Owner/Driver #328

ownerdriver
MAY 2020 #328 $3.00 inc. GST
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Roads to erosion
Rural roads suffering
political neglect
See page 22
Hino’s
focus shift
ZF Traxon transmission
adds vigour to Hino 700
See page 62
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Family inspiration behind ‘85 Super-Liner’s new zest for life
16 42 62

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Contents #328
MAY 2020
16
8 RED LIGHT CAMERA BIAS
AGAINST TRUCKS
All vehicles on the road are equal
but some are less equal than others
16 TRUCKS FIT FOR KINGS
Daniel King, a third generation
member of his family’s transport
business, is proof that once diesel
gets into your blood, it’s there
for life
22 ROADS TO EROSION
It’s great for politicians to cut
the ribbons on new urban
motorways and regional freeways,
but they tend to forget about
ongoing maintenance of roads,
say the experts
34 REBUILT TO LAST
On the lookout for a suitable
rebuild project, the Pilbeam family
42
“Back in its day the truck
carted rum from Bundaberg
to Adelaide.”
34
travelled north from Heyfield in
Victoria to Dalby, Queensland,
discovering a 1985 Mack Super-
Liner well past its peak
42 PUSHING THE PINK MESSAGE
Canada’s Eva Knelsen had a
hankering for truck driving from
an early age. Now she’s driving
long-haul across Canada and the
US, while raising breast cancer
awareness
48 VIRUS RAMIFICATIONS
A group of local and interstate
truck drivers offer their
thoughts on the impact of the
Covid-19 pandemic on their
livelihood
62 HINO’S SHIFTING FOCUS
Hino’s long wheelbase addition
to its long-serving 700-series
heavy-duty range certainly
packs plenty of punch for a
truck essentially designed for
three-axle rigid work. Best
of all is the way ZF’s Traxon
transmission adds new vim
and vigour to a true toiler
4 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

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ownerdriver
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CIRCULATIONS
AUDIT BOARD
(CAB Audit September 2019)
FOR MOST Australians, and indeed in other parts of
the world, this will surely be the most astonishing
period of their lifetime. According to reports, one
in four Australian workers will lose their job. And
some will not be eligible for JobKeeper.
With retail outlets closing or winding back nonperforming
stores, the opportunity to spend any
redundancy money is fading fast. Anyway, that cash would
be better reserved for a rainy day; and it’s pouring now.
Retail groups such as Myer have temporarily closed up,
but are apparently doing a roaring trade in on-line orders.
Others, like the Target group, enjoyed initial success with
on-line orders, despite most outlets being allowed to keep
their doors open. That looks like it’s coming to an end, with
Target pinpointing stores that are not profitable, especially
in regional areas, and shutting their doors.
It would appear that those businesses that were barely
making ends meet before the Covid-19 pandemic hit are
sinking first and closing their doors forever, or going into
liquidation.
Of the three out of four workers who have managed to
keep their jobs, many are working from home. Will this
be a regular event once the social distancing measures
are completely relaxed and life returns to some sort of
normality?
Truck drivers? Well, their office is in the cab of their truck.
More than that, it’s their home away from home. While the
nature of the job appears to make social distancing easier,
they may still come into contact with other drivers at truck
stops, distribution centres and head offices.
With the growth of on-line shopping, road transport is
holding the country together. And that’s not including
staple items such as groceries and, of course, alcohol.
Problem is, with less cash floating around in the
community, there is bound to be a lull in on-line orders for
some time to come.
ONE OF the last scheduled 2020 events holding out hope of
still being able to take place has been forced to cancel for
the foreseeable future.
The NatRoad conference, which was to be held at
Hamilton Island on August 27 to 29, will now not run.
It was an enviable decision for NatRoad. With the tourism
industry feeling the pinch more than most, even getting to
the island venue would have been a difficult task. And most
small operators and owner-drivers, who would have made
up the majority of attendees, would most likely have other
priorities now.
However, NatRoad is investigating ways to still have the
scheduled presentations available, through podcasts and/or
webinar series.
Bring on 2021 – please!
CIRCULATIONS
AUDIT BOARD
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The Goods
NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Red light camera bias against trucks
All vehicles on the road are equal but some are less equal than others
IT’S A FACT that heavily laden articulated trucks are
generally unable to come to a complete halt in the time
it takes a yellow traffic light to turn red.
Imagine you drive a heavy-duty truck, or you employ
one who does. Imagine an experienced driver operating
a fully-loaded semi is approaching traffic lights, in this
case in a 60km/h speed limit zone.
The driver understands the dynamics of the vehicle
very well indeed. And when the traffic light begins to
turn yellow, the idea of an emergency stop, with the load
of steel being hauled, is judged to be just too dangerous.
It all happens in a sliver of a split second as the driver
makes the decision in what is called the ‘dilemma zone’.
Brake very hard and risk jack-knifing in the traffic, or
continue through and risk a hefty fine.
Professional driver Don Smith from New South Wales
got that hefty fine, along with the red-light camera
image of the infraction, but felt aggrieved.
“But what could I do?” he said to his father, Brian
Smith, a western NSW farmer. “There just wasn’t time to
stop safely.”
And so began a quest to finds out why yellow lights in
flat 60km/h-limit roads are set at four seconds, when all
evidence is that fully laden combinations are unable to
manage to stop in time.
Even the most inadvertent red-light infringement will
fail an appeal to the authorities and legal advice tends to
be not to bother unless there was a life-or-death level of
situation. Granted, many are tempted to ‘try it on’.
Indeed, it is a public concern for heavy-duty truck
drivers and, given the penalties by way of licence points,
can be for trucking companies seeking to keep their
drivers on the road as well.
Without mentioning yellow lights per se, professional
driver Dale Compton, in a submission to the Glenn
Sterle-led Senate trucking inquiry, made it plain when
calling for the use of advanced technology for traffic
lights.
“We need better traffic lights that are aware of a heavy
vehicle approaching and keep it green,” Compton writes.
“Momentum in a truck is everything, braking hard for
a red could be life threatening.”
Because Don Smith was on the road so much of
the time, his father sought to bring an argument of
mitigation to the authorities in New South Wales.
“The lights turned yellow, and it was decided that there
was insufficient distance before the lights to make a
controlled, stable and safe stop before the lights, so a
decision was made to continue through the lights,” Brian
Smith wrote.
“This decision was based on experience gained driving
heavy vehicles of all different combinations from triple
road trains to single trailer combinations in every
mainland state in Australia, covering several million
kilometres, over a period of 20 years.”
He pointed out that the photo was taken 0.5 seconds
after the red light appeared and 5.1 metres of the vehicle
was over the stop line at that instant.
His calculation is that, at a speed of 60km/h, any object
covers a distance of 66.66 metres in four seconds, and
16.66 metres in one second.
The front of Don Smith’s truck crossed the stop line
about 0.194 seconds after the red light, and that it
was 3.23 metres over the stop line when the red light
illuminated.
At the time the yellow light first came on, the front of
the offending vehicle was most likely 63.43 metres from
the stop line, given a speed of 60km/h, and had about
3.806 seconds in which to stop before the stop line.
So, is it reasonable to expect any fully-loaded rig to
stop in time in such circumstances?
Brian Smith set to work on research and found
himself reading a 2004 study by consultancy Roaduser
Systems into heavy vehicle stopping distances in
Australia.
It had been commissioned by Main Roads WA and
used in a ‘Submission to the Parliament of Victoria’s
Road Safety Committee Vehicle Safety Enquiry’, involving
a study of ‘Acceleration and deceleration testing of
combination vehicles’.
This was a national project, “the results of which are
being fed into the Review of Austroads road design
guides, and the Australian Level Crossing. Assessment
Model for sight distances required for Heavy Vehicles at
Railway Level Crossings”.
If so, there is precious little evidence of it being taken
into account at Austroads beyond rail crossings.
Based on repeated testing, it found livestock
semi-trailer average stopping distance, including
reaction time, was 109 metres, reflecting the need to
avoid injury to animals – for an end tipper semi-trailer,
that was 84 metres and the same for a B-double freight
combination.
That is a lot more than the 66.66 metres in four
seconds that the yellow-light timing dictates in 60km/h
zones.
Federal roads body Austroads has managed to
convince several of road authorities, including in
Auckland, New Zealand, to accept its Guide to Traffic
Management.
“If the yellow time is too
long, motorists will tend
to abuse the signal.”
Part 9 of the guide, Traffic Operations, which notes
that yellow light intervals need to be longer if speed
limits are higher or roads sloping down and shorter
if the obverse is true, covers traffic light duration and
starts promisingly enough.
“The purpose of the yellow interval is to provide
sufficient warning of the termination of the phase,”
it states.
“A driver must stop for a yellow display provided it
can be done safely.”
But from there, trucks are only mentioned in passing
in relation to their inferior braking performance
compared to cars.
“Another important consideration is the perceived
danger of a rear-end collision with a following vehicle
(particularly a heavy vehicle), which may not be prepared
for the sudden deceleration,” it says.
Working against any softer view on duration is the
concern, backed up by 60-year-old US research, that that
there may be dangers.
“If the yellow interval is too short, vehicles within a
certain distance from the stop line will be unable (or
unwilling) to stop before the red signal appears, and if
the yellow time is too long, motorists will tend to abuse
the signal,” the guide states.
Possibly the most relevant academic or any other
study to the issue at hand is found in a US publication,
the Journal of Transportation Engineering, though it is
focused on vehicle-actuated traffic signals.
It’s called ‘Signal treatments to reduce the likelihood
of heavy vehicle crashes at intersections: microsimulation
modelling approach’.
It notes that, in an unnamed and possibly generic
metropolitan area studied, 16 fatal and 203 serious
injury crashes occurred between 2002 and 2008 at vehicle
actuated signal-controlled intersections compared with
a total of 68 fatal and 3,500 serious injury crashes for all
vehicle types.
However, it was not possible to determine how many
were the result of red-light running.
The researchers, noting further research is required,
instead advocate two other vehicle-actuated signal
treatments:
• extend green time for heavy vehicles caught in the
dilemma zone before the change to yellow/amber
• a suitable extension of all-red when a vehicle is
deemed to have a high probability for red-light
running during the amber or all-red phase duration.
While Brian Smith’s individual efforts gained some
help from a couple of regional officials and a basic
reply from a minister’s office promising to take his
concerns to Austroads, repeated journalistic questioning
under control or advice of both Transport for NSW and
Austroads – and by extension, of the nation’s other road
authorities – resulted in significant failures to address
the central issues.
These issues were, whether:
• truck braking dynamics were ignored at both levels
when setting yellow/amber light durations
• truck drivers trying to do the safe thing are being
unfairly penalised for ‘red-light running’
• authorities are going to do anything about what
appears an unconscionable situation akin to the
refusal in any reasonable manner to provide proper
truck stops for fatigued truck drivers.
Austroads did manage to get about half its member
authorities to say that they followed its guidelines on
yellow light durations, but little more than that.
– Rob McKay
8 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Call for diesel to match petrol price drop
Glenn Sterle queries
high diesel prices while
motorists enjoy 1990-
style bowser bargains
LABOR SENATOR Glenn Sterle has urged the Minister for
Infrastructure and Transport, Michael McCormack, to
take action over unchanged diesel prices as the global
price of oil drops.
Sterle, the Shadow Assistant Minister for Road Safety,
refers to a statement from Westpac economist Justin
Smirk who has predicted that the price of unleaded fuel
could drop 20 per cent by June to around 75 cents a litre.
The Senator says Australia has not enjoyed those prices
seen since the mid-1990s.
“Fuel prices continue to plummet across the country
after the cost of oil collapsed and went into the negative
for the first time in history,” Sterle says.
“However, we are not seeing this reduction reflected in
the price of diesel.
“Diesel is cheaper to produce and easier to store yet
the cost per litre remains high in contrast to falling fuel
prices. Why?
“Diesel is an essential commodity in this country.”
He points to statistics provided by Budgetdirect.com.
au, which stated that diesel was the second most used
type of fuel in Australia in 2018 at 45.8 per cent and was
predominantly used by truck drivers and transport
operators.
“Furthermore, the Australian Bureau of Statistics states
that in the same year, diesel accounted for 59.8 per cent
of the 7,308 mega litres of fuel consumed by rigid and
articulated trucks,” the senator says.
“Given the essential role our truckies play on a daily
basis, which has been further emphasised by their
continued sacrifice and hard work amid the Covid-19
pandemic, where is the Minister for Infrastructure
and Transport Michael McCormack on this issue and
why isn’t he standing up for Australia’s truckies and
demanding that something be done to reduce the cost
of diesel?”
Sterle refers to an interview conducted by 9 News
Riverina in mid-April, in which he claims Minister
McCormack said “… the price of oil is at almost record
lows and that should be passed on at the bowser. There
is absolutely no excuse for petrol companies not to be
passing on the prices at the bowsers.”
Following that statement, Senator Sterle says he wants
to know what the Transport Minister is actively doing
about this issue.
“Has he engaged with transport associations to see
what impact this is having on their members? Has he
engaged the fuel companies to ask them what they can
do to support the hard working men and women in the
transport industry?
“We have already seen truckies face some pretty tough
conditions in our regions with not being able to access
road houses, rest areas and toilet and shower facilities
amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Now that that issue has fortunately been resolved,
what is Minister McCormack going to do to alleviate
the cost pressures our truck drivers are facing at the
bowser?” Senator Sterle says.
“As the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and
Transport, Minister McCormack’s silence and lack of
interest on this issue has been breathtaking. He is the
Minister for Transport; its time he stood up.”
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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Experts advise on truck cab hygiene
Transport and medical experts
share knowledge on keeping
vehicles coronavirus free
A STRONGER focus on the essential
value of truck drivers is driving a
greater appreciation for keeping them
out of coronavirus harm’s way.
Well-understood by the cream of
professional drivers, the top tips for
implementing stringent cleaning
measures to stay safe during the
Covid-19 outbreak is being shared by
transport and medical experts.
And it doesn’t stop at trucks.
Many families still need their car to
get to work or pick up groceries, and
transport and logistics insurer NTI
notes it is important drivers know how
to protect themselves from Covid-19.
Dr Ryan Harvey, clinical director of
national telehealth service 13 Doctor,
says the first priority has to be hygiene.
“The best practice a person
can employ is general hygiene,”
Dr Harvey says.
“Washing hands regularly with
soap and water for a minimum
of 20 seconds and regularly using
hand sanitiser is the best way to
combat germs and stop the spread of
any virus.
“In your vehicle, consider having
hand sanitiser in your centre console
so it’s easily accessible.
“You’ll also need to regularly clean
the interior of your vehicle. No special
formulations are required, just soap
and water and general cleaning
products.”
National Transport Insurance
business relationships and operations
manager Paul Burke points out that
this is what Australia’s truck drivers
have been doing.
“Truck drivers are regularly cleaning
the interior surfaces, focusing on areas
they touch the most,” Burke says.
“The steering wheel is an obvious
one but it’s important to also
concentrate on the gear stick, door
handles, seatbelts, radio controls,
window switches and fuel filler caps.
“You can use disinfectant wipes
for areas like the steering wheel
if you wish but you want to make
sure you don’t damage the vehicle’s
interior, so steer clear of bleach or
ammonia-based products.”
If the vehicle is still being used
regularly, drivers should consider an
air-conditioning sanitiser clean once
a week.
“For peace of mind, drivers might
consider sanitising their vehicle’s air
conditioning system using a sanitiser/
cleaner pressure pack,” Burke says.
“To do this, put the air con on the
recirculate mode with the fans on full.
“Wind your windows up and release
a can of sanitiser spray inside the car.
Shut the car door and leave the engine
running for about 10 minutes so the
disinfectant can make its way around
the car’s interior.
“We’ve also seen many truck drivers
opt for protective plastic seat covers
and disposable floor mats so they can
make sure the vehicle stays clean.
“This might be worth considering
for motorists, especially if there’s more
than one driver using the vehicle.”
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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Pacific National’s amenities backflip
The rail giant ‘seeks
amenities solution
with ATA’ following
ban on truck drivers
PACIFIC NATIONAL (PN) says it is looking to provide
truck drivers with their own amenities at its
terminals to lower the risk of any infectious
contact with its staff during the coronavirus
Covid-19 pandemic.
In April, the rail giant said it had been in
discussions with the Australian Trucking
Association (ATA) to arrive at solutions to provide
suitable toilet facilities for truckies without risking
the health of freight train crews and terminal
operations in its depots.
“The ongoing health and safety of Pacific National
staff and customers at our depots and terminals are
paramount,” a PN spokesman said.
“The issue has already been resolved at our key
rail terminals in Melbourne and Perth through the
provision of separated toilet facilities.
“Separated facilities will be introduced at other
Pacific National facilities across the country by
close of business today to maintain strict social
distancing practices.
“Like ports, rail freight depots and terminals act
as major handling and distribution points across
the country for large volumes of freight.
“For example, an 1,800-metre freight train hauling
essential goods and supplies between rail terminals
in Melbourne and Perth can transport in a single
service more than 330 shipping containers.
“If there is an outbreak of coronavirus at one of
these major rail freight facilities then the whole
national transport supply chain will be severely
disrupted.”
The ATA responded, thanking Pacific National for
changing its policy to allow truck drivers access to
its toilets, change rooms and kitchens.
The news came just hours after the ATA called for
Pacific National to immediately reverse its decision
to ban truck drivers from accessing amenities at its
sites across the country.
“We are really pleased on behalf of all the
professional men and women who drive trucks in
this country at how quickly this issue was resolved,”
ATA CEO Ben Maguire says.
“This is a perfect example of why the community
must remember the importance for truck drivers
to be afforded what the rest of us expect on a
daily basis.
“When we put out our call this morning to have
the decision reversed, the ATA was immediately
phoned by Pacific National executives who pledged
to take immediate action.”
– Rob McKay
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owner profile
MELBOURNE-BASED truckie Daniel King
tells us it started for him like it did for
many other operators, in the cab of his
old man’s trucking putting in a mile.
“They reckon I was virtually
conceived in a truck,” Daniel laughs
when asked of his earliest memory in
a rig.
“There are so many photos of me in
the truck, because i was going to work with my old
man for as long as I can remember.
“By the age of about 11 or 12, I was operating
the forklift and delivering the bricks we carted to
site. It’s all I wanted to do, to be in the brick truck
helping,” he says.
Daniel’s teen years saw him spending less time
around trucks but, as is the case when it’s in your
blood, it didn’t take long before he was straight
back into it.
“By the time I was a teenager I played footy and
hung out with mates and went away from trucks
a little bit, but once 21 came around I was straight
down to the driving school to get my licence.
“I was working with dad [Bryan King] at the time
driving the truck as a ‘learner’ and I dropped dad
home and drove to the driving school for my lesson
– truck and trailer hitched,” he laughs.
“I told them I wanted to do the lesson in our
truck!”
It all started for the family’s transport operation
with one trusty Scania 141, when Daniel’s
grandfather John King decided to hit go on the
Swedish steed back in 1981.
“My grandpa John King bought his first Scania
in 1981, a 141. Dad worked for his father from 1981
until 1989 and then Dad bought his first Scania, the
143H that he still has,” he says.
“I suppose I got pushed into it; he put the trust in
me once I got my licence and put me in his Scania
143 on my own running around for 4 to 5 years
before I went up into a Mack Quantum truck
and dog.”
In his late 20s it was time for Daniel to jump into
the family’s newest addition, a Mack Trident, which
Daniel was pretty keen on buying off his old man.
“It wasn’t long in the Mack Trident before I
decided to buy it, and from there it was head down
bum up working for Boral,” he says.
Chasing a dream
A dream of Daniel’s, like most truckies young and
old, was to own the holy grail – an SAR Kenworth.
Years of hard work in his Mack Trident were
paying off and Daniel figured it was time to chase
down his goal of owning a Kenny.
“In 2017 I traded the Mack in and bought a
Kenworth T610 SAR, which I still have,” he says,
“I still remember the day I picked up the new
Kenworth after working with James Leo from
Hallam Truck Centre to get everything right.”
Daniel, with the help of James, spec’d out the
Kenworth as a 19-metre quad-dog with a BTE-built
tray, suited perfectly for the bricks he’d be carting.
“It was almost to the day that it was delivered and
I wandered down there pretty nervous actually, but
I was absolutely rapt,” he recalls.
16 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

