Table of contents for Issue 331 in Owner Driver

LEADING AUSTRALIAN energy company Viva Energy has been announced as the exclusive broadcast partner of the second season of Bauer Media Group’s hit TV series Mighty Machines. Aired on Network 10 in Australia and Prime TV in New Zealand, and amplified across Bauer’s print and digital platforms, the 10-episode first season proved a ratings success, reaching an average TV audience of 264,000 in Australia alone. Based on this success, season 2 of Mighty Machines will expand to an epic 20 episodes when it airs in Australia and New Zealand from Saturday, September 26. Leveraging the talent of Bauer’s stable of transport and machinery journalists, videographers and editors, season 2 will showcase the mighty men, women and machines that underpin the region’s transport, construction and farm sectors. Supplying a quarter of…

“I will not buy another truck without it.” IN A COVID-19 inflicted world it’s hardly business as usual. Less social contact, border restrictions, and let’s not mention panic buying. So when Owner//Driver wanted to catch up with an operator who simply loves his job while sitting behind the wheel of a fine example of European technology, the best option was to pick up the phone and have a chat. Admittedly, the stunning photos on these pages were taken some time ago, so it was with great interest that we followed up with a call to Mark Samad as he was driving his Scania 6x2 R620 V8 Topline from Melbourne to Sydney. Naturally, Mark had his hands-free Bluetooth phone on the go, so no dramas there. However, the difficulty was also…

The National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo is on the move. After its first four great years at the Panthers Penrith, residential development on the Panthers site meant a new home for the National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo was needed. After being postponed from its originally scheduled May event, the 2020 Expo is being staged from October 16–18 at the Sydney Dragway. Conveniently located at Ferrers Road, the move to Sydney Dragway has been warmly welcomed by exhibitors, who appreciate the many benefits of the site. These include 8.4 hectares of flat, all-weather asphalt surface, easy access to power and other infrastructure, expansive car parking, a great machinery demonstration site and facilities of a similar size and configuration as those at Penrith. Expo manager Marti Zivkovich says the sponsors…

This year marks the 50th year of Meritor’s operations in Australia. In 1969, Rockwell and Industrial Engineering established a purpose-built drive axle manufacturing plant in Melbourne. Over the years, the facility supplied drive and steer axles to brands like Ford, Chrysler, Atkinson, International, White Motors, Leader, Volvo, Mack, Kenworth and Iveco. Despite significant changes in the global truck market Meritor has continued to supply parts to some of the world’s biggest truck names – including Kenworth, Volvo, Mack, Isuzu, Iveco, Western Star and Freightliner – first as part of Rockwell International, then as Arvin Meritor, and eventually under the Meritor banner. “Off the back of Meritor’s 110 year legacy, we are delighted to be celebrating 50 years in Australia reflecting the brands heritage and our dedication to the commercial vehicle…

TR Group has announced the launch of TR Group Australia, formerly known as Semi Skel Hire. TR Group acquired the Melbourne-based trailer rental company in July 2019 as a first step into the Australian truck and trailer hire market. Over the past year, TR says it has expanded the 1,300-strong fleet by adding 45 new prime movers to what was a trailer-only fleet. In addition, TR now boasts over 20 PBS-approved A-doubles and super B-combinations, which it says arefully permitted in accordance with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s regulations. A Brisbane branch close to the port on Lytton Road was opened in February this year, which TR Group says is part of its strategy to expand nationwide. A new 75,000 cubic metre Melbourne site on Boundary Road opens in September.…

ONE OF the beneficiaries of Queensland’s Jobs and Regional Growth Fund is Maryborough-based truck and transport fabricator Allweld Manufacturing. The company will diversify into defence and aerospace supply with funding support as part of the $175 million state initiative. “Over the years we’ve been able to secure new markets and we are now designing and manufacturing a range of customised transporters including prime movers, tippers and trailers as well as fire, rescue and ambulance vehicles and marine craft,” Allweld owner Andrew Shilleto says. Allweld project executive manager Josh Linwood says the funding support will assist the company to expand its manufacturing facility in Maryborough and diversify its production into new specialised areas. Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk backs the business to help drive the state’s COVID-19 economic recovery. “Regional manufacturers are…

NATIONAL CABINET has endorsed a new protocol to address freight border crossing inconsistencies across different jurisdictions. It has also agreed to upgrade the Domestic Border Control Freight Movement Protocol to an enforceable code by state and territory jurisdictions. The protocol agrees “unanticipated delays at the border can have implications for safety on the roads and the health of critical transport workers” and states “greater consistency in border management of supply chains will assist industry to comply”. The protocol, endorsed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee with the involvement of members of the Transport and Infrastructure Council (TIC), outlines measures that all states and territories agree will allow freight to move safely and efficiently across borders. For example, on managing risks of freight disruption to the community and economy, the…

