Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 310 i Owner Driver

It was just over 12 months ago that I travelled over to FPT Industrial headquarters in Turin, Italy for what was to be a huge announcement. As it turned out, FPT, part of the giant CNH Industrial group, unveiled the new 460hp (343kW) Cursor 13 natural gas (NG) engine. For Iveco, also under the umbrella of CNH, the obvious home for the Cursor 13 NG was the Stralis NP. FPT has had quite a history in developing NG engines. It’s latest celebration came on October 29 this year when it announced the journey of an Iveco Stralis NP 460hp from London to Madrid without having to refuel. Not including the ferry crossing from Dover in the UK to Calais in France, the Stralis 4x2, which was hauling a tri-axle box…

THERE ARE FEW MEN WHO LOVED a chat more than Kenneth Athol Archer, and even fewer who had more to talk about when it came to trucks, road transport and the life of an owner-driver. A Mack man to the core, Ken passed away recently at the grand age of 90 and while his last years were in a Sydney suburban nursing home, he was still pointing his beloved bulldog down the road well past his 80th birthday. Like so many of his vintage, the early days weren’t particularly flash. In fact, his first truck was a four-tonne Austin for travelling around Sydney plying his trade as a washing machine mechanic. Later came a stint as a brewery truck owner-driver but by the mid-1950s he’d found his true calling, hauling…

IT’S BEEN TWO MONTHS since Chris KurzI and Wayne Garde died in far north Queensland in a horrific crash involving trucks from Blenners Transport. The families, friends and communities of both drivers are no doubt only beginning to pick up the pieces after the tragedy. But two months later there is still no information as to what happened or what caused the crash. To reiterate the facts: this was one of the worst crashes in the region for some time and involved a company that was under intense investigation for several years. We wrote to the Queensland Police, the department and minister of Transport and Main Roads, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and Queensland Workplace Health and Safety, asking what investigations had taken place and if the company was…

DURING WORK HOURS diesel technician Brett Sullivan keeps busy at his family business, Shepparton Diesel. But most evenings and weekends you’ll find him drawing commissioned artworks in a studio at his home at Shepparton, Victoria. “It makes life pretty hectic,” Brett says. But somehow he also manages to volunteer his time and skill for some great causes, including the recent Great Southern Hearts Drive for Life, which helped drought-affected farmers. He donated a drawing featuring Kenworths owned by the two organisers, Glenn ‘Yogi’ Kendall and Peter Wright. The drawing was auctioned online and raised $1,000 for drought relief. Brett has also donated drawings for truck shows as far away as Tasmania. He demonstrated his skill for Owner//Driver when we called in at Shepparton Diesel recently. We watched him draw a…

WHEN YOU’RE TOO TIRED to think and lack the energy and focus, do you find yourself making bad choices? More and more, our business depends on making good choices. There is not only driver fatigue, but there is also decision fatigue, which can be detrimental to the success of your business and in turn affects your family and the ones you love. How do you know what decision fatigue is? And more importantly is your business suffering from your fatigue? When you understand decision fatigue and how we can conquer it, you can make sure you are operating at your full potential. Decision fatigue is the deterioration of your ability to make good decisions after a long session of decision making. The more decisions you need to make, the worse…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has appointed independent road safety expert Dr John de Pont to lead a review of PBS tyre standards and operations. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the review will examine the marketplace to identify the best practice approach for the management of tyres within the PBS scheme. “Almost one-in-five new heavy vehicles built in Australia this year will be approved under the PBS scheme,” Petroccitto says. “We are committed to a wider review of PBS standards and rules, to ensure PBS remains a world-leading program for innovation and safety design; however a review of tyre standards is a priority. “We will look at the available testing methods utilised by tyre manufacturers and suppliers, considering that these methods can produce differing results.” The NHVR says the…

For now, and perhaps many years to come, Kenworth’s K-series cab-over won’t be going anywhere. Now the only US cab-over on the Australian market, ongoing success seems more assured than ever. In fact, and despite its absence from the US market for several decades, the K-series in its super-successful K200 configuration remains the premier model for the premier brand in Australia’s linehaul freight industry. The way things are today, it would be commercial suicide to replace it with, say, DAF’s XF105. But these are changing times and there’s no escaping the fact that DAF is Paccar Inc’s global cab-over platform and for that reason alone, any form of cab-over development outside Australia will be centred entirely on DAF. Not Kenworth! So, when it comes to the seemingly ageless K-series, Paccar…

