Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 327 i Owner Driver

IT’S TAKEN a dangerous global pandemic for the general public to realise how essential road transport is to their way of life. Generally maligned in most quarters outside the industry, trucks and their drivers are now at the peak of their popularity as hospitals await the transportation of much-needed medical supplies, while shoppers are eager for the next truckload of supermarket goods to stock up the shelves. Even local councils, long the bane of last mile transporters, have relaxed after hours curfews, enabling trucks to fulfil their duties following the panic-buying public’s relentless attempts to drain supermarkets dry, especially on staple items such as pasta, rice and, dare I say it, toilet paper! It must be said, though, there was some influence from state governments to enable trucks to deliver…

Lawyers at Sydney-based Ainsley Law have announced that it is now offering free assistance to drivers and operators with upcoming court cases in NSW. “These are hard times for the whole country. Over the last 12 months we’ve seen the transport industry step up time and again to keep the country running in difficult times. From carting hay in the drought, to bringing supplies to bushfire affected towns and now keeping industry open during COVID-19,” Ainsley Law says. “The team at Ainsley Law recognises the industry’s hard work and wants to say thank you. “They understand that there is significant disruption in the transport industry. “Many families are also suffering financially and are worried for their loved ones’ health. “The last thing you need right now is to worry about…

A NATIONAL crisis will put all industries under strain but those such as transport, which are already under pressure, will be pushed to the brink. The coronavirus outbreak has been sending waves of concern throughout transport. Operators and owner-drivers at the ports are seeing a huge drop off in freight because of a restriction on imports from China due to the severe outbreak there. Other transport sectors are affected too and in the midst of the crisis, operators and owner-drivers are being faced with the serious prospect of work drying up altogether and chaos looming for their businesses. This means potentially many businesses going bust and jobs being lost. The problem in transport is that there isn’t any fat to trim when a crisis like this bears down on us.…

Diabetes NSW & ACT P: 1300 342 238 W: diabetesnsw.com.au E: customerservice@diabetesnsw.com.au Healthy Living NT P: 08 8927 8488 W: www.healthylivingnt.org.au E: info@healthylivingnt.org.au Diabetes Queensland P: 1800 177 055 W: www.diabetesqld.org.au E: info@diabetesqld.org.au Diabetes SA P:1300 198 204 W: www.diabetessa.com.au E: info@diabetessa.com.au Diabetes Tasmania Hobart: 03 6215 900 Launceston: 03 6333 0233 W: www.diabetestas.org.au E: mail@diabetestas.org.au Diabetes Victoria P: 1300 437 386 W: www.diabetesvic.org.au E: mail@diabetesvic.org.au Diabetes WA P: 1300 001 880 W: www.diabeteswa.com.au E: info@diabeteswa.com.au…

IT’S BEEN the topic on everyone’s lips – toilet paper. So let’s talk about it. If you’re a company driver operating out of transport hub Millicent, you’re probably pretty happy right now. Demand couldn’t be greater, you’re flat out carting the stuff and when you pull up to Woolworths with a truck load of soft white paper you’re everybody’s hero. As we grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are driven by fear; it’s what’s keeping the Kimberley-Clark mill in such high profits. While I don’t fully understand the prioritising of toilet paper storage, I can appreciate the growing concerns of owner-drivers worried about losing work. As I write this, the extent of the damage this will cause to the transport industry is unknown. What we do know is that…

SAD HAPPY Circa Waves Prolifica Inc/PIAS www.circawaves.com English indie rock band Circa Waves has produced a batch of light and breezy pop-rock pieces for their fourth album Sad Happy. As the title suggests, the 14 tracks are split evenly between “happy” and “sad”. However, even on the down-and-out ‘Battered & Bruised’, this quartet sounds anything but melancholy. There’s a touch of Pet Shop Boys-style electronica on ‘Hope There’s A Heaven’, and they’re looking for warmer weather on ‘Move To San Francisco’. Circa Waves are at their most punchy on ‘Jacqueline’, and deliver rapid-fire lyrics on the punk-pop track ‘Be Your Drug’. The band hints at its Liverpool origins on ‘Love You More’, a mid-paced romantic song, while the title track is catchy pop. There are a couple of ballads –…

