about doing a lot of the same things and doing a lot of the same things right”. Economies of scale is a term that is bandied about by many business leaders but small doesn’t have to mean inefficient as the Bayswater plant and for that matter the Volvo Wacol facility, continue to prove. Many of the 2000 or so trucks that come off the Bayswater line each year may look outwardly the same, in fact underneath many have very specific differences. They might be just different colour chassis paint or may be some far more detailed suspension, brake, powertrain or cabin requirements. It’s the flexibility of the Kenworth line and the systems in place that

meshes with the work force skill set and agility that HR manager Brierley speaks of, which has helped keep Kenworth at the top of the heavy duty market. The only other maker getting anywhere near the big K is the aforementioned Volvo, which along with its Mack brand also uses that local assembly flexibility to its advantage. This is born out in the sales figures in heavy duty for 2015 with Volvo taking 14.9 per cent of the market, Mack 9.3 per cent and Kenworth 20.4 per cent. The other local assembler Iveco held 5.9 per cent. Between the four locally assembled brands they hold a commanding 50 per cent of local heavyduty sales or 4994 of the 9884 heavy trucks sold here last year. This is brought into sharper focus when you realise that 13 other fully imported brands in the Truck Industry Council T mark sales charts fought over the remaining sales. This is surely the most significant pointer as to why local assembly continues in the truck industry while it has died in the high volume car business. Kenworth’s newly appointed Australian boss Andrew Hadjikakou says it is that local adaptability and agility that is the key for its locally produced Kenworth brand. “Every Kenworth is purposely designed and built for its intended application and for individual customer specifications, delivering the necessary productivity, fuel economy and durability for the most demanding of Australian road conditions,” said Andrew.

Hadjikakou’s new kingdom includes the 12,000 square metre assembly plant that sits just behind his office on the Canterbury Rd. Bayswater. Next door there is a 9000 square metre parts distribution centre, which dispatches two B Double loads of parts each day to its network of dealers around the country From the outside it might all just look like a sprawling mid-1970s designed factory complex, non descript and blending in with the other industry in the foothills of the Dandenongs. However when you head inside you realise that there is much more to this than meets the eye and that there is a pride amongst the people who work there that is not readily apparent in other assembly plants we have visited. The Paccar plant utilises ISO-9002 quality systems and has some highly sophisticated assembly processes, featuring numerous innovations in plant layout, tooling, component design and robotics, many of them developed locally. Bayswater’s current build rate is nine trucks a day, which is a fraction of the 592 trucks a day Paccar builds every day around its global network, again emphasising that economies of scale come in all shapes and sizes. The plant itself is a surprise, it is scrupulously clean and incredibly orderly. Compared with many plants this writer has toured, car, truck and bus, in every corner of the globe, this one borders on clinical, only matched by a couple of new age car plants in

“Kenworth believes another part of its success has been tied to the fact that each truck it produces in Australia is in fact a customised unit“ 1

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Japan. Sure there is the inevitable noise from air tools and overhead cranes whirring along as cabs are lowered on to chassis or chassis are magically flipped midway through assembly, but it really is a very user friendly environment compared with many vehicle assembly operations Its little wonder that Hadjikakou describes the plant as the company’s biggest selling tool it has in Australia, emphasised by the fact it hosted around 350 plant tours last year, take out public holidays, weekends and holiday shutdowns and that means that there are close to two plant tours a day. “This is an enormous asset, the most effective tool we have to engage with our customer base,” says the new Paccar Australia MD. While the plant itself has some seriously impressive technology and innovations, the local engineering and design centre within the complex houses the engineering brains, both human and computer, that drives the local advantage. Local engineers work quietly on CAD systems, refining designs and changes that can be fed directly into the build process 100 metres away in the factory. Everything from new cab fittings to suspension modification, chassis refinements or major design changes are plotted in this office. Paccar has also cultivated a large and impressive list of local vendors and suppliers over the past 45 years and now has a highly skilled network, many within

a few kilometres of the Bayswater plant. Interestingly Kenworth execs told us that the imminent shutdown of Ford, Holden and Toyota has brought numerous unsolicited approaches from local component makers keen to interest Paccar in their wares. Time will tell if any of the overtures meet with success. Far from wanting its opposition to go away, Paccar execs say they need both Volvo and Iveco to keep making trucks here to deliver the critical mass necessary to keep local suppliers alive and capable of supplying components for local trucks. As part of the quality assurance program, trucks are plucked randomly from the end of the production line each day and four hours are spent in a auditing quality. Four times a year Paccar International quality auditors turns up, totally unannounced and completes their own assessment of the build quality of trucks coming out of the Bayswater plant. It just so happened that when Paccar hosted Australia’s truck writers recently, that one of those International auditors had turned up the day before, direct from the Peterbuilt plant in Texas. Quality is a word that is used a lot at Bayswater and its clear that the company takes the notion seriously. Paccar globally is an extraordinarily strong entity. In a world of anonymous corporations run by MBA wielding corporate guns for hire, Paccar has remained under control of the Pigott family for virtually all of the 110 years it has been in

existence and a Pigott has been in charge for most of that time. While some US vehicle corporations have come and gone, Paccar has been solid throughout notching up its 77th consecutive year of profits in 2015. Paccar registered $19.1 billion in revenue in 2015, netting $1.6 billion in profit having turned out 154,000 trucks across the planet, or around one every five minutes. Current Paccar chairman Mark Pigott, is the fourth generation of the family to head up the organisation and has been in charge since 1997. Under his stewardship the company has continued the success it has had under the guidance of his relatives. Far from being a family member promoted on lineage not talent, Mark Pigott has proved himself in every facet to the business, joining the company in 1978 after completing a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. Later he gained a Masters of Business and a BA in Humanities. His leadership has been responsible for continuing an incredible unbroken line of profits that started on the cusp of World War II in 1939. Well run companies don’t happen by accident, they come about as a result of employing talented and skilled people whether on the production line or in the chairman’s office. While Bayswater is an impressive testament to and a major ingredient in Paccar’s Australian success, the real strength is its people and their skills. Pity a few other automotive company’s didn’t pay more attention to this in the past.

1. The sellout Legend is an example of the flexibility and agility of the Kenworth Bayswater plant. 2. The Kenworth line pumps out nine trucks a day on a single shift. 3. Kim Bennett is one of the recruits who has joined Paccar as part of its Graduate program enjoying a wide cross section of experience in various aspects of the business 4. The sprawling Paccar Australia manufacturing plant and HQ at Bayswater

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Operator

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DIAL

FOR EMERGENCY

Human beings have a propensity for getting themselves into trouble and often that trouble comes in places well away from the emergency services that are in place to help us. Regional Emergency Service volunteers often have to respond to isolated areas in quick time to help rescue their fellow human beings. We take a look at what goes into an SES truck at a Tasmanian rescue base.

