Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 294 i Owner Driver

NATIONAL ACCIDENT and industry affairs manager at National Transport Insurance (NTI), Owen Driscoll, provided an insight at this year’s Trucking Australia conference into the soon-to-be-released 2017 Major Accident Investigation Report by the NTI’s National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC). The findings nationally changed little from the last report two years ago, with inappropriate speed for the conditions still the leading cause of crashes costing more than $50,000, the traditional baseline of the statistics. But Driscoll, who was acknowledged as an icon of the industry at the 2015 National Road Transport Hall of Fame Reunion, has concerns that fatigue-related crashes at 12.2 per cent of the total were at their worst since major fatigue reforms were introduced in 2009. While there was a noted improvement with 51 per cent of multi-vehicle…

“TRUCK DRIVERS HAD THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF SUICIDES OUT OF ANY OTHER PROFESSION” “I DON’T care what you say to me, I’m killing myself as soon as you leave.” These were the words spoken to former truck driver Leon Ruri when he went to help a man threatening to commit suicide. The threat was real: the man had rope in his car and was adamant it was the only way to solve his problems, which included being injured and out of work for some time. Leon knows all about mental illness and also suffered severe bouts when his marriage broke down and financial pressure piled on. “There’s only one thing that spins faster than the axles on a truck and that’s your mind,” Leon says of the long hours he…

THE START of a new financial year has passed and how are you going? Have you improved your lot this year, did you get a wage rise and I suppose, the even bigger question, do you think you are being paid what you are worth? We are a service industry, we service companies in carrying their goods for use in manufacture and/ or we deliver to customers and consumers everything they need to live. Do they recognise this and value what we do for them? The future is all up in the air with everything autonomous. Let’s hope cars will be safer and less likely to crash into trucks, but will we still have a job? An article in a United States’ truck newsletter said the government had destroyed manufacturing…

THE AUSTRALIAN Road Transport Heritage Centre (ARTHC) held its annual truck show, fundraising dinner and Sylvia’s Gap Road run on June 10 and 11, attracting a wide range of vehicles to Gundagai, New South Wales. The activities began with a truck show at the Gundagai Show Grounds. The Prince Alfred Bridge, which was part of the Hume Highway until 1976, provided an historic backdrop. Prizes were awarded to Leigh and Kerry Rankin of Katunga, Victoria, for their 1977 White Road Boss, and the Garner family of Tumut for their restored 1947 International KB7. The weekend was an opportunity for drivers of all ages to catch up with old highway mates and to rub shoulders with pioneering truck drivers like 90-year-old Rex Shiel of Kilsyth, Victoria. Rex drove for companies such…

GET WELL MARGO We have heard that Margo Moran, wife of John ‘The Ferret’ Moran, had a fall recently, resulting in a fracture of her right hip. Margo is 88 and will need to undergo surgery as soon as possible. She is the patron for Rockhampton’s CQ Convoy, which is taking place on September 2. All the best for Margo and John, and we wish Margo a quick recovery. MANIC AT MARULAN Be very aware when pulling into the Marulan weighbridge. There’s a particularly pernickety officer who is interpreting the overloading regulations down to the last kilogram. Unfortunately, there’s no way of avoiding it when travelling along the Hume. At the very least you’ll be wasting hours while the officer in question has his fun. FORKLIFT APPLICATION Murphy applied for…

Born again PREVIEWED IN Australia for the first time at the 2015 Brisbane Truck Show, where it won the Truck of the Show award, International ProStar has found a home down under. After long-winded negotiations with Navistar in the US, Iveco is now the distributor of the versatile American truck, which was showcased alongside Iveco’s Stralis flagship. Under ProStar’s sloping snout is an industry-standard driveline punched by a 15-litre X15 Cummins coupled to manual or automated versions of Eaton’s ever-reliable 18-speeder, feeding through a Dana driveline into Meritor diffs mounted on Hendrickson Primaax air-suspension. Cabs come in three forms: day cab, extended cab and full-size integrated sleeper. Word has it that Iveco dealers are excited to again have International on the books but the big hope is that this relationship…

