Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 279 i Owner Driver

FOREIGNERS MAY find it harder to get behind the wheel of a truck in Australia under proposals to tighten controls on overseas drivers. The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) have fronted a Senate inquiry into road safety to press the case for changes to licensing standards. Both groups want reforms to existing state-based rules that allow foreigners to travel on Australian roads as long as they hold an overseas licence. ATA national manager of government relations and policy Bill McKinley says overseas licence holders should be required to obtain an Australian licence within one year, even if they are only staying in Australia temporarily. “Secondly, there should also be consistent provisions about what happens when an overseas licence holder fails a driving test,” he says.…

“One of the biggest challenges was bringing drivers into the industry” YOU DON’T have to look far to find some confronting statistics when it comes to the looming labour shortage in road transport. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 75 per cent of non-bulk freight is transported by road in this country. The Australian freight task by 2020 will be double what it was in 2006, and is expected to be at least three times its current size by 2050. The amount of freight-carrying vehicles required to carry that freight is projected to increase by at least 50 per cent by 2020, and three times that by 2030. Yet in 2013, 25 per cent of transport industry employees were already 54 years old. Transport is already feeling the labour…

“We need to be self-suffi cient” IN THE PAST I’ve had a somewhat troubled relationship with Freightliner’s cab-over contender. But to be fair, it’s been a while since I’ve actually climbed behind the wheel of a Freightliner Argosy. So the guys at Freightliner must have been pretty happy that my first drive of the Argosy in years would be with a tattooed, shaven headed guy who’s built like a brick shithouse. Not only does he have muscles on top of muscles, but Paul ‘Stax’ Eddy really likes his Argosy. And within minutes of meeting him, I figured that in the interests of self-preservation it may not be very smart to argue with him about it. Now that’s a persuasive brand ambassador. It turns out that Stax is actually a really…

LIKE MANY blokes, David Grima grew up in a trucking family. His father Angelo drove trucks, and as his brothers Laurie and Joey left school, they bought trucks and got into earthmoving. “I thought I would follow suit, so the three of us worked together,” David says. “We each had our own gear but would work together to help each other out. “I have a lot of relatives in the same industry and we all get on well, and it’s good.” Owner//Driver first met David soon after he had completed refurbishing and painting a 1924 Mercedes-Benz rig, his first truck. “The Mercedes was a truck Dad bought at auction because he used to drive them on the coal. He thought they were the ant’s pants in their day,” he says.…

MY MEMORY might not be what it was, but I still find it easy to recall the first meeting with Roger McCarthy. Or more to the point, first impression. It was mid-way through 2009 in the boardroom of Scania Australia’s Campbellfield (Vic) headquarters. A month or two earlier, he’d arrived from a highly successful sales director’s role in Scania’s UK operation to take up the title of director of sales and marketing at Scania Australia. From the outside looking in, it seemed inevitable that he would ultimately replace the incumbent Swedish managing director Jan Kilstrom who, with history as the guiding factor, probably wouldn’t be here for more than another year or two. However, nobody — especially Roger McCarthy — realised it would be a matter of just weeks rather…

There was a major announcement at the new F series launch about one of the big brothers in the family. The FYJ 8x4 short wheelbase agitator chassis, at 30-tonne GVM, is well and truly in the heavy duty category and remains unchanged — except for one significant thing. The 8x4 now comes with electronic stability control, an important safety item for notoriously top-heavy concrete agitators. Isuzu says these agitators have been selling like hot cakes but not into the fleets of some of the major construction companies such as Boral and Holcim, which are specifying stability control. This was putting Isuzu at a disadvantage to its main competitor in the cab-over segment, the Iveco ACCO, which introduced stability control last year. Isuzu Australia had to twist some arms at headquarters…

AS SOMEONE who can be quite often found staring vacantly at pretty lights, it’s probably no surprise to anyone that I happen to quite like the look of International America’s flagship Lonestar. Few trucks seem to polarise opinions more than the International Lonestar. The hipster retro hotrod is either loved or despised in equal measure. In Australia, there are those who like the American long ’n low look. Others prefer to stand by a towering flat fronted nose, stacks and aircleaners, something that is fast becoming a uniquely Australian look in global terms. I can appreciate both, however. International likes to call the Lonestar design ‘Advanced Classic’. I prefer ‘shiny and swoopy’. The in-your-face homage to the old International KB pickup, with some aerodynamic inspiration added into the mix, makes…

