Table of contents for Issue 330 in Owner Driver

TRUCK DRIVER training is one of the flagship new programs accompanying the first stage of major upgrades to Western Australia’s South Regional TAFE’s Collie campus. Announced on June 29, the opening of the new facilities coincided with the launch of the new Heavy Haulage Driving Operations Skill Set pilot program that will deliver skills to truck drivers with an aim of increasing productivity and industry safety. Endorsed by the Western Roads Federation (WRF), it was “developed following considerable industry consultation and will fill key skills gaps for this essential service”. The five-week course has been developed to support workers and businesses and gives drivers the end-to-end skills needed in their workplace and help jobseekers increase their employability. The course will also give participants eight units of competency from the Certificate…

MACKAY-BASED diesel fitter Brenton ‘Budgie’ Bugeja felt like a change of scenery, so he traded the tools for the cab of a truck – a decision he couldn’t be happier with! Brenton now operates Budgie’s Hot Shots, a general freight business running equipment and supplies to coal mines around the Bowen Basin in Queensland. “I’m actually a diesel fitter and I just sort of wanted a sea change. I guess you’d call it that!” he tells Owner//Driver. From there, Budgie’s Hot Shots was born, a similar name to Brenton’s diesel fitting business, but a change of scenery it certainly was. “Budgie is of course my nickname and my previous business was called Budgie’s Diesel Solutions, so we did have to change the name a bit! “Hot Shots sees us delivering…

Ian Stanley has been in the truck and bus game for over 30 years – including as a driver, fleet and operations manager – and driving instructor at Strategix Training in Brisbane for the past decade. He does B-double licenses in two days, including 16 hours behind the wheel and a two-hour driving test. He goes beyond the call of duty in taking nearly all candidates up and down the old Toowoomba Range, teaching them how to hold on to a big rig using either a crash box or an automated gearbox in manual mode. “Should the training be longer for all heavy vehicles? Absolutely!” says Ian. “I would love to have people for a week but we would price ourselves out of the game. “For that to happen it…

IT’S OFTEN difficult to get across in writing the character of a person without an in-depth, highly-detailed profile being written up. There are always exceptions though; certain people that can be summed up with a little anecdote or by reflection of their deeds. And Ken Carratt is one of those people. It’s one little deed, one little invention, that perfectly captures his character. So if you want to know the type of guy Ken is, next time you are at a truck show, or historic event and see his stunning 1969 Mack, with the big 63-inch Peterbilt sleeper, pop over and have a look. Make sure you are lined up in front of it, to truly appreciate the classic Mack lines, and take the time to stare down the Bulldog…

ACCORDING to Paccar Australia, the newest member of its product line – the T410SAR – is the result of “continuous innovation and product development process”, not to mention influence from customer and driver feedback. “Combining classic Kenworth styling with modern enhancements, the T410SAR complements the existing Kenworth product range and provides Australian and New Zealand customers with additional solutions for their application needs,” says Paccar Australia sales and marketing director Brad May. Paccar underlines that the new model combines the best attributes of both a cab-over and conventional truck, particularly in terms of manoeuvrability, visibility and a minimal overall length, along with the serviceability, ease of cab access and low-tare weight of a bonneted truck. “Of paramount importance in delivering new product is the need to maintain the exceptional performance,…

THE NATIONAL Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has unveiled a program to support manufacturers and operators incorporate safety and environmental technology into new and existing heavy vehicles. The Vehicle Safety and Environmental Technology Update Plan (SETUP) was developed following a survey of manufacturers in 2018, and is designed to meet the targets set out in the federal government’s National Road Safety Action Plan 2018-2020, NHVR notes. The plan comprises five work packages, including better harmonisation of Australian vehicle standards, better access to the latest vehicle technologies, ensuring appropriate in-service requirements, and industry education about new and emerging technology. These include: Advocate for the increased: harmonisation of Australian vehicle standards to allow for the latest designs from origin markets; and fitment of safety and environmental technology from those major market designs Relax…

THE AUSTRALIAN Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has fired a warning shot towards Owner//Driver columnist Frank Black following his concerns over low freight rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter sent to Black dated June 1, Catherine Pavey, director Cartels branch at the ACCC, referred to statements made in his April 2020 column that the ACCC could give rise to allegations that he has attempted to fix prices with other owner-drivers. Black’s opinion piece also ran on Owner//Driver’s website: www.ownerdriver.com.au. In particular, Pavey listed two “potentially problematic paragraphs” in Black’s opinion piece: “What does concern me is the cheap freight being offered by people taking advantage of the situation. This is no time for bottom feeders to seek to profit at the expense of others. We can’t afford for…

MOST DAYS, Brad Greenrod witnessed what the transport industry sees far too often – truck drivers who can’t drive. Until recently Brad was a driver assessor and on-road compliance manager with one of Australia’s biggest trucking companies. But shockingly, he estimates for every couple of dozen applicants with B-double licenses he interviewed, after the practical test he would hire only one – maybe two. “It’s fairly common for them not to be able to keep the truck in the lane, they couldn’t hook them up, couldn’t reverse – basically couldn’t drive out of sight on a dark night,” Brad laments. “I’ve had blokes slam the truck into the back of trailers and miss the king-pin completely.” Brad – whose own driving specialty is in heavy haulage – doesn’t blame the…

