Innehållsförteckning för Issue 357 från Owner Driver

Heavy vehicle safety services in New South Wales has a new home following the official opening of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Parramatta headquarters. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway opened the new office on September 23 as part of the transition of state-based heavy vehicle services to the NHVR. “Over the last six months, the NSW Government and Transport for New South Wales have been working closely with the NHVR to make the transition as smooth as possible while ensuring the heavy vehicle industry continues to operate safely and productively,” Minister Farraway says. “On 1 August, we saw the transition of roadside heavy vehicle inspections, investigations and prosecutions and administration services to the NHVR, and I’m pleased to officially open the new Parramatta headquarters. “Nationally consistent…

“New cameras and road signage were put in place on September 19.” More commentators are voicing their concerns over the situation around port fees in the transport industry. On September 9 a story on The Financial Review echoed the sentiment of many, including OwnerDriver readers, that port fees should be placed on shipping companies and not individual truck drivers. The Transport Workers Union (TWU) national secretary Michael Kaine says more mainstream calls for port reform is a step in the right direction. “This a positive step towards ending the stevedores monopoly gouging scandal which has gone on for years. Exorbitant fees have imposed major burdens on transport companies and owner drivers already operating on razor-thin margins. “For over five years, the TWU along with companies like ACFS and transport associations…

Anyone regularly travelling Queensland’s Warrego Highway will, at some point over the past six months, caught a glimpse of Martin Rieck’s new Mack Super-Liner hauling B-double livestock trailers. However, Martin has been on the road for much longer than that, while his association with trucks goes back to his family’s property in north-east South Australia which he says was ”nearly one million acres in the desert”. The property, south of Innamincka and west of Cameron’s Corner, ran cattle. Out of necessity Martin bought his first livestock truck. More trucks were upgraded over the years. “Dad always had trucks, not livestock trucks, but he had an earthmoving business, so we always had trucks to shift around and supply the fuel,” Martin explains. “Working with the stock was first and foremost, so…

As I slowly attempt to revive my wedding photography business, I have discovered a secret that will guarantee my clients perfect weather on their big day. The secret, book your wedding for the same time as the Lowood Truck show. I am serious, contact Rob Liston and the team that organise the Lowood event, find out the dates they are proposing for the following year’s convoy and show, and book your wedding for that weekend. It’s a sure-fire winner. Without fail, every single Lowood Truck Show I have been too has blasted me with nothing but sunshine and sparkles. Consequently, the ensuing day normally has me regretting not wearing my hat more and not drowning myself in sunscreen. But that’s on me. The point I want to emphasis is that,…

Seriously, you really have to wonder what arrogance and foolhardiness gets into the heads of some top executives. In this climateconscious age of intense bureaucratic and media scrutiny of emissions compliance, not to mention the instantaneous influence of social media, do they honestly believe they can fool all the people, all the time? From the outside looking in, it seems that’s exactly how some think, with the latest example coming from Hino Motors which is, of course, the truck offshoot of global giant, Toyota. For its part, Toyota claims to be shocked by Hino’s falsification of emissions and fuel data which is said to date back as far as 2003, just two years after Toyota took control of Hino in 2001. However, many of Hino’s presidents have come from Toyota…

Projecta has announced that its Intelli-Charge (IC) range has improved its versatility following the inclusion of a new Lithium-specific charging algorithm, in addition to their Wet, AGM, Gel and Calcium battery profiles. Project says this flexibility means that owners now only require a single battery charger, no matter what type of automotive batteries they have. It also allows users to confidently update to more modern batteries such as Lithium, without the extra expense of purchasing a Lithium-specific charger. While it is possible to use a lead acid charger with a Lithium battery, Projecta advises that the process is not great for the battery lifecycle, while charging also needs to be closely monitored for safety. The latest Projecta IC range is said to provide a high-quality charge that prolongs battery life.…