FOLLOWING THE recent launch of its Ultima 175 LED driving lights, Narva has added to its enhanced optic technology range with the larger and more powerful Ultima 225 LED lamp. Narva says the new Ultima 225 lamps are ideal for fitment to commercial vehicles or passenger four wheel drives equipped with larger bull bars, providing the driver with a powerful and controlled beam that shines a bright white light up to 730 metres down the road at 1 Lux. Each lamp is equipped with 3x15W XHP50.2 Cree LEDs, producing 11,400 raw lumens (per pair) of bright light at 5,000K, with full illumination said to occur almost instantly. Available in combination, broad and pencil beam patterns, the lamps are marketed as being ideal for long distance illumination, for both on and…

JUST WHEN I THINK no-one is listening, I get bombarded with emails from readers who have the ability to think. It would appear that some do get what is being said and don’t just read the black letters on a page. It suits me to get emails from drivers and owner-drivers rather than trucking company owners. Clearly trucking companies don’t appear to want to acknowledge that there may be someone out there that’s on to them. Someone who is continually speaking up against the ridiculously obvious mistakes that fleet owners wish to continue doing, regardless of the detrimental effect it has on their bottom line, their equipment and those that only seek to continue trying to impress an otherwise unworthy employer. I have in the past received some very abusive…

Billy ‘Cotty’ Cowen passed away on September 27 after a 25-month battle with lung cancer Billy drove for Eastoes, Marsdens and Bunker Freight Lines across a long career in transport that kicked off with him doing milk runs around Melbourne as a young man. Billy’s stepson Gary James got in touch with Owner// Driver to notify readers of his late step-father’s passing. “I tried a lot of different jobs from sheep stations, panel beaters, welding to running an auto electrics shop, but my true calling was to drive and Bill made that easy for me,” Gary remembers. “He was always interested in where I was going and what I was doing and I loved that he took good care of my mum after Peewee passed away and even though we…

THIS YEAR THE TRUCKRIGHT INDUSTRY VEHICLE (TIV) initiative reached a decade in existence. My first event with the TruckRight was at the Dubbo Show with Ken Wilkie’s K104 and Rod Pilon Transport trailers 132 and 142. I had approached the then Roads and Traffic Authority to participate and they did with a roadside inspection van and officers on site. That was early in 2008 and Ken Wilkie had stepped up and offered me his K104. I had asked Rod Pilon if could I buy the trailers, but he offered to buy a set for me and did so at the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Convention later that year. I picked them up from Melbourne in October 2008, which then saw the complete TIV and trailers on the road. Last month…

Turning the industry backwards I would like to respond to the article ‘Trucking’s Turning Point’ (Owner//Driver, October 2018, p84) concerning changes to Chain Of Responsibility (COR) responsibility. I am sure that the speech by Sal Petroccitto was greeted with much raucous applause for delivering an industry-crushing speech, turning back the industry 30 years. “So, when you do go to court, you will actually walk in, for a change, innocent until the regulator proves that you’re guilty,” he says. “As opposed to now when you walk in the door and you are guilty and you’ve got to dig yourself out of a hole.” Honestly, does anybody other than the people who profit from the transport industries know how hard it is to prove fault? For example, just this very morning in…

MACK ROAD STABILITY ADVANTAGE (RSA): This full-stability system helps drivers mitigate rollovers and loss-of-control situations on wet and dry roads. The system helps to mitigate vehicle jack-knifes, slides, skids and loss-of-control through advanced monitoring of a variety of vehicle parameters and automatic or selective application of vehicle brakes. BENDIX BLIND SPOTTER: Reduces the drivers’ blind spot and increases the field of view by up to 120 degrees. This assists with safer lane changes, drifting in lanes and reduces sideswipe accidents. ALERT PRIORITISATION: Provides the most critical alert first (typically the impact alert) leading into a collision mitigation braking event, helping minimise driver distraction from multiple alerts occurring simultaneously. LANE DEPARTURE WARNING: The system alerts your driver to unintended lane changes. FOLLOWING DISTANCE ALERT: Three levels of audible and visual alerts…