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“Safety always a priority but probably more so in a vehicle that has to get to emergencies quickly and above all safely“

cross the country various state governments have set up state emergency services, which like bush fire brigades, and maritime rescue services use a government structure with largely volunteer staffing to provide the various emergency responses. The Tasmanian SES is no exception providing the Apple Isle with rescue services from storm and flooding emergencies to helping people trapped in car crashes and other precarious situations. The Japanese medium and light duty truck product is the standard option for most SES around the country and Tasmania has stayed true to that by purchasing a new Hino 500 FD 1124 for its North West region based in Smithton. The Hino, much like its opposite numbers from Isuzu and Fuso enables emergency services to fit all of the necessary equipment in a specially built ‘ emergency vehicle’ body while using a crew cab configuration and without putting too much pressure on the scales. The emergency service body gives the crew all the equipment they need to respond to emergencies, everything from chain saws for cutting up falling trees to winches, ‘jaws of life’ for cutting victims from vehicle wrecks to ropes and tarps for securing storm damaged properties. All of that adds up when it comes to gross vehicle weight so awareness of this has to be there all the way through the process, from choosing the right truck to building the body and adding the ancillary equipment. The rescue capability of the Tasmanian State Emergency Service received a significant boost with the delivery of the Hino for specialist rescue work in the North

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West of Tassie, stocked with cutting-edge equipment. The Hino 500 Series FD 1124 Crew Cab was sent off to SEM Fire and Rescue’s headquarters in the Ballarat suburb of Wendouree to have the special body constructed and fitted along with all the emergency lights, radio and siren systems before being handed over to Tasmanian SES. SEM started life more than 50 years ago, originally as a division of the Victorian Country Fire Authority. Now corporatised and running as a separate company SEM supplies emergency service vehicle for fire brigades and many other emergency services and private customers all over the country. It has used its experience in developing and building innovative vehicles for Victorian CFA to offer its services to

those customers across Australia. As well as custom-built vehicles SEM designs and builds trailers, transportable solutions and produces associated spare parts and technology products for its customers. The Tassie SES truck was purchased in cooperation with state and local governments, together with fundraising assistance from the local community. Funding for vehicles like this is never an easy task but thanks to the efforts of locals in North West Tasmania the project was able to happen. Stationed at the Tasmanian SES Circular Head depot in Smithton the new Hino arrived in late 2015 and was immediately on call for general response and road crash rescue incidents for the large rural community in what is an isolated part of

1. The Hino’s body has storage for vast amounts of rescue equipment that enables the crew to respond to a range of emergencies 2. Anthony Dick, Regional Officer for the Tasmanian SES North West Region (left) with some of the crew who man the emergency rescue Hino.

2 the state. The Hino FD 1124 Crew was fitted with a fully customised modular extrusion frame body designed to secure the best response equipment available while retaining accessibility. Additional new technology fitted to the truck includes an 8kVA generator that runs off the truck engine to provide 240-volt power through 10 outlets around the truck. Regional Officer for the Tasmanian SES North West Region, Anthony Dick, said the SES chose Hino because of its suitability for the task, comfort, reliability and record of success in other emergency agencies. “We were aware of the extensive use of Hino trucks in fire agencies around the country, and with this particular build being applied successfully by the Victorian

SES for many years so we decided to order the same build for Tasmania,” Anthony Dick said. “With the 500 Series FD Crew we went for a bigger truck that carries a larger quantity of emergency response equipment which helps overcome the limited backup resources available in the isolated community where it is used. “It was also important to get a reliable truck with the safety features found in modern cars, enabling the crew to travel in comfort and arrive ready for the job. “The Allison automatic transmission we had fitted by Hino also helps avoid driver fatigue and the cab configuration provides a good place for the crew to communicate and share operational information on the way to and from each job,” he said. Jon Julian, SEM’s Product Manager

for Vehicles, said he has worked on Hino trucks for over 10 years and has always had positive experiences. “Hino provides great service and are quality trucks that are fit for purpose,” Jon Julian said. “We get plenty of positive feedback from the organisations we build them for.” That’s backed up by the fact that SEM customises around 50 Hino trucks each year for firefighting and emergency services across Australia. The Tasmanian SES Hino unit tips the scales with a GVM of 11 tonnes with the 6.4-litre turbo intercooled Hino donk pumping out 240Hp at 2400rpm and 716Nm of torque at 1500rpm. Enough to get the truck to emergencies in good time. Safety always a priority but probably more so in a vehicle that has to get to

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 Equipped with a winch, bull bar, driving and emergency flashing lights the Tasmanian SES Hino certainly looks the goods

emergencies quickly and above all safely. ABS anti-skid brakes, cruise control, driver’s SRS airbag and ISRI 6860 driver’s seat with integrated safety belt are all standard on the SES Hino. The pressure of having largely volunteer drivers and crews responding to emergency situations was one of the prime motivations behind the Tasmanian SES specifying Allison automatic transmissions in this latest response truck SES North West Region command particularly ticked the auto box option to help deliver safer operation for its volunteer emergency and rescue crews using the Hino emergency and rescue truck. Anthony Dick says the nature of the largely volunteer workforce means most are not highly-skilled, full-time truck drivers so automatics are a much safer option for

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drivers and crews. “An automatic is less fatiguing to drive than a manual and requires less driver attention,” said Dick. “When you have emergency response crews driving to the limit, and often for long distances, they are much safer overall.” According to Dick, that is part of the reason auto trucks are used extensively by fire and emergency agencies, so the decision to specify an automatic for the new truck was an easy one. “The nature of an emergency response vehicle is it sits idle most of the time. When the call comes, the volunteer crew has to jump in and drive to the incident quickly to help victims,” he said. “It is vital that the crew can do that safely and without fuss.” Lower maintenance requirements and the ability to resist driveline damage were other

factors in the purchase of the auto in the Hino. “Manuals often show long-term clutch problems and gearbox damage, which is amplified by non-professional drivers. An automatic helps us avoid driveline damage and reduce total cost of ownership for the vehicle,” said Dick. “I can understand why both the Australian Council of SES and the Australian Fire Authorities Council recommend Allison as the standard in fire and emergency vehicles.” For SES crews using the North West Region Hino, the experience has proven positive with ease of operation noted by almost every driver. “Everyone loves driving it,” said Dick. “These people don’t have a lot of professional driving experience, and their first impression was that it drives like a car.”

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Industry

GETS TRUCKING SERIOUS With troubles in its car making operations courtesy of the diesel emissions scandal Volkswagen is getting serious about heavy trucks, hiring a new CEO from Daimler and setting things up for what could be a seismic shift in the global heavy vehicles market as Jon Thomson investigates.

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Andreas Renschler, the gun for hire who was hired from his role as head of Daimler trucks to steer VW down a heavy truck route.

Scania is the jewel in the VW heavy truck crown, profitable, well run and with a strong innovation capability

ome say the best form of defence is a good attack, those who subscribe to the ancient philosophies of Sun Tzu and the Art of War would tell you that. Many look at the German giant Volkswagen and see problems in the wake of the diesel gate scandal and there is no doubt that the events uncovered last year have brought some pain for the company and many believe there is a whole lot more in store. VW has never shied away from a tussle and it seems on many fronts that Wolfsburg is preparing to fight its way out of the trenches. Early indications are that the company has not taken nearly as big a hit on its sales as many had predicted, but the extent of what the scandal will eventually cost is hard to estimate and it may take many years to unfold. One area Volkswagen has identified as an opportunity is heavy trucks and the company has put its commercial vehicle division on a war footing, perhaps believing that trucks can provide the revenue to keep the company’s war chest full as it battles the slings and arrows coming its way in the passenger car world. In Europe and in South America VW is the dominant player, particularly in Latin American markets where it has been market leader for the past 15 years while in Western