IF HALF YEARLY results are anything to go by, truck sales figures for 2020 may not be the complete disaster some pundits have been spectacularly quick to predict. Certainly, the sales market to the end of June hasn’t been great and the strong figures of the previous three years now seem like a distant dream. Or were they an unsustainable illusion? Whatever, we’ve never seen anything like COVID-19 before and the simple fact is that 2020 numbers to date could have been worse. Much worse. For instance, as the Truck Industry Council (TIC) reported back in May, ‘Despite the plummeting sales, we have not yet reach (sic) “the worst sales on record”, with May 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014 sales in the post Global Financial Crisis era, being slightly worse…

THERE WAS A TIME, Graeme Cromack casually reflects, when Mercedes-Benz came close, very close in fact, to being a major part of the family trucking business. But that time was more than 50 years ago and since then, for one reason or another, Benz has largely missed the boat. Until now! It’s a long story and as Graeme sits watching company driver Ben ‘BJ’ Jacobs reverse the meticulously maintained 2658 prime mover under a similarly sleek curtain-sided trailer, he recalls stories from the early days of a family which, like most families in the district, actually relied on boats for many things. Specifically, the boats which once plied products and produce to and from Grafton along the broad and occasionally flooded expanse of the Clarence River in northern NSW. “It…

Not all aftermarket linings are created equal. So how do you select the right brake shoe lining for your vehicle? Well if you know your truck’s application, TRP can recommend a shoe for you. As a requirement, all brake linings are designed to exceed maximum load limits in Australia, so axle ratings, while important, should not play a huge role in determining the right lining. What is right for one application may not be suited to another. Brake linings certified at 23,000 lb (10,433kg) can prove to be much too aggressive for some applications, causing the brake drums to wear prematurely or result in brakes that ‘grab’. Similarly, brakes certified at 21,000 lb (9,525kg) may not provide sufficient braking power to stop some heavy vehicles. All TRP brake linings exceed…

The Brisbane Truck Show has renewed long-term partnerships with National Transport Insurance (NTI), BP Australia and Bauer Media Group ahead of the launch of the highly-anticipated 2021 event. The southern hemisphere’s largest automotive business event will return to the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from Thursday, May 13 to Sunday, May 16, 2021. The show is presented by Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) whose founding members held the first event in 1968, prior to formalising their association two years later. Following last year’s show HVIA was presented with two prestigious awards at the Australian Event Awards, with the Brisbane Truck Show named Australia’s Best Corporate Event and Best Exhibition or Tradeshow. HVIA chief executive Todd Hacking says the accolades only serve to inspire more energy to further improve the show…

IT APPEARS increasingly likely that ongoing COVID-19 restrictions will be the final nail in the coffin of the Truck Industry Council’s (TIC) divisive attempt to end the Brisbane Truck Show’s crown as the premier event on the Australian trucking calendar. The council’s original plan was to conduct an event called the Australian Truck Exhibition and Technology Symposium at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on March 21 to 23, 2021, just two months before the next Brisbane Truck Show in May. According to several industry insiders, TIC’s decision to forge ahead with plans for a rival event was largely to stifle the funds accrued by the organiser of the Brisbane Truck Show, the Heavy Vehicle Industry Association (HVIA). Some sources suggest TIC, which describes itself as ‘the peak industry organisation…

IF YOU had spotted the photos of this extremely tidy F86 Volvo and thought ‘Wow, I had better have a read about this incredibly cool restoration project’ then I’m afraid you are out of luck, it’s not a restoration project. If you are looking for a technicality and think instead I’m going to call it a rebuild story and impress you with my knowledge of the difference between the two, then you are also out of luck. The reason being, in order for it to be either a restoration or a rebuild story you need a truck that has been worn down enough to either be restored or rebuilt. This incredible little Volvo has never been let go that much, unless you consider a few engine running repairs as a…

IN THIS COVID-19 world, Hino Australia adopted the social distancing norm when it launched its 2020 Hino 300 Series range via a Zoom meeting. Despite this handicap, Hino’s enthusiasm was unmistakable as MC Neil Crompton introduced president and COO of Hino Motor Sales Australia Sam Suda, general manager Bill Gillespie, and manager of product strategy Daniel Petrovski. Suda hit the nail on the head when he stated that the new challenges caused by the pandemic had forced Hino to be more innovative, designing a unique format using video and online launch methods to bring the new 300 Series to life. “We think the new 300 Series deserves the most innovative launch that Hino can give as it reflects the all-new safety innovation to keep our drivers and other road users…

DAIMLER TRUCK and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO Daniel Whitehead has lauded the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator‘s (NHVR) focus on encouraging truck safety and environmental advances. The NHVR recently released its Vehicle Safety Environmental Technology Uptake Plan, which sets out a pathway to remove red tape that currently limits the uptake of truck technology that reduces emissions and improves safety. Whitehead says the NHVR Uptake Plan is a valuable contribution that has the potential to help the Australian transport industry operate more efficiently, cut emissions and ultimately reduce road accident trauma. “The NHVR has a critical role in being able to help the increased take up of lifesaving safety technology and improved emission technology, so it is fantastic that the team has stepped up to advocate for positive change,”…