Table of contents for Issue 345 in Owner Driver

ROAD TRAIN operators can now access the entire length of the Newell Highway, in a move said to unlock efficiency gains for the movement of freight from border to border. The NSW government announced gazetted access would now be available to all eligible vehicles up to 36.5 metres long along more than 1,000 kilometres of highway including through Parkes, irrespective of the cargo carried. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole says providing end-to-end access for all eligible vehicles up to 36.5 metres long and Performance Based Standards (PBS) Level 3 vehicles on the Newell was a huge win for the freight industry. “This is a game changer for people moving product along one of our State’s most important freight corridors,” Toole says. “We trialled this expanded road train…

The truck engine cooling system is a critical system within a truck’s operation and has a significant impact on fuel economy, horsepower, emissions, driver comfort and, most importantly, ‘uptime’ – maximising your time on the road. The cooling system comprises the radiator, water pump, coolant expansion tank, thermostat, engine control unit, control sensors, fan clutch and fan. It serves two purposes: to prevent engine failure due to overheating and to keep the engine running efficiently. Engine cooling is particularly important in Australia with excessive heat, dust and long distances travelled. To ensure the truck engine cooling system, fan clutch and fan are maintained in optimum condition, scheduled preventative maintenance is critical. PACCAR Parts and Norman G Clark have collaborated to assist with preventative maintenance tips and correct operation of Horton…

BACK IN WHAT some might say were the good ol’ days of Australian road transport, you couldn’t call yourself a truck driver – or at least, not a real truck driver – if you couldn’t use a Roadranger manual gearbox with any degree of proficiency. In some quarters, it’s an opinion that still exists. Indeed, such was the hold of Eaton’s constant-mesh, twin countershaft shifter on heavy-duty trucking that anything other than a Roadranger was for decades seen as something outside the norm. Spicer, for example, made a good fist of fighting Eaton’s supremacy in a multitude of demanding roles and Mack, of course, had its own brand of highly durable boxes specific to its own models. Still, neither came close to diminishing Roadranger’s domination. Meantime, for those companies and…

FOLLOWING the launch of the ANBI Switch – a negative battery isolator switch – the team at Digital Pulse Systems has announced the release of its new under-bonnet battery conditioner, the ANBI Battery Conditioner. The new ANBI Battery Conditioner is said to transmit a high frequency digital pulse within the battery. These digital pulse frequencies break down the sulphates in the battery, extending battery life and increasing battery reliability. “Battery conditioner technology has been around for more than a decade, and in the more recent past, the technology has been integrated into a wide variety of battery chargers,” says Theo Brown, general manager, Digital Pulse Systems. “But, of course, this only works if the battery in on-charge. Our all new, underbonnet battery conditioner works to reduce sulphates whenever the vehicle…

FUSO TRUCK & BUS has announced the impending arrival of a 13-litre Fuso Shogun, increasing the breadth of the range, which currently includes eight-litre and 11-litre options. The Shogun 510’s release follows the launch of the Fuso Shogun 360 rigid at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show in May. According to Fuso, the new Shogun 510 was developed in response to requests from local customers for a true high-performance Japanese heavy-duty B-double capable truck. It has said to have been several years in the planning. The 510hp (380kW) 2,500Nm Shogun is being lauded as the best performing Japanese truck in Australia with a big torque advantage. Fuso states that the Daimler OM471 six-cylinder engine hits its maximum power at 1,600rpm and its maximum torque is available from just 1,100rpm for maximum…

COVID-19 vaccination mandates for transport and logistics workers entering Queensland and Western Australia will come into effect in October. Truck drivers who cross the border into Queensland must have had at least one dose of a COVID vaccine by October 15, with the second dose (or a booking) to be taken by November 15. They must also produce a negative COVID test result from within a seven-day period and maintain a seven-day rolling test regime. In Western Australia from 12.01am on October 24, freight, transport and logistics workers must have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine if they have travelled through ‘high’ or ‘extreme’ risk jurisdictions, based on the latest public health advice. These workers will need to be fully vaccinated within two months of their first…

THE AUSTRALIAN Trucking Association (ATA) says it welcomes the release of a consultation paper on a plan to introduce truck driving apprenticeships. The paper was developed by the Transport and Logistics Industry Reference Committee, which is the national committee responsible for ensuring that training qualifications are aligned with industry needs. The paper explores the establishment of a formal apprenticeship for truck drivers. “It’s no secret that operators around the country have difficulty recruiting truck drivers,” ATA chair David Smith says. “There is a shortage of new starters in the trucking industry and it’s due to the image of the industry and the image of truck driving as a career. “By improving the professionalism of the industry, strengthening driver training would make driving a more attractive career.” The consultation paper notes…