TRUCKS FIT FOR
KINGS
Daniel
King, a third generation
member of his family’s transport
business, is proof that once diesel
gets into your blood, it’s there for life.
Cobey Bartels writes
Opposite top: Three – or
maybe four – generations of
truckin’ Kings: Daniel and
son Jaxson King, Bryan King
and John King
Left: Daniel’s latest addition,
the P 450 8x4 twin steer, put
straight to work
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 17

“My grandpa John King bought his
first Scania in 1981, a 141.”
Top: The trusty Scania 143
that served the Kings for 30
years and 1.8 trouble-free
million kilometres
Right: Daniel King with his
son Jaxson and wife Karly,
with their freshly delivered
Scania
For Daniel, he’d achieved his dream and taking delivery
of that shiny new Kenworth was every bit as special as
he’d imagined.
“Taking the Mack off my old man was grouse, but picking
a brand-new truck from a dealership is just something I’d
always wanted to do,” he says.
“Even the Kenworth hat and jacket are a part of that memory,
as silly as it sounds.
“I hooked it all up and off I went. It’s just clicked over
200,000ks and compared to the earlier trucks it’s been great.”
Another trick bit of equipment you’re sure to see on the
back of the T610 is Daniel’s Manitou MTX 625 4WD telehandler,
which he says will get just about anywhere on a construction
site. It looks like a hoot to drive, too!
Nowadays Daniel contracts for PGH bricks and pavers out of
Scoresby, servicing the growth corridors around Victoria, from
Seymour to Lorne, the CBD and beyond.
“Late last year I got offered another contract and so I knew
I’d be needing another truck,” he says.
The choice of what truck to get for the job was a decision
that came easily after many years getting to know the ins and
outs of various Scania models, and one that allowed him to
continue a family tradition.
“For that contract I wanted a Scania, for the particular
application it was the way to go,” he explains.
Many decades after his grandfather’s first Scania purchase,
Daniel took delivery of a new P 450 8x4 twin steer rigid tray top
to add to the fleet now consisting of his Kenworth T610 SAR
and the various other Scanias in the King family.
“There’s a photo of me when I was two or three standing in
front of my grandfather’s 141, and now there’s the photo of me
and my son in front of my new Scania,” he says.
Daniel’s decision to go with a European cab-over came down
to the combination he planned on running, as well as the
amount of technology in the Scania.
“I was pretty blown away by the amount of technology in the
truck, and what Scania offered with the driving training and
the safety features,” he says.
“I get the email every Monday morning telling me what the
truck has done over the last seven days, from fuel to braking,
even cornering. It’s leaps and bounds ahead of the Kenworth
for technology.
“The things like lane departure and the driver aids obviously
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“I was pretty blown away
by the amount of technology
in the truck.”
won’t avoid something like an accident if it’s going to happen,
but you’ve got a bit of help to reduce the risk.
“Oh, and the fuel economy is really, really good with what
we’re doing!”
Quality drivers
Of course, another truck meant finding more drivers, an
increasingly difficult task with the so-called ‘driver shortage’
plaguing the transport industry.
“Finding good drivers is hard. Drivers that look after your
equipment and deliver the load in good condition,” he says.
“Thankfully we’ve managed to find a really good group of
guys who do the right thing and show up every day.”
When asked the age-old question about his son Jaxson, ‘is
your son going to get into trucking, too’, Daniel had to think
about it for a second.
“Twenty years down the track I do wonder whether these
jobs will still be around and look, my dad used to say ‘don’t do
it, aim higher’ and so on” he says.
“But I was just drawn to it. So if my son wants to, then he can
do it.”
While the days of learning the ropes on the road with your
father are a bit different now, Daniel still can’t wait to get
Jaxson in the truck.
“I’m looking forward to having him in the truck with me,
but it won’t be like what it used to be,” he says.
“He definitely won’t be able to do what I was doing 20
years ago!”
Daniel has plans to grow the business, something he says
might provide Jaxson with a range of options should he choose
to enter the world of transport later down the track.
“My old man was always a solo operator and liked it that way,
but if things go my way and we keep working hard I’d like to
expand. That’s the aim,” he says.
“Then there might then be an opportunity for Jaxson to
come into the business to do a range of things.”
It’s over to you Jaxson, let’s see if we can’t make it four
generations of Kings in trucking!
Top: The T610 SAR, Daniel’s pride and joy, in all its glory
Above left: Apples and oranges: The bonneted Kenworth and futuristic
Scania couldn’t be more different, but they work together perfectly for
Daniel
Left: Daniel’s handy Manitou MTX 625 4WD telehandler, with son Jaxson
showing us how it’s done
20 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

TWU Michael Kaine
Together as one
The transport industry, as a united front, has helped
truck drivers to maintain safe practices
THE CRISIS ravaging our community
and society is prompting calls for a
reset. The devastation throughout
the economy is destroying jobs and
livelihoods and turning our world
upside down. But it is also presenting
an opportunity to examine how we
have done things up to now and how things
might be done better in a post-crisis world.
Already the foundations for this have
been laid.
Australia and the world now know who the
essential workers in our society are, and they
most certainly are not the people whose value
has been measured up to now in milliondollar
pay packets.
The essential workers are the healthcare
workers, the supermarket workers, and of
course the transport workers: the truck
drivers, the delivery workers, the garbos, the
taxi drivers, the bus drivers and everyone who
keeps our shelves stacked, our goods and the
public moving.
When the crisis first hit and as truck drivers
sought to keep those vital supply lines open,
obstacles were put in their way. Many drivers
were faced with truck stops which were closed
due to restrictions on restaurants and eating
areas. Some found they couldn’t access decent
hot meals or shower facilities.
Our industry stood together and with the
help of Senator Glenn Sterle put pressure on
the Federal Government to allow exemptions
for drivers. When some states failed to
recognise these exemptions the Transport
Workers Union (TWU) teamed up with the
Australasian Convenience and Petroleum
Marketers Association (ACAPMA) – the
umbrella group for the truck stops and petrol
stations – and pressed each state to ensure
the exemptions were applied. Largely this has
happened and many in the wider community
swung in behind drivers to make sure they
could get the rest and food they need on
the road.
FEDERAL INTERVENTION
Our industry came together again at a crisis
roundtable which drew together drivers,
operators and industry associations to
press the need for help for the industry. The
roundtable called on the Federal Government
to urgently intervene to help save jobs and
businesses in the industry.
Organised by the TWU and the Australian
Road Transport Industrial Organisation,
participants also included representatives
from operators Toll, Linfox, Qube, TNT, ACFS
Port Logistics, Finemores, Veolia; retailers
Coles, Woolworths, Aldi; and industrial
associations NatRoad, Tasmanian Transport
Association, and the Western Roads Federation
plus politicians and industry experts.
The roundtable heard from port operators
where imports have been hit by supply chain
disruption and the pressure on other road
transport operators for demand that was
never envisaged. The roundtable participants
agreed to a list of action points which were
sent to the Federal Government on ways it
can assist the industry to remain viable. This
included help with subsidising wages of
workers of businesses which see a large fall
off in turnover.
Participants also called for loans for
operators in distress, tax relief on vehicles
registrations and excise duty. There was a
focus on what clients need to do including
paying operators on time, pausing contract
penalties and maintaining pre-outbreak rates
to ensure businesses can pay their overheads
and labour costs.
MICHAEL KAINE is the
national secretary of the
Transport Workers Union
of Australia. Contact
Michael at: NSW Transport
Workers Union, Transport
House, 188-390 Sussex
Street, Sydney, NSW 2000.
twu@twu.com.au
“We
can’t go
back to
business
as usual.”
UNEMPLOYED CRISIS
One of the big outcomes of the roundtable
was the announcement by the Government
shortly afterwards to pay the wages of workers
stood down during the crisis through the
JobKeeper payment. This was a great win for
the many transport workers who took the
time to sign petitions, call their local MP, and
take action to save jobs in our industry. It also
shows the power when our industry stands
together at a time of crisis.
As this crisis continues and deepens, we
must keep up the momentum behind our
essential transport workers and the cohesion
throughout transport for a better industry.
Our industry, when it comes to picking up
the pieces, must insist that we can’t go back to
business as usual. As an industry which kept
Australia moving during the pandemic, we
must insist on a regulatory framework which
ensures an end to the squeeze by the major
retailers, manufacturers, oil companies and
other clients.
Even before this crisis our industry
was beset by problems. High numbers of
insolvencies, the highest numbers of worker
deaths and low returns for operators and
businesses is what shamefully marks our
industry out. This has got to end.
We must strive for better and now is the
time to consider what our industry should
look like into the future.
Our aim must be to lift standards through
regulation. The days of voluntary codes and
hoping for clients to do right by transport
are over.
We are agitating for a changed industry
where safety is the number one priority and
drivers and businesses are allowed see a
decent return for their hard work.
Now is the time to join the push for a better
post-crisis industry.
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ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 21

oads and infrastructure
ROADS TO EROSION
MANY READERS will remember the
dangerous goat track between
Melbourne and Sydney which
was much of the Hume Highway
well into the 1990s. A lot of it
was single carriageway with the
occasional passing lanes, and it was
a bloodbath. In 1989, 16 people died
in eight crashes involving trucks
between Mittagong and Gundagai on one stretch
in New South Wales alone. Who could forget the
old Hume through the infamous Cullerin Range
along there?
It might have taken two decades longer than
both Coalition and Labor Prime Ministers
promised, but these days the Hume is a
completely divided dual-lane carriageway and
fatalities are way down. It’s a similar story on
the long-awaited, nearly re-built Pacific between
Sydney and Brisbane. There are still plenty of
run-offs to the side, and trucks sometimes come
through the middle, but head-ons are now rare.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that
much of the older dual-lane Hume is now
incredibly rough, with both trucks and drivers
taking a tremendous pounding on the numerous
dips, hollows and nasty bridge abutments.
It’s a constant battle for road managers for
sure, but the recently vastly improved ‘Goat Track
Hill’ north-bound towards Yass shows what they
can achieve with the necessary funds.
We’re talking here about the main link
between Australia’s two biggest and most
prosperous cities, so governments should be able
to imagine how bad many of the nation’s other
roads are.
“The cost of maintaining roads in Australia is
growing and the overall maintenance backlog is
increasing,” laments Infrastructure Australia (IA).
“Australia’s road network faces increasing
demands from a growing population,” says the
independent adviser to Australian governments.
“The size of the network is also growing,
with the expansion of existing roads and the
construction of new ones.
“Meanwhile, there is a limited link between
funding for road services and the actual use
of roads. This leads to funding challenges for
ongoing maintenance.”
These comments are in IA’s latest Priority
List, which lists a ‘National Road Maintenance
Strategy’ as one of its highest priorities.
The report says there is an underspend on
maintenance; short budget and funding cycles;
a lack of data and incentives; and inadequate
reporting. It’s hard to imagine anyone in the
trucking industry arguing with any of that.
22 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

It’s great for politicians
to cut the ribbons on
new urban motorways
and regional freeways,
but they tend to
forget about ongoing
maintenance of roads,
say the experts.
Steve Skinner reports
Proposed national strategy
IA’s proposed initiative would address the road maintenance
backlog across local, state and national roads. But the idea is
light on detail, and governments haven’t agreed to it yet.
As in so many other areas of transport, a key argument is
that spending money saves money in the long run.
“Early maintenance on assets such as pavement can
significantly reduce future costs, if timed correctly,” says the
report. There is also mention of “structural reforms such as
road-user charging”.
A Queensland maintenance initiative is separately
included on the Infrastructure Priority List. IA says the
5,000km-long road component of the National Land
Transport Network in Queensland has a “significant”
maintenance backlog.
“The poor condition of roads has increased costs to
communities and the freight industry by increasing travel
times, creating safety risks and reducing network resilience,”
the IA report says.
The IA report says about 340km of these highway
pavements and bridges “urgently” require programmed
maintenance – such as replacing road surfaces – with
another 540km of highway needing “rehabilitation”.
“The Queensland Government expects the cost of
addressing these issues to rise significantly if they are not
addressed now.”
The good news is that the Bruce Highway, Queensland’s
major north-south freight corridor and a vital part of the
National Land Transport Network, is getting nearly $13
billion worth of work done on it over a 15 year period, 80 per
cent of it funded by the Federal Government.
Owner//Driver sought an interview with IA to flesh out
some of the points in its report, but the coronavirus put paid
to that.
Repairing regional roads
“There has been an historical underspend on road
maintenance,” says Terry Rawnsley, a partner with SGS
Economics and Planning, in welcoming IA’s highlighting of
the problem.
Rawnsley produces the annual SGS Economic Performance
of Australia’s Cities and Regions report, and told Owner//
Driver the road maintenance funding backlog is “especially
bad” in regional Australia.
Top: Bug’s eye view of a ‘shoveup’
on the fog line on the Hume
Highway just outside Melbourne
Above: Economist Terry Rawnsley
says the road maintenance
funding backlog is “especially
bad” in regional Australia
Below: Cars don’t notice the big
hits on the Hume, but trucks
certainly do
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 23

“The poor condition of roads has
increased costs to communities
and the freight industry.”
Top: Not much room to pass on
this local road in western NSW
Above left: The local council has
had numerous attempts at fixing
this access road outside the Shell
Gundagai northbound on the
Hume, but it always reverts to a
corrugated and pot-holed dustbowl
Below & left: What happened to the
fog line on this local road? And
what happened to the shoulder on
this state road?
Opposite, top & bottom: Patches on
top of patches on this urban local
road; The Federal Government
will fund 80 per cent of the nearly
$13 billion allocated for the Bruce
Highway
“Roads in poor condition substantially reduce average
travel speeds – often to less than 40km/h – damage
transported livestock and horticulture, and increase
maintenance costs of heavy vehicles,” says Rawnsley, whose
brother is a truck driver.
“This creates an economic burden for farmers and the
broader supply chain.”
Rawnsley points out that regional Australia makes up 35
per cent of the economy, compared with Sydney’s almost 25
per cent and Melbourne’s nearly 20 per cent.
“However, given the size of regional Australia, it is much
more difficult to focus on key transport problems than in
Sydney and Melbourne.”
He points out it’s no good having billion-dollar roads if
B-doubles can’t get on and off them – the common “first and
last mile access” dilemma.
“Every local road is a connection to major roads which
provide a linkage to inland freight terminals, ports, and
domestic and global markets.
“Last – or depending on your perspective, first –
mile improvements and upgrading roads for higher
productivity vehicles mean that farmers and producers
can get more of their product to market in a quicker and
more productive manner.”
Local councils, poor cousins
This gets onto the issue of local government-controlled
roads, with access permits a common and often lengthy
headache for the trucking industry.
But spare a thought for the budgetary situation of many
of Australia’s more than 500 local councils, especially in
rural areas hit by the drought and bushfires and now the
coronavirus-induced effect on tourism.
“Inadequately maintained roads and bridges, which may
24 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