ISUZU SAYS its Servicepack vehicles have been described as ‘tool sheds on wheels’. Now, Isuzu claims that its latest additions to the range – the NLS 45-150 All Wheel Drive Crew Servicepack, the NPR 45/55-155 Servicepack, the NPS 75-155 4x4 Servicepack and the NPS 75-155 4x4 Crew Servicepack – will enable drivers to securely transport more equipment to the job site, wherever that may be. The manufacturer says the NLS 45-150 All Wheel Drive (AWD) Crew Servicepack is poised to be the new ‘go-to’ vehicle for fleet and service managers. It comes with a the Isuzu 4JJ1-TCS engine, producing 110kW @ 2800rpm and 375Nm @ 1600-2800rpm. “A great deal of consideration has gone into ensuring the AWD Crew Servicepack caters to the unique needs of Australian fleet managers and drivers,”…

TRUCKING IN far north Queensland has its own unique challenges – a major one being the Bruce Highway. Depending on the time of year, the Bruce is often clogged with winter tourists, cane traffic or seemingly endless road works. So popping into Andy’s Roadhouse just south of Ingham makes for a welcome break to the highway hurly-burly if you’re after an old-school roadhouse away from the fast food restaurants and fluoro lights. We caught up with Andy Barra for a yarn recently, something that clearly comes naturally for the Ingham native. Though it was a little hard to grab his attention for a little while after a van packed with nubile female backpackers pulled into the servo! Andy lives on site and the roadhouse has been operating since the early…

IT SEEMS you can’t do anything untoward these days without a member of the public recording it on their mobile device, dash cam or any other piece of technology with a camera lens. Professional footballers are a prime target for opportunists ready to whip out their Galaxy or iPhone to hopefully catch the unwitting subject in the act of committing a politically incorrect offence in the hope of selling it off for big money to a media outlet. There’s no escape for truck drivers, either. When mobile phones began to become a regular accessory for members of the general public in the 1990s, it was an easy task for individuals to call the head office of a company to dob in one of its drivers who may have been going…

THE NATIONAL Transport Commission (NTC) has released a new draft version of its Load Restraint Guide, which is designed to provide drivers, operators, and other participants in the transport chain of responsibility with practical advice on how to safely transport a load. NTC acting chief executive Geoff Allan says the agency was seeking feedback on the draft guide to make sure it is clear, user friendly and based on the best available evidence about how to safely move the majority of loads carried by trucks in Australia. “We have listened to our stakeholders who have told us the biggest issue is that the current guide would be easier to comply with if it was easier to understand,” Allan says. “Items falling from trucks can cause collisions, deaths and injuries and…

“Parties in the chain must work together”  THE NUMBER of road users losing their lives in crashes involving heavy vehicles has declined around 34 per cent since 2002. However, the road transport industry fatality rate is still greater compared to other industries nationally, and 92 per cent of road transport fatalities have occurred in road freight transport. We cannot be complacent about the health and safety risks that still exist in the road transport industry. NatRoad is committed to helping heavy vehicle operators manage health and safety in their business. To strengthen our capacity in this area, NatRoad has appointed Julia Collins to its member services team. Julia has extensive experience in work health and safety policy development, regulation and compliance. She held senior positions at Safe Work Australia…

RECORDED IN LAFAYETTE Sonny Landreth Provogue/Mascot www.mascotlabelgroup.com Recorded in Lafayette, a two-CD set, covers both bases for slide guitarist and singer-songwriter Sonny Landreth. Disc one – the acoustic set – allows Landreth to take a relaxed approach to some live favourites, including ‘Creole Angel’, the often-recorded ‘Key To The Highway’, and a toned-down take of ‘The U.S.S. Zydecoldsmobile’. The second disc – the electric set – opens with ‘Back To Bayou Teche’ with regular contributor Steve Conn’s accordion adding to the zydeco sound which Landreth embraces. Conn takes lead vocals on his own composition ‘The One and Only Truth’, a seven-minute vibrant classic, while Landreth shows off his slide style on ‘True Blue’. Landreth and his Fender guitar have appeared at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festivals, and he gives it…