IVECO HAS recently undertaken side-by-side testing of two Eurocargo ML150 4x4 models in Tallarook State Forest north of Melbourne. Over the course of the program, the Eurocargo 4x4s – one fitted with a full automatic transmission and the second with an automated manual transmission (AMT) – were put through their paces on the demanding bush tracks, in particular on inclines and declines of over 30 per cent gradient. According to Iveco, both vehicles were operating at full GVM to replicate real-world conditions, to help analyse the best features of both transmission types, as well as to identify any limitations. In attendance were several Country Fire Authority (CFA) driver trainers, as well as CFA and Iveco engineers, product managers and key account staff. Iveco says among the findings was that the…

I HAD A GOOD read about the findings of the Monash University’s Accident Research Centre (MUARC) on the Owner//Driver website (www.ownerdriver.com.au). Even though it’s clear the good people of MUARC are full of good intentions, it would also be obvious to a reasonable person that the findings are more about proving what we truck drivers already know and appears to ignore the causation and the solutions. It reads like it’s all about finding new ways of flogging a dead horse and not about addressing the elephant in the room. Number one: having the expectation that a truck driver should be able to continually complete a 14-hour shift that at best covers somewhere around the vicinity of being awake for at least 16 or 17 hours overall over a seven day/night…

THE PREVIOUS few days had been particularly busy for Ken Zambonetti. Even busier than usual as a run of stockyard sales arrived in quick succession throughout Western Australia’s southern pocket, creating a spike in calls from farmers and feedlots. Still, it’s not uncommon for the phone to run hot. In these parts, the Zambonetti name and reputation are etched deep in the rural register. Finding the time to just stop and talk about trucks for a while is rare, but right now there’s a break in the scramble. Inland from Albany’s sea breeze on the southern coast, the afternoon brings heavy heat to the Zambonetti property and in the cool of the family dining room with wife Angela alongside, a broad smile comes with a grateful sigh as Ken says…

I WAS MOST impressed recently in being told to engage my mind before opening my mouth. That is admirable advice that should apply to everyone. However, I feel I have a pretty good record of engaging the grey matter to achieve my life goals. They are peer respect, applying myself to responsible outcomes, enjoying my chosen occupation, working to live as opposed to living to work and being honest enough to not let office or rank to shift me from my considered beliefs. Since becoming an owner-driver some 46 years ago, I have always endeavoured to both live up to my ideals and, so to speak, to put my money where my mouth is. In relation to working to live, we have accomplished several international expeditions – one to the…

IN FEBRUARY the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA) held its conference and annual general meeting in Dubbo. The previous AGM had been held in Rockhampton and I had been unable to attend. Dubbo had been chosen as the site of the next AGM and conference. Once it started getting closer, venues and plans had to be cemented. Being local, I offered to make some enquiries and came back to the board with a number of possible venues, prices, etc. and a majority decision was then made on the Macquarie Inn. I also spoke with local papers and did some radio interviews prior to the event along with approaching some local businesses to contribute to the auction to be held as part of the dinner on the night. Thanks very much…

SPEED OF LIFE Adam Brand ABC/Universal www.adambrandmusic.com Adam Brand is one of the mainstays of Australian country music, chalking up studio album #15 with Speed Of Life. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and produced by Luke Wooten (notable for his work with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley), Brand delivers 10 tracks of quality contemporary country. He’s up to mischief on ‘Freakin Weekend’, and there’s a soulful tone to the laidback ‘Baby I Miss You’. ‘Fly’, released as a single, is a powerful, motivating song, and Brand sings of being content with family and friends on ‘Life’s Been Good To Me’. Former Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan joins in with duet vocals for ‘You Are Not Alone’, and Brand closes this fine album with the upbeat ‘Time Of Our Lives’. NOT YOUR…

In response to the latest advice from State and Federal Governments, Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) has postponed ComVec 2020. The conference, exhibition and drive day were scheduled to take place from May 13 to 15 at RACV Royal Pines Resort on Queensland’s Gold Coast. HVIA chief executive Todd Hacking says ComVec plays an important role in the industry’s calendar. “This decision has not been taken lightly, however HVIA’s first priority is for the health, safety and wellbeing of all event attendees, stakeholders and staff,” Hacking says. “We have had very positive feedback to the event program, under the theme ‘preparing your fleet for the new decade’. “We think the content will continue to have strong relevance and, while it is way too early to make any pre-emptive announcements, it…

