Table of contents for Issue 338 in Owner Driver

A NEW BOUT in South Australia’s South Eastern Freeway fines wrangle sees the state’s police drop outstanding speed camera offences at Leawood Gardens over flawed record-keeping. From February 1, SA Police (Sapol) advises it has discontinued 153 matters currently before the courts and cancelled 56 suspended expiation notices relating to the 60km/h speed limit for trucks and buses. It claims a review of review of the testing procedure uncovered an unlikelihood of securing convictions. It maintains the “testing procedure was correct” but the retention of those testing records “has not been followed in a manner that would result in a reasonable prospect of conviction”. “It has been determined from our review of this particular fixed camera at Leawood Gardens that the recording of the testing regime SA Police had been…

AN INDUSTRY-LED initiative that aims to train 1,000 new skilled transport workers has gained $6.1 million in Western Australian government funding. The job-ready Heavy Vehicle Driving Operations Skill Set and driver training aims to tackle skills shortages, with a focus on assisting smaller transport operators without the capacity to provide on-the-job training. The course aims to remove barriers to entry in heavy rigid (HR), heavy combination (HC) or multi-combination (MC) heavy vehicle driving through both theoretical and hands-on practical truck driver training. The state transport portfolio is to provide targeted funding for delivery of industry mentoring for program graduates, to be co-ordinated by the Western Roads Federation (WRF). “Advocating for a major investment in an industry-designed driver training program to address the skills shortage has been a key focus of…

The National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo has become the premier event for the earthmoving, construction and public space management industry to announce its new releases. This year, the upgraded facilities at the Sydney Dragway is the venue from Friday, April 9 through to Sunday, April 11. All the latest products and technology will be on show, including landscape materials and equipment, site preparation, earthmoving equipment and attachments, GPS tracking and environmental solutions to public space management, plus much more. Komatsu will be showing its model WB97R-8, the latest in its range of backhoe loaders. This new release offers two-wheel steering and a powershift transmission, a high level of standard specifications and unrivalled operator visibility thanks to Komatsu’s unique combination of a lateral exhaust pipe and compact bonnet. “With a…

I’LL BE BLUNT. The perception in some minds has long been that Paccar’s MX-13 engine is fundamentally a DAF product and, therefore, not worthy of a Kenworth. The reality, however, is that in either a Kenworth or a DAF, the MX-13 is a gutsy, respectably efficient engine that is at least the equal of any similarly-powered 13-litre in the business. But don’t just take my word for it. There are now a sizeable number of Kenworth owners and drivers with a highly positive view of the MX-13, driven in large part by a steadily expanding reputation for strong performance, staunch reliability and entirely acceptable fuel economy. Take, for instance, the view of Lance Fisher, the long-serving fleet manager of Sydney-based fuel haulage specialist John L Pierce. Widely regarded as one…

HYUNDAI TRUCKS is back in the country, boasting a new range of light-duty, medium-duty and expanding into the heavy-duty segment this year. Among these is the mid-size Hyundai Pavise, which will shortly be launched onto the Australian market. Hyundai says Pavise represents the latest in technology it has to offer with class-leading powertrains, safety, design and space. Furthermore, it states that a range of chassis and wheelbase options means Pavise could make it a perfect addition to any fleet or business. “Pavise comes in three chassis variants and multiple wheelbase options starting at 12 tonnes in a 4x2 configuration. There is an option of the 12 tonne-rated D112 model, 15.5 tonne-rated D115 and 17.6 tonne-rated D217 model,” says Hyundai commercial vehicles Australia GM Daryl Thornton. “There are also plans to…

SCANIA’S 540HP (403kW) engine, which the truckmaker’s Australia’s arm points out is available here, has excelled in international comparison tests. The Scania 540 S triumphed in the 1000 Punkte Test (1000 Point Test) and European Truck Challenge (ETC), which are among the most established comparison tests for commercial heavy trucks, organised by German trade magazines. The test analyses cab-related qualities like driver environment, sleeping comfort and noise levels, as well as other aspects such as road handling, gear shifting and serviceability. The trucks are also driven more than 300km on different types of roads to measure overall fuel consumption. Every aspect is then given a score that adds to each truck’s final result. “Winning these comparison tests is yet another point of proof for Scania’s industry-leading position,” Scania Trucks senior…