BAD BRIDGE
have differing or inconsistent road surfaces, irregularly
or poorly maintained road shoulders, poor road markings,
or poor lighting, can have serious road safety outcomes,”
admits the peak body for local councils.
“Fifty per cent of road crashes are on local roads. This
means that driving on a local road involves an increased
risk of being seriously injured that is 1.5 times higher than
driving on a state road. Deaths on rural and regional roads
far outnumber deaths on metropolitan roads.”
These stark comments are contained in the Australian
Local Government Association’s (ALGA) pre-Budget
submission to the Federal Government, written before the
2020-21 Budget was postponed until October due to the virus
crisis.
“Of the three levels of government, Local Government has
the largest relative infrastructure task in terms of asset
management,” continues the ALGA submission.
“Local roads account for around 75 per cent of the
total road length in Australia, or 662,000km. Yet Local
Government has the smallest revenue base of all the tiers
of government, raising only 3.4 per cent of Australia’s total
taxation revenue. Unlike other levels of governments, Local
Government has no direct mechanism to raise funds for
Check out this increasingly busy
state-owned infrastructure just
over the Blue Mountains in NSW.
The potentially dangerous
Glenroy Bridge, built in 1901, caters
for well over 100 trucks a day
servicing the Sydney area with
gravel from nearby quarries and
timber construction products from
big plants in Oberon. Alarmingly,
the bridge is also used by the many tourist coaches taking passengers to
and from Jenolan Caves.
There is no guarantee that either trucks or coaches use CB radios to
communicate with each other as they approach the bridge from the
Oberon end.
As can be seen from the deep rut in the photo featuring the car, trucks
have to veer off the bitumen into the gravel just before the bridge if they
want to achieve a full view of oncoming traffic; and/or to make their
approach to the bridge as straight as possible if there are other vehicles
already on the bridge which have to be passed.
It would surely reduce the chances of a serious accident to at least widen
and seal that approach. That’s aside from considering widening the bridge,
or building a new one, on what is after all a state road.
“The width dimensions have been a point of contention, especially with
the limited vision on the approach to the bridge from the Oberon end,” says
Chris Schumacher, technical services director with Oberon Council.
“Oberon Council continues to advocate for the State Government to give
priority consideration to its upgrade.”
Above: Luckily this truck and this coach aren’t passing each other across the double lines near
Glenroy Bridge
Below: How hard could it be to widen and seal this blind approach to Glenroy Bridge?
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 25

“Ratepayers are often left to fund
transport networks for non-ratepayers.”
road construction and maintenance such as road user
charges, registration charges or other road or transportrelated
fees or charges.”
The ALGA submission says a 2018 State of the Assets report
estimated that 9 per cent of sealed local roads and 16 per
cent of unsealed local roads were in “poor to very poor”
condition – along with more than 20 per cent of timber
bridges.
“Despite increased investment, the condition and function
of sealed roads and concrete and timber bridges is not
improving, and the condition and function of unsealed
roads is declining.”
Feds asked to step up
The Federal Government’s scheme for helping local councils
with their roads is called the Roads to Recovery Program. At
present it’s running at about $600 million a year, and after
2023/2024 it will continue at about $500 million a year.
The Local Government Association submission asks the
Federal Government to increase Roads to Recovery to $800
million annually – an extra $300 million a year.
It also proposes a local roads investment program of $300
million per year over five years to address first and last mile
issues and congestion.
“Ratepayers are often left to fund transport networks for
non-ratepayers, particularly where local roads provide for
significant arterial and through traffic or have economic
significance beyond the access interests and responsibilities
of the council.”
That’s a total of $600 million a year extra for local
roads, and it now seems like a remarkably modest request
considering the massive Federal spending that’s recently
been announced to battle the coronavirus’ hit to the
economy.
ALGA points out that while its councils raise less than 4 per
cent of Australia’s taxation revenue – through property rates
-- the Federal Government raises more than 80 per cent of
Australia’s tax revenue.
Out of this Federal revenue, funding from the Feds
through Financial Assistance Grants (FAGs) accounts for
about 7 per cent of local government revenue. But in relative
terms, funding for local councils through the FAGs has been
falling, from 1 per cent of Federal taxation revenue in 1996
to just half of one per cent now.
“The biggest impact has been, and continues to be, felt by
councils and communities in regional and remote Australia,”
ALGA says.
ALGA argues further that road maintenance provides
good and rapid stimulus for local economies. “Every $1
spent on maintenance services could result in 3.5 direct
jobs compared with only two direct jobs for major road and
bridge infrastructure projects.”
Top: You can actually see the corrugations on this piece of Victoria’s Western
Highway
Above middle: Imagine two trucks passing on this local road in rural NSW
Right: How’s this for a deep rut on a state road in Victoria
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WILKIE’S WATCH Ken Wilkie
What price AFM?
Will enforcement officers be up to speed on who is
AFM compliant and who is the rogue?
INTERESTING TIMES! I received a
notice from Queensland Transport
advising that I am to undergo an
appropriate medical to renew my
licence this year. Yes, that has been
a yearly requirement for the last 23
years. And it was that medical that
found I am diabetic. Good, but the yearly
medical did not reveal that I was a drop
dead candidate from heart issues. That
was only revealed by a stress test prior
to walking Kokoda.
The stress only indicated an issue –
but it did prompt further investigation.
And I have walked the track twice since
my bypass.
In Owner//Driver’s April issue
regarding diabetes (page 33), I don’t
recall any reference to stress as being a
risk factor. However, in my experience,
stress is also very much a contributing
factor. Stress creates a fight or flight
mental reaction which in turn impacts
on glucose release.
Frequent road side interviews have
always caused me stress – not being a
confident person and being nervous
under interrogation – and the blood
sugar rises. Frequent interactions with
enforcement with nit-picking and
serious monetary consequences for
what I’d consider to be frivolous issues
– in my case – have taken a toll on my
health. I was once advised not to make
a hobby of my health. Well now it has
become a bloody obsession.
FACILITIES LOCKOUT
On toilet issues: these days as a
subcontractor I have to bite my lip far
more than in days past when I was
prime contracting. I’ll coin a new term
– sub customer. I have call from time
to time to deliver or collect goods from
a customer of my work provider. These
people have to rely absolutely on road
transport to conduct their business.
This conceited, obnoxious organisation
point blank refuses truck drivers any
access to their toilet facilities. They are
big on driver safety but the health side
is completely missing.
Employers and companies are subject
to legal consequences if they are found
to breach safe practices. I haven’t heard
of any being hauled over the coals
for breaches of health-related issues.
Racial discrimination? How about
occupational discrimination!
Interesting times: I had a phone call
from my federal member of parliament
the other day. What was my experience
with access to shower and toilet
facilities? Hey, we’re now an essential
service and they care for us. I have to
say my federal bloke is one of the good
guys. He has always supported me in
my endeavours. To get recognition from
the general media though is something
different. Let’s not stuff that up by being
obnoxious ourselves. Who was the idiot
who abused service station staff doing
what they thought was the right thing
under the new laws?
It has been difficult for all to
understand what is in and what is out
with so much uncertainty across the
board. While we in the industry have
always recognised our service to be
essential, we must never let the rest of
society forget that road transport is on
that list. And more so, we must never
defecate in our own nest.
AFM OFFER
I received correspondence from the
National (that is not national) Heavy
Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) the other
week. The correspondence was in
regards to offering operators an
option to take up Advanced Fatigue
Management (AFM). Thanks for the offer
KEN WILKIE has been an
owner-driver since 1974,
after first getting behind
the wheel at 11. He’s on
his eighth truck, and is a
long-time Owner//Driver
contributor. He covers
Rockhampton to Adelaide
and any point in between.
His current ambition
is to see the world, and
to see more respect for
the nation’s truckies.
Contact Ken at
ken@rwstransport.com.au
"I support engine-off
cooling but there needs
more thought on what is
acceptable."
and I accept that I am a wet blanket, but
somebody has to offer food for thought.
Most other persons are so engrossed
with sucking up to bureaucracy that
they are too frightened to stick their
heads up.
My concern is with what is being said
in providing this avenue to greater
flexibility. I have an inherent difficulty
with the idea of any government
instrumentality playing any role in any
private enterprise competition balance.
To promote AFM as being a means to
gain a march on your competition just
does not sit well with me. A nominal
fee? My dictionary describes nominal as
“small in relation to real value”.
One of my friends spends a week
wandering around north Queensland
doing sometimes oversize and at others
multiple trailer work. The oversize is
time consuming owing to daylight-only
requirements and there is a lot getting
around with the multi trailer stuff. He
sometimes finds himself back on the
Darling Downs at the end of his six
days. A couple of hours on the seventh
day would have him at home with all
those advantages. The NHVR’s “nominal”
fee plus the thousand dollars or more
for audits?
While I detest on-road interrogation
– it’s an insult to my professionalism
– if we are going to see a rash of AFM
operators, who is going to tell the
enforcement brigade who is compliant
and who is the rogue?
I have a friend who jumped ship
from any organisation that has PBS
accreditation – prescribed routes
and the like – because the principal
either couldn’t or wouldn’t enforce his
drivers to be compliant. So much for
GPS tracking.
I feel AFM is too much between the
operator and HVR (notice I’ve dropped
the N) with the driver seeming to be
relegated to the role of computer or
some programmable machine. Just
give it oil and check the water type
of discussion.
The notes talk about fitting Ice Packs.
Noisy bloody things – good for the one
sleeping but a pain in that other part
for those nearby. Of course I support
engine-off cooling but there needs
more thought on what is acceptable.
And there is talk about safety. Surely
with all the bureaucratic hoo-ha around
the current crap, one wonders how any
other system could be safer.
The accredited AFM operators will not
be able to use their approved systems
in Western Australia or the Northern
Territory. National? In spite of my
constant criticism of being subject to
roadside enforcement, I consider that a
better way to go but with more realistic
regulations.
The NRFA’s position is much more
user friendly. The industry might be
able to attract the new young drivers
it so desperately needs without the
driver persecution that is so much part
of the current occupation prejudice.
Responsible, sensible people would have
nothing to fear and the industry would
be freed of more expensive overhead
for little financial gain. Ask George
Birbeck to provide a copy of National
Road Freighters Association’s (again
the national bit is more ambition than
reality) position on fatigue.
28 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

From the ATA Geoff Crouch
The power of unity
Now, more than ever, is the time to put differences
aside and join Team Australia
AT A TIME where industry is
coming together as one to
face the challenges of the
coronavirus crisis, we are
reminded of the power
of unity and the strength
that comes from supporting
one another.
We’re all in this together. At this
critical time it is even more essential
that everyone in our industry does this.
In a recent Owner//Driver article (March
’20, issue #326), Frank Black accused the
Australian Trucking Association (ATA) of
only being concerned with big business
and having a biased representation of
owner-drivers. This could not be further
from the truth.
Frank was elected as the owner-driver
representative on the ATA General
Council in March 2019, however he has
failed to participate in council policy
committee meetings, as well as our
April 1 council meeting, which dealt
with the critical issues around the
coronavirus epidemic.
If Frank cared to do this, he would
know that the ATA has had extensive
engagement with truck drivers,
especially in the past 12 months.
In 2019, as the industry entered the
Heavy Vehicle National Law review, the
ATA made it a priority to ensure the
views of truck drivers and operators
were fairly and accurately represented.
We delivered the Have Your Say
campaign, which connected and
engaged with more than 188,000
people and received a huge amount of
detailed feedback from our industry’s
truck drivers.
In addition to this, the ATA is regularly
on the frontline engaging with trucking
operators and drivers through our
Coffee with a Cop initiative.
Frank Black claims the ATA is only in
place to serve ‘big business’, but this is
simply not true. Of the 50,000 trucking
businesses in Australia, 28,900 of these
are owner-drivers. That’s more than
50 per cent. Of those remaining, the
majority are small, family businesses.
The ATA is here to serve all 50,000
businesses, whether they have one
employee or 100.
INFLAMMATORY ACCUSATIONS
Now is not the time for making
inaccurate and inflammatory
accusations from the sidelines while
the trucking industry and wider
community are facing the ongoing
challenges associated with the
Covid-19 crisis.
If Frank had participated in our
council meeting on April 1, he would
know that the ATA is working tirelessly
with our members, industry, and
government to make sure trucking
businesses and employees receive the
support they deserve.
In the last month alone, strong
lobbying from the ATA and our members
has resulted in:
• exemptions for truck stops and
roadhouses to remain open, and the
development of health and safety
protocols for these facilities
• road freight transport to be exempted
from border restrictions, thanks to
a huge amount of work from our
member associations
• new JobKeeper payments to support up
to 28,000 owner-drivers
• extension of truck driver medicals
• government-guaranteed small
business loans
• increased instant asset write offs
• removal of supermarket curfews, and
• the introduction of a 50 per cent
investment allowance for new trucks
and trailers.
BEST INTEREST
Frank was elected to represent the best
GEOFF CROUCH was
elected as the chair of
the Australian Trucking
Association in 2017. He
is the managing director
of Ron Crouch Transport
with 23 years’ experience
within the business. Geoff
is a former president of
ATA member association
NatRoad.
interest of owner- drivers at the ATA
council. Now is not the time for industry
infighting. It’s time to get on with the
job and do all we can to ensure the
safety and viability of our industry
during this time of crisis. It is time
to work together to save not just our
industry, but the nation.
In Frank’s Owner//Driver article, he
stated that the ATA’s credibility was
compromised with the Transport
Workers Union (TWU) not being a
member. The ATA’s credibility has got
nothing to do whether the TWU is a
member or not. The fact that the TWU
is no longer a member was not our
choice. They simply refused to pay
their bills despite multiple reminders
and discussion.
In my view, they are the ones who have
let down Frank and all other ownerdrivers
across the country by choosing
to no longer have a voice in the ATA
council.
The ATA is recognised among industry,
the community and government as the
peak national body representing the
trucking industry and its people. Each
day, our team, council and board work
hard to improve the industry’s safety,
professionalism and viability. That
is our job, and it is a job we are proud
to do.
As Australia battles the coronavirus
crisis, the ATA will continue to lobby
government, engage with drivers
and operators, collaborate with our
members, and keep industry informed.
We’re part of the Team Australia
response to this crisis.
“It is time to work together
to save not just our
industry, but the nation.”
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 29

LIVESTOCK & RURAL John Beer
Diamonds in the rough
Road transport is shining bright and showing the
way amid the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic
ACCORDING to Henry Kissinger,
the famous US politician, a
diamond is just a piece of coal
that did well under pressure.
Who would have thought six
months ago that we would see
the current circumstances of
Covid-19 that we are now dealing with?
It’s funny isn’t it? The focus on showers
and toilets and food for truck drivers has
been both frustrating and fantastic. Many
of us could see the problem of access well
before the politicians and law makers, but
at least they got things addressed pretty
quickly so transport could keep the wheels
moving. There was even some really good
bipartisanship in solving the issues.
Many of you have said, and will say in
the future, that Covid-19 was a bit of a
blessing, because some places have toilets
and showers that sparkle like a brand-new
set of chrome rims. Thanks to cleaning
and sanitising and staff that take it
seriously and care about drivers, there are
service centres that are a pleasure to go
to. That and the lessening of traffic on the
roads and freeways; well it isn’t all bad!
What I’ve seen is that small grassroots
associations have their ear to the ground,
they respond quickly, they know the
issues and they get straight onto fixing
stuff without caring about who gets
the credit. For state livestock and rural
transporter associations like the Livestock
and Rural Transporters Association of
Victoria, our resources are small and
we are all operators except for our parttime
secretariats. But I will pay credit
to our colleagues in Western Australia,
South Australia, Queensland and
Victoria who did a power of work to help
smooth border processes, and to share
information widely to everyone, not just
their members.
Thanks to people like Peter Anderson
from the Victorian Transport Association,
Steve Shearer of the South Australian Road
Transport Association, Cam Dumesny
of the Western Roads Federation and
Gary Mahon of the Queensland Trucking
Association who have provided advice,
resources and advocacy that has helped
operators and drivers across the country.
They helped them get where they needed
to go, helped them navigate paperwork
and processes and helped them
understand the rules and getting things
fixed when it goes pear-shaped. Not all
those drivers realise what others have
done for them, but that’s the facts.
VITAL SUPPLY CHAIN
If I had a crystal ball, I wonder if it would
tell me that this time in our history
will show what we need to do to make
transport better. The general public
opinion of truck drivers is high right now,
but perhaps the link between the supply
chain and the availability of toilet paper
was needed to hammer that home!
It might also help that many aren’t
commuting in peak hour, as I suspect
JOHN BEER, with four
decades as an owneroperator
under his belt, is
currently vice president
of the ALRTA and the
LRTAV. In addition, John
is a past president and
life member of both
associations. He was the
first recipient (2015) of the
ALRTA McIver Award for
Outstanding Contribution
to the Livestock and Rural
Transport Industry, and
in 2016 was a finalist
in the ATA Awards for
Outstanding Contribution
to the Australian Trucking
Industry. John sat on the
ATA Council as the ownerdriver
representative from
2017 to 2019.
"This is not the time to
bring up old war stories."
the warm fuzzies for truck drivers might
evaporate as quickly as that pallet of toilet
paper in Aldi did a few months ago if we
once again see all those small vehicles
back on the road.
But the point is, people have been
reminded about how food and fibre, every
product, gets to them or gets to processers
and market. Like it or not, trucks are vital
to our economy and to our way of life.
The thought of trucks stopping was
enough to launch many Australians
to panic buy us close to a supply chain
collapse for weeks. And people have
recognised that truck drivers deserve a
meal, a shower and a clean toilet to allow
them to do their work.
PRAISE WHERE DUE
So how do we keep this going? Well, there
are some in our industry who have been
noisy, complaining about state border
restrictions, saying we should all park
up and make them take notice of all
our various grievances. Or say we just
shouldn’t have any rules at all right now.
I say no. You get what you give. If we
want to be taken seriously, if we want
Mr and Mrs Public on our side then we
present them with the facts, we do our
job and we show them what we do and
put up with.
There are pages where drivers have
posted good and bad photos of service
centres, with praise for good food and
service and clean facilities. Let’s give
praise where it’s due, and not forget
service centres have staff that are people
just like us. They don’t want to get sick
just like we don’t.
But we must stay on message. This is
not the time to bring up old war stories
and reminisce about battles fought
and lost. Transport is a diamond, made
stronger by pressure over many years. We
must be about preserving what we have
not tearing it down with threats and
complaints that are simply ridiculous.
Let’s work together, let’s argue about
the real problems without the politics
and partisan crap. We must keep showing
people that trucks and drivers keep our
country moving, keep us alive. Just like a
gemstone, let’s show all our positive and
fantastic facets to Australians so they
value us like they should while showing
them how well it’s done by professional
operators.
30 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