THIS YEAR’S Brisbane Truck Show played host to a record 38 trailer manufacturers, which tells us one thing – trailers are big business down under. The road transport industry’s insatiable demand for high-productivity, low tare-weight combinations has put Australia on the map as a leader in trailer innovation. A distinct increase in made-to-order trailer demand has been brewing since the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) performance-based standards (PBS) scheme was introduced in 2007, with industry choosing to move more freight with fewer trucks. From tippers to A-double trailer sets, the theme at Brisbane Truck Show this year was high-productivity options for just about every application. Some trailer standouts had displays normally reserved for spacious showrooms, somehow fitting an impressive array of high-quality trailers into the bustling Brisbane Exhibition Centre. Owner//Driver…

WITH THE introduction of the new API CK-4 Diesel engine oil category to meet the latest US engine requirements, Total believes it has taken the lead, producing an all-new Total Rubia Optima range of lubricants which it says outperforms existing oils. Total claims that the Rubia Optima 1100 15W-40 heavy duty diesel engine oil represents a new generation of Total lubricants. According to Total, the Rubia Optima 1100 15W-40 TOTAL provides increased efficiency, longevity and reliability – while reducing operating costs. Featuring TIR technology, Total says the diesel engine lubricant offers total protection and is designed to optimise performance that surpasses existing CJ-4 oils and CK-4 test limits with outstanding oxidation control, viscosity retention and oil aeration control. This is claimed to result in superior wear protection through an enhanced…

A REPORT released by Volvo Trucks in May this year has provided data from more than 1700 accidents involving trucks. The data collection kicked off in 1969 and the global manufacturer’s Accident Research Team (ART) has analysed the crash data and highlighted a stark reality – we have a long way to go. The data looks at crashes in Europe and of the approximate 26,000 road fatalities within the EU each year, 15 per cent involve a heavy vehicle. Of these fatalities, 1230 are vulnerable road users (VRU) such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, but an alarming 53 per cent of the VRU deaths were pedestrians. Volvo Trucks traffic and product safety director Carl Johan Almqvist told Owner//Driver safety has to extend beyond the truck driver and include education for…

OPERATORS OF Type 1 road trains can submit access permission applications to travel along four North Rockhampton routes following a new move. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says transport operators can contact the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to receive permission to access many roads in Rockhampton that, until recently, did not have the necessary infrastructure to allow road train movement. The announcement comes after recent trials conducted by TMR declared two out of four routes Type 1 road train-ready. Part of the Queensland government’s $500 million State Infrastructure Plan, the project saw up to $10 million being invested to upgrade intersections in North Rockhampton. “Following the completion of majority of these works, Type 1 Road Trains will no longer have to stop and breakdown to…

IT’S THE middle of May and those massive overhead electronic signs above the major routes around Brisbane are announcing World Road Safety Week – ‘join the pledge and slow down’. For years now I have become aware that those in charge of road safety have more influence than competency. No trucks in the right lane is just another example. I don’t have a lot of ability in any field of endeavour, but my best capability is driving. I have been doing it professionally (if one gets paid to do an activity one should claim professionalism surely) for more than 50 years. Over all those kilometres I have experienced many and varied situations. I have never studied political science, nor medicine, nor chemistry or any other highly regarded profession. I am…

EACH DAY, the average Australian spends nearly an hour getting to and from work – and less than 20 minutes at the gym. In fact, the average Aussie spends no time at the gym, and the fitness freaks drag up the curve for the rest of us. All that commuting adds up to more than 20 days on the road every year just getting to work, let alone as your occupation as a driver. If you spent that time exercising instead, you’d have Chris Hemsworth’s ‘abs’, and Margot Robbie’s arms, according to news.com.au. The solution? Exercise on your way to work or during your travelling holiday. Here are 10 simple exercises you can do on the road: 1. CLASSIC COMMUTER CRUNCH • Can be done from the seat of a…