THE AUSTRALIAN Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) has called for agribusiness GrainCorp to extend access to amenities, including shower facilities, for heavy vehicle drivers at its sites. It notes ALRTA members have reported that drivers have been denied access to shower facilities at some GrainCorp sites due to perceived COVID-19 risks. The issue comes not long after ALRTA successfully negotiated against feedlot amenity impositions. “Truck drivers provide an essential service for GrainCorp operations,” the association states. “At some point in the supply chain most grain has been on board a truck. “Road freight has been recognised as an essential service by Australian governments within their COVID-19 response plans, which include exemptions for border crossings and exemptions for businesses operating truck driver facilities. “The Chain of Responsibility provisions of the…

“They assumed the Kenworths were going to be far too expensive.” Let us begin today’s lesson by breaking down the variations in truck class. Many of you are aware of the different truck classes, however allow me to remind you. You have your MR class, medium rigid. You have your HR class, heavy rigid. You then move up to you HC, or heavy combination and finally there is your MC, multi combination. That is where it used to stop. Now, however, there is an extra class, known as your OD class, or ‘oh damn’! It’s a rare class but designed for specific trucks, like the Burgundy Heights Kenworth C509. Trucks like this redefine ‘big’. It’s got a sleeper that could hide all contestants of the ‘2021 World Hide and Seek…

Don’t think for a moment that anything is being taken for granted with preparations for the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show. No stone is being left unturned to ensure that visitors to the Sunshine State have a healthy and safe experience. But if there’s anywhere you would want to be when events kick back into life, it is in Brisbane. Presumably, you already know what the truck show is all about. Even if you have never been before, no doubt your mates have simply said: “Everyone’s going to be there and it’s the only way to see all the latest gear in one place.” Something like that. Then, you might have joined us for the last show as we spread our wings across into the parklands for what is now known…

Short A-cab Righthand-steer. It’s hard to believe that from such an obscure engineering preface – later interpreted as ‘Short Australian Righthand-drive’ – came a truck absolutely revered in the history and psychology of Australian road transport. SAR! A true legend. And a uniquely Aussie legend at that. Originally launched in 1975, it was the first Kenworth actually conceptualised in Australia, for Australia, with its short bumper to back-of-cab length, high-standing cab and sloping hood setting it apart from anything else in the business. Make no mistake, the original W900SAR’s release all those years ago marked the first steps toward greater independence of Australian design in Kenworth trucks. It was a milestone model like no other. And we can now reveal the SAR is coming back in all its former glory…

MAXITRANS IS CELEBRATING a major milestone for its trailer brand Freighter – 75 not out. The trailer and parts maker deems the effort as creating a legacy that “is clearly as long as it is rich”. “Freighter’s long and successful history is owed to our loyal customers,” MD and CEO Dean Jenkins says. “Many of our customers are two or three generation Freighter loyalists. “It is this on-going support that has helped build the legacy that Freighter prides itself on and will continue to be a part of every locally manufactured high quality trailer that is produced. “We sit here today reflecting on the great achievements of Freighter, from introducing the first curtain sided trailer into the Australian market, known in the Freighter family as the Tautliner, through to continuing…

MERCEDES-BENZ has upgraded its Australian Econic model that it says came following local customer consultation. The city-friendly truck has been improved with beefed-up air conditioning, better driver access and a new advanced safety feature called Sideguard Assist. Mercedes-Benz offers the Econic as a traditional single control model as well as a developed-for-Australia dual control version, which features two steering boxes. Both Econic models now feature considerably more potent air conditioning systems, with between 8.5kW and 10kW of power depending on the model, that are better suited to the extreme heat of an Australian summer. “Our Australian operators identified a way that we could further improve this brilliant truck and we listened,” says Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus Australia director Andrew Assimo. Available on select Econic models, Sideguard Assist uses radar technology…

THE AUSTRALIAN Taxation Office (ATO) is highlighting a heavy vehicle fuel tax solution for those with modest claims to make. The ATO has recently released a simpler way to calculate fuel tax credits for diesel used in heavy vehicles. Truck owners that use a heavy vehicle and who claim less than $10,000 each year can use the new “basic method”. “The method makes it easier to work out your fuel tax credit claim, including your on and off public road use,” the ATO advises. “As the rate for travel off public roads is higher, you will get more fuel tax credits if you calculate your off public road use correctly. “Travel off public roads includes when you’re idling, loading or unloading your heavy vehicle in warehouses, depots or car parks.…