NatRoad Warren Clark
Working amid Covid-19
NatRoad’s WHS policy is designed to assist its members
in coping with the current pandemic
CORONAVIRUS (Covid-19) raises a host
of work health and safety (WHS)
issues. In order to help members
cope, especially with managing their
employees, NatRoad has published
a Covid-19 WHS template policy on
our dedicated Covid-19 website page:
www.natroad.com/coronavirus. This template
is free for members to use. The policy can be
further tailored to suit individual businesses
on a fee-for-service basis.
This policy is, of course, subject to any
overriding Government directive or law. It’s
imperative that we all comply with directions,
from authorised public health officers and
recognised medical authorities, in relation to
the Covid-19 pandemic, so that its impact on
the community is lessened.
The policy is a starting point for meeting your
WHS obligations during these turbulent times.
Adoption and customisation of the policy will
demonstrate to third parties your commitment
to managing the Covid-19 risk. It can be
integrated with your safety management plan or
adopted separately.
The policy starts from the recognition that
under WHS law, all employers or businesses
are required to manage the risk of Covid-19, to
workers and others, in the work environment,
which for road freight means across the supply
chain. The primary duty under the Heavy Vehicle
National Law is that each party, in the chain of
responsibility for a heavy vehicle, must ensure, so
far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of the
party’s transport activities relating to the vehicle.
The NatRoad policy focuses on two main
areas: promoting effective social distancing
and hygiene measures and getting employees to
raise any concerns about the risk of contracting
Covid-19 immediately with the employer and
working with them to identify solutions. This
latter aspect is where the policy can be tailored to
WARREN CLARK,
NatRoad’s chief executive
officer, has more than 20
years’ experience leading
and developing business
for emerging companies.
Warren has held
the position of CEO at
various companies and
is a certified chartered
accountant.
fit with the lines of communication within
a particular company.
For most employers though, the likely
solution in many instances will involve
isolation for a 14-day period where an
employee has had contact with someone with
the virus or contact with someone from a
high risk group (e.g., a returning cruise ship
passenger). There is also an obligation to advise
local authorities about workers who contract
the virus, which is referenced in the policy.
The policy does not consider the risks and
challenges associated with business continuity
if a significant number of drivers and
subcontractors cannot fulfil their functions
because they are ill or have been exposed to
others with Covid-19. Those plans could also be
put in place with NatRoad as we are working
to develop a program that will put drivers who
are looking for work in touch with businesses
who need drivers.
Planning and clarity of communication
are important aspects needed to get through
the Covid-19 pandemic. NatRoad is doing its
utmost to assist members with advice that lets
them put in place policies and systems that
show that the business is approaching the
future strategically and with employees WHS
needs at the forefront of their efforts. If you
need assistance and are not a member inquire
about joining today, call 1800 272 144.
“Planning and clarity
of communication are
important aspects needed.”
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ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 31

The legal view Sarah Marinovic
Balancing act
Now, more than ever, inconsistencies in State laws
could mean big fines due to guilt by interpretation
IN THE PAST few months we’ve seen
every State pass new laws in response to
Covid-19. The extent of the restrictions
on people’s lives and how quickly they’ve
been enacted is unprecedented.
But the speed at which these laws
needed to be made means they’re not
perfect. I don’t say that to be critical of the
lawmakers. This is a difficult situation for
everyone. Most people are trying to do their
best under a lot of pressure – this includes
the authorities.
But the reality is, the laws aren’t as clear
as they would have been had there been
time to review them and seek the input
that usually occurs.
The public has a lot of questions about
what’s actually allowed or not. And that’s
completely understandable. The way the
laws have been written leaves a lot of room
for interpretation. Even lawyers are having
trouble working out with certainty where the
boundaries fall. That’s a concerning situation
when the punishment for breaching them is
large on the spot fines and jail time if the case
goes through court.
Interstate drivers are in an even harder
position. Not only do they need to know the
restrictions in their home State, they need to
know the rules in every jurisdiction they pass
through. It’s not easy!
To make things more difficult, even where
the rules seem similar the police in different
States are interpreting them differently.
Then to top it all off the laws are being
changed regularly when the restrictions
need tightening or relaxing. By the time this
article goes to print, the laws will likely have
changed again.
There’s a real risk that people are going
to find themselves unknowingly breaching
the law. Alternatively, given the differing
interpretations among police, it’s also likely
that people will be wrongly accused of
breaking the law.
STAYING ON THE RIGHT SIDE
So how can the transport industry reduce
their chances of receiving a fine?
The most important thing to do is keep
up to date on the rules. Before you begin any
trip across borders you should check the
current restrictions and make sure nothing
has changed. The government websites have
up-to-date information about the laws. I have
included a list at the bottom of this article
with the website for each State.
The other important thing to do is stop and
think each time you go out into public. Think
carefully about whether your outing falls into
one of the permitted categories. If you are
questioned by police, while you don’t usually
have to answer questions other than your
name and address, sometimes being able to
politely explain what you’re doing is often the
difference between receiving a fine or not.
Finally, given the lack of clarity, if in doubt
seek advice. You can ask your local police or
SARAH MARINOVIC is a
principal solicitor at Ainsley
Law – a firm dedicated to
traffic and heavy vehicle
law. She has focussed on this
expertise for over a decade,
having started her career
prosecuting for the RMS, and
then using that experience
as a defence lawyer helping
professional drivers and
truck owners.
many lawyers are happy to provide guidance.
While these steps aren’t failsafe, they will
put you in the best position to avoid a fine.
DISPUTING UNFAIR FINES
If you do receive a fine you can contest it.
With all the confusion and changing laws
there are bound to be people who are fined
without realising they were doing anything
wrong. Given the big fines involved, it’s worth
looking into whether you have grounds to
have the fine waived if you think it was unfair.
There are a few options for review:
• Internal Review – in most States you can
apply to have your fine reviewed by the
issuing body. The instructions are usually
included on the penalty notice. Internal
review is usually the most straightforward
way to have your fine reviewed. If the
authority accepts that the ticket was
incorrectly issued, they will withdraw it.
This has already occurred with several fines
incorrectly issued when Victorian police
misinterpreted the Covid-19 restrictions.
• Court elect – you can choose for your fine
to be referred to court. The magistrate can
dismiss the charge entirely if they accept
that you didn’t break the law. Alternatively,
if you accept that you broke the law they
can often reduce the fine if you have a good
justification. It’s a good idea to seek legal
advice before taking your case to court
as there are risks involved. These include
getting a criminal conviction or a harsher
penalty.
• Time to pay – if your only concern is that
you can’t pay the fine immediately, then you
could consider asking for a payment plan.
Often the revenue department will let you
pay off your fine over time. You can apply
for this by calling the contact number
on the infringement notice. Before going
into a payment plan check whether the
authority will add an additional fee to the
fine for this.
Most importantly, we at Ainsley Law hope
that you and your families are safe and
healthy during this time.
Government websites for
current Covid-19 laws
Queensland – www.covid19.qld.
gov.au/government-actions
NSW – www.nsw.gov.au/
covid-19/what-you-can-andcant-do-under-rules
Victoria – www.vic.gov.au/
victorias-response-coronavirus
Australian Capital Territory –
www.covid19.act.gov.au
Tasmania – coronavirus.tas.
gov.au/families-community/
gatherings
Northern Territory – coronavirus.
nt.gov.au/community-advice/
gatherings
South Australia – www.covid-19.
sa.gov.au/restrictions-andresponsibilities
Western Australia – www.wa.gov.
au/government/documentcollections/covid-19-coronavirusstate-of-emergency-declarations
32 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

THE BOYS
ARE BACK!
BIGGER AND BETTER
OWD-FP-5016473-CS-328

truck of the month
34 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

REBUILT TO LAST
On the lookout for a suitable
rebuild project, the Pilbeam
family travelled north from
Heyfield in Victoria to Dalby,
Queensland, discovering a
1985 Mack Super-Liner well
past its peak. Warren Aitken
reports on the old Mack’s
stunning transformation
IF YOU ARE reading this then it means I managed to
get this story to my editor on time. If that is the case
then I sincerely hope you guys all appreciate what a
monumental task this has been for me. Seriously, it
has taken a huge effort when it comes to writing this
particular story.
Let me give you a little behind the scenes information
on my process so you can try and appreciate my dilemma.
When I compose a story, I start by processing all the
photos. Often I can take anywhere from 40 to 60 photos and
cull them down to around 20 to submit with each story. I then
set up my laptop in front of my PC and have my favourite
shot on the computer screen to help inspire me as I attempt
to put a thousand-odd words into an interesting order to
entertain and hopefully inform as many readers as possible.
It’s a practised system that has worked well, until I got to Glen
Pilbeam’s Mack Super-Liner.
Now here is where I’m going to fill you in on why I deserve
special applause for getting this finished on time.
I must have taken over 100s hots of this stunning 1985 Mack
Super-Liner in Heyfield, Victoria, and when I tried to whittle
them down, I think I may have culled about four shots, and
two of those I changed my mind on. The truck just looks too
damn good.
I set up my laptop in front of my PC and instead of being
inspired by the photos on my PC and allowing that creative
inspiration to flow through the keyboard, I just kept getting
distracted and ended up shorting out my laptop when the
drool kept landing on the keyboard. The truck just looks too
damn good.
Taking the focus off the stunning Super-Liner long enough
to get the story together was difficult. So you may find
several typos and spelling mistakes in this story. I accept no
responsibility and no doubt neither does my editor. Truth be
told, I bet most of you haven’t even realised there is an article
with the photos; you are most likely all just transfixed by the
images of one of Australia’s most iconic trucks – the Mack
Super-Liner. I don’t blame you, so I’ll be brief.
If you drag your eyes back to the photos for a minute you
will notice the name on the side of this majestic Mack is G &
L Pilbeam & Daughters. That’s right this is a family project,
and there is plenty of estrogen involved in this story. In
fact Glen (the ‘G’ in G &L) is the only male involved in this
family project. But if you ask his daughter Gemma (one of the
daughters in G&L Pilbeam & Daughters), Glen is actually the
spare driver for the big Mack.
The driver’s seat is set up for Gemma’s petite frame, not
her father’s. Glen never got the opportunity to dispute
this claim, as he was off to work when I rocked up to the
Pilbeam’s Heyfield home in Victoria to photograph the big
Mack. Gemma’s claim to the number one driver role was
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 35

substantiated as I watched her wheel the Mack
around for me as I became awfully pedantic over
the photos. This girl can drive.
After the photos I had the pleasure of sitting
down with Gemma and her mum Lynette (the ‘L’
in G&L) and learnt a bit more about the truck, and
also about how such a young lady like Gemma
became so skilled with a truck that most drivers
nowadays would struggle to find reverse in.
Trucking heritage
The Pilbeam family boasts decades of diesel in its
veins. Glen’s father was a truck driver, while Glen
headed in the diesel fitting side of the industry.
Glen met Lynette years ago through the industry
as Lynette’s dad was also a truck driver. Lynette’s
brother lives around the corner from them and
runs his own truck.
All the black smoke and rumbling engines
were going to influence Glen and Lynette’s kids
and sure enough by the time Gemma was 19
she was happily getting her hands dirty driving
rollers and graders. Once she had her licence she
was behind the wheel of a single drive tilt tray.
A bogie drive quickly followed and before you
“Back in its day the truck carted rum
from Bundaberg to Adelaide.”
knew it she was doing oversized float work.
Gemma admits her goal was to get into the
logging trucks. As a kid she used to go out with
her dad when he was fixing equipment in the
bush and she swore to him then that one day she
would be driving log trucks. It’s said he swore
back to her, only this time his swearing was due to
his disapproval of the idea. He knew the dangers
involved in hauling logs and fatherly instincts had
him preferring his daughter to be in a nice and
safe office job.
If you know Gemma you’d realise that was never
going to happen. She’s picked up her stubborn,
determined streak from her parents and she
worked away building her driving skills in the
oversize work until the opportunity came to get
into a log truck.
Starting with a single trailer she manoeuvred in
and out of places many of us wouldn’t look twice
at. Then came a B-double her as she tore up the
bush tracks.
With logging mastered Gemma decided to test
her skills again and made the move to carting
stock, getting a couple of years’ experience under
her belt. It must have been the constant noise from
the sheep, mixed with their ability to defecate
anywhere and everywhere that inspired Gemma to
try a similar challenge – motherhood. Sure
her kid might be a bit cuter than the standard
truckie, but there was still as much whining,
crying and unreasonable arguments as though
she was on the road.
Rum runner
With Gemma’s pedigree and her ability to be the
big Mack’s designated driver established, let’s jump
Above: If the Pilbeams weren’t sure when they turned up at the
Queensland town of Dalby to inspect the old Mack, the soot sealed
the deal
Above: The Super-Liner in its original colours when it ran
Toowoomba to Darwin for Warren Lea
Above: In pieces: It was a full resto job on the 35 year-old Mack
36 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

forward to 2015 when Glen and Lynette decided
they wanted to invest in a little restoration project.
With his mechanical skills, Glen has always been
a fan of big V8s, and Lynette had a real desire to
restore an old panel van. So the family agreed to
meet in the middle and find a truck to restore. I
know, I’m not sure how it jumped to that either.
The family had a sit down and decided they would
find a Super-Liner to restore.
Deciding on it and finding one were two very
different things. The Pilbeams looked around
for what seemed to them like ages before finally
finding a broken down 1985 day cab Super-Liner in
Queensland. Back in its day the truck carted rum
from Bundaberg to Adelaide and reportedly used to
run second only to the original ‘Silver Bullet’. Sadly,
it was a little worse for wear when Glen bought it.
The family had the truck floated back down to
their Heyfield home where the hard work began.
The truck was stripped right back to its bare bones.
After setting land speed records loaded with
rum, the truck had ended up out in the bush
carting logs. Hence, the factory diffs were long
gone, and a much more applicable setup was
tagged in behind the trucks original 12-speed
’box. Glen took care of the engine – the original
E9 V8 was still very much in good working
order. Cosmetically it wasn’t too bad, the cab and
bonnet having just the expected levels of corrosion
and rust.
With everything ripped out of the inside, the
skeletal remains were loaded onto a truck and sent
to the team at Royan Truck and Trailer Repairs in
Melbourne. The team there set to work repairing
Above: The force behind the Pilbeam Mack: Glen may proclaim it’s
him, but wife Linda (left) and number one driver Gemma would
put up a good argument
Opposite top: Simple but effective; the Mack’s interior was also
spruced up
Above: The Mack’s previous owner, John Horan, with his young
son Ben in 1991, not long after its first full motor rebuild
Above: The Pilbeam shed was littered with parts as the family
pulled the old girl apart
Above: The team at Royans were responsible for the outstanding
paint job. Glen pitched in as well, taking every Friday off work
to assist
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 37

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Above: The big Mack seems to tower
over the Pilbeam family home at
Heyfield
Right: The attention to detail and
finishing touches were second to
none
Below: Lynette Pilbeam does some
last minute cleaning before the
Mack faced the camera
“The original idea was
to leave the truck as
a day-cab.”
and repainting the old girl. Every Friday Glen would excuse
himself from work and drive down to give the Royan’s boys
some assistance as well.
Gemma admits there was a fair bit of family discussions
around the colour and lines (I’m not sure if that means there
were dishes tossed and knives thrown, or if that’s just my
family discussions). The original choices turned out to be
very similar to another Mack Super-Liner, so second choice
was the blue and silver look. Never has second place been
such a winner, I reckon.
The original idea was to leave the truck as a day-cab. I’m not
sure who talked Glen into sourcing a Mack box, but we will
give Gemma the credit anyway. So the sleeper box also ended
up at Royan’s and the repaint commenced.
Interior wise, the truck was well-worn as well. The family
employed the assistance of a lot of the right people. There’s
a fair few Mack gurus out there and they all helped the
Pilbeams source many genuine parts. All the seats and
linings were reupholstered in as close to original colours
as possible and the instrument panel returned to its
former glory.
The decision to try and keep the truck close to original
eventually collided with Glen’s passion for the big staunch
look. Thankfully his artistic side won out; you can see that
with the stainless guards and the twin stacks. The fuel tanks
aren’t off the original truck but are all genuine Mack tanks
and traditionalists will notice the bull bar is a lot flatter than
what the Super-Liners used to have. Good old Spider rims still
adorn the Mack, keeping the old school coolness to it.
The entire project took the family two years to complete,
bringing the truck back from a slow death to better than new.
I’m sure there’s loads more I could tell you but, let’s be honest,
most of you would have just skimmed through this story
with abandon as your eyes kept glancing at the photos of G &
L Pilbeam & Daughters’ stunning 1985 Mack Super-Liner.
40 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