The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) has welcomed the reinstatement of the fuel excise tax credit by federal transport and infrastructure minister Catherine King following months of advocacy by the transport industry for its reinstatement to offset higher diesel costs. The previous government’s temporary reduction in the fuel excise ended at midnight on September 28, however the VTA says it is important that operators continue to resist absorbing higher business costs so as not to put any unnecessary pressure on their ability to trade. The credit increased by 1 cent to 18.8 cents per litre on September 29, although the higher amount intended to offset an increase to the heavy vehicle road user charge of 0.8 cents per litre, which took effect at the same time. Earlier in September, Minister King…

A common consensus across the truck industry is that there are way too many disincentives deterring young Australians from considering a career driving trucks. On the flip side, there are many drivers that have chosen trucking and say the freedom of life on the road makes up for the negatives. OwnerDriver reached out to working young people in the transport industry to hear about their stories and find out what they believe needs to change. Each respondent explained that they were either born into a family of transport workers or had a deep passion for trucks and transport that made them want to put up with the many sacrifices the industry demands. Twenty-nine-year-old Cameron Byrom from Perth told us what attracted him to truck driving. “It’s something I’ve wanted to…

Radio station i98FM’s says its 2021 Illawarra Convoy eclipsed $20 million dollars raised since the events inception in 2005, and this year is back for its 18-year anniversary on November 20 for what organisers are hoping to be the biggest event yet. Breakfast show hosts Marty Haynes, Christian McEwan and Bella Leone officially launched the event on October 4 at the home of the i98FM Illawarra Convoy’s free family fun day, Shellharbour Airport. Organisers say registrations for trucks and motorbikes are now open officially, and cost $30 with a complimentary event T-shirt included. Participants can register their trucks or bikes, at www.illawarraconvoy.com.au. Convoy manager Mark Rigby says it’s easy to register for this year’s convoy. “Nowadays you don’t even have to leave your home to get your truck or bike…

To the benignly uninformed, the blatantly uninterested and especially the belligerently unimpressed, advanced new technologies can be confronting, confusing and ponderously difficult to decipher. A mental minefield, easier undermined than understood. Quite often, and particularly in the early stages of development, there can be so much that just doesn’t compute in the cerebral cavern of most minds – this one included – when something appears a very long way outside the square of ‘normal’. Much depends, I guess, on how advanced, complex or different the new technology is and the product or component it affects. At its most extreme, radical technology can appear to the average layman as a world of unnecessary intrusion, a dark art, inhabited by tedious technocrats, staid scientists, fairy tale futurists, commercial carpetbaggers and at the…

Bear with me a little here guys as this is my first ‘opinion piece’. I’ve never tried this before, well not in a way I’d like to get paid for at least. However, I’ve recently had a new experience that warrants me taking a stab at it. I was invited to a launch day. My first one. You know when there’s a new truck or product launch and the big wigs invite a heap of journalists along. Well, I was one of those journalists. I really felt like a fish out of water. There were some of the biggest and most renown names in transport journalism. And sitting at the back enjoy a free coke was me. It seems pretty obvious then that my first opinion piece will be about…

Truck and trailer parts distributor and retailer Truckline is celebrating the company’s 70th anniversary in style from now through to the end of March, offering customers the chance to win a monster prize package valued at over $180,000. Truckline, in conjunction with its major suppliers Donaldson, BWI, Hella, Milwaukee, SKF, ITW, Meritor and Castrol, is offering its owner-driver, transport company and fleet operator customers a custombuilt Freighter T-Liner drop deck Mezzdeck trailer. The MaxiTrans built trailer is valued at $160,000. In addition, the 70th anniversary competition winner will receive 10 $2,000 gift vouchers, providing an additional $20,000 to spend. To enter, Truckline customers can sign-up to take part in this competition at truckintrade.com.au. Once registered, an initial order of $1,000 worth of purchases from any Truckline store earns the first…