THE BIG BAD BLUES Billy F Gibbons Concord/Universal www.billygibbons.com Bearded bluesman Billy F Gibbons, better known as the lead singer and guitarist of evergreen US blues-rock band ZZ Top, released his first solo album Perfectamundo in 2015. Despite ZZ Top continuing to tour, Gibbons has released a second solo effort – The Big Bad Blues. The 11 tracks live up to the album’s title, with Gibbons’ well-worn vocals for the most part taking a back seat to his raw guitar riffs. Kicking off with ‘Missin Yo Kissin’, a track penned by his wife Gill Stillwater, Gibbons’ rarely takes his foot off the pedal, although he eases off somewhat on the Muddy Waters track ‘Standing Around Crying’, a slow, emotive grind with guitar and harmonica trading licks. But he ramps up…

AVE YOU EVER heard someone (or H yourself) say: “Can’t do it mate, I’ve got dicky knees”? As an exercise physiologist working with primarily active middle-aged adults (over 40) that love to play the odd game of touch footy, tennis, hiking and travel, I see more and more the “acceptance” in getting knee replacement surgery first hand or avoidance of fixing the problem. A report I read said that knee replacement surgery has become one of the most common major orthopaedic surgeries performed. The rise can be attributed to aging baby boomers – but also reflects a rise in obesity rates and an unwillingness to live with pain or disability. Some active individuals with health insurance, financial resources and support opt into receiving a new knee. The good news is…

BATHURST TRUCK SHOW November 17, 2018. Bathurst Showgrounds, NSW Sponsored by Gilbert & Roach, Huntingwood. Gates open 9am to 4pm. Featuring over 200 market stalls, food stalls, live entertainment and kids’ rides. Registration fee $40 per category. Public entry $5, children under 10 free. Followed by the annual Bathurst Swap Meet Car & Bike Show on November 18. Supporting 2BS Lions Christmas Miracle Appeal. For further info phone Debbie on 0407 489 634, Haylie on 0438 316 150 or see the website at www.bathursttruckshow.com.au WESTERN STAR SHOW N SHINE November 17, 2018. Toowoomba, Qld The 2018 Western Star Trucks Show ‘n Shine will be take place at the Toowoomba Showgrounds. Huge prizes to be won across several truck categories. Includes a meet and greet with DJR Team Penske drivers Fabian…

TRUCKLINE has announced it is now stocking Truckmate’s new MG700 mudguard. With a width of 700mm, the new addition is said to be the only injection moulded mudguard made to this specification in Australia. Truckmate business development manager, Lee Annett, says the new product was developed to accommodate wider profile tyres, which are increasingly being used to provide greater grip and overall footprint on the road, particularly among European vehicles. “With increasing use of the 295 wider profile tyre instead of the 11R standard tyre, including on the new Mercedes Actros, the new MG700 mudguard prevents rubbing, which in turn will prolong the life of the mudguard,” says Annett, adding that the MG700 guard will cater for all makes featuring the wider profile tyres. Annett also explains that the MG700…

ONE OF the biggest trucks to roll off the International Harvester assembly line in Melbourne has been restored to its former glory and again stands proud within Winton’s Diamantina Heritage Truck and Machinery Museum. Roy and Beryl Shaw purchased three of the Atkinsons and individually named them ‘Diamantina King’, ‘Woolly Buffalo’ and ‘Dear One’. The latter name related to how dear the trucks were becoming to buy. The ‘King’ was originally owned by Roy and Beryl Shaw (Shaw’s Transport, 1930-1980), and when purchased in 1978, cost $92,768. Powered by an 8V92T GM engine with 14-speed Spicer transmission and Eaton dual range differentials, the truck carried three-and-a-half K-wagons of cattle – about 79 head when hooked-up in a road train combination pulling two trailers, and was used for hauling beef cattle…

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the trucking industry are mourning the loss of David Coonan, who passed away in early October. Coonan was the ATA’s policy manager from 2006 until he retired on medical grounds in 2014. The ATA’s chief engineer, Bob Woodward, first met Coonan in 1990 and worked closely with him during his time at the ATA. He says that Coonan was a passionate and expert advocate for the industry. “David and I wrote the first edition of the ATA’s truck impact chart, which has now become a standard reference. “David’s expertise was so great he was invited to present about high productivity freight vehicles at one of the foremost truck research centres in the world, the University of Michigan Transport Research Institute. “The ATA was privileged…