THE
ORIGINAL
ENGINE OIL
AMERICA'S FIRST MOTOR OIL BRAND.

north american trucking
Canada’s Eva Knelsen
and her trusty
sidekick Dixie with
another collection
of trophies that the
Kenworth W900L has
picked up
42 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

PUSHING
THE PINK
MESSAGE
Canada’s Eva
Knelsen had a
hankering for
truck driving
from an early
age. Now
she’s driving
long-haul
across Canada
and the US,
while raising
breast cancer
awareness.
Warren Aitken
reports
from North
America
THE TRANSPORT industry
over the years has
predominantly been a male
dominated arena – sad
but true. However, in the
modern age it has become
a lot more evenly mixed
with more and more women
becoming involved in the
industry. Thankfully over the next
few issues I’ve managed to catch up
with some extremely cool women
that are not just involved, but
leading the way in the transport
industry - from a mechanic turned
driver, a woman with her own
fleet of tip trucks, a nurse turned
professional polisher to even a team
of women that spend their days
wrapping trucks.
However, I’m going to start with a
young driver from Canada, and it’s
not because we can’t find enough
over here. It’s because, firstly, I have
never seen so much pink, inside
and outside a truck; and secondly,
it gives me the chance to write the
phrase ‘Save the Boobies’ and get
paid to do it.
Meet Eva Knelsen and the
stunning Kenworth W900L that she
drives for Don English of Canada’s
West Coast Transportation.
Eva is a testament to following
your passion and dreams despite
all the obstacles that crop up along
the way. Her reward for battling
through is the keys to this stunning
truck. Keep in mind her boss Don
was once quoted as saying: “No
way I’d ever f***** buy a f****** pink
truck”. It seems Eva’s charms just
wore that poor man down.
While I caught up with Eva in
Iowa, she is actually Canadian born
and bred. One of 15 siblings, with
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 43

four brothers and 10 sisters, her family found a home base in
Ontario after their mum and dad moved up from Mexico.
Eva’s love of trucks can be blamed on her Mexican ancestry.
Every year her parents would squeeze the league team (well
there was enough for the starting 13 plus reserves) into their
passenger van and drive the 46 hours to visit family down in
Mexico. Eva remembers being around 11 or 12 and seeing all
the cool trucks on the highways.
“My sister and I used to do the arm pump thing out the
windows to all the trucks,” Eva recalls. Her dad had a CB
fitted to the van as well so they were able to chat to the
truckies on the way.
It was those trips that got Eva interested in trucking, but
it wasn’t until she was 21 and able to save some money that
she managed to put herself through a truck driving school.
The three-month course to get her licence consisted of the
first two weeks, all day every day, in the classroom learning
theory. That was followed by almost 200 hours of on-road
training and assessment before receiving a commercial
vehicle licence.
So, at age 21, Eva could drive an 18-speed ’box like a pro.
Ironically though, she could also stall her friend’s manual
car more times in one block than I could in a lifetime. Eva
laughingly admits that’s still the case; she can’t drive a
manual car.
Above & left: One of Eva’s
customers was so impressed with
the truck they donated this pair of
apparently very expensive shoes;
The truck wasn’t just built as a
memorial to one person, Eva
and her boss wanted it as a
memorial to all of those affected
by breast cancer
Opposite top: You can’t escape
the theme, even inside the truck.
Now you see why Eva is the only
one that drives it; Parked up
outside the headquarters of the
world’s largest truck stop, Eva’s big
Kenworth steals the night as well
Experience necessary
The next challenge for Eva was getting a job. We all know the
old ‘can’t get a job without experience, can’t get experience
without a job’ dilemma. It’s a real issue for many. The same
thing applied to Eva – very young, very petite, very new, very
keen but not very lucky. She wasn’t deterred though, she kept
applying and applying while keeping a factory job as she
chased her trucking dream.
Ironically it took losing her job and going to visit her sister
that led to the break she needed. Another newspaper ad
application, another interview, however this time on the ride
home she got a phone call and after a little convincing that
it wasn’t a hoax, she had her job. It had taken just over a year,
but the now 22-year-old Eva had the keys to a brand-new
Freightliner Columbia.
A few weeks with a trainer beside her in the truck and
Eva was on her way. No looking back, despite her youth,
44 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

“My sister and
I used to do the
arm pump thing out
the windows to all
the trucks.”
her inexperience, and despite family objections,
the young Eva had followed her dream and was
doing exactly what she wanted to do – driving the
highways in an 18-wheeler.
It has been a huge learning curve for her; Eva
has experienced more varied conditions than a
lot of truck drivers around the world. Her jobs
have mostly been in Canada, although she prefers
running down into California, but there aren’t
many places she hasn’t been. This means she has
had to cope with crossing the Rockies, ploughing
through snow, skating on ice and floating
through rain.
“I actually learnt how to chain up by watching
YouTube, while doing it,” Eva admits with a laugh.
“It took me four hours the first time.”
Thankfully, during her second attempt, she had
a fellow truckie turn up. He made it look easy, but
it did help her learn.
From there her experience and professionalism
ensured Eva never had issues with employment.
She eventually landed a job at West Coast
Transportation and was given the keys to a
579 Peterbilt.
“It wasn’t anything flash on the outside,
very plain,” Eva tells me. “But I looked after
it and had everything pink on the inside –
steering wheel cover, floor mats, bed, all pink.”
I’m not sure if it was for this reason but it
seemed no one else in the company wanted to
drive Eva’s truck when she wasn’t there. In fact,
they’d often ring her up to get it taken down for a
service as the yardies wouldn’t do it.
Pink power
Every truck Eva was given was looked after as
if it was her own. It was that kind of dedication
was what earned her the new W900L. Even after
Don had sworn he would never buy a pink truck,
Eva’s work ethic, mixed in with the opportunity
to acknowledge Don’s partner’s mum who had
passed away with breast cancer, meant Don
backtracked. So in 2018 he ordered the
Kenworth W900L.
The truck is fitted with a 72-inch bunk, or as Eva
says, “It’s only a 72-inch bunk.” Only?
The ISX15 puts out 480hp (358kW), which
apparently still pulls well, even when Eva’s sitting
at 80,000lbs (just over 37 tonne or half a load).
While Eva didn’t get a say in the truck itself, Don
was silly enough to ask what she wanted in the
truck. “You mean I can have what I want?” Eva
had queried.
For the record, one of the yard boys has
apparently used the phrase, “It looks like
Pink Panther took a dump in there” as a
way of surmising the amount of pink
influence. I would tend to disagree, though
there is more than enough proof the Pink
Panther was on the decorating committee.
It didn’t stop there though. You can’t have
a pink truck without pink lights, and there’s
more than enough of them as well. It seems
Don opened a can of worms when he asked for
Eva’s input.
Once it was all kitted up, the truck was sent off
to a lovely lady in the city of London, Ontario to
get all the artwork added. Annette from Xtreme
Graphix was able to fit the truck in her shed with
about two inches to spare (obviously the trailer
had no hope).
When it was completed, Eva checked with
Don and his partner Julie about putting Julie’s
mother’s name on it. They both agreed, though
the truck was dedicated to not only her but all
the women who have been and continued to be
affected by breast cancer. The ‘Save the Boobies’
slogan was out there for everyone.
It’s now been 13 years since Eva got her shot at
trucking, which makes it about 23 years since she
recalls ogling the 18-wheelers on family holidays.
She set her goals and went after them. She has
driven some of the toughest roads in Canada
and the US in some of the harshest conditions.
She now has one of North America’s most eyecatching
Kenworths under her and there is no
drop in her enthusiasm and love of the job.
So along with her trusty little dog Dixie, Eva
is going to keep plying the trade that she has
mastered for years to come. I can’t wait to catch
up again.
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 45

ROAD SOUNDS Greg Bush
As well as being involved in road transport
media for the past 20 years, GREG BUSH
has strong links to the music industry.
A former Golden Guitar judge for the
Country Music Awards of Australia, Greg
also had a three-year stint as an ARIA
Awards judge in the late 1990s and wrote
for and edited several music magazines.
Down to the nitty gritty
Down-to-earth sounds for a changing world
SHAPESHIFTING
Joe Satriani
Sony/Legacy
www.satriani.com
As well as being
an integral
member of
supergroup
Chickenfoot, Joe
Satriani is the
most successful
solo rock
guitarist of all time. Shapeshifting is album
number 17 for Satriani since making his
solo debut in 1986. As per his previous
releases, Shapeshifting is all quality. And
there’s plenty of variety too. There’s an
ever-so-slight trace of country on ‘Perfect
Dust’, while ‘All For Love’ is melodic,
dramatic and would be well suited as a
movie soundtrack. ‘Big Distortion’ is chock
full of big power chords, and ‘Nineteen
Eighty’ is a fast-paced hard rocker. Satriani
is at his most sedate for the semi-acoustic
track ‘Yesterdays Yesterday’ with regular
keyboard player and percussionist Eric
Caudieux whistling away on the intro.
Other notable musicians include bassist
Chris Chaney, drummer Kenny Aronoff
and pianist Lisa Coleman.
SNAPSHOT OF A BEGINNER
Nap Eyes
Jagjaguwar/Inertia Music
www.napeyes.com
There are
plenty of good
sounds coming
out of Canada
nowadays, and
you can add
four-piece indie
rockers Nap
Eyes to that list. Snapshot Of A Beginner
is the band’s fourth album, based
around the songwriting skills of
frontman Nigel Chapman. Nap Eyes
enjoys the minimalist approach, notably
on ‘Primordial Soup’, a “what’s life about”
type of song where Chapman’s vocals
meander along until the guitar heavy
finale. The band takes an abstract view
of ‘Mark Zuckerberg’, the co-founder of
Facebook, and switch to ambient mode on
‘Mystery Calling’. They rock on ‘If You Were
In Prison’, a post-punk track where they
ponder life behind bars, while Chapman
undergoes self-analysis on ‘So Tired’, a
track notably for the band’s trademark
jangling guitar sound. For those into
US bands The War On Drugs or The
National, there’s a good chance you’ll
enjoy Nap Eyes.
DETACHMENT
Magnus
Independent
www.entermagnus.com
The title of
Sydney rock
trio Magnus’s
second album
Detachment
is timely,
considering the
current Covid-
19 crisis. However, the band views the
album’s release as a cure for the isolation
blues. Led by Dutch-born Arne Heeres,
Magnus pumps out seriously hardgrinding
original music. ‘Humbugger’
is full of advice along the lines of “keep
your eyes on the wheel”, and Magnus
raises the pace and volume for the thrash
guitar-based ‘Saints Sedated’. The title
track ‘Detachment’ is another pounding
piece of hard rock, the relentless guitar
power chords laying the platform behind
Heeres’ ominous vocals. The band takes
somewhat of a breather on ‘Camel’, but
quickly return to normal transmission
on ‘Forever & Never’. And there’s more
solitude in ‘Lone Motel’. Detachment is a
refreshing and inventive rock album.
GOOD SOULS BETTER ANGELS
Lucinda Williams
Highway 20/Thirty Tigers
www.lucindawilliams.com
Lucinda Williams
has embraced
the genres of
folk, country,
blues and rock
during her
long career,
although Good
Souls Better Angels is clearly a blues-rock
record. Williams’ deep-pitched vocals
have never been grittier, helped by the
album being recorded at producer Ray
Kennedy’s vintage-styled studio. Williams
is defiant as she proclaims ‘You Can’t
Rule Me’, featuring grungy guitar work
from regular band member Stuart
Mathis. She recognises her Louisiana
upbringing on ‘Pray The Devil Back To
Hell’, and sings of depression on ‘Big Black
Train’. Mathis delivers the licks again as
Williams unleashes on society’s losers
with ‘Bad News Blues’. Williams takes aim,
supposedly at Donald Trump, on ‘Man
Without A Soul’ and, despite the title,
‘Down Past The Bottom’ is a lively bluesrock
track. All ends well however on the
album’s final track ‘Good Souls’, a laid-back
spiritual song.
THE NEW ABNORMAL
The Strokes
Sony/RCA
www.thestrokes.com
The New
Abnormal is the
first new album
in seven years
from New York
rock band The
Strokes due to
the members’
various side projects. These included
lead singer Julian Casablancas releasing
a couple of albums with his “other
band” The Voidz, while guitarist Albert
Hammond Jr has enjoyed a reasonably
successful solo career. ‘At The Door’,
the first single released from The New
Abnormal, is a song about a disturbed
childhood, while The Strokes borrow a few
bars from Billy Idol’s ‘Dancing With Myself’
for ‘Bad Decisions’. Crisp, simplistic guitar
riffs (as per The Cure) are the highlight
of ‘The Adults Are Talking’ and, despite
its title, ‘Why Are Sundays So Depressing’
is more uplifting than not. Apart from
‘Not The Same Anymore’, lively rock
rhythms are constant throughout The New
Abnormal, an album that won’t disappoint.
ECHO OF YOUTH (ACOUSTIC)
Winterbourne
Island/Universal
www.winterbournemusic.com
It was just last
year when
NSW Central
Coast indie duo
Winterbourne
released its
debut album
Echo Of Youth.
During the recording process, Jordan
Brady and James Draper put down a few
acoustic versions, ultimately giving all 12
tracks a pared-back makeover, and then
re-releasing the album as Echo Of Youth
(Acoustic). These “unplugged” versions
strip the songs back to their true essence
– ‘Colourblind’ with acoustic guitar, piano
and minimal percussion reveals the duo’s
fine song-writing craft. Winterbourne
adds mandolin to the perky ‘Milkshakes
& Denial’, although ‘Take The Golden’ is
not too far removed from the original
with handclaps replacing drums. ‘Sunday
Night’, with solo piano accompaniment
and violin, is a slow and emotive song,
and opening track ‘Revolutionary Man’
comes across as a Crosby, Stills & Nash type
number. Echo of Youth’s second life could
end up outshining the original.
Country
Corner
GHOSTS OF
WEST VIRGINIA
Steve Earle &
The Dukes
New West Records
www.steveearle.com
Steve Earle delves deep
into traditional folk-country
on his 20th studio album
Ghosts Of West Virginia with
the latest incarnation of his
band The Dukes. The banjo is
prominent on ‘Devil Put The
Coal In The Ground’ as Earle
sings of black lung disease
among other negatives. He
revisits the topic again on
‘Black Lung’, and sings of
a folk hero on ‘John Henry
Was A Steel Drivin Man’.
Amid bluesy slide guitar,
Earle describes the downhill
slide of the working man in
the US today on ‘It’s About
Blood’ and, in a surprise, The
Dukes’ fiddle player Eleanor
Whitmore takes the lead
vocal on ‘If I Could See
Your Face Again’. Ghosts
of West Virginia is released
on May 22.
FALLOW
Fanny Lumsden
Red Dirt Road/Cooking Vinyl
www.fannylumsden.net
Like most
music
artists around the world
today, Australia’s Fanny
Lumsden has been forced
to reschedule her tour dates
until later in the year due
to Covid-19. However, the
hiatus will give the music
buying public listeners more
opportunity to check out
Fallow, the Golden Guitar
winner’s third studio album.
And it’s a classy, smartlyproduced
12-track collection.
‘These Days’ is a well-written
feel-good song with tight
harmonies, ‘This Too Shall
Pass’ has a Celtic flavour,
and the tempo quickens on
‘Fierce’ and again on ‘Tidy
Town’. Lumsden reveals her
honesty in more ways than
one on ‘Peed In The Pool’,
while ‘Mountain Song’ is
featured twice, bookending
the album, first with Enyalike
multi-tracked vocals and
again as an instrumental,
atmospheric “reprise”.
46 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

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OWD-FP-5016473-CS-326

covid-19 impact
DRIVERS REVEAL
VIRUS RAMIFICATIONS
A group of local
and interstate truck
drivers offer their
thoughts on the
impact of the Covid-
19 pandemic on their
livelihood. Greg Bush
writes
THE BP ARCHERFIELD Truck Stop in
Brisbane is generally a hive of activity
of trucks fuelling up, drivers taking a
rest break or simply waiting on a load.
However, it was a relatively quiet scenario
when Owner//Driver called in and spoke to
a number of drivers shortly before Easter.
One owner-driver in particular was
readying himself to head south with no
backload, while others say they were minimally
affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
Greenfreight driver Gary Finley, behind the
wheel of a Kenworth K200, says supermarket,
alcohol and timber freight had kept the
work flowing.
“We do a lot of Woolworths deliveries and we
have a CUB [Carlton United Breweries] contract.
People are staying at home drinking obviously,”
he smiles.
Based in Wodonga, Gary’s usual run is
Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.
“We seem to be busy enough,” he says. “I’ve had
plenty of work anyway.
“Obviously they’re [Greenfreight] a good
company and well organised. They haven’t got
all their fingers in one pie.”
Others, however, are not so lucky, he adds.
“A mate of mine is losing his business,” Gary
continues. “He supplies nurseries; he transports
plants interstate.”
In contrast, Monique Miorandi, driving
an Isuzu tipper, says she has noticed little
impact from the coronavirus pandemic.
Monique works locally for Western Landscape
Supplies, subcontracting through the Alex
Fraser Group.
Normally operating five days a week, Monique
says her work has slipped to around four days.
“It’s dropped but not dramatically and not for
myself personally,” she says.
“Everybody in my business – we’re in
landscape – is in high demand at the moment.
“Everyone’s been stuck at home so they’re
doing their gardens,” she laughs.
However, the majority of Monique’s work is for
local government, which has mainly remained
unaffected. “We can still survive for now.”
Also at the BP Archerfield, Owner//Driver
caught up with cousins Bardeep and Parm
Singh. Bardeep runs general freight from
Melbourne to Sydney and Brisbane for Flying
Horse Transport, while Parm carts general
around south-east Queensland for Owens
Transport.
Both say that business was quieter than
usual, although Bardeep was preparing to head
back to Melbourne with a full load. He’s also
happy that roadhouses have reopened for longhaul
drivers.
48 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