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Europe it grew its commercial vehicle business 24 per cent last year selling more than 200,000 heavy commercials across the continent in 2015. It has just reported sales in Europe of better than 42,000 trucks in the first three months of this year, up six per cent on the same period last year. There is no doubt VW has some valuable assets in the truck world, particularly in its back yard in Europe along with the challenging Latin American markets. Taking control of the ‘little’ Swede, Scania and pushing its MAN brand more has shown the company some strong revenue and profit in Europe, however the German giant’s truck sector is weak in many key areas at the moment. Its cost structure particularly needs attention and its presence in the US and China, the two biggest truck markets in the world is virtually non existent. Enter Andreas Renschler, the dynamic former head of Daimler’s commercial vehicle operations who joined Volkswagen last year, having been recruited to trim costs and plot the organisation’s course into North America and China. Renschler is also exploring growth possibilities that could include acquisitions and ultimately an initial public offering. Under his stewardship Volkswagen has increased its target for cost reductions at its trucks division to around $AUD1.54

billion(€1 billion), as progress is made on cooperation between the Scania and MAN units. Scania and MAN, which had previously targeted around $AUD1.32 billion (€850 million) in long-term savings, have now started to develop gearboxes together and are combining manufacturing facilities in Russia and have begun working jointly on logistics, IT systems and smaller truck components. The announcement by Renschler could also reignite speculation in Australia about how Scania and MAN might potentially combine locally, particularly given the poor sales performance of the MAN brand in this market under independent distributor Penske, contrasting with the relatively strong performance and profitability of Scania down under. According to Renschler the company has identified a very realistic long-term potential synergy in their home markets of Europe. The VW trucks chief has said in recent media conferences in Sweden that the manufacturer has already reaped savings of about $AUD 308 million (€200 million). The savings have come mainly in purchasing and says progress toward additional cooperation projects between the German and Swedish units is being made “at high speed”. Meanwhile, Volkswagen is also keeping all

Cooperation had been hampered i by memories of MAN’s ill-fated 2006 hostile takeover of Scania. Volkswagen opposed the attack, then turned around and took control of both companies,

its options open for expansion of its trucks business in the U.S. Renschler has stated. Improved profitability would shore up Volkswagen’s truck operations as the group reels from the emissions-cheating scandal in passenger cars. Renschler’s $AUD 1.54 billion (€1 billion) savings plan revived a target originally stated by former Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech at an MAN shareholder meeting way back in 2008. VW folded Scania, MAN and its Latin American heavy trucks manufacturing operations into the Truck & Bus GmbH holding company a year ago, in a move seen as distancing the heavy vehicles from passenger-car operations. VW’s top truck research and development engineers from both Scania and MAN gathered in Wolfsburg for the first time in late May to plan projects as part of Renschler’s goal of transforming the business into the world’s most profitable commercial-vehicle manufacturer. Battery technology and digital features are two areas with huge potential, said Scania CEO Henrik Henriksson at a media conference at the company’s headquarters in Sweden. “There is big potential in electrification of commercial vehicles, even if it’s still a challenge in economic terms at the moment,” Henriksson said.

Like its competitors, Volkswagen is attempting to boost data services that are set to become critical for trucking operations in the future. The effort includes exploring cooperation with HERE, the digital maps company bought last year by sister unit Audi as well as BMW AG and Daimler’s Mercedes. Trucks are particularly well-suited to collecting traffic data because they’re constantly on the road, Renschler said. Unlike most of its passenger-car operation, VW’s truck operation isn’t dealing with fallout from the diesel-emissions scandal. The crisis did trigger a management revamp at the parent company and accelerated the push begun a year ago to give the automaker’s 12 brands more autonomy Back in February this year Renschler said in an interview that the U.S., the only major market where the VW’s commercial vehicles unit has no significant presence, and China are the key regions for expansion. The strategy would potentially allow VW to challenge global truck industry leaders Daimler AG and Volvo AB as well as smaller rivals in emerging markets. US trucks are dramatically different to heavy haulers in Europe and the ability for MAN or Scania to make significant inroads in North America with any of their current products would be nigh on impossible. So expansion in the U.S. will almost certainly

involve an acquisition. However Renschler has declined to comment on specific plans or targets for obvious commercial reasons. “We’re keeping all options open on our way to becoming a global champion,” Renschler said recently. “We want to be industry leaders in terms of profitability, customer-oriented innovations and global presence, not necessarily in terms of sales volume,” he said. But of course that is an all too familiar modern day management mantra that every major corporation seems to mouth these days. London based industry analyst Arndt Ellinghorst from Evercore ISI reckons VW shareholders would certainly welcome an IPO of its truck business as the company could start lifting value after decades of empire building and address investor skepticism regarding conglomerates comprising passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Ellinghorst estimates the combined value of VW’s truck assets at about $AUD 30.1 billion (€20 billion euros). In contrast to both Daimler and Volvo, who enjoy large North American market shares with the Freightliner and Mack nameplates respectively, VW currently has no US truck brand on its books. “In the long-term, the North American market is of course interesting for us, but it has to be a good fit for us as well as for a possible partner,” Renschler has said.

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Its an open secret in the industry that PACCAR has resisted and dismissed advances from VW in the recent past. The Seattle based truck manufacturer continues under the stewardship of the Pigott family as it has done for the past 111 years, since before the formation of the Pacific Car Company in the early 20th century. Mark Pigott, the fourth generation of the family to control the company, is the executive chairman and one imagines any overture or raid by VW would be strongly defended by the family and loyal shareholders. Acquiring PACCAR would be no easy task, and would be an expensive proposition As T&TA has previously reported, Navistar International would be a much more attractive buy for VW, given its relatively low share value at the moment. Navistar’s share price has dropped almost 71 per cent in the past year, which means the asset could be had relatively cheaply if VW decided to make a play. Back in 2011, Navistar had a similar market share to PACCAR in the US heavy truck market. Today PACCAR has nearly double the market share of Navistar. Higher market share means more pricing power and greater scale, both of which help to drive higher margins. Navistar is not going to be able to achieve the same margins with an 18 per cent market share as it could with nearly 30 per cent of the market as PACCAR has in the US market and interestingly as VW has in the Euro heavy market. That lack of current market clout in the US would be the biggest downside for Volkswagen if it did decide to buy a controlling interest in Navistar, however with a major capital injection, access to an enormous bank of advanced R&D in diesel engines, electric drive systems, transmissions, electronics, autonomous technology and platooning could give Navistar’s well known brand, International a major boost in North America. That tremendous technology and resource boost that a VW buy out could deliver would be the shot in the arm the US maker needs to stop its downward spiral of recent years. For the German maker, Navistar would give it an instant foot hold in the US market across a wide array of market sectors at a relatively low cost. In China, the world’s biggest market for heavy-duty trucks, the likelihood of a flat market this year hasn’t deterred Volkswagen from growth plans. “We’re pursuing a dual-track strategy

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in China,” Renschler said. Volkswagen is seeking to expand with partner Sino Truck in the mass-market segment as well as boosting the higher-end business selling its own MAN and Scania trucks. Volkswagen is also in talks about joint projects with other peers, including China FAW Group’s commercial vehicles arm. Hiring one of the industry’s most highprofile executives in Reschler, mid-way through 2015 from a key rival, underscores the sense of urgency at Volkswagen about finally reaping more financial benefits from the multi-billion-euro takeovers of MAN and Scania. That means intensifying the cooperation between MAN, where a downturn in South America has eaten away at profits and at the smaller, higher-margin Scania unit, which has been more resilient to swings in the cyclical truck industry. MAN has about 1,400 administrative jobs and 400 production jobs to be cut in order to lower costs as part of the revamp program to be completed next year. The program also includes a substantial expansion in digital services for truck drivers and logistics operators. Reports say the cooperation will focus on joint procurement, research, business development, finance and personnel. Forging an efficient alliance will play out principally in western Europe, where as we say, Scania and MAN have a combined market share of about 30 percent. Cooperation had been hampered in the past by memories of MAN’s ill-fated 2006 attempt at a hostile takeover of Scania. Volkswagen opposed the attack, then turned around and took control of both companies, buying out Scania’s remaining minority shareholders in 2014. Overcoming cultural differences and ensuring collaboration will be crucial for the strategy to pay off. They’ll also need to weather some gloom, with Renschler predicting that Brazil, the key South American market, won’t turn around before 2018. “You don’t change corporate culture by sitting down and holding each other’s hands,” Renschler said. “You need to get people to really work together to achieve common results.” As we said the philosophies of Sun Tzu may have a bigger influence on the future of VW’s truck aspirations than anyone could imagine and attack may indeed just might be the best form of defence.