A TRUCK DRIVER will receive nearly $1 million in injury compensation after successfully appealing the original calculation. Daniel Peebles was awarded $764,345.12 by the Brisbane Supreme Court in early 2020 but the final figure becomes $967,052.92 after the Court of Appeal accepted errors over the driver’s total economic loss. Peebles, then 32-years-old, became ‘permanently incapacitated’ 2014 while driving for Kurtz Transport, due primarily to company negligence in providing a truck with a defective seat. A pre-existing back condition was factored in to the original decision, with a 50 per cent discount applied to the payout. While the Court of Appeal accepted the original discount on future earnings due to Peebles’ condition possibly preventing him from future work, it found the same discount on past economic loss should not have applied.…

“I was 19-years old and running interstate, full time.” WHEN IT COMES to truck drivers there seems to be very distinct categories they can be divided into. There are those who drive trucks purely as a job like any other, viewing their profession as quite simply a job to which they attend in return for a wage or income. Some radiate into the trucking industry, lured by the attractive income potential (by working long and hard hours) to provide a secure lifestyle for themselves and their family. Then there are those who are perhaps products of their environment, exposed to the trucking life by fathers or family members throughout their formative years; an exposure that can seem to have a direct impact on their very DNA, forming a passion so…

IN TIME, some trucks become classics. Others don’t, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were duds. No, the real duds are those shockers that take on a heritage all their own. Remembered, you might say, for all the wrong reasons. So now, with the pandemic providing a little too much time to think about the past rather than the present, and enough experience to recount the makes and models that have maintained a deservedly dark and critical crevice in this commentator’s cranium, here are a few carefully considered lesser lights from the commercial vehicle vault. I must stress, however, these opinions are my own and I accept there may be those with an opposite view of these maligned machines. But somehow, I doubt it. On the other hand, there may…

NOT SO LONG AGO, three Anthems, a Super-Liner and a Trident left Brisbane early one morning, heading south on the first leg of what Mack is promoting as a national ‘Evolution Tour’. Over several months, the trucks will travel many of the country’s major routes from east to west and back again, stopping to showcase not just Anthem but the significant safety and cab developments on Super-Liner and Trident, which altogether make these Macks something special. Even so, as the five trucks punched down the Pacific Highway towards Sydney, the Super-Liner and Trident at first glance appeared little different to the current crop. From any angle, though, Anthem is definitely a breed apart. Visually, there’s never been anything like Anthem and, typically perhaps, early reports and various photos from the…

A NEW JAC TRUCKS tilt at the Australian market is to take place this year. It is being led by former local JAC CEO Jason Pecotic, in a move that may yet indicate the state of the Chinese truck challenge and where commercial electric vehicle (EV) competition here might lead. Pecotic says the intention is to have one test vehicle in the country to be test-driven by three online food distribution firms. Confident they will be well received, he will then look to import 50 more. “JAC have been in the production and testing of electric trucks in a few countries around the world,” he says. “They’ve developed a right-hand drive version of the truck [and] it’s currently going through ADR testing in China.” JAC recently delivered a fleet of…

THE ISSUE OF BULK material clinging to the inside of a tipper and slowing down the unloading process is something common to many operators carting bulk products like soil, fertiliser, stock feed, grains and sands. In many cases the only way to get material moving is by ‘shunting’ the vehicle or manually digging out compact product at the end of a shift – both risky and time consuming for the operator and leading to excessive wear and tear on the vehicle. However, Flow-Easy says its vibrators are designed to speed up the unloading of bulk products, providing an efficient, safe and controlled load discharge. The vibration loosens compacted material, effectively eliminating compact, residual build up. Flow-Easy vibrators are distributed by Melbourne-based Enmin, which specialises in materials handling systems and vibratory…

HYZON MOTORS and Hiringa Energy are advancing their partnership with an electric heavy-duty fleet deal for New Zealand. The pair reveals Hyzon has agreed to supply 1,500 Dutch-built hydrogen fuelcell-powered ‘heavy goods vehicles’ to the NZ company by 2026, with the first batch to arrive at the end of this year. “We see New Zealand as an attractive market for the deployment of our hydrogen fuel cell technology,” Hyzon Motors CEO Craig Knight says. “The hydrogen supply network designed by Hiringa is a key enabler for the realisation of our decarbonisation strategy. “This partnership aims to position New Zealand as a global leader in the adoption of zero emission heavy vehicle technology, and we are pleased to be playing a major role in this transition.” The vehicles are to be…