“A mate
of mine is
losing his
business.”
Toilet paper hoarders
We also had a chat with a Damorange Transport driver
named Jordan, who gave an insight into the effects of
supermarket panic buying. Jordan hauls produce for Coles,
Woolworths and Aldi.
“When the virus struck on the first week we were absolutely
flat out,” he says.
“The toilet paper hoarders, they’ve already been and gone now,
but it’s slowly starting to pick back up again.
“I think people are starting to realise that half the stuff that
they bought they didn’t really need.”
Jordan, who runs Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide
in a Kenworth T908, says Damorange was more fortunate than
some other transport companies.
“Melbourne is a little quieter than up here, and last week
Sydney took a bit of a hit.
“But Brisbane’s not too bad. We still take a lot of stuff out of
north Queensland.”
As far as roadhouse access goes, Jordan was full of praise
for BP.
“They’ve been outstanding. Everywhere you go it’s been
super clean.
“BP is definitely outshining everyone else that I’ve seen so far.”
Jordan has been driving for more than three years, a passion
handed down from his father.
“I always wanted to drive trucks,” he says. As for the T908, he
adds: “They’d have to shoot me to get me out of it.
“It’s a 2011, it’s done just over 2 million ks now, but it’s not as
old as a lot of the other trucks around.”
Not such good news for John, an owner-driver from
Melbourne who was about to depart Brisbane with no load. He
said work began dropping off two weeks earlier.
“Normally I have a load, but since last month it’s been
quietening off, but just this last week it’s been nothing,”
John says.
“I can’t afford to run like this. I mean the rates are already low,
and there’s the fuel.
“Fuel for cars is lower, but diesel is still expensive. How do
they work that one out?”
In addition, John is not pleased about the food offer from
truck stops amid the crisis.
“What are you going to get take away? Dim sims? I’ll be
bringing my own food.”
From top: Monique Miorandi
drives an Isuzu tipper for Western
Landscape Supplies; Cousins in
transport: Bardeep and Parm
Singh; John, an owner-driver
based in Melbourne, is finding
the going tough; Damorange
Transport driver Jordan says toilet
paper and other grocery deliveries
have kept him occupied
Opposite below: It’s business as
usual for Greenfreight driver Gary
Finley
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 49

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey
No rest for the worthy
We have our truck stop dining facilities back, but
there’s still a way to go for adequate rest areas
THANKS TO THE government, the
Australian Trucking Association,
the Transport Workers Union,
NatRoad and the National Road
Freighters Association (and if
I left anyone out, sorry) for the
exemption allowing us to eat
in a roadhouse. I did a couple of radio
interviews too, but we would all have
got sick and far less healthy if we had to
eat takeaway for the next two months or
more. It is easy to say they overlooked us
and with the current environment, not
only it is a big ask to change the world in
a month and get it all right, in hindsight
what you think should have happened is
always better than what did.
Another group overlooked may well be
the vanners who live on the road fulltime.
With the caravan parks now closed, those
who do not have a home to go to, where
do they go? They may have travelled round
doing the fruit picking most others won’t
do – so who will do that now? So many
questions and so few answers.
BERSERK BEHAVIOUR
One long-time truck stop attendant,
having had a couple of blokes go ballistic
when they could not sit for a meal, said
they are the one per cent and you get
them in every group. He went on to say
that the vast majority of customers,
including those in cars, have shown
perhaps more respect and recognition for
his job than normal. While he said one
of the berko fellas mentioned above may
have had a bad day (and others may well
have made it even worse), most truckies
do the right thing.
Being denied toilets though must stop.
We can’t have a porta-potty in the cab like
a VicRoads fellow suggested to me years
ago, and we don’t have cabs like in the
United States for a kitchen and shower, so
we need facilities on the road.
How can anyone expect you to visit their
site, carry and deliver their freight, wait
sometimes hours to get loaded with no
facilities and then refuse you the right
to use a toilet? If they can’t or won’t clean
them for their own staff, do they expect us
to hold it for hours, or do we just pee in
the driveway or simply squat (only if you
have your own paper of course)?
(Dear editor, do we need a name and
shame list printed here or will you accept
nominees?)
Those in offices have all the facilities
they need, but simply forget about us. Why
ROD HANNIFEY, a transport
safety advocate, has been
involved in raising the
profile of the industry,
conducting highway truck
audits, the Blue Reflector
Trial for informal parking
bays on the Newell, the
‘Truckies on Road Code’, the
national 1800 number for
road repairs proposal, and
the Better Roadside Rest
Areas Group. Contact Rod
on 0428 120 560, e-mail
rod.hannifey@bigpond.
com or visit
www.truckright.com.au
“We have
a flash
system
that could
send
a tired
driver on.”
not then go the whole hog and say if you
want us to load and deliver your product,
then for OH&S reasons, we should be able
to do it under cover, out of the sun and
the wind or rain. Their workers are mostly
on forklifts or watching us get soaking
wet in the rain, but they then have the
chance to get dry or have a shower. If you
are in the dust and dirt as in some sites,
we have to get loaded and get going to
deliver their freight. Why is it so?
FULL UP SIGNS
It is good to see the Truck Rest Area
Vehicle Information System (TRAVIS)
project finally working on the
southbound section of the Hume in
Victoria. It seems like years (it is) since
we were told New South Wales would
trial one system – a phone app that only
worked for those with it. It had other
flaws, including scaring many blokes into
believing they would be captured in rest
areas and that Victoria would spend their
part of the $4 million-plus on these signs
to tell us how many spaces were free in six
rest areas.
I did ring and chase VicRoads a couple
of times over the ensuing years to be
told they were having problems with the
sensors, but now it is working. However,
what if you are travelling down the
Hume tired and you see the sign, ‘full, no
spaces’? At Chiltern particularly, when we
got all that money spent to get only one
more space in the upgrade, I have seen 20
B-doubles in there and yet the sign only
covers the 10 spots. What I am asking
again, and did at the time, are we getting
value for the money spent? I said they
should have spent that money on more
rest areas and helped save tired drivers
then, instead of now years down the track
we have a flash system that could send a
tired driver on because he read the sign,
but there was room for him.
Of course the next step would have been
to include us in the process so we actually
got what we needed, not what someone
thought we needed. We now have a set of
guidelines for heavy vehicle rest areas and
yes, we do need to get people to read and
understand them, but we need a national
rest area strategy, not a piecemeal ‘we
might build one here this year’ plan that
will never deliver what we need, to safely
and suitably manage our fatigue.
This question has been asked for years
by those with more knowledge and
skill than me. Why does everything we
need and use get designed, controlled
and unfortunately often botched (or at
the very least have less than good value
delivered) by those who will never use any
of the things we require for our safety and
amenity? Perhaps in this climate of us
being recognised as an essential service,
we can gently ask to be more included in
such projects.
50 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

A
TRUCKING SUPPLIES
TRUCKS FOR WRECKING WAGGA WAGGA
334 Copland St, P.O. Box 2373, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650 Web: truckingsupplies.com.au
Ph: (02) 6925 8888 Fax: (02) 6925 8889
KENWORTH K200 2011, Cummins ISX EGR engine, RTLO20918 gearbox, 46-160
diffs, fuel tanks, good condition cab interior, pure air A/C, DPF filter, fixed turntable,
hydraulics, Alcoa rims. W2454. TA1004850.
POA
WESTERN STAR 4900FX 2010, Detroit series 60 EGR engine, RTLO20918B gearbox,
RT46-160 diffs (4.3 ratio), FUPS rated bullbar, good condition cab, good condition
bonnet, fuel tanks, Alcoa rims, tyres. W2460. TA1015069.
POA
STERLING LT7500 2006, Cummins ISC engine, Alisson Auto MD356 gearbox, Meritor
41-145 diffs on Tuff track suspension, good condition Bbowl in working order and
with no concrete inside, fuel tanks, good condition cab, good condition bonnet,
tyres, Alcoa rims. W2455. TA1013378.
POA
FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 2007, Cat C15 engine, Eaton RTLO20918A gearbox, Meritror
46-160 4.30 diffs, cab interior, Alcoa rims, tyres, JOST ball race turntable, fuel tank.
W2462. TA1018091. POA
STERLING AT9500 2005, Detroit 14L series 60 engine, Eaton Fuller 18 speed
gearbox, 46-160 diffs, good condition bullbar, JOST turntable, Alcoa rims, good
condition fuel tanks andsSteps, good condition bonnet. W2453. TA1003801. POA
FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 2012, DD15 engine, FUPS rated bumper bar, RTLO 20918B
gearbox, RT46-160 Airliner diffs, AutoClima 3000 air conditioning , Alcoa rims, good
condition cab, good condition grille, fuel tanks, JOST turntable. W2446. TA1000290. POA
FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 14L Detroit series 60 EGR, RTLO20918B gearbox, 46-160
Meritor diffs, good condition cab interior, cab, step motors, good condition fuel tank,
twin exhaust system, JOST fixed turntable, Viesa A/C unit, Alcoa rims. W2449.
TA1001855.
POA
WESTERN STAR 5800SS 2014, DD15 engine, RTLO20918 gearbox, RT46-160 diffs,
airliner suspension 2, fixed turntable, Alcoa rims. W2452. TA1009673.
POA
KENWORTH T601 1995, Cummins N14 Celect Plus, RTLO16718 gearbox, DSH40 diffs
on Airglide 100 suspension, hydraulics, Alcoa rims, good condition tyres, good
condition cab and sleeper, good condition fuel tanks, good condition bonnet, good
condition fuel tanks, ball race turntable. W2456. TA1007085.
POA
STERLING 9500 2008, Mercedes MBE 4000 engine, automatic gearbox, 40-145
Meritor diffs, fixed jost turntable, good bonnet, good tyres + rims, fuel tanks,
bumper bar. W2416. TA965883.
POA
WESTERN STAR 4900FX 2010, Detroit series 60 EGR engine, RTLO20918B gearbox,
RT46-160 4.3 diffs, FUPS rated bullbar, great condition cab, good condition bonnet,
fuel tanks. Alcoa rims, tyres, brisk air A/C unit, ball race turntable. W2459. TA1014335.
POA
KENWORTH T909 2013, Cummins ISX E5 engine, RTLO20918B gearbox, 46-160 4.1
diffs, custom air A/C, ad blue tank,gGood condition fuel tanks , JOST fixed turntable,
good condition guards, good condition Alcoa rims, good condition tyres. W2457.
TA1011806.
POA
KENWORTH K104B 2006, Cummins Gen 2 engine, 18 speed gearbox, DS462 diffs,
FUPS bullbar, battery box, stainless visor, left hand fuel tank 750L, tail light bar,
rims, good interior cab. W2444. TA986123.
POA
FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 2010, Detroit Series 60 (14L) engine, 18 speed RTLO
20918B gearbox, rockwell 46-160 diffs, bullbar, viesa air conditioner, twin air
intakes, Alcoa rims, cab, fuel tanks, fixed turntable, grille. W2437. TA976240. POA
FREIGHTLINER ARGOSY 101 2007, C15 engine, AS3 Ggarbox, 46-160 4.3 diffs,
repairable bumper bar, good condition cab, good condition interior, step motor,
exhaust shrouds, good condition fuel tanks, Viesa air conditioning unit, Alcoa rims,
fixed turntable. W2442. TA984697.
POA
TRUCK DISMANTLERS
Email: tsenquiries@truckingsupplies.com.au
WEBSITE UPDATED DAILY truckingsupplies.com.au
MDL 19571
MVRL 24428
OWD-FP-5011320-B

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ISUZU LED TAIL LIGHT
$50.00 (a pair)
DUTRO LED TAIL LIGHT
$50.00 (a pair)
HINO LED TAIL LIGHT
$70.00 (a pair)
$220
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$240
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ANNAITE (366) STEER/TRAILER
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ANNAITE (660) 11R22.5 DEEP DRIVE
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225/70R19.5 (366) .................$165.00
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MOORE SLIDING A TRAILER 2011, 27x 66 Moore slider A
Trailer, Nil. NSW. DIY1016090. 0428 953 430. $50,000 Inc GST
VOLVO FM13 2012, Volvo truck and trailer tipper for sale.
2012 fm13 500 I-shift full automatic. Truck has been driven
by owner only has been well looked after. Vehicle is regulated
VOLVO FM13 2012, Volvo truck and trailer tipper for sale.
2012 fm13 500 I-shift full automatic. Truck has been driven
by owner only has been well looked after. Vehicle is regulated
for government projects. Truck and trailer bodies are
for government projects. Truck and trailer bodies are
Hercules. Truck has abs discs and trailer drum brakes both
have airbags suspension..vehicle includes digital scales,
Hercules. Truck has abs discs and trailer drum brakes both
have airbags suspension..vehicle includes digital scales,
sleeper cab, remote control electric tarps grain locks. Asking INTERNATIONAL ACCO 2650G 1993, Bogie Drive Tipper with sleeper cab, remote control electric tarps grain locks. Asking
price $115000 inc. gst. Any questions please contact me on only 94,400kms. Good condition, cab A/C, Cummins Deisel price $115000 inc. gst. Any questions please contact me on
MACK 0423492291, METRO-LINER CH04JT. 2014, NSW. Agitator DIY1013521. with0423 work, 492 418twa. 291. QLD.
SCANIA P380 2008, 6x2 with 3 tonne Tiemann tailift, lazy-lift
MOORE Engine. SLIDING GVM 22T, A TRAILER 6 cylinder, 2011, 6x4 27xaxle, 66 Moore 44887722. sliderQLD.
A 0423492291, CH04JT. NSW. DIY1013521. 0423 492 291.
DIY1005581. 0416 251 517.
fitted, UNREGISTERED. QLD. DIY963513. 0412 211 777.
$115,000 POA Trailer, DIY1003220. Nil. NSW. 0477 DIY1016090. 607 010. 0428 953 430.
$40,000
$50,000 Inc $35,200 GST
$115,000
SCANIA
fitted, U
SCANIA P380 2008, 6x2 with 3 tonne Tiemann tailift, lazy-lift
fitted, UNREGISTERED. QLD. DIY963513. 0412 211 777. $40,000
SCANIA R620 2014, 14 speed manual tipper and 2002
Hamelex white dog trailer. Registered to June 2020. 506,000
km, BZ25RE. NSW. DIY985277. 0418 424 942. $198,000
MACK METRO-LINER 2019 with Metromix evergreen contract,
6FMS15D55KD810432. NSW. DIY1023145. 0422 627 449.
$415,000
ADVERTISE
IN PRINT &
ONLINE
CAT CT630 2015, + 2014 CBB trailer. 580,000kms. Eaton
$
ultra shift. PBS 40 tonne payload. Full service history.
Excellent condition. Will consider separating - tipper truck
$215,000
59
and tipping trailer $80,000, .. VIC. DIY1019336.
0418 104 472. $295,000 ONO - Will Separate
FROM
KENWORTH K104 2000, Kenworth K104 2000, CQ72TF. NSW.
DIY976186. 0408 237 244. $75,000
ISUZU NPR300 MEDIUM 2006, With 4.24mtr furniture pan
style body ex tnt, body external 4.27mtr long 2.28mtr wide,
8.81 cubic mtr internal capacity, with air conditioning, 3
seater, rear step, toddco slide up rear door, battens & ties
rails to suit furniture, timber floor to body, -. QLD. DIY989640.
07 3373 8315. $15,000
OR CALL 1300 362 272
IVECO ACCO 2350G 2003, Cummins 285hp, Allison 6 speed
automatic, air bag rear suspension, parabolic spring load
share front suspension, 541615 klms, 389 VPO. QLD.
DIY993248. 0422 374 733.
$99,000 inc GST
The publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for any losses incurred by a buyer responding
to an advertisement in this magazine. Buyers are solely responsible for their own negotiations and
transactions with advertisers. Bauer Trader Media advises buyers beware of negotiating by email only;
of paying deposits to private advertisers for goods unseen; of transferring money (for example via
Western Union) interstate or overseas. Buyers should contact Bauer Trader Media customer service
on 1300 362 272 if they suspect an advertisement may
SCANIA
be fraudulent.
P380 2008, 6x2
In the
with
event
3 tonne
that
Tiemann
a buyer
tailift,
suffers
lazy-lift
financial loss as a result of responding to a private
fitted,
advertisement
UNREGISTERED.
in this
QLD.
publication
DIY963513.
Bauer
0412 211
Media
777.
Ltd
$40,000
(The Publisher) shall not be held liable or responsible.
MACK METRO-LINER 2019 with Metromix evergreen contract,
6FMS15D55KD810432. NSW. DIY1023145. 0422 627 449.
$415,000
CAT CT
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4/55 Glenbarry Road Campbellfield, Victoria 3061 Telephone:
(03) 9357- 7081 Fax: (03) 9357-8261
Email: sales@volwreck.com.au
Website: www.volwreck.com.au