1. Navistar could provide VW with the foothold into the North American truck market that the German automotive giant doesn’t currently have. 2. MAN and Scania have European technology and advanced systems including advanced diesel and hybrid technologies that would be of huge benefit in the USA to potentially revitalise a VW owned Navistar.

1 2

SCANIA AND MAN DOWN UNDER

“Navistar International would be a much more attractive buy for VW, given its relatively low share value at the moment.“ 4 3. Navistar’s array of conventional trucks and the International name plate still carries plenty of cache in North America. 4. Scania Australia boss Roger McCarthy

What would the consolidation of VW’s global truck assets and a push to expand its influence mean for its two brands down under. T&TA asked the question of Scania Australia boss Roger McCarthy in December last year and suggested that perhaps Scania’s strong balance sheet and sales performance in Australia and the fact that it is a factory owned subsidiary would make it the ideal base for a consolidated operation. Last year In Australia Scania sold almost three times as many trucks as the serially underperforming MAN. Imagine then, an operation with shared back of house duties, like IT, accounting, HR and perhaps finance with separate Scania and MAN sales channels even operating in separate buildings. Sounds like a good theory! Scania Australia MD, Roger McCarthy dismissed our theory out of hand and believed that the two organisations could not easily co–exist under that situation in Australia. However Herr Renschler’s aspirations for global dominance may have a bigger bearing on the situation as economies of scale and efficiency are high on his agenda. Imagine then also that Renschler’s clearly stated aims of acquiring a US maker results in the purchase of a controlling interest in Navistar. If that occurs then all of a sudden a business case for a consolidated Scania/MAN/ International operation in Australia would come into sharper focus. Scania sold 707 trucks in Australia in 2015, MAN moved just 266 vehicles, a figure many say could be at least doubled if the brand was given more branding and marketing clout. If that was the case, then think about this. Combine those two Euro brands at, lets say around 1500 sales per annum, then add in perhaps 400 to 500 Inter sales and a Volkswagen Trucks operation in Australia could have a critical mass of around 2000 trucks a year, positioning the group just behind PACCAR’s local Kenworth and DAF sales and ahead of Iveco. We know this is all theoretical and relies a lot on decisions that have yet to be made or may never be made but it is food for thought, isn’t it?

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Operator

THE CHICKEN Tamworth based Hopkins Transport has made a name for itself becoming one of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most successful and forward thinking poultry transporters, with necessity hatching innovation ALLOWING them to stay ahead of the game.

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OR THE EGG?

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Hopkins brothers have revolutionised the challenging task of transporting chickens and eggs, but it was neither chickens nor eggs that came first.â&#x20AC;&#x153;

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1. Steve Hopkins with one of the 17 MANs on the Hopkins fleet. 2. The Hopkins logo says it all when it comes to poultry transport 3. Newly hatched chickens may not be able to fly but the Hopkins help keep the Westpac Rescue Helicopter in the air with donations and charity work

he stresses and strains of a high power life in the city as an executive with one of the major banks left Steve Hopkins hankering for a life back in the country. So when his brother Geoff asked him to join him in running a transport business in Tamworth back in 1997 it didn’t take Stephen too long to make up his mind. The brothers had grown up at Taree on the Mid North Coast and Steve was keen to give his daughters a chance to experience growing up in the country, two decades on the Hopkins family hasn’t looked back. From a job as an executive with an office in a city skyscraper Steve gave it all up to run a trucking business with his brother in country NSW and by any measure it has been a real success. Today Hopkins Transport is one of Australia’s leading specialist poultry transporters focussing on moving eggs and newly hatched chickens from hatchery to farm for the leading chicken company in the country. Hopkins now operate a f leet of 24 trucks including 17 MANs and five Western Stars. In some ways the Hopkins brothers have revolutionised the challenging task of transporting chickens and eggs, but it was neither chickens nor eggs that came first. “Geoff had worked in the truck business and had the chance to purchase an established transport business and we thought it would be the perfect combination of his knowledge of the transport business and my knowledge of finance and technology,” said Steve. It was no cake walk in the early days, the brothers purchasing the business with a Volvo N12, without air conditioning or a sleeper and a three times a week run from Sydney to Melbourne and back. Not long after the establishment of Hopkins Transport came the expansion of a major poultry operation near Tamworth that saw the opportunity that would cast the future of the company. “We were doing distribution work for Nestle and had a distribution business based around that in the Tamworth area when we were asked to look at transporting fertile eggs to Gawler in South Australia,” said

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Stephen. “We bought a truck and trailer to tackle the contract and when we completed the first few runs the customer asked if we wanted to transport the chickens from the hatchery,” he added. Stephen’s expertise in innovation and technology came to the fore with the entire chicken and egg transport business posing challenges and requirements way beyond what any one could imagined when they settle down for a baked chicken dinner. “Eggs have to be kept at a specific temperature while being transported so you don’t lose the hatchlings inside and then when you are transporting the newly hatched chickens again they have to be kept at the right temperature and

comfortable which is not that easy when you are running in temperatures that can vary from 0 to 50 degrees,” said Steve. ‘Air f low is the key and it took a lot of work to develop the right trailers to do the job efficiently and properly, Some tried importing trailers from Europe and the States but they don’t have the same conditions we have in Australia where extreme heat and the road conditions and distances set the agenda,” he added. “As our customer grew we focussed on improving our efficiency and thinking about ways of developing new ideas and better ways of doing it,” Steve added. Steve explained that the key was understanding the livestock they were transporting, with the fertilised eggs needing to be kept at 18 deg. Celsius and

the day old chicks at 32C. Deliveries must be completed with zero breakages of eggs and zero chick deaths whilst maintaining the optimum temperatures required, otherwise there are significant penalties for any losses that the customer may incur. This led the company to employ a number of systems in the trailers it helped design including GPS tracking and real time computer monitoring of the temperature inside trailers. Amongst a number of innovations the Hopkins came up with a vent system in its trailers that allows air to f low in the right way to maintain temperature at an even level. “ I can log into the system on my desktop any where in Australia and I can see exactly the conditions in every trailer

“We have a good relationship with MAN they have worked very closely with us,“

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and if necessary regulate the temperature remotely and because it is GPS satellite based we are not reliant on phone network being in range,” Steve added. “It also keeps a log of those conditions so that we can show the customer a record of the temp in the trailer throughout the trip and all that data. The company’s association with MAN started as a result of Steve looking closely at fuel economy as a way of reducing operating costs and increasing efficiency. “I didn’t have a great attachment to trucks so I came at it with some fresh thought I suppose, I kept reading that European trucks delivered better fuel economy and so I mentioned this to Geoff and we decided to give the MAN a try and it proved very successful with great

economy as a result,” said Steve. “We tried one truck and had a great run out of it and bought two more for use on some local runs in Adelaide and even on relatively low kilometres we were saving around $2000 a month so that gave us the incentive to look at a f leet of trucks that suited the job and were fuel efficient,” he added. “We have a good relationship with MAN as they have worked very closely with us, you can’t fault the MAN factory service and we speak directly with them and you can’t fault the Western Stars either. Local Tamworth MAN and Western Star dealer North Star Motors plays an important role in Hopkins operation ensuring efficient and necessary service

and parts provision as well as sales advice and consultation on truck spec and set up. Hopkins has pioneered the use of B Doubles for transporting day old chickens and its best effort was shipping 170,000 birds in one hit maximising efficiency and reducing costs. Fully loaded with chickens the Hopkins B Doubles gross less than 40 tonnes but the value in the rig comes from the ability to carry a large volume of newly hatched chickens economically, efficiently, quickly and safely. It is clear that Hopkins expertise and innovation has helped ensure economic production of chooks to help satisfy our growing appetite for chicken as part of our diet. So next time you hoe into some tasty chook spare a thought for how it made its way to your table.

