Innehållsförteckning för Issue 292 från Owner Driver

STARTING AS an exercise in what it assumed was positive industry and government engagement has backfired, leading to a disappointing outcome for the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA). The state industry body had been involved very early in discussions on ways to avoid traffic and transit issues on the M1 during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next year. This led to temporary measures being announced to improve traffic flow on the M1, including restricting trucks over 4.5 tonnes to the two left lanes from the M1/M3 merge at Eight Mile Plains to Nerang-Broadbeach Road, from this August onwards. This is despite the Commonwealth Games not commencing until April 4 next year. “We have been working with peak bodies including the RACQ and Queensland Trucking Association and we are confident we can…

TIMOTHY JOHN BUNYAN, a 57-year-old NSW-based truckie, has been awarded the 2016 Clarke Gold Medal for rescuing a truck driver from a burning B-double and subsequent explosion at Charleville in 2014. On September 5, 2014, a B-double Kenworth carrying more than 50 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate crashed off the Angellala Creek Bridge on the Mitchell Highway and burst into flames. Bunyan was driving a truck to Charleville on the day the incident occurred when he came across the crashed truck. He stopped his truck 200-300 metres away from the bridge and ran to the scene, staying with the injured driver who had managed to pull himself from the burning truck. The scene contained raging 10m-high flames, and a black smoke plume could be viewed 30km out of Charleville.…

WELL-KNOWN ROAD safety and road transport advocate Rod Hannifey has had enough of what he says is unfair treatment of truckies at rest stops. Hannifey, a regular Owner//Driver columnist, has heard from an increasing number of truckies who have been woken recently to have their work diaries checked. “It has been happening for a long time, but it’s being exasperated by the lack of safe places to park, the change in areas we unload, and the issue of logbooks,” Hannifey says. “They are putting someone at risk because once a driver has been woken up they aren’t going to be able to just go back to sleep. “No one cares about us and that’s the problem,” he adds. According to Hannifey, the way to improve the way drivers are treated…

“The reality is that fuel economy is more important than ever” THE ANNUAL Volvo Drivers’ Challenge has evolved and 2017 sees an all-new competition format that aims to haul the transport industry into the future. This year the challenge will highlight drivers’ passion, energy, enthusiasm and commitment to safety, and will centre on a fuel efficiency shootout that’ll separate the truck driver from the steering wheel attendants. A new selection process has come into play, with six state-winning finalists being announced by Volvo Trucks. What makes this unique is that the winning driver for each state was identified by Volvo analysing the Dynafleet scores for each driver. This was done over a period of time while the drivers were doing their everyday driving jobs – they weren’t just judged by…

THE OAKLANDS Truck Show was a bittersweet occasion for the family and friends of the late Wayne ‘Marto’ Martin when the Saturday night light show on March 18 was named in Wayne’s honour. As the venue’s lights were turned off, the LEDs of close to 100 rigs were switched on, creating a spectacular glow around Oaklands Recreational Ground. Dawson Haulage driver Wayne had attended the 2016 Oaklands Truck Show and, together with two other Dawson Haulage trucks, won the award for Best Small Fleet. Four days after the show while travelling near Deniliquin, Wayne was involved in a fatal head-on collision. The respect that Marto had was evident at his funeral when 110 trucks lined Plunketts Road at Barnawartha for his farewell. The Oaklands Truck Show Committee says dedicating the…

HINO MOTOR Sales Australia has recognised its best-performing dealerships from 2016. For the second consecutive year, the Hino Metropolitan Dealer of the Year was won by Melbourne’s Prestige Hino while Newcastle Hino took out the Regional Dealer of the Year for the third time in four years. For the first time a Customer Satisfaction award was introduced, with CMI Hino Adelaide, Vanderfield Hino Toowoomba and Barry Maney Hino Mt Gambier being named the inaugural winners. Prestige Hino dealer principal Angelo Valerio was enthusiastic in his praise of his team. “We are honoured and delighted to win this award for the second consecutive year – every single member of our team continues to go above and beyond to deliver exceptional results for our customers, the dealership and Hino, and this award…