HINO AUSTRALIA has announced the signing of a multi-year partnership as the official truck provider of the Toyota 86 Racing Series. After its major sponsorship of the V8 Supercars was revealed in February, Hino says it is also expanding its local motorsport involvement. The Toyota 86 Racing Series is an affordable motorsport series based on the country’s best-selling sports car, the Toyota 86 coupe, to be raced exclusively at selected V8 Supercars rounds. As a sign of its support for the series, a Hino 700 Series SS 2848 ProShift 16 high roof, air prime mover will be utilised to assist transport category support equipment and selected cars to race rounds. The Hino logo will be displayed on all left and right rear guards of the competing cars, and also on…

“Many of these trucks worked yesterday” MOST AUSTRALIANS would have heard of Bega — thanks to its cheese products — but few would have visited the NSW town. Even though it is not far from the coast, the Bega Valley is tucked away in a fairly inaccessible place, for trucks anyway. In terms of trucks coming in from the nearest capital city, Canberra, it is a case of splitting up a B-double to bring it down Brown Mountain. It’s also a long journey around the coast from either Melbourne or Sydney. However, both the town and valley rely on road transport, and so it’s only fitting that the town got right behind the Bega Convoy for Kids and Families that was held on March 5. Trucks assembled at the Bega…

“Everyone was looking for that mongrel copper hiding somewhere.” WHEN Victoria Police leading senior constable Ian Musgrove hit town, local legend Trevor ‘Blue’ Wyatt noticed something extraordinary happening — car and truck accidents in the area started dropping off. Blue should know. He’s been a volunteer ambulance driver in the Victorian Mallee town of Murrayville for 50 years. “After a year or two of Ian being here, I think for the rest of the time we never had a truck tip over, and they were tipping over as regularly as clockwork,” Blue recalls of his mate. “He stopped most of the accidents on the highway because everyone was looking for that mongrel copper hiding somewhere, so it slowed them down and kept them awake.” Regarding local road accident victims, Blue…

“We need these young blokes in the industry” OWNER-OPERATOR Jeremy Horne has taken out this year’s Livestock and Bulk Carriers Association (LBCA) Young Driver of the Year award. The award, sponsored by SafeWork NSW, was announced at the annual LBCA conference on March 4 during the Penske-sponsored Mount Panorama Feast in Bathurst. Horne was one of six finalists this year; the others being Scott McDonald, Jarrod Davidson, Jeremy Taylor, Tony Keen and Richard Roberson. SafeWork NSW director of regional and response operations Tony Williams, who presented the award, said it was very clear to the judging panel that Horne “had an absolute passion for the industry”. This year was the second running of the award. Raymond ‘Reggie’ Sutton won the inaugural Young Driver of the Year title in 2015. Included…

“It’s more of a hobby than a job” KARL DIXON works behind the wheel of the newest truck in Katanning Logistics’ four-truck fleet, a 2014 Kenworth K200. Located 285 kilometres from Perth, the Katanningbased company provides a daily freight service into the Western Australian capital. “It’s about three hours south east of Perth, I’ll head down every couple of days,” Karl explains. “I usually spend a day in Perth unloading and loading, and the following day I’ll head down to Katanning to unload and reload.” Owner//Driver caught up with Karl in Katanning’s depot in Kewdale after he had finished tightening the buckles on his curtains. “The short dolly makes the pocket road train nice and easy to tow,” he says. “With this setup we get a 50-tonne payload, so it’s…

“You can turn around at the end of a cul-de-sac” THIRD-GENERATION truck driver Brad Keast has been a Scania fan since his days as an apprentice diesel mechanic. “We never had any dramas with them,” Brad says, reflecting on the Scania buses he serviced. And now his father, and boss, Paul Keast is a proud Scania convert, singing the praise of the two Scania R620s they recently purchased from K&J Trucks at Coffs Harbour. Paul and his wife Helen operate PR & HM Keast from Kempsey, New South Wales. “Brad has been with me for 14 years and he always wanted a Scania,” Paul says. “I said if you hang around we’ll buy one. So that’s what happened.” K&J Trucks at Coffs Harbour loaned them a demonstration model for a…

Unlike Australia, England is somewhat strict when it comes to trucks parking for long hours in a service station. Parking overnight could cost as much as 25 pounds ($35). And that leads to drivers parking in industrial areas, which can be subject to police fines. To get around the obstinate English attitude towards truck parking, many drivers attempt to take their breaks in France before driving onto an England-bound boat. That leaves them and their truck’s trailers open to break-ins from asylum seekers. With the UK immigration department fining transport companies per immigrant found in the back of the trailer, drivers are warned to have their vehicle padlocked. If it’s a tautliner, the trailer must have a TIR (Transport International de Marchandises par la Route) cord around it. “You must…