TRUCKING IS an ageing industry, but Rob Hodge is bucking the trend at Hodge Livestock Transport. The 34-year-old manages the family business based in Blakeville, near Ballarat, Victoria. The company operates 10 trucks, including nine Western Stars, which specialise in rural freight. Most of its freight is livestock. It also carts farm machinery, grain and hay. Rob won the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Victoria (LRTAV) Young Driver Award in 2016 and considers it important to hire drivers from the challenging 20-to-25 age group. “You talk about the average age of the livestock transport drivers – I imagine that our average would be mid-30s in our company,” says Rob, whose youngest driver is 21. He understands why young people want to drive livestock trucks. “It can be a very…

IT HAS surely taken a while, but DAF finally appears to have done everything right in development of a model specifically for the Australian market. And that truck is the versatile CF85 with the top 510hp version of Paccar’s MX-13 engine. More than any of its past or present siblings, this truck has the distinct and overdue potential to lift DAF out of the depths of the heavy-duty class and, in the process, provide the brand with the levels of market acceptance long sought but rarely realised. Not for a moment is that meant to suggest DAF will be stealing Volvo’s crown as the leading continental cab-over in this country anytime soon. Absolutely not! As things stand at the moment, the thought is farcical. What it does dare to suggest,…

WHISPER IN THE CROWD Paul Costa Checked Label Services www.paulcosta.com.au Big-voiced Aussie country star Paul Costa started out with family band The Costa Brothers, but his career has skyrocketed since turning solo, taking his music across Australia and onto New Zealand, Japan and Europe. Whisper In The Crowd is Costa’s fifth album, and he co-wrote nine of the 12 tracks. He goes cattle hauling on ‘Roadtrain’, a punchy country rock song, and he heads for the bush on ‘Off The Grid’, one of the album’s best. Costa takes time out on ‘4.35’, a sensitive ballad about lonely nights, and gets his mojo back for ‘Devil Can Wait,’ a song about trapped miners. Costa performs a vibrant version of the old Box Tops’ ’60s hit, ‘The Letter’, capping off…

CASINO TRUCK SHOW AUGUST 5, 2017 Casino, NSW Sponsored by North Coast Petroleum. Scuzztrans truck street parade from 10am through town. Live music, family entertainment, food stalls, markets, amusement rides. Plus blinged up trucks from all across Australia will be parked in the CBD. For further info email info@casinotruckshow.com.au  or see the website at www.casinotruckshow.com.au NATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT HALL OF FAME REUNION AUGUST 25 TO 28, 2017 Alice Springs, NT Held at the Road Transport Historical Society Museum. Includes the 2017 Shell Rimula Wall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, August 26, Cummins Cup Truckies Race Day, Shell Rimula Gala Dinner, Meet The Milemaker Lunch and more. For more information see the website at www.roadtransporthall.com , email info@roadtransporthall.com  or phone 08 8952 7161.…

CALTEX HAS relaunched its Telematics Solution which it says is the first in the Australian market to provide fleet owners and managers with real-time engine diagnostic alerts, driver mechanical behaviours, and a predictive failure and maintenance capability. It is also claimed to offer standard location-based features available in traditional GPS/Telematics systems. Caltex says the Telematics technology, which is powered by Traffilog Fleet Management Solutions, is fully integrated into a vehicle’s engine management and diagnostic system, allowing it to provide unprecedented insights into the performance of both vehicles and drivers with simple and easy-to-understand dashboards and reports. According to Caltex, the configurable technology identifies potential problems early, which means lowering maintenance costs and downtime, keeping fleets safe, running efficiently and on the road longer. Because of the connection to the vehicle…