THE SYDNEY Classic and Antique Truck Show is on again at Penrith’s Museum of Fire. This year’s event, held on Sunday, May 28, will be the seventh running of the show. Along with classic trucks, there will be displays of old buses, fire engines, and vehicles of yesteryear from across the country. As always, the Sydney Classic and Antique Truck Show is a step back into days gone, with a world of fascinating nostalgia and activities for all ages. The trucks on show range from the solid rubber boneshakers of 1914 through to the kings of the highway of the ’60s and ’70s. International award-winning Matt Falloon and his Trained Balloons will keep the kids occupied. Elsewhere in the Museum of Fire’s grounds, demonstrations throughout the day by vintage-dressed firefighters…

INTERNATIONAL’S TILT at returning to Australian prominence will centre on four Prostar versions marketed through Iveco and related dealerships. Flagged by Navistar at the last Brisbane Truck Show, the project, which is just short of two years in the making, made its official debut this week with unveilings to dealers and the industry media. “Having the International product added to our very extensive product range already, having the conventional 15-litre, is a real cap across our entire product range,” Iveco Australia and New Zealand MD Michael Jonson says. While the final dealership network setup was still being finalised at the time of the launch, Australia and New Zealand executive GM Ray Osgood of parent firm CNH Industrial (CNHI) reveals Iveco’s sister dealerships for CNHI agriculture-focused Case IH will have a…

CALTEX, OPERATOR of Australia’s largest truck stop network, is giving away its biggest Supercar experience ever at this year’s Brisbane Truck Show. One lucky winner, together with three friends, will get to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime Supercar racing weekend at one of four Australian race meets. The prize includes flights, accommodation and transfers, plus VIP access to the TeamVortex corporate suite, a chance to meet the drivers, and so much more. To enter, simply head to stand 126 at the Brisbane Truck Show and sign up for StarCard, the fuel card that rewards your business with Qantas points and saves you time and money. While you’re there, chat to the team about the latest innovations from Caltex, including: • Caltex Telematics – learn how this world-class technology could reduce your fuel…

GRAHAM LUSTY Trailers (GLT) has introduced the new low loader brand Allison HD to the market. “We have wanted another brand and trailer type to extend our product range”, GLT CEO Graham Lusty explains. “Allison HD low loaders will be sold and serviced through our GLT facilities.” The name Allison is well known in trailers, with the Lusty Allison brand dominating the Australian market before the recession in the ’90s. Allison HD is a subsidiary of GLT and has already delivered a handful to trailers to local customers. Initially the product range will focus on 3x4 and 4x4 drop deck wideners and low loaders. GLT says suspension widening and rows of eight will be available soon. Spec trailers will be held in stock in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. The trailers…

IVECO AUSTRALIA says it is looking forward to the Brisbane Truck Show and will participate with a large stand showcasing up to 10 vehicles from across the Iveco and International product line-ups. Iveco says showgoers will have access to a wide selection of trucks and vans on its stand, spanning the light-, medium- and heavy-duty weight categories including several new models on public display for the first time. Among the new vehicles will be the Euro 6-rated Daily 7 tonne van which Iveco says not only boasts an extremely clean-running engine, but also introduces even greater safety features such as a Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system to the Daily’s already impressive standard offerings. Another model making its show debut is the recently launched E6 Eurocargo. Having been awarded International Truck…

FUNDING FOR the Tenterfield truck wash in New South Wales is a positive move for livestock transport infrastructure with the promise of more to come, the Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association (LBRCA) says. The new Tenterfield Livestock Selling Centre Truck Wash gains $600,000 and is the first recipient of funding under the ‘NSW Fixing Country Truck Washes’ initiative, a $10 million joint federal-state arrangement to build and upgrade truck wash-out facilities across the state. The LBRCA has lobbied the state government for such a program along key meat and livestock freight routes for six years, citing compliance, bio-security and community amenity issues. “We stressed that we must be on the front foot and ensure consistent measures are in place to deliver against bio-security, community health and animal welfare requirements…