IT WAS the Spring of 1979 and an unseasonably heavy snowfall had dumped on the Snowy Mountains. Unseasonable or not, the dump was ideal, for two valuable, yet vastly different, reasons. First, as the relatively new staff writer on the formerly formidable Truck & Bus magazine, I was heading to a Department of Main Roads (DMR) depot deep on the New South Wales side of the Snowy to do a story on a batch of MAN off-roaders bought for their versatility to operate as a snow plough, tipper and crane truck. Obviously, the more snow, the better the conditions to see the trucks doing their thing. Second, with absolutely no experience driving cars, trucks or anything else on snow or icy roads, but loaded to the limit with the heavy-footed…

“MY NAME is Neil Hughes and, when I was a kid, I always wanted a B-model.” That was the start of my interview with Neil and his son Patrick. When you repeat it out loud with a little pause after Neil’s name, you can almost picture yourself sitting quietly in the back row of some addiction anonymous meeting, listening to a man opening up on his obsession. All we lacked was some chocolate biscuits and weak coffee. Thankfully, Neil’s addiction has not been as detrimental to his health as those that require meetings. However, his wife Evelyn, who doubles as the finance manager, may disagree as to the downside of his addiction. The end result is I’m conducting this interview not inside a church’s back office but in the shadow…

With many industries operating under extraordinary pressures and challenges, Isuzu Trucks knows that operators can easily be distracted from their compliance responsibilities… which have not changed. Such obligations include adhering to Chain of Responsibility (CoR) regulations—whether you’re running a smaller business or a large corporation. According to Isuzu’s Future of Trucking research report, many small- and medium-size fleet owners and managers either have no CoR plans or processes in place or remain unaware that CoR obligations apply to them. In fact, 35 per cent of small truck fleets of small fleets are completely unprepared for, or are unaware of, their CoR requirements. Responsibilities According to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), if you are working in a position that could influence the transport supply chain in any way, then you…

ESPITE the effects of the Sydney COVID lockdown, retired driver Bob Hall is showing determination to keep the memories, and the camaraderie, alive that existed at former logistics company Kwikasair during the 1960s and early ’70s. Especially the years when the eight-wheeler Kenworth ‘Grey Ghosts’ were introduced into the fleet. Bob says COVID has curtailed any plans of a reunion. However, the idle times that comes with lockdowns has brought an alternate opportunity for Bob and his former workmates. “We had a pretty big reunion a while ago at Bankstown Sports Club; we had 120 blokes turn up,” Bob explains. “But, unfortunately, the way things are at the moment, it looks like we can’t get together. “So, what we’ve done, we’ve put out a polo shirt with the Kwikasair emblem…

DAIMLER TRUCKS North America (DTNA) has introduced its all-new Western Star 47X model in the US, joining the 49X model to establish the Western Star X-Series with the focus on a purpose-built vocational line-up towards new applications. Penske plans to release the 47X in Australia with an expectation it will hit our shores towards the end of 2022. After launching the 49X in the US a year ago, the 47X is the second truck in Western Star’s entirely new X Series platform. As the official distributor of Western Star Trucks across Australia and New Zealand, Penske is working closely with DTNA in the adaptation of the new X-Series to local on- and off-high-way markets. “It’s very exciting to see the 47X unveiled in the United States following on from the…

SHELL’S STARSHIP 2.0 future truck has undertaken a coast-to-coast efficiency run in the United States, recording 21.8L/100km with a load of just over 21 tonnes. Shell says its Starship program exceeded 2018 results in its second cross-country run using energyefficient technologies to demonstrate what could be achieved driving a truck in real-world conditions. The truck was designed to draw together these technologies in a single vehicle crafted to optimise performance and efficiency. Following the initial program in 2018, the Shell Lubricants Solutions and Shell Technology teams worked together to pair the learnings from the first run with recent advancements in technology to develop the Shell Starship 2.0 truck. The new truck features a new chassis and drivetrain, along with new safety and fuel-efficient upgrades while maintaining the bespoke body from…