AS THINGS stand at the moment, there’s just a handful of Argosy cab-overs still remaining on Freightliner’s books. When they’re sold, there will be no more. Ever! While competitive interests are no doubt smiling at the imminence of Argosy’s end, proponents are already lamenting the loss of a model which, despite a decidedly chequered history, has been a critical platform for Freightliner operations in Australia since the day it first landed here more than 20 years ago. According to Freightliner’s figures, upwards of 7,500 units have been delivered to Australian operators since Argosy hit our shores in early ’99, making it arguably the most popular and productive truck in the brand’s Australian history. Smart start The early excitement around Argosy was almost palpable. Sporting a stylish, appealing cab bristling with…

TRAILER MANUFACTURER MaxiTrans has commended the federal government’s plan to extend the stimulus package until the end of the year in address to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. MaxiTrans says the extension of the package, announced on June 9, will continue to build confidence, through on-going employment and business continuity for its brands and suppliers alike. “The combination of the government programs, including JobKeeper and the accelerated depreciation incentive, have been a blessing for Australian business and the transport industry,” says Dean Jenkins, MaxiTrans managing director and CEO. “Importantly, what it has meant for MaxiTrans is that we have been able to keep our operations going in support of our customers, so that they can continue to keep food on shelves. Also just as important is that we…

ISUZU is upgrading its light-duty NLR 55-150 models with a brand-new NMR 60/45-150 N Series range. Responding to what the Japanese maker says is “an increasing demand for a light-duty, narrow cab, cabchassis truck models with increased payload capacity and ease of driving”, the new model adds an additional 500kg payload and the availability of a two-pedal option to the model it replaces, the NLR 55-150. The NMR model is available in 4,500kg and 6,000kg gross vehicle mass (GVM) ratings. The former is car licence compatible “enabling businesses to utilise a range of driving abilities”, Isuzu says. “Operators will also enjoy additional payload capacity with the 6,000kg GVM NMR variant, adding a 500kg payload up-tick on Isuzu’s popular NLR 55-150 model.” The NMR is powered by the Isuzu 4JJ1-TCS diesel…

ALONG WITH the pomp and ceremony of NorthConnex’s first end-to-end drive through lurks a New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) memo to trucking operators on the consequences of avoiding the new toll road. The launch of the $3 billion state-federal initiative saw a photo opportunity for prime minister Scott Morrison, federal infrastructure minister Michael McCormack, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW transport and roads minister Andrew Constance at the nine-kilometre, twin tunnels, which travel between the M1 Pacifc Motorway at Wahroonga and the M2 Hills Motorway at West Pennant Hills. The tunnel is said to be open to the public “within two months”. In a statement, all ministers praised the flagship project, with Berejiklian noting once complete, NorthConnex would save up to 15 minutes’ travel time and allow…

GROWING OPTIMISM among Victorian fleet-owners and operators bodes well for much of the rest of the country battling the economic effects of COVID-19. Of the states, Victoria’s economy is seen as perhaps the hardest hit by strong social measures to counter the pandemic, putting capital equipment expenditure at risk. Yet the Victorian Transport Association (VTA) reports that its latest COVID Insights survey shows optimism expressed by VTA and Victorian Waste Management Association (VWMA) members in April that the transport industry would recover from the economic downturn has continued – and in many cases strengthened – in June. “The inaugural survey conducted in late April suggested the transport, waste and recycling sectors were reasonably upbeat about the prospects of recovering from the coronavirus pandemic,” the VTA says. “To gain an updated…

PEPPI AND DANIELLE INVERNO, husband and wife owners of transport business G&D Inverno, never intended on buying another truck, especially a brand new Kenworth. Besides, they already had four Kenworths in their small fleet and adding another was never part of the equation. That is until Peppi called in at the Hallam Truck Centre in Melbourne on the way home to Gippsland after an interstate run in 2017. As fate would have it, Kenworth was about to release a limited edition Legend 900. To entice interest, the Hallam Truck Centre had a display model, ‘Legend 1’, on show and Peppi got talking to Kenworth sales consultant Danny O’Hara. Peppi later arrived home, seeming somewhat sheepish. Danielle sensed something was amiss. “I was in the kitchen cooking and he came in…

AS FAR as prime movers go, Japanese trucks generally don’t rate high on the heap. At least, not in this country and certainly not on linehaul routes. Sure, there are exceptions. Some operators swear by their positive experience with a particular brand of Japanese prime mover but with even fewer exceptions, it’s an experience largely limited to metro work or relatively short regional runs. Funny thing though, over the ditch in Kiwi country, Japanese models are a major player in every part of the prime mover market. Horses for courses, I guess, given that distances and conditions in the two countries are as blatantly different as ‘six’ and ‘sux’. Whatever, it’s been many years since a Japanese brand had a notable presence in the ranks of Australian prime movers. Decades…

TRUCK DRIVERS globally could soon have access to state-of-the-art temperature control in their cabins that reduces windscreen condensation and improves comfort. An international research team involving Monash University, Zhejiang University (China) and the University of Pennsylvania (US) have spent the past two years investigating the air inlet mode, temperature, relative humidity and flow speed of ventilation of air conditioners in truck cabins, and how this impacts dewing and driver comfort. The study, published in Applied Thermal Engineering, found highest anti-dewing efficiency was achieved when the air conditioning airflow was set to speed above 0.6 metres per second, a relative humidity of 20 per cent and temperature above 46.85 degrees Celsius within 200 seconds. However, the optimal zone – where the combined requirements of occupant comfort, energy efficiency and safety were…