FREIGHTLINER HAS celebrated its best dealers in Australia and New Zealand at a recent awards event in Melbourne. The company presented the highly prestigious 2015 Metropolitan Dealer of the Year to Daimler Trucks Perth, which this year opened a new $30 million world-class facility. Mavin Truck Centre, which is based in the New South Wales town of Kempsey, won the 2015 Rural Dealer of the Year award. Freightliner Australia director Stephen Downes presented the Metropolitan Dealer of the Year award to Daimler Trucks Perth dealer principal, Simon Ramsay. “Daimler Trucks Perth has achieved the highest level of performance, not only in new truck sales, but also parts and customer service in the 2015 calendar year,” Downes says. Downes also presented the award for Rural Dealer of the Year to Dean…

TRUCK DRIVER Garth Hayes has been announced as the latest recipient of the Bridgestone Bandag Highway Guardian award, acknowledging his brave rescue of an injured cyclist on Sydney’s M2 motorway last year without any regard for his own safety. The incident happened at 6am when a cyclist collided with another rider and was thrown onto the busy motorway. After witnessing the accident, Hayes stopped his truck and ran straight out into the oncoming traffic to prevent the cyclist from being run over. “Mr Hayes’ choice of action in that split second was outstanding,” Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand managing director Andrew Moffatt says. “He made the safety of the cyclist his absolute priority and took immediate steps to rescue him. It was still dark and would have been a very…

BIRD SCARER, screamin’ demon, Jimmy, window rattler, mobile oil leak, and even Driptroit Diesel. The old two-stroke GM Detroit diesel can be called a lot of names, not all of them complimentary. It’s an engine famed as much for its aural drama as for its ability to drink copious amounts of fuel and leave an oily smudge of nostalgia floating in a highway sky. But it’s not until you’ve driven one that you realise just how far heavy-duty diesel engine technology has come. The Detroit brand revived and prospered as a leader in truck engine technology with the computerised Series 60 back in the 1990s. Yet for a whole generation of steerers, the sound of an old GM engine converting fuel into heavy-metal fury brings about a misty-eyed affection. I’m…

IVECO AUSTRALIA, a brand of CNH Industrial, has announced that it has become the first commercial vehicle manufacturer and distributor in the Australian market to have gained certification to the recently-revised ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Standard. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) regularly reviews standards to ensure they remain relevant in a changing business environment. The latest update to ISO 9001 introduces a number of new changes requiring certified organisations to focus on risk mitigation in all aspects of the business and in the products that they deliver. The ISO 9001:2015 version of the standard places increased emphasis on customer satisfaction and continuous improvements; and to align management systems practices within the organisation with quality objectives, efficiency, and compliance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Iveco Australia marketing manager…

AS A TRUCKIE passing through Balranald on the Sturt Highway in south-western New South Wales, it’s easy to miss the Murrumbidgee River as you cross it. Only about 30 kilometres downstream, the Murrumbidgee runs into the mighty Murray, which forms the border with Victoria. Not far away are another three inland rivers — the Lachlan, Edward and Wakool. Also nearby are the Yanga and Mungo National Parks. As the new visitor information centre in the town of about 1000 people points out, there is an abundance of fishing and birdwatching to be had in the area. It’s also the home of the endangered Southern Bell Frog. Not that ‘John A’ — as he calls himself — gets any spare time to drop in a line, pull out the binoculars or…

INDIVIDUAL TRUCKING operators need to bang on the doors of their local governments if they want improved access to council roads, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) says. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto told this year’s Livestock and Bulk Carriers Association (LBCA) gathering that the industry could not rely solely on the regulator to push the case for greater heavy vehicle access. He says it is vital to communicate with the likes of mayors and council CEOs and explain the economic and safety benefits that come with opening up the road network to heavy vehicles. “It is the communication. I can’t do it all on my own. There are 427 local governments that I have to deal with, six state agencies and federal bureaucracy,” Petroccitto says. “The people who understand it…

RESTRICTIONS HOLDING quad-axle trucks back from reaching their full potential could be pushed aside if a proposal from the National Transport Commission (NTC) is implemented. The group has released a proposal it says will, if introduced, increase the payload of certain truck combinations by up to 16 per cent on some routes. The NTC wants to allow quad-axle group vehicles to use higher mass limits without having to go through the Performance Based Standards (PBS) application and approval process. “This could unlock significant productivity gains for many transport operators by cutting red tape and reducing fuel use,” NTC CEO Paul Retter says. “Quad-axle group vehicles have the capability to safely carry up to 12 per cent more payload than the current mass limits allow, but are currently restricted to the…