Modern technology and the internet deliver the opportunity for listenerfocussed broadcaster Australian Truck Radio to be ideally positioned for the captive niche market of Australian trucking. Founder and manager Simon Smith recognises the need for a connection to trucking community, and also the responsibilities which come with it. “They’re a huge mobile community and they are looking for their own station, and now we have to technology and resources to provide that nationally 24/7. The mobile phone is today’s radio transmitter and receiver,” says Simon, a veteran of radio broadcasting who initiated the successful ‘truckers’ radio’ format at several stations in southern NSW during the late 1980s, mostly on the midnight to dawn shift. An unexpected bonus after the original show had been on air for a time was an…

After 30 years in business, Bernie Hilder, managing director of Hilder Transport, has sold the company’s entire fleet as he winds down operations. Ritchie Bros handled the dispersal fleet of the prime movers and trailers through a national unreserved auction on October 12 and 13. The trucks auctioned off included eight Kenworths of various year models, including recent T610 6x4s. Other trucks included a 2003 UD MKB215, 2007 Volvo FH13 and two Hino 4x2s. There are also a variety of Freighter, Kreuger and Barker trailers, as well as forklifts and crane trucks. Based in Rowville in Victoria, Bernie’ Hilder’s father George established Hilder Transport in 1972. The younger Hilder has continued his father’s legacy by growing the company, offering specialised Australia wide freight services. “In the early years, my father…

More than 55 new inductees were added to the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame at Alice Springs on August 27. The induction ceremony was a major part of the Australian Festival of Transport at the National Road Transport Hall of Fame Reunion, that took place on the last weekend in August. It was return to normality following two years of the pandemic, marking the dedication and commitment of individuals withing Australia’s transport industry. Inductees from 2020 and 2021 who missed the opportunity to attend due to COVID restrictions were also recognised this year. “We’re proud to be able to celebrate the achievements of the industry once again at the National Road Transport Hall of Fame and to welcome another group of deserving inductees into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame,”…

Admission time! I go from one extreme to the other sometimes. I will sit down to write a story and spend countless glasses of bourbon trying to work out a starting line or I will have an abundance of opening acts and spend countless glasses of bourbon trying to choose which one to use. The lesson being. I probably need to restock my bourbon. However, this month I have a dilemma. I can’t decide which opening stanza best represents the amazingly cool truck on these pages. Option one was starting this cool story on Method Earthworks exquisite Kenworth T909 tipper with a wedding speech cliché, using the dictionary to define ‘method’ purely because it truly does reflect the company that Jeff and Lori Turner have built. ‘Method: a quality of…

The biennial IAA Transportation, held in Hanover, Germany, has consolidated its position as the world’s largest platform for the transport and logsticis industry, with around two thirds of the exhibitors being from international companies. Visitors also came from far and wide – from 72 different countries. The many world firsts presented had a focus on the electrification and climate neutrality of the drive train. Vehicle manufacturers presented a wide variety of electric and fuel cell-based drives as well as hydrogen combustion engines. The Scania IAA stand saw the premier of its new electrified tractor, digital and connected services as well as its charging solutions. By 2030, the Swedish truck manufacturer says 50 per cent of the total vehicle sales volume is expected to be electrified. Scania says its purpose is…

The first all-electric aviation refueller, designed and engineered in Australia, has been placed into operation at Brisbane Airport. The SEA Electric SEA 500 EV, designed and engineered in Australia, as been built in conjunction with global aviation fuel products and service supplier Air BP and aviation specialists Refuel International in Melbourne. The vehicle will uplift Jet-A1 for business and general aircraft at the Brisbane’s international airport. The refueller can carry approximately 16,000 litres of aviation fuel, with all onboard pumps and functions fully electrified, with the management of the systems provided by the proprietary SEA-Drive power-system. This system has reported to have been previously adapted to electrify a wide range of ancillary functions, such as the hydraulic systems found on refuse vehicles, elevated work platforms, tippers and tilt trays, or…