1. Training is a key part of the Hopkins philosophy along with work conditions that are well ahead of industry standards. 2. Presentatioan and maintenance are also extremely important to the successful Hopkins equation. 3. Great fuel economy and customer support have been big selling points for MAN according to Steve Hopkins

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Operator

BIG MACKS

Brisbane based transport company S&G has re-embraced the Big Macks and some Volvos after a fraught period with Kenworths, regaining some efficiency and utilisation as a result. We visited the diversified operation to take a look at how they do it. 046 www.truckandbus.net.au

WITH THE LOT

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Steve and Glenn clearly did a pretty good job because they continue to work for Super AMart two decades later.â&#x20AC;&#x153;

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 Steve Vayanos and Glenn Rollinson alongside one of their furniture trailers they use to service retailer Super AMart’s network across the country

e’ve all heard that story about the bloke who bought two Jaguars every time he bought a new car so that he always had something to drive when one car was inevitably in the workshop for repairs. Well for Brisbane based company S&G Transport it was a similar scenario before it decided to cut its losses with the previous brand of trucks it was operating and switch back to Macks. “Its fair to say that we have too many trucks at the moment because we were so used to having a percentage of our trucks off the road in the workshop,” said Glenn Rollinson one of the partners and the G in S&G Transport. ‘We were burnt a little with some of the Kenworth’s we had on the fleet and the problems they had with the Cummins EGR systems and found we had to have more trucks to ensure we could continue to serve our main clients,” Glenn added. Steve Vayanos teamed up with his mate Glenn Rollinson 23 years ago in the mid 1990s after both of them had individually operated rigid delivery trucks contacting to major retailer Super AMart. When AMart put out a tender to transport to its stores new store in Rockhampton Steve and Glenn decided to put their heads together and lodge a tender. “We got together, came up with a price and threw it at them and we got it ahead of a lot of big transport companies,” said Steve. “That frightened the crap out of us I have to say, we just had a couple of little Hino rigids and when we did the first trip to Rockhampton we parked them next to the AMart shed and it looked and said how the hell are we going to do this, we’d be running up and back up and back just to trying to get the thing filled, but we did it,” he added. Steve and Glenn clearly did a pretty good job because they continue to work for Super AMart two decades later. The fleet now is primarily Mack with 27 Bulldogs on the books along with three Volvos (with two more on the way), two Freightliners and three Kenworths as a hangover from the problematic EGR era.

Getting back with Mack was a bit of a homecoming for S&G because back in 1995 Steve and Glenn’s first prime movers were a pair of Fleetliners, which they had a great run with. “We would have kept buying Macks but in the early 2000s when we started to move into BDoubles, Mack didn’t have a suitable truck so in 2001 we started buying Kenworths with C15 engines, “ said Steve. “We had a pretty good run with them in the early days until all of the engine issues and that is why we still have too many trucks on the fleet,” he added. It was around this time that Steve and Glenn decided to take another look at Mack and while they were there they also considered the new Volvo FH to haul their increasing workload for Super AMart and the burgeoning refrigerated trailers they had diversified into around 2009. The Trident turned up and it looked perfect for what we were after and they have delivered on the promise. The first S&G Trident has just clocked up 400,000 km and both Steve and Glenn are ecstatic with that performance. “We haven’t had a truck that got to 400,000 km without needing a rebuild probably since the first Macks and the Tridents are going very strongly, returning excellent fuel economy and delivering great utilisation,” said Glenn. “With the EGR Kenworth’s we were getting around 1.3km/litre and now with the Macks and the Volvos we are regularly getting better than 1.8 km/litre, with the Macks and the Volvos on B Double work,” he added. ‘In fact we are saving between $4000 and $5000 per month when the fuel price was higher, which was a free truck, because that saving was the monthly lease payment on a new prime mover.” By June 2014 the realisation that the Macks were the best option meant the company changed out 12 prime movers in 12 months switching from the Cummins powered Kennies to the Macks and the Volvo powered by the SCR equipped Volvo Group engine. The remaining K200 cab over Kenworths will be off the fleet in the next few months

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with Volvo FHs on their way to replace those ‘It is so much easier to deal with a reliable fleet that we could depend on, it cost us some money to get out of the old fleet but it was a matter of cutting our losses and moving on and we haven’t looked back. “The other benefit with Volvo and Mack is that if we have a problem we go back to the dealer and it doesn’t matter whether its an engine problem, or a transmission or a fault in the cabin, the dealer takes responsibility for the entire truck, it was a real problem with the previous trucks because the truck maker would blame the engine maker and there was this constant fighting over who was responsible for the problem that was just so frustrating “Now we have one phone number, we have had some issues with Volvo and Mack but they have been minor and they are sorted in double quick time without argument. “Utilisation is so much better now and as I say we have too many trucks in some ways because we were so used to having trucks stuck in workshops,” Glenn emphasised. “The telematics have probably sold more trucks than the salesman have, it is a brilliant system that enables us to track costs and truck movements instantly and to keep an eye on the way things are trending,” said Steve. “It can also be quite good to give drivers an idea of how they are going compared

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with other drivers in the fleet because most are very competitive and if you let them know someone else is getting better economy and you can show him the telematics data to back it up you get almost instantaneous response and improvement. Glenn and Steve can monitor the telematics on each of their trucks and across the fleet on their mobile devices when not in the office where they have a fleet nerve centre that monitors operations where ever the trucks are operating. The FH 16 fits well with their newer 26 metre B Double operations fitting the Volvos into the S&G equation alongside the Macks, which pull singles and smaller 19 metre B Doubles. Automated transmissions have been another attraction to the Mack Volvo alliance with the Mack M-Drive and Volvo I Shift providing greater efficiency and safety for their drivers. “If it’s not automatic we won’t drive it,” Steve laughs. “ Seriously though there was some push back from drivers initially but once they have driven them they’re sold and aren’t interested in manual trucks after that,” he added. “The efficiencies that can be gained from automated shift and on cruise control are enormous and it also means the driver is totally focussed on steering the truck and avoiding dangerous situations rather than worrying what gear they should be in”. The telematics reveal a lot, including one

driver whose results were dipping a little in terms of fuel economy and efficiency. When they spoke to the driver he revealed he had been using the truck in manual mode a bit. “We showed him the results and we pointed out to him that he should just leave it in automatic and forget it, don’t use it in manual it will use more fuel, there is technology there utilise it and as soon as they do that the fuel figures come back, make no decisions, just aim and fire is the best way,” said Steve. “Once they realise that the drivers come in and say how much easier it is, but once the resistance is broken down they never want to drive a manual again.” These days the S&G operation has spread its wings and operates across the country from Brisbane to Perth, up to Cairns and down to Melbourne. The company has embraced Telematics and is using the extensive amount of information the Volvo Mack system delivers. “We have grown with Super AMart and still service them along with our refrigerated operations, we haven’t ventured into the territory yet but that may come at some time in the future,” Glenn added. ‘The most important factor though is utilisation and now that we have reliable, fuel efficient trucks on the fleet our utilisation and efficiency are second to none, which is just great as far as we’re concerned,” he concluded.