THE TRUCK driving industry has slammed Australia’s dominant toll-road operator Transurban for claiming it is “powerless” to cut fares on its network. Speaking on the eve of his appearance before the New South Wales Legislative Council Inquiry into Tolling Regimes in Sydney on September 28, National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) CEO Warren Clark said Transurban boss Scott Charlton needs to backtrack on a statement he made in the media on September 20. “Mr Charlton said the government sets the toll price and its annual rate of increases and they’re not his problems,” Clark says. “Nothing stops Transurban giving rebates or multi-use discounts to truck operators to encourage them to use its roads. “Mr Charlton’s company just paid $11.1 billion for the purchase of the state government’s remaining stake in WestConnex…

THE NEW two-way Wonbobbie Road Bridge at Tenandra, New South Wales is enabling freight operators to experience more reliable and safer journeys crossing the Marthaguy Creek, says state minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Paul Toole. The concrete bridge replaces the single-lane structure that was limited to a 25-tonne capacity. “The new bridge, about 21 kilometres north of Warren, has no capacity limits, and will improve traffic flow as vehicles will no longer have to wait for oncoming traffic to pass over the old single-lane structure,” Toole says. “With about 130,000 tonnes of freight transported along Wonbobbie Road each year, the new bridge will improve freight efficiency by allowing drivers to make fewer trips with heavier loads, saving them time and costs.” Member of the Legislative Council Sam Farraway says…

The importance of good winter tyres certainly isn’t lost on companies such as Stadelmann Enterprises. Trucks, like cars and four-wheel-drives, need the right winter tyres for safe driving in low ambient temperatures on the snow and ice risk sections of Australia’s alpine roads. ‘It is the tyres that make a vehicle grip the road in these snow and icy conditions, not the vehicle drive system,’ says Richard Townley of Snow Drive Solutions. Accordingly, Richard says the tread compounds of Nokian winter tyres used by both the Stadelmann and Transport for NSW snow clearing operations are designed to remain flexible in extremely cold temperatures so the tyre tread ‘keys’ into the road surface. Normal drive and steer tyres are less effective when temperatures drop below 7 degrees C as the tread…

I really did want to focus my opening paragraph on family, because this story is all about family. The star of the show is driven by a family member, the office is run by family members, the truck gets serviced by family members and the company has been family-run since it started in 1965. All of this family involvement during a time where a lot of the country is having forced family time and subsequently driving each other up the wall. The McClintocks on the other hand have grown a highly successful business by working for and with family. Originally that was the tone I wanted to take when introducing Jayden and his father Jeff McClintock in this opening stanza. Then I found out the family started in pineapple farming…

THE SUB-ZERO briskness of the morning had abated by lunchtime as I rolled into the rural New South Wales town of Cootamundra – the birthplace of Don Bradman. The Cootamundra wattle, celebrated in the John Williamson song, were in early stages of bloom as I scanned letterbox numbers for the residence of David Armstrong. I needn’t have bothered. Ahead of me, parked in the quiet street, stood the sky blue R-200 International I was looking for. David was coming off the back of a busy week carting newspapers from Yass to Cootamundra, so his taking the time out to indulge a classic truck tragic like myself was much appreciated. I was welcomed into the family home and introduced to David’s wife, Vicki. From the outset, it’s clear that this truck…

“It knocked a couple of hours off the job with that S2.” IMUST ADMIT that, when I first spotted the Wild’s Livestock twin-steer Kenworth, it blew me away! It went straight to the top of my ‘I’ve got to know the story behind that’ list. I thought it was going to be such a cool restoration story. I was so wrong. You want to know why? In order to be a restoration story, the truck has to have been restored! It turns out that the Wild’s Livestock truck has never stopped; it has not had time for a restoration, it is just a hard-working iconic truck. The truck did get a little down time when the motor was first replaced with a couple of million kilometres on it. Since then,…

AUSTRALIAN brake manufacturer Bendix has released its latest development in high performance brake pads, which it says provides solutions engineered for heavy duty applications on commercial vehicles. Bendix says its ProTrans HD Brake Pads are designed and engineered to combat the extreme pressures that heavy duty vehicles, such as cement agitators, refuse compactors and major rigs are exposed to on a daily basis and are specially engineered to meet Australia’s conditions. According to Bendix, the development of the ProTrans HD revolves around a special advanced heavy-duty formulation designed to cope with the high temperatures related to constant braking and gross vehicle mass loading, which requires a higher performance brake pad. This, in turn, addresses a major issue in fleets of multi-purpose pads’ wear rate. Bendix reports that it employed the…