Divall’s Earthmoving’s Tony Wright and Paccar Parts Australia’s Trevor Dickson have been recognised as the trucking industry’s outstanding technical contributors for 2018 at the Technology and Maintenance Conference’s (TMC’s) Castrol Vecton Awards Dinner. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) event celebrates the industry professionals’ dedication and achievements throughout the year. Wright received the 2018 Craig Roseneder Award, an honour that recognises technical and maintenance excellence in the workshop. He will be sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Atlanta to attend the US Technology and Maintenance Council’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition. Wright is this year’s recipient for promoting a healthy and safe workplace culture at Divall’s, and demonstrating impeccable maintenance application, maintenance records and technical ability. “Wright has been influential in the modernisation of workshop equipment and cost-saving…

IT SEEMS A BIT IRONIC that last month’s edition of Owner//Driver had a theme of health and safety, because health and safety is the basis of most of what gets in the way of transporters doing their job and it’s 99 per cent of what the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Victoria (LRTAV) and I have been trying to get fixed for 30-odd years and counting. Health and safety is actually never off my mind and the time has come for fixing and not talking. It was good to see the sun come up as usual on October 1. The date that we’ve all been hearing about for months has come and gone. From my observation not a lot has happened or changed as yet. Who knows, there is…

THE STRENGTHENED CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY (COR) laws which commenced on October 1 seem to have been ignored by the Transport Workers Union (TWU). The TWU in a recent commentary on the direction of fatigue-related research said that financial pressure is a root cause of fatigue not receiving adequate attention. But if the TWU has knowledge of drivers who are being forced to drive long hours while fatigued and to skip their rest breaks, then they should report this behaviour to the authorities because the new COR laws have massive penalties (including jail where recklessness is involved) and must be enforced. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has also been given stronger enforcement powers to investigate COR offences. The new COR laws are a significant step forward in recognising that everyone in…

I HAD A CONTRACT THE OTHER day that took me into a coal mine run by one of Australia’s larger businesses. As you can guess, there were all the workplace health and safety expectations. High visibility of course with long daks and long sleeves, hard hat, safety glasses, steel caps, and an expectation that the first parade service had been done on the gear before start-up that morning. There were no over centre dogs of course, and definitely no getting on the trailer deck. Just one metre above terra firma and wheel chocks to be used once parked, and a three-metre safety radius once the load had been detached for crane lift. Oh yes, no using of mobile phone, both for safety and security. I can’t think of any other…

THINGS THAT WE DRINK TO Morgan Evans WarnerMusic www.warnermusic.com.au Apart from Keith Urban, Australian country artists making it in the United States, especially in recent times, are a rare event. However, with his second album Things That We Drink To, Morgan Evans appears to be changing that trend. The album’s first single ‘Kiss Somebody’ has already achieved widespread airplay in the US. Morgan’s second single, ‘Day Drunk’, a catchy country rock track, looks likely to surpass that feat. Surprisingly, Australian mainstream radio stations have also added it to their playlists. The title track is a big powerful ballad, ‘Dance With Me’ is a duet with Evans’ wife Kelsea Ballerini, a US country star in her own right, and the mid-paced romantic song ‘I Do’ recognises that union. A definite party…

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KEEN TO KEEP the pressure on tests of its new Cascadia, Freightliner has been testing out a left hand-drive test unit coupled as a fully loaded B-triple at the Australia Automotive Research Centre (AARC) in Anglesea, Victoria. With right-hand drive models due to join the test fleet in the near future, Freightliner insiders say nothing will be left to chance in preparation for the new model’s release early in 2020. Tests are expected to encompass everything from shorthaul suburban delivery work to roadtrains running in remote regions.…

ISUZU MOTORS JAPAN has signed a letter of intent with Cummins in the US to evaluate collaborative opportunities in the delivery of globally competitive products. According to the statement issued by Isuzu Motors, the automotive industry is entering a period of “a once-in-a-century innovation” and the diversification of power sources, including electrification. Isuzu says diesel engines remain a core focus for the company including both for commercial vehicles and industrial applications. However it adds that it is committed to exploring a diverse range of technologies including electrification and environmentally friendly next generation diesel power solutions. Both companies share a mutual interest in the development of future powertrain solutions and have agreed to explore potential opportunities over what is envisioned as a comprehensive, long-term partnership in this area. Through the collaboration,…