THOUSANDS OF TRUCKS around Australia are taking a well-earned rest in their fire sheds after copping a hammering during the long hot spring and summer of 2019-2020. Rough dirt tracks, dust, heat and all sorts of understandable driver mishaps in the dark took their toll on many of the basic workhorses of the firefighting services around Australia. But as far as we are aware, most of them came through pretty well, despite the circumstances. It’s a testament to the amazing expertise of our truck and equipment engineers and manufacturers that they did. So what’s involved in a fire truck? Let’s have a look around one, using as an example the backbone of the NSW Rural Fire Service fleet, the Category 1 tanker – better known as the ‘Cat 1’. In…

MANY OWNER-DRIVERS I work with share their vehicle with other people. Sometimes this is a formal leasing arrangement. Other times it’s just helping out a mate. But did you know that you could be held responsible for offences that happen while the truck is out of your control? The Supreme Court of NSW recently heard a case that demonstrates how strict this law is and how important it is for owners to understand the procedure for nominating the person who is actually responsible for the offence. COMPANY CHARGED In 2018 a NSW company, Chalouhi Enterprises Pty Ltd, leased its truck to another business. That business drove it while overloaded. Roads and Maritime Services charged Chalouhi Enterprises for the offence. Understandably it pleaded “not guilty” since it was not involved in…

It’s a long and white endless line,As I sit behind the wheel, chasing time,I see the sunrise and all the sunsets,Making good time listening to my cassettes,I drive all night while heading west,Hoping soon I’ll get some rest. Heading for my destination,There was no forewarned information,A road was closed and I had to detour,Unable to stop I’m now unsure,Can this road take my B-double,If not I may find myself in trouble. Arriving in time for my 6am time slot,I’m disappointed to hear they’re loading the local lot,Three hours go by have a rest they say …But I’m too amped by the news of my delay,I call home, happy to hear my wife and kid’s voice,It’s not long and we’re cut short no time to rejoice,The forkie is ready to unload…

DID YOU know that type 2 diabetes is preventable? Did you also know that, once diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you’ll have it for life? Type 2 diabetes usually takes years to develop, so it’s a good idea to assess your risk factors early on and try to make the changes that you can to your lifestyle so you can lower your risk. Risk factors There are genetic and environmental risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. Genetic risk factors for type 2 diabetes include: People with pre-diabetes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 35 years and over People aged 35 and over who are Pacific Islanders, Maori, Asian (including the Indian subcontinent, or of Chinese origin), Middle Eastern, North African or Southern European People aged 45 and over who…

RECENTLY, NatRoad, together with the Western Roads Federation and the Northern Territory Road Transport Association, called on the Federal Government to direct more spending to road maintenance. The spending would stimulate the economy and make roads safer and better fit for purpose. Over recent months there have been many changes that have affected members: drought, bushfires, followed by flooding in some areas, and now the impact of the coronavirus. To say that conditions are challenging is an understatement. We are confronted with a perfect storm of successive disasters and in times of crisis governments must act decisively. We strongly support the government acting to stimulate the economy to offset some of the effects of these events. We have advocated the expenditure of monies on road maintenance because it’s often neglected…

IT’S QUITE a funny sight to help solve a deadly serious issue: burly truckies riding around inner Melbourne on bicycles, some of them a bit wobbly behind the handlebars as they use one arm to give hand signals. In the safety video produced for the massive Melbourne Metro rail tunnel project, the truck drivers are learning to see the road from the perspective of bike riders. On the flipside in another Metro video, members of the public clamber into a big bonneted truck to realise just how many blind spots there are from behind the steering wheel. These are good ideas involving so-called ‘vulnerable road users’ – pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and the increasing number of electric scooter riders who don’t have any protection if they go under the side of…

IN RESPONSE to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Volvo Group Australia (VGA) has announced a temporary four-week shutdown of its Wacol, Queensland manufacturing plant. The closure became effective on April 13, with work set to resume on May 10. “Volvo and Mack trucks have an identity indelibly etched into the Australian transport industry. We build these trucks here in Australia with pride,” says President and CEO of Volvo Group Australia, Martin Merrick. “We have successfully implemented social distancing and hygiene initiatives throughout our business and to keep our factory running, however, COVID-19 has made a considerable impact in limiting supply chains around the world and our supply chain is no exception. “The decision to idle our factory due to global supply chain disruptions will not only serve to secure our business…