TOYOTA HAS followed the news on the Tesla electric semi by joining the low-emission truck race with a Kenworth-based offering. Unlike Tesla’s electric approach, Toyota has opted for hydrogen fuel cell technology; something the automaker is familiar with following the development of its Mirai passenger car. Toyota has scaled up its proprietary fuel-cell technology from the Mirai to develop an emission-free power source for a 36-tonne truck. Dubbed ‘Project Portal’, Toyota plans to use the concept truck to conduct a feasibility study into the potential of fuel-cell technology in heavy-duty applications. The hydrogen-fuelled truck is set to move loads between the ports of Los Angeles and nearby Long Beach later this year. According to Toyota, the truck generates more than 670hp and nearly 1800Nm from two Mirai fuel-cell stacks and…

“The smile on everyone’s faces this weekend has just made my weekend” SUNNY WARBY, 75, still drives trucks for a living, but he is able to pick and choose his work “and just make fun of the situation”. Owner//Driver caught up with Sunny and his restored 1965 B Model Mack on April 8 during the fourth Haulin the Hume, a biennial classic truck run which traces the old Hume Highway through bypassed towns from Sydney to Yass. “I bought my Mack 52 years ago,” Sunny says. “I bought the trailer 50 years ago. And I just did a restoration on both of them. “They’ve come up wonderful and this is my big venture with the two of them hooked together.” Sunny’s B Model, with its 1967 Freighter trailer, was among…

I IDLE down the main street of town, the rumble of the engine bounces off shop windows, now dark and closed for the night. I blip the throttle and drop down into bottom ’box as I approach the pub, ready to hang a right. There’s a crowd of guys and girls hanging outside the pub. Under a blue swirl of tobacco smoke they give me a cheer and a wave as I swing right, two trailers following me around the corner, and then I put the boot into it, twin stacks cackling in the evening air. I give them a quick blast of the air horns before changing back up into high range, revs climbing slowly as the drive wheels grab the blacktop and haul. It’s a long drag up…

WHEN OWNER//DRIVER visited Don ‘Noddy’ Clayton in Thurgoona New South Wales last month, he was creating a collage of truck photos. His desk was scattered with images of AJ McLeish trucks – from Arch McLeish’s first White WB20 through to his last Kenworth SAR. The collage represents Don’s happiest years of trucking, and his long friendship with Arch who turned 90 at Easter time. Arch lives in Albury, and his commitment to his community is well known. He accepted an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in 2013 in recognition of his long and active public life. But Don believes few people know of the quiet generosity Arch displayed in private. Don experienced this generosity first hand when he and wife Glenys moved to Albury in the early 1970s. They arrived…

ISUZU AUSTRALIA (IAL) director and chief operating officer Phil Taylor has praised the Federal Government’s foresight in investing in the future of Australia’s road network. Taylor says the government’s decision to award a 10-year, $55 million grant to the iMOVE Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) to help develop Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) is an excellent step towards a smarter, more efficient national transport approach. The funding will help iMOVE CRC further its work in utilising cutting-edge vehicle technologies to smooth traffic flows and investigate systems that allow for the efficient transport of goods. In announcing the funding, Federal Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Arthur Sinodinos, says iMOVE CRC’s work would have wide-ranging benefits for the whole of Australia. “The outcomes are reduced congestion, fuel use and emissions and improved national…

PORT KEMBLA-BASED Ross Transport has welcomed a bold new addition to its fleet, a stunning Kenworth T909 with a very unique paint job. It’s not every day you see a hot pink truck with plenty of chrome cruising the highways. But in Ross Transport’s case, pink was the perfect colour for them. Ross Transport is a family-owned and operated trucking business which Reg Ross and his wife Frances established in 1975. The company is now proud to boast three generations on-site, managing a fleet of 57 trucks and 110 trailers. Alan, son of Reg, now runs the business with his daughter True learning the ropes beside him as well as getting into trucks of her own. It was True who first got behind the wheel of the swanky new T909,…