 Steve and Glenn now run a fleet of 35 trucks including 27 Macks and three Volvos as well as an array of furniture and refrigerated trailers

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OUT ON THE TEXAS TUNDRA

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US pick-ups have a small but loyal following in Australia with companies like Performax importing and converting the big American â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Utesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. We grabbed Billy Bob and slid behind the wheel of the big V8 Toyota Tundra for a road test

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verything is bigger in Texas or so they saying goes and that is especially true when it come to the ‘utes’ they drive in the Lone Star state and for that matter all the way across the US of A. They of course don’t call them utes over there, they refer to them as trucks or pick ups and they are mighty big when compared with the machines we call utes. But there is a small but loyal following for American pick up trucks in Australia and Queensland based company Performax has built a solid business on importing the US machines and converting them to right hand drive as well as complying them with Australian rules. Ford’s F Series, Chevy Silverados, Chrysler RAMs and now Toyota’s big Tundra are imported and then converted at the Performax operation north of Brisbane. They don’t sell a lot, with hefty price tags exceeding $100,000, but there is a demand for the big towing capacities, huge power, and enormous interior space and load

carrying capacity way beyond what any of our utes can manage. Given the chance to slip behind the wheel of the latest Toyota Tundra we jumped at it. Newly appointed NSW dealer for Performax, Central Coast Performax at Lisarow near Gosford gave us the chance to drive the Tundra for a few days allowing us to get a feel for the biggest Toyota. The Toyota Tundra combines Lexus comfort and luxury along with a dollop of supersized HiLux practicality and build quality. Under the bonnet is a 5.7 litre petrol engine, yes you read that correctly, a petrol engine. In Australia or Europe we would only have a diesel in a vehicle this big. But gasoline engines still hold favour Stateside given petrol costs the equivalent of about 75 cents per litre, or a little over half the price of Aussie gas. Aussies love Utes we buy close to 200,000 of them every year making us the fourth biggest ute market on the planet. Utes are in fact more popular here than any other type

of new vehicle except small cars and Toyota HiLux regularly tops the national sales charts and is a consistent best-seller in states like Queensland and WA. But in reality the home of the ute is North America, where Ford’s bigger F-Series ‘pickup’ attracts more customers than any other new vehicle of any type, selling around half a million each year. Performax offers the Tundra in two versions of the CrewMax 5.7 V8 4×4 and they sell between 20 and 30 of the big Toyota pick up to Australians each year. The Tundra CrewMax rides on a whopping 4180mm wheelbase and measures 6289mm long, is 1941mm wide and 1925mm high, which means it is about a metre longer, a 100 mm wider and 100mm taller than a HiLux dual cab. Apart from plenty of space, there are also generous storage options including a cavernous centre console, huge door pockets with bottle holders and grab-handles plus power windows and a power-operated rear cab window.

“The Toyota Tundra combines Lexus comfort and luxury along with a dollop of supersized HiLux practicality and build quality.”

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Other clever cargo features include a split rear seat base that flips up to store gear on the rear floor, Amarok-style tray illumination and adjustable tie-down rails in all four sides of the tray, which also features a gas strut-equipped tailgate opening system, making it fall softly to horizontal every time. The cockpit is extensive with huge easy to read instruments, a big comfortable leather trimmed steering wheel and centre console, plus luxury leather upholstery and an infotainment system including a 3.5-inch colour screen with full Bluetooth connectivity and the ability to convert smartphone text messages and emails to voice. Digital radio is also featured and a time slip function that means you don’t miss that radio segment if you happen to take a call on the Bluetooth. While this is a non-official Toyota model it is fully ADR complied and comes with a four-year/120,000km warranty, which is better than what Toyota Australia offers on in its range. Performax has been importing and re-engineering left-hand drive American vehicles to ISO 9001 standards for more than 25 years, employing the latest technology including CAD/CAM, 3D prototype printing and injection moulding to make compatible parts for the right hand

drive conversions and compliance. It has to be said they do a superb job and its nigh on impossible to pick that this came out of the Texas Toyota plant with the steering wheel on the other side of the vehicle. Performax completes the conversion in about eight days, running four Tundras down its Queensland line at a time, which is about twice the time it takes to do the Chevy Silverado, underlining the complexity of the Toyota by comparison with the GM machine. The 5.7 litre 32-valve alloy V8 pumps out around 284kW of power and 543Nm of torque from a lazy 3600rpm, matched to silky smooth six-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy? Well it’s a bit like asking the price of a Rolls Royce, if you have to ask then you can’t afford it. You wouldn’t be buying the Tundra if you wanted good fuel economy We averaged 14.4L/100km in the Tundra, during our time in the car, or around six litres /100km more than the Hilux diesel, that is about $7.80 extra per100 (with fuel at $1.30 per litre). Around the city the Tundra fuel economy figure could easily go beyond 20L/100km. The other side of the coin is the performance and the big V8 delivers pretty

spirited acceleration for a vehicle that tips the scale at a 2580 kg. It gets up and lifts its skirts particularly in the mid-range, while at the top it revs all the way to 6000 and is a willing performer. On-road dynamics reflect the Tundra’s US heritage where freeway and lazy straight country roads are the handling calibration adopted by the factories. Tundra boasts coils at the front and leaf springs at the rear and is reasonably well damped but a lot softer than most Australian are used to, compared with say its sister HiLux or LandCrusier. However Tundra’s major plus has to be the huge four-tonne towing capacity as well as its massive 7.27 tonne GCM. This makes Tundra ideal for those big horsefloats, boats and work trailers hauling thing like mini excavators and tractors. The towing advantage is not readily apparent in the pure numbers alone. When you tow a 3500kg load in a LandCruiser you really know it, however in the Tundra with most trailers you barely know they are there, it takes most hauling tasks with blissful ease. The Tundra is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it has some qualities that makes it attractive to buyers looking for big towing capacity, load hauling and a presence on the road that is hard to miss.

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LCV

TOUCH DOWN IN TUNLAND EDITOR ALLAN WHITING RECKONS The Foton Tunland may be the ute market’s best-kept secret and he’s had a taste of what’s to come in 2017.

Tub and tailgate liners are standard. Interior is well finished and ergonomics are good.

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ike other Chinese vehicle introductions to this competitive market the Foton Tunland’s was rocky. In 2011 WMC Group walked away from a distribution agreement and the deal passed to Queensland company FAA Automotive. Foton sales in 2012 and 2013 were poor and in April 2014 Foton distribution was picked up by Foton truck distributor, Ateco, thus putting Foton light truck and ute business in the same distribution hands. The Foton range is managed by Alex Stewart, who joined Ateco foillowing his stint as marketing, customer care and product strategy manager at Hino. Alex is a canny Scot, so the move to virtually unknown Foton, after selling a well-known and respected brand, surprised industry observers. “I am under no illusions about the challenges ahead in a market as tough and competitive as Australia’s, but I am also confident that the outstanding value offered by Foton will drive a steady increase in sales and expansion of our dealer network over

2006 created a 50:50 joint venture company with Cummins to produce up to 400,000 light-duty diesel engines per annum and three years later inked another 50:50 joint venture with Daimler AG for the production of medium and heavy trucks in China, with an initial investment of $A1.3 billion.

The Tunland The Chinese-made Foton Tunland is aimed at markets outside China and has some notable advantages over its competitors in the Australian one-tonne ute class. Unlike previous Chinese-made vehicles the Tunland isn’t a ‘knock-off ’ of oldergeneration Japanese vehicles. It incorporates world’s best engineering inputs: a new, lightcommercial-specific Cummins diesel engine, Getrag gearbox, Borg Warner transfer case, Bosch electronics and Dana rear axle. The Tunland’s Cummins 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine has a cast iron cylinder head and thermostat-controlled electric radiator fans rather than an aluminium deck and

“I am under no illusions about the challenges ahead in a market as tough and competitive as Australia’s.”