See page 58
*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE.
*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE.
See page 58
OWD 308 OSFC FREE.indd 1
*Australian residents only
1ST AUGUST - 31ST OCTOBER 2018
PURCHASE 80 LITRES OF VALVOLINE ALL FLEET PLUS TO RECEIVE YOUR
FREE COOLER BAG & GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN 1 OF 5 MAJOR PRIZES!
*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE.
*Australian residents only
1ST AUGUST - 31ST OCTOBER 2018
29/8/18 1:19 pm
((SMALL PICS))
DSC_1588.jpg
DSC_1178-Edit
Volvo - Concepts and Reality - Lead Pic
One of Australia’s most unique
Kenworth T950 Legend
owner’s personal sacrifice
for charity
$100,000 +GST
items for sale
in print & online
Issue 418 • $7.95
On sale 28/08/17
580hp, 18sp RR man • VIC 0438 7 6 058
>NOW
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promata.com.au | 02 9922 7270
ownerdriver
SACKED OWNER DRIVERS
REDUNDANT OWNER DRIVERS
Specialist Transport Legal Advice
Helping Owner Drivers Aust-wide for over 20 years
• Unfair Dismissal and Termination claims
• Underpayment claims re Hourly & Km rates
• Workplace Health and Safety Matters
• Redundancy and Loss of Contract Claims
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• Advice Owner Driver Legislation Australia wide
6 Year Time Limitation Period
CONNECT LEGAL
NO WIN NO FEE
Contact Jake - Principal Solicitor
02 9889 2239
www.connectlegal.com.au
Trucks, trailers, forklifts, parts & accessories for sale
INSIDE
Due lives on
We speak to the owner of the 1960
Peterbilt from the hit movie Duel
Alexandra turns 21
truck events celebrates milestone
Legendary sacrifice
In an exclusive Steve Brooks gets behind the
wheel of Kenworth’s new T900 Legend > Page 213
Legend
$89,000 inc GST $48,000
2 06 Kenworth T904. 2 series GBox, P Bu ton 20 1 Freightliner Coronado FLX. New DD15 2004 Kenworth K104. Cummins Gen 2, 8 0K,
auto, double bunks + more • NSW 0408 575 789 with 1 3 hrs, 79K, 18spd • VIC 03 5831 7 07
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M: 0422 799 302
3 Australian Owned and Manufactured
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Ph: (02) 9899 4090
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QUALITY TRANSPORT COMPONENTS
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canfred@outlook.com
www.canfredengineering.com.au
1800 625 746
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TRANSPORT RECRUITMENT PACKAGES
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via Owner Driver magazine’s
dedicated Jobs section
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PACKAGE
PRICING CONTACT SEAN OWENS ON
0439 739 933 or at
sean.owens@bauertrader.com.au
* Print audience: CAB Audit, March 2018; Web: Google Analytics, average monthly Unique Visitors January-August 2018; Email: SailThru, September 2018
70,970*
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LOGISTICS CONSULTING &
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0467 595 824
www.lojix.net
jim.murray@lojix.net
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07 3888 3477
www.hdsbrisbane.com.au
Unit 32/10-12 Cerium street, Narangba QLD 4504
THE NEW 640HP TGX
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See page 58
*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE.
*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE.
See page 58
OWD 308 OSFC FREE.indd 1
*Australian residents only
1ST AUGUST - 31ST OCTOBER 2018
PURCHASE 80 LITRES OF VALVOLINE ALL FLEET PLUS TO RECEIVE YOUR
FREE COOLER BAG & GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN 1 OF 5 MAJOR PRIZES!
*ENTER AT: VALVOLINEPROMOTIONS.COM.AU. T&C’s AVAILABLE.
*Australian residents only
1ST AUGUST - 31ST OCTOBER 2018
29/8/18 1:19 pm
((SMALL PICS))
DSC_1588.jpg
DSC_1178-Edit
Volvo - Concepts and Reality - Lead Pic
WANTED
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Come and work for Richers Transport: A family owned and operated
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WE HAVE A VARIETY OF POSITIONS IN:
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We are looking for individuals with a HC/MC license,
experience with highway runs, and a clean driving record
If this sounds like you, send your resume to HR@richers.com.au
or contact Tom Richers, Operations Manager,
M: 0432 233 667 E: Tom.richers@richers.com.au.
OWD-EH-5165317-TS-308
THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Transport’s plea
for JobKeeper
expansion
The current criteria is not
seen as conducive to transport
business viability
Seek the right candidates with Owner Driver’s
TRANSPORT RECRUITMENT PACKAGES
SEPTEMBER 2018
ownerdriver
DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL
ENTER TO WIN
THE NEW 640HP TGX
ROADTESTING
EXCLUSIVE:
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PACKAGE
PRICING CONTACT SEAN OWENS ON
0439 739 933 or at
sean.owens@bauertrader.com.au
* Print audience: CAB Audit, March 2018; Web: Google Analytics, average monthly Unique Visitors January-August 2018; Email: SailThru, September 2018
THE NEW 640HP TGX
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Study reveals truck driving
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See page 14
AN HSV COLORADO
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ownerdriver
SEPTEMBER 2018 #308 $3.00 inc. GST
SPORTSCAT +
Rigs rival beef in record
truck show turnout
See page 20
Coasting along
DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL OWNERDRIVER.COM.AU
Cruising the Pacific Coast
in a Benz Actros
Danger zone
Study reveals truck driving
the most dangerous job
MUSCLE
See page 14
WIN
AN HSV COLORADO
Casino trucking
SPORTSCAT +
Rigs rival beef in record
VALUED UP TO $76,429
truck show turnout
See page 20
Coasting along
MAN
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in a Benz Actros
MUSCLE
EXCLUSIVE: ROADTESTING
THE NEW 640HP TGX
Reach over
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MAN
*
EXCLUSIVE:
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THE NEW 640HP TGX
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via Owner Driver magazine’s
dedicated Jobs section
70,970*
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FOR SALE
SUIT OWNER
OPERATORS
4.6 B D TRAILERS WITH WORK
YOU HAVE THE 4.6 B DOUBLE RATED
PRIME MOVER TO TOW OUR TRAILERS?
WE HAVE THE TRAILERS & THE WORK
Linehaul Operating agreements across 3 x major destinations ex
Sydney. Operator needs to purchase 1 x set of our 4.6 B Double rated A
& B Trailers each sector. The Operation is based ex Sydney with nightly
Linehaul Operations to Canberra / Newcastle / Wagga.
• Established Transport Business offering min 250 x operating trips per year each location.
Operating Monday / Friday each week / min 50 x weeks p.a
• Owner Operator needs to have B Double rated Prime Mover for each sector
• Trailers are 4.6 B Double combination Trailers “Purpose Built” A & B trailers
• Supporting maintenance & back up under the agreement
• Owner Operator must be set up & Operating within Pty Ltd company structure
• Owner Operator would need to demonstrate Financial capability to fund the purchase
DETAILS PLEASE RING MOBILE 0405 604 599
TRANSPORT INDUSTRY bodies are
seeking a need to adjust the provision
of JobKeeper payments to adequately
cover transport and logistics
businesses affected by the Covid-19
downturn.
The scheme supports businesses
significantly affected by the
coronavirus and is open to eligible
employers to enable them to pay
an employee’s salary or wages of at
least $1,500 per fortnight. However,
the Australian Trucking Association
(ATA) says trucking businesses and
other providers of essential services
should be automatically eligible for
JobKeeper payments if they need to
stand down staff.
Under the current JobKeeper rules,
businesses with a turnover of $1
billion or less are eligible if their
turnover falls 30 per cent, and those
with a turnover of more than $1
billion are eligible if their turnover
falls 50 per cent.
In a submission to federal treasurer
Josh Frydenberg, the ATA has used
financial modelling developed by the
Queensland Trucking Association
(QTA) to show that a representative
trucking business would not be viable
if its turnover declined 15 per cent.
“It would not be able to retain
enough staff to do enough work to
meet the financing cost of its fleet,”
ATA CEO Ben Maguire says.
“Trucking and the provision of
trucking services involve high fixed
costs and low margins, because of
the cost of keeping modern, reliable
trucks and fully equipped depots
and workshops. The continued
operation of these businesses needs
to be a national priority.
“The ATA believes that government
policy should not force businesses to
close when they are trying to hang
on, keep trading and keep as many of
their people employed as possible.”
In the submission, the ATA calls on
government to:
• allow the tax commissioner to
establish an alternative test for
essential service providers such
as trucking businesses, so that
any essential service provider that
stands down staff is automatically
eligible for JobKeeper payments
• alternatively, if it is considered
that a turnover reduction test
for essential service providers,
ATA CEO Ben
Maguire
including trucking, is needed, the
test should be aligned with the 15
per cent decline in turnover test for
ACNC registered charities
• ensure that the first and second
fortnightly payments under
JobKeeper are made as early as
possible.
The ATA has previously urged the
Government to remove the $1 billion
breakpoint in the JobKeeper scheme.
Similarly, the Australian Logistics
Council (ALC) CEO Kirk Coningham
wrote to the treasurer requesting
that eligibility for the JobKeeper
Payment Scheme be extended to
those providing essential services,
such as freight and logistics services,
such that any essential services
provider that stands down staff is
automatically eligible for JobKeeper.
“ALC believes that the essential
nature of the services our industry
provides should be reflected in
measures the federal government
has put in place to protect jobs in the
current pandemic,” the council says.
“The reality is that most businesses
within Australia’s freight and
logistics sector – whatever their
size – operate on tight margins that
flow from high fixed costs associated
with the purchase and maintenance
of freight vehicles, equipment and
infrastructure.
“ALC is concerned that the blunt
application of a reduced turnover
test at 30 per cent for small and
medium businesses and 50 per cent
for larger businesses to qualify for the
JobKeeper Payment fails to adequately
account for this.”
56 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

advertising feature
SPOTLIGHT
ON TRAILERS
Photo Bohdan Warchomij
Trailer Sales, Service, Repairs & Spare Parts
Contact our office on 08-6310 2222
for any enquiries you may have;
Spare parts, Service & repairs or
New/ used trailer sales enquiries.
G & A Lombardi is pleased to announce it has teamed up again with
MaxiTRANS. Having recently joined the MaxiTRANS Dealer network we
will once again bring you one of the most comprehensive ranges of trailer
types and brands from a single dealership in Western Australia.
G & A Lombardi has taken over distribution in Western Australia of the
full range of MaxiTRANS’ leading trailer brands which include Freighter,
Maxi-CUBE, Lusty EMS, Hamelex White, Trout River, AZMEB and Peki.
Made available from its purpose-built site in Forrestfield, located on a
Double Road Train route.
The partnership today has been re-established and expanded upon
to provide customers with even greater access to a wider range of
complementary transport solutions.
G & A Lombardi will continue to stock the premium Roadwest Transport
Equipment’s renowned Hard-Lite Side-tippers, Steelite end-tippers and
the Roadwest Low-Loader as well as sturdy Tandem and Tri-Axle dollies.
995 ABERNETHY ROAD, FORRESTFIELD, WA 6058
LOMBARDI.COM.AU
sales@lombardi.com.au
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 57

sponsored content
EXPERTS IN QUALITY
Australian-owned business Shephard Transport Equipment specialises in
the manufacture of tippers, trailers and hydraulic trucks. The team recently
built three PBS units for last of the Kenworth T409s that are being used to
haul a range of bulk commodities.
For over four decades family-owned and operated business
Shephard Transport Equipment (STE) has been serving the
Australian transport industry. With its headquarters in
Queensland, the company provides its services to clients across
many states and territories, and certain overseas markets.
The dedicated team of long-serving technicians at Shephard
Transport Equipment are experts in designing, fabricating,
manufacturing and servicing tipper trucks, trailers and hydraulic
trucks. STE also specialises in quality repair and service of such
vehicles, including sourcing and installing quality parts, and
handling insurance jobs. STE has a comprehensive range of tipping
parts led by its spare parts manager Steve Erfurth.
“We are an Australian-owned company, operating locally since
1979. We have capabilities to manufacture and repair trucks or
trailers to the customer’s exact specifications. We can build quality
standard or custom equipment made to complete satisfaction,” STE
managing director Lincoln Salih says.
STE’s Brisbane facility offers quality aluminium and steel
manufacturing, and design services for a variety of trucks and
trailers including, dog, semi, side tipping, B-double, road train, dolly,
flat deck dog, machinery, scissor lift and tag trailers. Earlier this
year, STE built tipper and trailer combinations for three of the
last line of Kenworth T409 trucks. Two of those trucks belong to
Voight Contracting, a well-known bulk haulage service provider
based in Yatala.
“It was exciting to be making truck and dog combinations for
these three Kenworth T409 trucks that were held back on the
assembly line to be the last of the 2020 models. Each of the three
20-metre truck and dog units are PBS approved and capable of
carrying 40 plus tonne payload,” Lincoln says. “The team at Arrow
Transport Repairs did the custom guards and paint work on
these trucks.”
Lincoln’s team custom-designed the trailer combination
for Voight Contracting, making changes to suit their specific
applications. “We asked Lincoln to come up with a lighter version
of the combination that we already had and the design he came up
with is working out really well for us,” Voight’s Operations Manager
Brendon Malanaphy says. “Lincoln’s team used smaller tyres to
reduce the weight of the units so we could increase the payload,
and they lowered the centre of gravity to improve stability. The new
trailers are at least 600-700 kilograms lighter than standard,” he says.
“Even though we have been using the new trailer combination for
less than two months we are already seeing improvements in both
stability and safety, and benefits of increased payload,” Brendon says.
Lincoln’s team makes sure all clients get excellent service with
quick turnaround times and after-hours support, something his
clients can attest. “We’ve had excellent experience working with
Lincoln and his team. They were very flexible during the design
and manufacturing process. Their customer support was equally
impressive,” Brendon says.
Shephard Transport Equipment also offers other services
including painting, hydraulic fit-ups (with controls, guards and
turntables), IROS and vibrator distributors and Okuslide distributors.
It can also provide support with EBS, ABS and mechanical braking
parts and systems for trailers, as well as trailer suspension parts and
service. STE specialises in quality repair works, including rollover
straightening, damaged trailers and trailer bodies, re-sheet floors,
welding cracks, axles, suspensions, turntables, couplings, and
replacement of hinges and pivots.
“We do everything in-house, with locally-sourced quality products.
We are constantly innovating to make sure our customers get the
most cutting-edge designs in addition to our superior service,”
Lincoln says.
For more information, visit www.ste.com.au.
Top: Shephard Transport Equipment
made the new trailers at least 600-
700 kilograms lighter than standard
so Voight could increase the payload
“IT WAS EXCITING TO BE MAKING TRUCK AND
DOG COMBINATIONS FOR THESE THREE KENWORTH
T409 TRUCKS.”
58 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

