Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 354 i Owner Driver

DHL Supply Chain has announced the 100 per cent acquisition of national road freight and contract logistics company Glen Cameron Group. The Glen Cameron Group currently operates a fleet of 1,000 trucks and trailers while employing more than 820 Australians. DHL Supply Chain, part of the Deutsche Post Group (DPDHL) says the strategic combination with the group will help strengthen DHL’s position in the evolving Australian road freight market, while also hoping that the combination will create one of the largest Australian logistics companies with combined revenue of over $1 billion. “This is a unique opportunity for DHL Supply Chain to add additional high-quality transport services to our warehouse and transport solutions in Australia,” DHL Australia and New Zealand CEO Steve Thompsett says. “We look forward to offering a fuller…

Right Weigh, a leading player in on-board truck scales and weigh gauges, has teamed up with compliance telematics provider V-DAQ to offer Australia’s first wireless smart on-board mass (OBM) management solution. Right Weigh’s Type B approved air suspension gauge provides a connected on-board weighing system designed to help operators boost productivity, while ensuring safety and compliance is maintained. The smart OBM solution by Right Weigh and V-DAQ features a new driver app (available for both Apple and Android) that allows operators to easily view and record real-time weights from within the cab. It’s flexible, easy to use, and enables location and mass tracking. Since being launched, numerous operators are seeing the benefits of combining Right Weigh’s trusted weigh gauges with V-DAQ’s smart telematics. Among them is Molloy Bros Transport and…

Travelling over 130,000 kilometres, a fleet of next-generation Hino trucks valued at over $3 million have begun a convoy as part of Hino Australia’s first ever national roadshow. After the disruption of the last two years, Hino Australia says it is bringing its full range of next-generation trucks to its customers in towns and cities around Australia over the next 18 months with a national convoy designed to showcase the brand’s new models. “Starting in Cairns, the roadshow is an important opportunity for Hino customers to engage with and drive our range of trucks, all of which have undergone significant enhancements over the last five years,” says Richard Emery, VP of brand and franchise development for Hino Australia. “The route we have chosen allows us to also leverage our sponsorship…

After arriving in Australia during 2021, the first Iveco S-Way vehicles began a comprehensive local testing and validation program, overseen by Iveco Australia’s engineering division, ahead of the model’s launch in the fourth quarter this year. As a part of the local validation program, the trucks have been running in single and B-double trailer combinations, as well as in rigid setup, and have covered several hundred thousand kilometres fully loaded and in real-world operating conditions, including during summer temperatures. As well as milage accumulation, Iveco says it is closely evaluating collective load measurement and undertaking a full cooling system evaluation and localisation program, to ensure the models are ready to perform in the demanding Australian conditions. Along with this focus on driveline performance, Iveco state that it is conducting a…

Of the many things that Mark Tobin had to worry about when COVID-19 first hit Australia, having enough truck drivers wasn’t one of them. But now the Followmont Transport CEO and director is struggling to manage the ever-increasing freight tasks piling on his warehouse with the waning number he now has at his disposal. “We just don’t have bums on truck seats,” Tobin says. “We’ve been trying to get truck drivers in the door, but we just don’t have enough.” Tobin says he first noticed he had a lack of trained truck drivers when COVID restrictions and isolation rules prevented many drivers from operating. When they eventually could get back into the truck, many were turned off by the poor truck stop conditions and gruelling tasks facing the freight industry…

The Queensland Government has introduced to state parliament a bill that will create an independent standard-setting body that protects against pressures in the transport industry. The body will give rights and protections to traditional transport operators, owner-drivers and transport workers that could guard against the threat posed by the rapidly expanding gig model in transport. The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) says it has long advocated for the introduction of the body which could tackle the ‘Amazon Effect’ that has resulted in transport supply chains being hurt through cost-cutting in transport contracts and unfair competition. Should the legislation become law, the body would have the ability to set and enforce standards in transport for independent couriers that would tackle the model used by companies like Amazon Flex of engaging drivers below…

One of the key advantages of the PACCAR Parts network is its extensive national dealership footprint and the ability to supply parts from the front bumper all the way down to the trailer tail light. That’s the view of Matt Neilson, truck parts manager for the Barry Maney Group in Mount Gambier, which has been keeping owner-operators mobile since 1977. “PACCAR Parts dealerships and TRP stores are really a one-stop shop for all things tipper and dog trailer related, providing original equipment parts or quality TRP alternatives, depending on the user’s requirements,” Matt says. “When talking tipper dogs there are obviously a lot of parts to consider, from simple things like the tow-eye bush to more complex parts like hydraulic power take-off. But, no matter how large or small, simple…

Ryno Insurance started off as a brokerage of just one. Rewind to the early ’80s, its founder Greg Rynenberg sat in the garage of his Queensland home in the blistering summer heat calling up owner-operators in the hope of assisting them with their transport insurance. Greg always had special ties with the trucking industry and it is something that has become a part of Ryno’s DNA since it opened its doors 16 years ago. Its mission remains the same ever since – to give its customers a transformed and simplified insurance experience, minus the hassle. Ryno’s connection with owner-operators has enabled it to form a well-rounded understanding of what’s involved in running a transport business, including the concerns and challenges. “Our position as a family-operated company gives us the upper…