“You couldn’t do the job without breaking the law somewhere” Truck driver ‘John’ credits Senior Constable Ian Musgrove with saving his life. He says he knows several other drivers who would say the same. It was back in the early ’90s and John’s was an extreme example of the all-too-common horror stories of the day on the highways of eastern Australia and across ‘the paddock’ to Western Australia: three logbooks; sometimes driving constantly for days at a time, full of drugs, speeds of up to a 100mph in the old measurement; and even running a 140-tonne double road train on the back roads as close in to Melbourne as Seymour. John says most regulators at a meeting one day organised by the Transport Workers Union in Port Melbourne didn’t believe…

AT FIRST impression, Joanne Emery is far from the usual stereotype of the long-haul truck driver. Armed with a law degree, the expat Englishwoman would seem more at home behind an office desk, rather than piloting a Nolan’s Interstate Transport B-double (preferably a Volvo) down the Newell. However, seeing Joanne interact with her fellow Nolan’s drivers and depot staff at the company’s Gatton headquarters in south-east Queensland, she appears to be right at home. Initially, it was the freedom of being out on the open road that led her to take a life detour nine years ago in England. “I just love driving … I love being on the move,” Joanne states. Currently doing one changeover each week out of Nolan’s headquarters in the south-east Queensland town of Gatton, she…

MOST STAFF drivers can only dream of being given complete control over the specifications for a new truck. So Jimmy Reynish couldn’t believe his luck when his boss Michael Eklund left him in charge of ordering a 2015 Volvo FH16 700 Globetrotter. “He gave me the spec sheet and said, ‘Well there you go, build the truck you want,’” says Jimmy, who drives for M&K Eklund, which is based at Woongarrah, New South Wales. The result is an eye-catching, prize-winning truck that Jimmy looks after as one of his own. “I built it as if it was my name on the side of the cab, but without going too overboard, and thinking of the budget of the boss as well,” Jimmy says. “If I owned it, this is how it…

THEY SAY you can’t judge a book by its cover. The skin on Isuzu’s new range of F series medium duty trucks doesn’t look any different to the current one — new chrome badging, new chrome-plated grille, that’s about it. But there’s a big change underneath many models, which Isuzu says makes it the biggest upgrade to its range in almost a decade. And that change is something that doesn’t come along very often in the Australian trucking industry — a brand-new engine. The new engine is the latest example of what seems to be an increasing trend in both cars and trucks, and that’s smaller motors putting out more power and torque. Even among the big bangers, 13-litre engines are now working in what used to be the almost…

THE LONG-TERM future of Cat trucks in Australia and New Zealand will not be impacted by the recent decision of Caterpillar to discontinue production of its vocational models in North America, says Navistar Auspac. North American vocational models have never been available in the Australian and New Zealand markets, and are built on an entirely different cab and chassis platform than the CT610 and CT630 on-highway units sold in Australia since 2010. For Australia and New Zealand, Caterpillar’s announcement to end production of North American vocational models will have no effect whatsoever. “It is business as usual for Cat truck dealers in Australia and New Zealand,” says Glen Sharman, Navistar Auspac’s director of sales, marketing and business development. Since the launch of Cat trucks in Australia in 2010, the range…

VOLVO GROUP AUSTRALIA is underscoring its commitment to Australia with construction of a new $30m national headquarters and dealership in Brisbane. The company’s new home at the Metroplex Westgate business park is close to the Volvo Group assembly plant in Wacol. More than 2000 Volvo and Mack trucks from the plant were registered in 2015. The Swedish-based Volvo Group saw its global operating income rise from $1.34bn to $4.11bn last year, and the company’s new president and chief executive officer, Martin Lundstedt, is confident about the prospects of its Australian division. “Volvo has been building trucks in Brisbane for more than 40 years and has a very bright future here,” Lundstedt says. “Wacol is the largest truck assembly plant in Australia and its dedicated workforce has enabled Volvo … to…

DUE TO the current need for truck drivers having to prove their innocence during road incidents and accidents, OnSiteCameras has announced the release of a new DashCam — the AutoCam Super HD. According to OnSiteCameras, the new camera can take large memory cards, giving drivers long loop record times of up to 36 hours. Super HD resolution is another feature of the camera, with 1440 lines of picture quality, which is twice as sharp as most dashcams on the market. OnSiteCameras says the release of its new AutoCam Super HD comes after three months of on-road testing by heavy vehicles and improvements for Australian conditions. This professionally-styled dashcam is made of a metallic alloy. Marcus Hoare, OnSiteCameras technical director, claims it is the best value super high definition truck/car camera…