“It’s no secret that the trucking industry has a driver shortage” PERHAPS IT’S a case of Australians staying true to tradition, but compared to the United States we’ve taken a while to embrace the trend towards automatic transmissions, notably in the commercial vehicle market. While the transition to autos may be evident in the higher end of the car market in Europe, anyone who has rented a motor vehicle in the UK should be well aware that manual transmissions are the initial offering. If you want an automatic car you’ll be paying a premium for it. In recent years, however, transport companies have realised the safety benefits in taking one pedal out of the driving equation. And the savings in operating automatics are being heralded as far outweighing the upfront…

ISUZU AUSTRALIA will be unveiling two new ‘Ready to Work’ models at the Brisbane Truck Show. The NNR 45-150 AMT Vanpack and the NLR 55-150 Tri-Tipper will headline Isuzu’s display at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 25 to 28. Isuzu says these new models will mark the latest evolution of its popular Ready to Work range, and the company’s commitment to offering a comprehensive selection of rugged and reliable work vehicles, purpose-built for Australian demands and conditions. The NLR 55-150 is fitted with a tipper body that can tilt its two-cubic-metre volume to the left, right or rear. Isuzu’s NNR 45-150 automated manual transmission (AMT) Vanpack boasts an 18.2-cubic-metre, pre-built van body. According to Isuzu, the 6-speed AMT with torque converter and park position means the Vanpack…

UD TRUCKS has launched the new-generation Quon range which it says redefines the heavy-duty Japanese truck. UD says the new Quon offers a driveline that delivers a smooth, stress-free and comfortable ride, and is equipped with advanced safety features to ensure the safety of the driver and other road users. According to UD, the comfortable interior lets the driver focus on driving, while the striking exterior will be a source of pride for anyone who takes the wheel. “The new-generation Quon marks a new era for UD Trucks and further reinforces our position as a serious contender in the heavy-duty truck market,” says Joachim Rosenberg, executive vice president of Volvo Group and chairman of UD Trucks. “The new-generation Quon not only complies with the latest emissions regulations, it also delivers…

MILLIONS OF people are hacking their biology to experience suffering. Pain is on the forefront of the experience. Obstacle courses, boot camps and cryotherapy sessions are now the new trend in the fitness edge which is no longer reserved for the elite athlete. How did pain become a luxury good? Can it be that there is a specific sort of pain that can serve as a hidden evolutionary function? This movement is not a fad. There have always been people who have straddled the line between biology and technology. Ancient Spartan Warrior soldiers wore simple cloaks and no shoes, regardless of the weather. They believed exposure made them stronger. Mystics and monks endured months or years in Himalayan peaks for daily meditation with robes as their only protection. Native Americans…

TONY CUTLER reckons the 2012 Detroit-powered Western Star 4900 he drives for Hernes Freight Service does not have the note of a real truck. More specifically, it doesn’t have the “cackle” of the C15 Cat-powered 2007 Western Star he drove for the company a few months ago. “I was reluctant to come out of that one,” he says of the older model. “Detroits haven’t got a really good rap but I’ve got to say my times are about the same. “It’s just that this is smoother and quieter and it doesn’t seem like I am going as fast, and it’s certainly a lot more economical.” According to Tony, the 4900 is a more refined truck – a “gentleman’s truck”. He says he could place his thongs in front of the…

ISUZU AUSTRALIA (IAL) has announced ‘excellence’ status for nine of Australia’s highest performing Isuzu truck dealerships through its 2016 Dealer Excellence Program. IAL says the program puts all aspects of an Isuzu dealership under the microscope. To receive the excellence status the dealership must maintain superb standards in sales, customer satisfaction, staff training, business management, and parts – for the entire year. The dealer principals and dealerships awarded excellence in 2016 were: James Frizelle and Gold Coast Isuzu; Tony Emanuele and North East Isuzu in Adelaide; Luke Taggart and Suttons Motors Arncliffe; Gary Melrose and Gilbert & Roach in Sydney; Anthony Smith and New South Wales’ Midcoast Trucks; Bruce Davey and Webster trucks in Tasmania; James Morphy and Winter & Taylor in Geelong; Ian Deacon and Ballarat Isuzu; and Glenn…

“WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A DRIVER OF HIS CALIBRE ON THE ROADS, REDSTAR TRANSPORT’S driver John Fabian has been presented the Bridgestone Bandag Highway Guardian Award for his efforts in helping people involved in a car crash. Fabian was commended for his efforts in coordinating with emergency services during a head-on car collision at a remote location along the Adelaide-Perth route in February. The award is designed for professional truck drivers who go above and beyond the call of duty to assist those in need during the course of their working day. The award was handed by Bridgestone and the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) during a special event at Redstar’s Melbourne office in April. On the day of the incident, Fabian was one of the first to arrive at…

FUSO’S UPDATED Canter range received a road test workout around Melbourne recently, but not before announcing key changes to the brand based around improved after-sales support and improved parts and servicing offering. Changes to the popular light-duty Canter range that was launched are predominantly cosmetic, centred around improving driver experience following customer feedback. Among the changes are an updated interior trim, this time black and grey rather than blue, a silver top grille louvre, improved seat padding and more durable bolstering, LED interior lighting, and additional in-cab storage. The Canter still uses the peppy 3-litre 4-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, in both 110kW and 129kW guise, which delivers drive through either a 5-speed manual or 6-speed twin-clutch Duonic AMT. A crowd pleaser within the updated Canter range at the launch was the…

ZF SERVICES Australia’s newest commercial vehicle transmission, Traxon, will make its official Australian debut at the 2017 Brisbane Truck Show. Traxon is an automatic transmission system aimed at modern trucks. According to ZF, the Traxon’s modular design is a world first, meeting the commercial vehicle market’s requirements for a versatile, flexible solution. ZF says the design enables the basic transmission to be combined with various setting-off and shift modules, making it more economical in practice, aimed at giving manufacturers and operators the best possible flexibility for every application as well as increasing driver comfort. The new Traxon transmission system’s compact and robust design is claimed to keep operating and service costs down throughout its entire lifetime. ZF says its innovative software is a feature of the transmission, combining the predictive…

THE NEW Cummins X15 engine is now available with the Freightliner Argosy in addition to the Detroit DD15. Freightliner says it is now the only truck manufacturer to offer customers a choice of 15-litre engines for a heavy-hauling B-double truck. The new X15 engine fitted to the Argosy is available in output ratings ranging from 485hp to 600hp and up to 2050ft-lb of torque. The Cummins X15 is a development of the 15-litre ISXe5 that features Advanced Dynamic Efficient Powertrain Technology (ADEPT) – which is a suite of advanced electronic features designed to deliver fuel economy gains through improved powertrain integration. ADEPT is for use with Eaton’s 18-speed automated UltraShift Plus transmission and has been tested in Australia since early 2016. It utilises load, speed and grade-sensing technology to initiate…

AUSTRALIAN TRAILER manufacturer MaxiTrans has revealed it will feature in a prominent new position at the front of the 2017 Brisbane Truck Show. United on the one stand, all of its six equipment brands – Freighter, Maxi-Cube, Hamelex White, Lusty EMS, Azmeb and Peki – will be featured in the display, which the company says will mirror a “showroom experience” and highlight the efficiency gains its products have to offer. “We are very excited to have all of our trailer and rigid truck body brands – the largest and most diverse range in Australia – featured on the one stand under the MaxiTRANS banner in Brisbane,” MaxiTrans group general manager, sales and marketing, Andrew McKenzie says. “It will allow us to present a united front with a common theme –…

IF YOU are in an industry that is volatile, if you have a business that is prone to huge highs and the depths of despair from constant ebbs and flows, it can be difficult to keep the faith. It can also seem near impossible to keep going and keep believing it is all going to be worth it and that all the barriers will eventually dissipate. But somehow they do and we can finally see ourselves as successful. Being a driver isn’t much different. We start out pretty naive and possibly rather gullible, then tend to believe everything we are told, all the stories of how things used to be, has to be, will be, and where we are expected to fit within the confines of assisting our employer to…