Pricing for the Tunland ranges from $22,490 for a 4x2 single cab/chassis, up to $30,990 for a 4x4 crew cab ute. Equipment levels are high: airconditioning; cruise control, with steering wheel buttons; power windows; remote key two-stage door unlocking; leather steering wheel rim; CD/MP3/FM/AM audio, Bluetooth; USB ports ; tilt-adjusting steering wheel with audio buttons; power-adjustable and manual fold-back door mirrors with turn indicator lights; dashboard mode-select buttons for 4WD and low range; clutch foot rest; twin map lights for front occupants; 12-volt/120W illuminated power outlet and ‘puddle’ lights under the doors. On the crew-cab there are Isofix child seat anchorages on the two outside rear seat positions and the centre-seat occupant has a lap-sash belt. The powertrain is workmanlike, headed by the Cummins 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine, with Bosch electronics and figures of 120kW at 3600rpm and 360Nm in the 18003000rpm band. These aren’t class-leading by any means, but provide more than adequate loaded-ute performance and the best ute economy we’ve found to date. The main transmission is a Getrag fivespeed manual, coupled to a Borg Warner transfer case on 4x4 variants, with a lowrange ratio of 2.48:1. The Dana rear axle has an LSD centre on 4x4 models.

On road and site work time,” Stewart said after the ute distribution deal was done in April 2014. “This is an exciting ‘ground floor’ opportunity and I am greatly encouraged by Foton’s commitment to adapt its products to the requirements of our market.” Foton is no lightweight corporation. It was founded in China in 1996 to manufacture light and heavy-duty trucks, agricultural tractors and other machinery for domestic and global markets. It has assets exceeding $A10 billion and 290,000 employees. Automotive products include trucks from two to 55 tonnes, dump trucks, tractors, mobile cranes, buses, MPVs and utes, and new-energy batteries. Foton has R&D centres in Beijing, Germany, Japan and Taiwan, and technical supply agreements with Getrag, ZF, Aisin, Borg Warner, Bosch and Dana and in March

viscous-coupled fan, and a steel plate sump guard is standard on the Tunland 4x4. Tunland’s Cummins engine does duty in Foton’s bigger trucks up to 4.5 tonnes GVM, so is under-stressed in a ute. At launch in 2012 Tunland had the longest cab-to-rear-axle measurement in this class, minimising tray rear overhang and optimising tow ball positioning, plus it had the widest front track and second-widest rear track of any non-European ute in the class. It also featured the largest diameter front disc brakes, with twin-piston AP6 calipers, big rear drums and four-channel ABS with EBD. Initial Tunland deliveries Down Under were crew-cab utes, but a short-cab model was released in late 2013. The lineup now consists of 4x2 and 4x4 crew cab utes; 4x2 and 4x4 cab/chassis and a 2017-specification single cab 4x2 ute.

We tested a short cab tray-back and two crew cab Tunlands, including one crew cab with some of the 2017 mechanicals. Driving ergonomics were very good, with tilt steering adjustment, driver’s seat height, slope and lumbar adjustment. The steering wheel buttons worked well on two of the test vehicles, but the cruise control buttons were ‘sticky’ on one vehicle. The unladen short-cab Tunland’s handling and ride quality were quite good on smooth surfaces and over mild bumps, but potholes and major bumps sent the back end out of line. We reckon the rear leaf springs need a redesign, with a stronger main pack and helpers that come into play only when the load increases to near-GVM. The crew cab models were quite different, with spring rates that gave very good ride quality (for empty utes). The Tunland kept its

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feet on bumpy bitumen and corrugated gravel. We loaded one with half a tonne of payload and it sagged only marginally at the rear, and ride quality was good. We coupled a two-tonne boat and trailer to the other crew cab and it coped with the towed weight and 150kg ball weight quite happily. Off-road ability of the Tunland short and crew cabs was very good, considering there were no traction aids, other than rear-axle LSDs. The Tunlands don’t have the torque of their Japanese-brand competitors, but performance was acceptable and economy was better than that of any of the more powerful competition. We averaged under 8L/100km at half load and the towing vehicle managed 10.7L/100km. Those are excellent figures. Build quality was fine and fit and finish seemed no different from Thai-built machinery.

Noise levels inside the cabs were low, unless the Cummins engines were working hard. Each engine bay was very well laid out, with a large air-cleaner box and easilyreached fuel filter. The serpentine drive belt was very easy to check and replace (unlike nearly all others) and the radiator had twin electric fans, so there was no fan drive to get in the way.

A taste of things to come For the present, there’s no automatic transmission option and no traction aid offering, such as electronic stability control and traction control, but this package is on the way. Another initiative is all-wheel disc brakes that only the SsangYong Actyon and LandCruiser 70 Series can boast. Foton has been trialling the disc-brake and ESC/TC package in its 4x2 single-cab ‘Wellside’ ute model for some months. The

next step is to incorporate this kit in all Foton ute models. We conducted a partial test of this gear and checked out the new interior features in a crew-cab 4x4 evaluation vehicle. This ute had four-wheel discs, but no ESC/TC electronics. It also had a new infotainment system. The four disc brakes produced great stopping power and handbrake operation wasn’t an issue. Other ute makers claim that they’ve retained drum rear brakes to ensure good handbrake performance, but we don’t buy that: we think it’s a requirement of registration as a pick-up in Thailand, where most of these vehicles are built, along with the Thaimandated requirement for leaf rear springs. In late 2016 the Foton Tunland range should have class-leading chassis dynamics and an automatic box option. Even if pricing goes up by a few thousand bucks Tunlands will still be the best value for money buys in the market.

“In late 2016 the Foton Tunland range should have classleading chassis dynamics and an automatic box option.”

Tunland looks the part and bears that magic ‘Cummins’ badge.

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GRAVEL ROADS

AUSTRALIA COMING SOON!

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 nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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

GET ALL THE LATEST TRUCK AND BUS INDUSTRY NEWS AS IT HAPPENS AT THE TRANSPORT INDUSTRYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST NEWS WEBSITE

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We also bring you all of the latest news in an easy to consume email bulletin, Truck e-News giving you all the detail on the biggest stories and industry news allowing you to click through to the website.

Company Car

JUST HORSING AROUND We slip behind the wheel of the latest version of Fordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classic Pony Car, the Mustang and discover a surprising and pleasant convertible sports car even with the four cylinder turbo as Jon Thomson reports.

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here are few automotive symbols in the world that are as evocative and passion stirring as the wild stallion at full gallop that adorns the Ford Mustang. I have a confession to make, as a kid I was a huge Mustang fan. They were the most exciting cars around in the mid-1960s, from the odd ones you’d see on Aussie roads, to those on the race tracks or the ones being driven by some of my favourite TV heroes like Aussie secret agent John Hunter or Ephraim Zimbalist jnr. in the FBI. Back in 1965 Ford churned out more Mustangs in the USA in the first full year of production, around 500,000, than the total number of cars, trucks and motorbikes we sold in Australia that year. That was then and apart from around 300 ‘Stangs that Ford Australia imported and converted to right hand drive for sale in 65 66 and a couple of thousand later Mustangs in the 1990s, it has been difficult to buy one of these Pony cars, aside from private or low volume imports.