Trucks from the US and Canada descended on the city of Branson, Missouri over the weekend of June 9–11 to try for a spot in the 2023 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar. The annual competition sees plenty of slick rigs enter with owners vying for cash prizes and for their rigs to be immortalised in the Shell calendar. Owner-operator truckers from across the United States and Canada compete for cash and prizes valued at approximately $25,000. Twelve drivers were also selected to have their truck featured in the 2023 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar. All of the winning trucks from Shell Rotella SuperRigs will be posted on Shell Rotella Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Theresa DeSantis of Apache Junction, Arizona captured Best of Show honours with her 1985 Peterbilt 359 with a 2016…

Formed 10 years ago in Albury-Wodonga, 23 Carpentry has a firm foothold on regional commercial projects straddling the New South Wales and Victorian border that need that touch of something extra special. From striking wooden outfits on council buildings and cladding on Wodonga Library, through to a stylish re-cladding of the Bendigo GOTAFE and the Wodonga Justice Centre to ensure safety compliance, it appears the dynamic team can turn their expertise to just about anything. The company currently has a large staff team of carpenters and apprentices, captained by father and son duo Paul and Chris Seaton. A builder and carpenter by trade, Chris manages overall operations and contract management. He brought in Paul to help manage the workload after business really started to take off. A bricklayer for over…

The National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) says rising penalties for minor issues has become a major reason why road transport operators are leaving the industry. Following the Australian Bureau of Statistics releasing figures that show an annual decline in transport sector pre-tax profits of 0.7 per cent, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) announced it would increase its penalties across the board in line with inflation. The increases came into effect on July 1. NatRoad has criticised the NHVR’s move and says it will only cripple more transport businesses. “Even minor fatigue mistakes will cost $177,” NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says. “Enough is enough. This is another straw breaking the camel’s back for many people and it doesn’t attract anyone to join the industry either. “The fines must be proportionate…

Welcome to the easiest article I have ever had to write. I’m not going to go as far as saying it’s easy money because I still want to give the impression I work hard for my coin. But I will say this article just flowed from my fingertips the moment I opened my laptop. I even managed to have it on my editor’s desk before my deadline had gone whirring past, saving him the expense of hiring the big burly repo men he normally has to send to my place to retrieve my overdue articles. It was my first time attending the WA Mack Muster and Truck Show and I had such a ball that this story flowed from me like I’d doubled up on my Dulcolax before a colonoscopy.…

“We wanted to enhance the truck.” I was going to start this article by subtly mocking our relationships with salespeople, you know, making a few ‘slicker than an oil spill’ kind of affronts. It’s not that I believe those stereotypes, they are just fun to come up with. Subsequently, with the majority of the credit for the ‘mack-nificent’ Mack truck gracing the pages before you belonging to a New South Wales salesman … sorry salesperson, I’m still struggling with my political correctness. With this particular salesman being the brainchild of the Mack Outlaw trucks, I thought I could start my account by poking fun at salespeople. Anyway, as I was saying I had intended to begin with some light-hearted roasting of the man behind the ‘Outlaw’ badged Mack Super-Liners. This…

“Our crowd was one of the biggest we’ve ever had.” Andrew Embling is a member of the Alexandra Truck, Ute and Rod Show’s organising committee and has been involved with the event since it began 25 years ago. According to Andrew, this was the Victorian town’s biggest truck show ever. “We had 315 registered trucks, 77 registered utes and 25 registered hot rods,” he says. “Our crowd was one of the biggest we’ve ever had; we were estimating between 12,000 to 14,000 people.” Andrew says the show took up 2.75 kilometres around town. The reason he thinks the show was so popular this year was because of its three-year postponement. The team at Alexandra tried to cater for everyone, with wood-chopping events, the annual truck auction, and country rock music…

Kenworth events are a big deal. Always have been, and given the aspirational notoriety of the brand, probably always will be. Historically, they don’t happen very often but over the past four or five years there has been a veritable glut of ‘big deals’ from Kenworth and Paccar Australia. All with good reason, of course, and all producing remarkable results as well as an occasional, intriguing insight into bold new developments quietly taking shape behind closed doors. Obviously enough, the latest blockbuster was the recent and typically upmarket release of the K220 cab-over to around 500 customers, dealers, special guests and media in a purposefully prepared hangar at Brisbane’s Archerfield airbase. With air-race ace Matt Hall performing jaw-dropping aerial stunts, it was, by any measure, a slap-up, full throttle shindig…

“Nothing will stop the tide of technological advance now pulsing through every element of truck development.” Is the rush by truck makers to gain a new or even perceived technological edge over competitors becoming like the battle that once raged for bragging rights in the race for the greatest grunt? Sometimes, it seems so. Nonetheless, there’s no escaping the fact that the modern powertrains which today make yesterday’s belching big bangers appear almost feeble in comparison, are simply the latest evolution in an ongoing, and occasionally mind-boggling, explosion in technological triumphs. Indeed, it’s not stretching the bounds of believability to suggest the last decade has seen more sweeping technology hit the trucking industry than any time in history. Emissions, fuel efficiency, performance and critically, safety, have all been vastly and…