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Now finally the Mustang is here, thanks to the fact that Ford HQ in Detroit has made it a world car and is now producing them in left and right hand drive. The ‘Stang is instantly recognizable, turns heads where ever it goes and for a car that costs a shade over $54,000 elicits looks and comments you’d expect from a car with a price tag five times as much. The range available down under includes two-body styles- convertible and fastback, two engines - V8 and four-cylinder turbo and two transmissions – six-speed manual or six-speed auto, although the drop top is only available with the self-shifter We are yet to drive the V8 fastback but Company Car had the chance to sample the Eco Boost turbo convertible recently and had the time of our lives. Some people may argue that a Mustang has to have a V8 and a four cylinder is all-wrong. In fact right from the start in April 1964 Ford has always offered smaller engine options in the Mustang with 170 ci and 200 ci sixes in those early models and smaller V6s and fours in later

generations through the 70s, 80s and 90s. Far from being an asthmatic four potter, the EcoBoost is a lively 2.3 litre turbo that is responsive, economical and broadens the appeal of the car, particularly in the convertible, making it attractive to people that would never buy a V8 but love the shape and the chance for some top down motoring. At $54,990 plus on-road costs, the turbo drop-top is $11,500 less than the V8 convertible. For that you get a significant 233kW from the 2.3-litre turbo engine and 432Nm of torque. Compare that with the 306kW and 530 Nm of the V8 and you realize the four is not that much of a performance penalty. There is only one trim level across the Stang range and the equipment levels are extremely high with 19-inch carbon wheels, heated and cooled six-way-powered front seats, leather trim, automatic HID headlights, rain-sensing wipers, Ford’s Sync 2 .0-inch touch screen infotainment system, sat-nav, cruise control, keyless entry and starter and a whole lot more. One feature that blew away several people

who encountered it, was the Mustang image projecting down lights, or puddle lights as they are called, which displays an image of that famous stallion on the ground below the door when you open them at night or in low light. It is a nice touch and one that even impressed my wife who, let me tell you, is hard to impress. Another nice touch are the MyColor settings, which allow you to configure the instruments and dash lighting in a range of different colour schemes. Its not readily apparent to most observers that you’re in the four cylinder version, the V8 gets a GT badge on the rear and 5.0 badge on the front guards while the four has a pony badge, apart from that the rumble of the exhaust is the only other give away. Folding the convertible roof away is as simple as twisting a handle and pushing a button and the roof folds down or back up in about eight seconds, so long as the car is stationary. The access to the rear seat is clunky at best, you have to hold a lever and then when the

seat back is tilted you work the electric switch to move the seat forward and then repeat in reverse to allow access to the driver’s seat. Ford’s Sync 2 system works well with easy access to your phone, radio (including a DAB Digital mode) and entertainment along with climate controls on the touchscreen. Its easy and simple and other interior designers could follow the lead. Slip the ‘Stang into gear and the quiet and efficient EcoBoost glides away without fuss or bother. Tramp the pedal and it will surge forward the turbo whirring up and pushing it along without too much fuss. A lot of convertibles have a problem called scuttle shake, where the car shakes and vibrates because they don’t have the bracing that comes from a steel roof. But Ford has done a sterling job in virtually eliminating this with the Mustang convertible. The ride and handling is terrific. The car is sure footed and easy to steer, it points well with precise electric power steering while comfort is good, even on generally bumpier Aussie thoroughfares.

The steering’s electric power assistance can be adjusted through normal, comfort and sport modes, and there are four performance modes available including normal, snow/wet, sport and track, which are switched easily on the dash with aircraft like toggles. The EcoBoost is a strong, responsive engine, with no discernible turbo lag and good response across the rev range. It is nicely mated to the six speed auto and is even better when toggled into Sport or Track mode. Fuel economy is excellent from what is a quick convertible and we averaged a shade over 10 litres per 100 km across the week in the Mustang and that was on the cheaper 91 RON fuel not on expensive premium unleaded. If you want a good looking, strong performing drop top sports car that turns heads, is fun and comfortable to drive, is economical, well equipped and well priced, then the Mustang convertible with EcoBoost could be worth a look, but don’t expect to get one in a hurry there is a long waiting list and demand remains high.

2 3

1. The latest Mustang is one of the best looking in the 51 year history of the famous model and looks fast even when standing still. 2. The dash and interior is superbly designed and well laid out. 3. The Mustang convertible offers superb top down motoring

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MONEY MATTERS PAUL CLITHEROE THINKING ABOUT SUPER AND END OF FINANCIAL YEAR PLANNING

ext time you’ve got a few friends over for a barbecue, try raising the topic of superannuation. Chances are some people will pour themselves extremely large drinks, others will slip into a type of coma, and some will become extremely absorbed by a spoon or salt shaker. Personally, I’m a big fan of super but new research shows plenty of Australians don’t share my enthusiasm. According to Suncorp’s ‘Attitudes to Superannuation’ report, two out of five workers have never topped up their super and only one in 10 pay extra into their super each pay day. Almost 45% of people say they find super complicated. I realise the situation isn’t helped by successive governments fiddling with the rules. But the basics of super are quite straightforward.

With your annual super statement likely to arrive in the next few weeks, taking a few simple steps can make a valuable difference to your super balance on retirement. First, check the fund fees you’re paying. If you think you’re paying too much, consider switching to a low fee MySuper option – most funds offer these. If you have more than one super fund, think about rolling the balances into a single account. It can save on fees and make it easier to keep track of your super. Be sure to check how this impacts your life cover especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition, which can make it hard to get life insurance with a new fund. Finally, think about using the new financial year to kick-start some additional super contributions through salary sacrifice. Check out the superannuation calculator on the

worth up to $540. The tax breaks on super for self-employed workers are worth a look too. If you run your own show you can claim a tax deduction for up to $30,000 in before-tax super contributions, or $35,000 if you’re aged 50-plus. The latest Federal Budget proposes to reduce these limits to $25,000 annually regardless of age, from 1 July 2017. So it makes sense to take advantage of the more generous thresholds available in the current financial year. For small business owners, there’s still time to invest in additional business equipment. You may be able to claim an instant tax writeoff on the purchase of new or secondhand equipment costing up to $20,000. If you’re happy to prepare your own tax return, the government’s online lodgement system ‘myTax’ has been upgraded while

“Yes, the fine print can be confusing, but the fact is we need super.” Super is built up over our working lives from contributions by employers (and hopefully, topped up out of our own pockets) plus investment returns. It’s lightly taxed - both to encourage our active contribution towards it and to increase the size of the payout at the end. Yes, the fine print can be confusing, but the fact is we need super. Eligibility for the age pension is being pushed out from age 65 to 67 by 1 July 2023. From the start of 2017, changes to the pension assets test will make it harder to receive a part pension. The bottom line is that we’re increasingly expected to fund our own retirement. Interestingly, Suncorp’s survey found 33% of people weren’t engaged with their super because it’s boring. However as a colleague of mine who recently turned 50 pointed out, super suddenly becomes a lot more interesting as we age. The trouble is, ignoring your super for much of your working life makes it a lot harder to grow a decent nest egg later on.

government’s MoneySmart website to see how it can help grow your super. Meantime with the end of the financial just around the corner, now is the time to look at ways of legitimately boosting your tax deductions while potentially beefing up your financial wellbeing. If you’re an employee, consider bringing forward spending on items that can be claimed on tax for your occupation. This includes classroom resources for teachers, protective gear for mine workers or tradies, and hats and sunscreen for outdoor workers. The Tax Office website (www.ato.gov.au) features an A-Z of jobs and the work-related costs that can be claimed for each of them. Be sure to follow three golden rules – you must have spent the money yourself and not be reimbursed by the boss; the expense must be related to your work; and you need a record, like a receipt, to prove your claim. If your partner or spouse is a low income earner, an easy way to save on tax is by making a contribution to his or her super fund. It could see you eligible for a tax offset

the older e-Tax has been put to bed. myTax has been expanded and can now be used by property investors. On that note, the Tax Office has flagged it will be taking a close look at rental property claims. In particular, excessive claims for interest costs will go under the spotlight especially if the property wasn’t available to rent all the time, which can be the case with holiday homes. Speaking with a registered tax agent is a smart way to be sure you toe the tax man’s line. If you plan to see a tax agent for the first time, or you’re changing to a new tax agent, you need to have it sorted before 31 October – the final date for lodging do-it-yourself returns.

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.

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STAY IN CONTROL WITH MACK TELEMATICS.

The more you know about how your drivers and trucks are performing, the more you can improve cost efficiencies. That’s what Mack Telematics is all about. It’s a hi-tech fleet management system that can help you: • improve driver performance • increase uptime • maximise fuel efficiency • reduce maintenance costs • minimise your environmental footprint For more information on Mack Telematics Call 1300 MYMACK (1300 69 6225) or visit macktrucks.com.au