Shephard Transport Equipment
specializes in the design and
manufacture, as well as
services and repairs of small
and large tippers and trailer.
A COMPREHENSIVE
RANGE OF TIPPER
PARTS INCLUDING
HYDRAULIC KITS
AVAILABLE
DESIGN
MANUFACTURE
We have the experience and expertise to cater
for all tipping needs, large and small, we can
build trailers and make modifications to suit our
client’s needs.
We have a wide range of services on offer to suit any
application. We also have in house engineering and
drafting capability for standard and custom builds.
INSTANT ASSET WRITE OFF NOW INCREASED
TO $150K UNTIL JUNE 2020. MAKING NOW
A GREAT TIME TO INVEST IN YOUR TRUCK
SERVICING OR CUSTOMISATION
REPAIRS
SERVICES
OPENING HOURS
Mon - Fri 8:00AM - 5:00PM
Ph: (07) 3711 0400
31 Arc Place
Larapinta,
Brisbane,
QLD 4110

sponsored content
A VERSATILE ALL-ROUNDER
Hayden Bentley is currently using his new purpose-built Freighter Drop Deck
Semi to haul more than 60 state-of-the-art residential suites to his new cabin
park in South Australia. The multi-purpose trailer will later find its way
around Bentley Group’s other business divisions
Following the success of its Port Pirie venture,
Bentley’s Cabin Parks will be soon opening its
new fully self-contained accommodation park
at Port Augusta. Part of the Bentley Group, the
cabin park division was first set up in 1995
when founder and managing director Hayden
Bentley set up four cabins inspired by his travels
around Australia with his family.
From those humble beginnings, Hayden
gradually expanded his business to set up the
Port Pirie Cabin Park with over 100 fully selfcontained
four-star cabins with a range of one-,
two- and three-bedroom suites, including various
amenities such as spa and basic home and kitchen
appliances. These days, Hayden is busy finalising
the arrangements at the new cabin park that is set
to open later this year.
Parent company, Bentley Group, is a diversified
business that is involved in farming, hospitality
and construction. The new cabins for the Port
Augusta site are being built at Bentley’s own
construction yards based in South Australia. To
transport those cabins, Hayden recently bought
a Freighter Drop Deck Semi with ramps, from
MaxiTRANS.
“We have bought aluminium tippers from
MaxiTRANS previously and in February we picked
up a new multi-purpose Freighter Drop Deck Semi
trailer. We had the trailer purpose-built to suit our
specific needs. The cabins we transport with the
trailer are one- or two-bedroom, with the longest
of them around 10.3 metres long, so we wanted
the base of the deck to be 10.5 metres so the cabin
could fit on it. Its bi-folding ramps were made
removable to make it easier to put the cabins on
and off. We even had it colour-coded to match our
new Scania prime mover so it looks nice on the
road as well,” Hayden says.
Although this trailer was made to suit
Bentley’s Cabin Park’s specific purposes, it is a
general-purpose trailer as well. As a result, it will
also be used to transport various types of loads
including heavy machinery for Bentley Group’s
other farming and construction equipment such
as bulldozers, loaders and graders.
Design ingenuity
The Freighter Drop Deck Semi-Trailer is capable
of delivering low tare weight and carrying
high loads, machinery and silage. Featuring
Freighter’s short, extra strong gooseneck, the
Drop Deck Semi can be engineered to optimise
pallet capacity and spacing on both upper
and lower decks, based on specific freight
requirements.
The wide spaced main beams combined with
low profile frames, deliver complete stability
and centre of gravity. Meanwhile, the use of
sturdy cross members provides a more durable
and reliable trailer. Hayden chose to include the
optional pull out ramps to allow the load to be
driven between the lower and upper decks.
“The quality of the workmanship is fantastic.
Unlike some of the other trailers with ramps
that we have used in the past, the ramps of the
new Freighter trailer have shown no signs of
rusting or physical damage,” Hayden says.
Second to none quality
“We have had good experience with MaxiTRANS
before – we bought aluminium tippers from
them and we’ve been very happy with them. Given
our good experience with MaxiTRANS in the past
it was an obvious choice for us to go to them
again. We knew we had to stick to what we trusted
and what we knew, so going with the Freighter
Drop Deck Semi was an easy decision.
“We have been using MaxiTRANS products for
nearly 10 years and it was good to work with
them again. They made the trailer exactly like
how we wanted. The finished product is excellent.
They’ve thought of everything and finished it
on time. We trust Australian manufacturing
and we like quality. We understand that cheap is
not always the best so we are willing to pay for
quality,” Hayden says.
Like all MaxiTRANS products, the Freighter
Drop Deck Semi is backed by MaxiTRANS’ national
“WE EVEN HAD IT COLOUR-CODED TO MATCH OUR
NEW SCANIA PRIME MOVER SO IT LOOKS NICE ON
THE ROAD AS WELL.”
trailer, parts and service dealer network, and a
two year manufacturer’s warranty. While the new
Freighter trailer will work across most of Bentley
Group’s business divisions, it is not planned to
drive thousands of kilometres in a month so
Hayden expects less need for servicing. However,
he says it is good to know that they have parts
and service support readily available if they need.
For more details, visit www.maxitrans.com.
60 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

DELIVER
THE NEEDS
OF A NATION
Through our leading brands and the support of our unrivalled network of
aftermarket parts and service outlets, MaxiTRANS has a solution to service your
transport needs.
What sets us apart? It’s MaxiTRANS’ ongoing commitment to providing even
greater access to safer, more efficient and reliable transport solutions, that allows
our customers to better deliver the needs of a nation.
Contact MaxiTRANS today to see the difference for yourself.
maxitrans.com

truck test
HINO’S
SHIFTING FOCUS
Hino’s long wheelbase addition to its long-serving 700-series
heavy-duty range certainly packs plenty of punch for a truck
essentially designed for three-axle rigid work. It also packs enough
extras to soften the view – at least for now – that time is starting to
catch up with this stalwart of the Hino stable. Best of all, however,
is the way ZF’s Traxon transmission adds new vim and vigour to a
true toiler, uphill and down. Steve Brooks reports
Above: Smart ’n smooth: ZF Traxon
16-speeder offers exceptional shift
quality and brilliant intuition
while standard Intarder hydraulic
retarder is exceptional
EVEN BEFORE the truck turned a wheel, there was not
an ounce of doubt that Hino’s long wheelbase 2848
six-wheeler rigid would make light work of just about
anything thrown at it.
And to be blunt, we threw plenty, but we’ll get to
that shortly.
The simple basics are that the FS 2848 is a new addition
to Hino’s 700-series heavy-duty line-up, based on a typical
‘Swiss cheese’ chassis stretched to a wheelbase just shy of
6.3 metres for body lengths up to almost 9.2 metres.
So, why the extra-long chassis now?
It’s a reasonable question given that the 700-series has been
around for 12 years or more and for the most part, has been
largely configured for prime mover duties and shorter rigid
work in, say, truck and dog trailer roles. There’s also an eightwheeler
version of the 700-series but even its wheelbase is more
than 300mm shorter than the latest new six-wheeler.
The answer lies in a piece of clever marketing and niche
engineering principally targeting the rural sector and
specifically, cattle carriers with concessional approval in some
areas which allow full use of the model’s 28.3 tonne gross vehicle
mass (GVM) rating.
Yet while rural roles are the main reason for the longer
model’s creation, Hino has no intention of limiting the truck’s
appeal to farming folk alone. Not for a moment! As Hino
Australia’s manager of product strategy, Daniel Petrovski, states
in a press release: “We have developed this truck at the specific
request of our customers – it is suitable for any number of
applications from general farm duties or cattle trucks to
a 14-pallet rigid freight truck or a flat tray with a rearmounted
crane.”
In effect, anything requiring a long wheelbase, tandem-drive
rigid truck with plenty of punch, a proven durability pedigree,
and most impressively, a silky smooth and incredibly intuitive
automated transmission equipped with a hugely effective
in-built retarder.
Again, we’ll get to the details shortly but in the interim, don’t
go thinking Hino’s stretched workhorse doesn’t have at least
some capacity for towing a trailer. For instance, a generous and
somewhat optimistic gross combination mass (GCM) rating of
72 tonnes, the 16-speed version of ZF’s latest Traxon automated
shifter rather than its 12-speed counterpart, plus the retention
of a rather over-sized trailer brake handpiece and associated air
plumbing, all blatantly suggest a pig trailer full of cows, sheep or
indeed pigs, is one of several possible trailer options. Or maybe
a turf truck pulling an earthmoving machine. Whatever, you get
the picture.
But before we get off air plumbing, the site of a small air tank
low-slung halfway down the driver’s side chassis rail appears
odd in the extreme. Surely there’s a less susceptible position
somewhere on such a long chassis.
Anyway, down to the nitty gritty. While the prospect of a
700-series model working at a GCM of 72 tonnes would be
more than a tad ambitious, the same truck working as a long
wheelbase, three-axle rigid flat-top is an entirely different and
somewhat inviting proposition.
Take our road test unit, for example. Befitting its rural
aspirations, the 8.8 metre long tray body was stacked with
large fodder bales to produce an all-up weight of 21 tonnes
which, of course, wasn’t particularly heavy work for a truck
punched with an engine displacing almost 13 litres, pumping
480hp (353kW) and almost 1,600ft-lb (2,157Nm) of torque through
the super-slick and incredibly intuitive ZF Traxon 16-speed
automated shifter.
Consequently, given a truck so amply equipped for such
a relatively light weight, it seemed only fair and reasonable
to tackle a test route tough enough to produce at least some
semblance of sweat for the Hino heavy. Besides, hard hills
became almost mandatory after the enthusiasm of Hino
insiders extolling the merits of the Traxon transmission, not
least a retardation system sporting the truck’s standard engine
compression (Jake) brake working in concert with the ZF
shifter’s three-stage Intarder hydraulic retarder.
It didn’t take long to think of a track which would ask plenty
of the truck, uphill and down, despite its modest bulk. Starting
from Hino headquarters at Taren Point on Sydney’s southern
rim and with almost 5,000km under its belt, the test unit
was steered south down the long descent of Mt Ousley before
reaching the outskirts of the regional centre of Nowra. From
there, a right turn took the Hino up and over the steep, sharply
twisting turns of the Cambewarra climb, along the undulating
floor of Kangaroo Valley before the long, snaking assault of
Barrengarry Mountain and eventually popping out atop the
Southern Highlands. Then, through Bowral and Mittagong, and
a relatively easy jaunt along the Hume Freeway before hitting
suburban snarls and finally, back to Hino headquarters.
All up, almost 350km of hugely diverse and at times, highly
demanding road work, even for a truck so well-endowed for such
a modest weight.
Old and New
With typical Japanese detail, the long wheelbase model’s full title
is ‘FS 2848 AMT AIR 6267’ which, simply explained, means it’s a
480hp (358kW) forward-control truck with a GVM of 28 tonnes,
62 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 63

Top: Long ’n strong: Hino FS 2848
wheelbase is almost 6.3 metres.
Test truck was fitted with an 8.8
metre tray but according to Hino,
body lengths can be up to almost
9.2 metres
Above & below: On the inside: Hino
cab is comfortable and reasonably
practical but the design is aging
fast
using an automated manual transmission (AMT) and riding on
an air-sprung Hendrickson HAS 460 rear suspension. And if you
must know, 6267 is the exact wheelbase length in millimetres,
measured from the centre of the steer axle to the mid-way point
between the drive wheels.
Across the board, however, all Hino 700-series models have
much in common, starting with a tall but increasingly bland
and aging cab. Mounted on a four-point air suspension layout
and with the driver sitting on a quality Isri air-suspended seat,
there’s no denying it’s a sturdy, well-built and from behind
the wheel, comfortable cab. Moreover, there are a number of
worthwhile additions to the cab’s standard appointments.
As Hino’s Daniel Petrovski states in reference to the new
long wheelbase version: “Adding to the truck’s appeal is the allnew
Hino smart multimedia system, which includes standard
reversing camera, and an unprecedented level of vehicle
connectivity and entertainment possibilities.”
The multi-media system uses an Android-based 6.5-inch
multi-touch digital screen with enhanced radio, Wi-Fi and
Bluetooth functions while other features include what Hino
calls ‘a curated’ application store and optional truck-specific GPS
navigation system.
In addition to the standard reverse camera, Hino’s statement
continues, other safety and comfort features on the FS 2848
are an anti-lock braking system (ABS), a driver’s SRS airbag,
mandatory front under-run protection system (FUPS) and
electrically operated and heated rear view mirrors.
Yet even with these features, the overall design and interior
layout lack the finesse and appeal of more modern Japanese
designs, most notably UD’s Quon and Fuso’s Shogun.
“Hino has no intention
of limiting the truck’s
appeal to farming folk
alone.”
Funny thing, Hino and Isuzu are the two biggest selling truck
brands in Australia yet in the heavy end of the business with
their current 700-series and Giga ranges respectively, both sit
well adrift of UD and Fuso in terms of ergonomic style and
overall appointments.
Light duty modernisation
Word has it, however, that Hino has big plans in play. With
its medium-duty 500-series range having already undergone
a thorough and highly successful upgrade, the light-duty
300-series is probably next in line for a major modernisation
program, with the possibility of an official launch later
this year providing the world doesn’t fall further into
Covid-19 contraction.
After that, it’s a fair bet there will be a dramatic revitalisation
of the flagship 700-series family when many of the safety and
operational enhancements delivered in the reborn 500-series
are likely to be carried over to its bigger brother. Hino isn’t
giving any clues about when a rejuvenated heavy-duty line-up
might make an appearance, but our guess is late next year or
soon after.
Vitally, it remains to be seen if this generational update will
include a significant performance boost to Hino’s current
12.9-litre E13C six-cylinder engine, but it would certainly
be surprising if bigger grunt wasn’t part of a substantially
upgraded package. After all, European competitors are now
comfortably pulling substantially bigger performance peaks
from similar displacements. DAF’s latest MX-13 engine, for
instance, now pulls up to 530hp (395kW) and more than 1,900ftlb
of torque from its 12.9-litre displacement while Volvo extracts
540hp (403kW) and a touch over 1,900ft-lb from its evergreen
D13C engine. Not to be outdone, Mercedes-Benz and Scania boast
similar outputs from similarly sized engines.
Yet perhaps the biggest influence for Hino to jump to higher
levels of power and torque will be the fact that no other Japanese
heavy-duty brand currently offers a 13-litre displacement. Not
Fuso, not UD and critically, not market leader Isuzu.
Sure, with its flagship GigaMax model, Isuzu is the only
Japanese maker to currently offer a 500-something rating but
it comes from a lumpy and largely outdated 15.7-litre engine
limited to a relatively tame torque peak of 1,663ft-lb. In the
64 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

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“That retardation effort hits a
stunningly high level.”
Left: It’s a relatively high climb
into the cab but on the road,
vision and handling of the long
wheelbase Hino were extremely
good
RETARDATION OUTPUTS OF HINO WITH ZF INTARDER
STAGE
MAX ENGINE JAKE
PERFORMANCE
MAX ZF INTARDER
PERFORMANCE
MAX BRAKING
POWER OVERALL
1 ON 184KW OFF 0KW 184KW
2 ON 184KW 33% 165KW 349KW
3 ON 184KW 66% 330KW 514KW
4 ON 184KW 100% 500KW 684KW
modern world, engines of this displacement are dispensing at
least 550 to 600hp (410 to 447kW) and a minimum 1,850ft-lb of
torque. To offer less in this day and age is a distinct case of too
much metal and not enough muscle. Or, simply inefficient.
It’s no secret, however, that Isuzu is in close contact with
Cummins for a high performance engine in the 12- to 13-litre
class but so far, and much to Isuzu Australia’s frustration, there’s
nothing on the horizon to suggest a tangible example from this
relationship will appear anytime soon. (We are, however, now
starting to hear reports – very quiet reports – that a prominent
Brisbane fleet operator is heavily involved in development and
trials of a heavy-duty Isuzu model powered by a Cummins ISG
12-litre engine. Stay tuned, but right now that remains another
story for another day.)
As for Fuso and UD, there’s no sign of their corporate master
– Daimler and Volvo respectively – approving the use of ‘family’
engines in the 13-litre class for fear the Japanese brands would
impact on sales of their European brethren.
All this points to a rare opportunity for Hino. After all, with
no corporate commercial clash deriving from its place as an
offshoot of global car giant Toyota, Hino appears to have the
potential to not only take a significant performance leap over its
Japanese competitors in the heavy-duty class, but also become
more of a challenger to the Europeans than ever before.
Right now, the door is wide open for Hino but only time will
tell if a new range of heavies will go far enough to turn what
appears to be obvious potential into commercial reality. One
thing’s for sure, it already has a great transmission to start the
ball rolling.
Across the range
In the meantime, the current 700-series crop will endure as
it is, with the turbocharged, intercooled and overhead cam
E13C common-rail engine continuing to comply with the
Euro 5 emissions standard through a combination of exhaust
gas recirculation (EGR) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
(AdBlue) systems.
Coupled to the engine in the majority of 700-series models,
ZF’s Traxon was added to the Hino range mid-way through last
year, replacing the previous generation of AS-Tronic automated
shifters. First in the stable to offer Traxon was the FY 3248
eight-wheeler which unfortunately, is also the only model in
66 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

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“It’ll be way too much
metal and muscle
for jobs like metro
distribution.”
the heavy-duty range which does not offer Traxon’s Intarder.
Put simply, the reason there is no Intarder on FY is because the
second steer axle is in the way of where Intarder hardware is
located on the transmission.
Next with Traxon was the new long wheelbase FS 2848 and
gradually, the remainder of single-drive and tandem-drive
models in the range. It’s worth noting that of the seven models
in the 700-series line-up, four offer both Traxon and an Eaton
18-speed manual option. However, the long wheelbase 2848 is
Traxon-only.
Hino certainly wasn’t the first truck brand in the country
to offer ZF’s latest and unquestionably greatest transmission
development, but Traxon nonetheless delivers a potent boost to
overall performance and operational efficiency in the 700-series.
Whereas the AS-Tronic used, for example, a relatively standard
clutch fork mechanism, Traxon employs a concentric slave
cylinder for clutch actuation which, according to ZF, provides
faster and significantly more seamless shifts.
The ratio spread is also slightly broader with a deeper first
gear ratio of 14.682:1 and marginally taller overdrive top gear
of 0.82:1.
Yet as slick and seamless as Traxon’s shifts are – remembering
that there was nothing slow or sloppy in the shift performance
of the previous AS-Tronic – and the transmission’s impressive
intuition on steep climbs and sharp descents, it is the improved
braking performance of the water-cooled (using the engine
cooling system) Intarder hydraulic retarder which best
demonstrates the new shifter’s gains.
According to ZF, Intarder performance has jumped from a
highly respectable 3,200Nm of peak braking effect in AS-Tronic
to a fierce 4,000Nm in Traxon.
But it’s when the braking power of Hino’s standard engine
compression brake is added to the three stages of Intarder
that retardation effort hits a stunningly high level. At the
first click of the four-stage wand on the steering column,
Hino’s engine brake delivers a reasonable 184kW of braking
power. The next click adds the first stage of Intarder, taking
combined braking power to 349kW. The next stage adds
330kW to take overall braking power to a lusty 514kW while
the final click on the wand pulls 500kW from Intarder to
Above: Hino’s 12.9 litre E13C
engine uses EGR and SCR to meet
Euro 5 emissions standards.
Strange, however, was a small air
tank slung low under the centre of
the chassis
push total braking effect to a remarkable 684kW.
Furthermore, there are two ways to use the retardation system.
One, obviously enough, is the wand on the steering column
and two is to engage a dash-mounted switch that allows the
various levels of retardation to be delivered by pressure on the
footbrake. The more pressure, the higher the level of retardation
until, of course, there’s enough pressure to bring the service
brakes on.
It’s not difficult to come to grips with the foot-operated
system and older folk may recall that Scania once used a similar
system to engage its sadly ineffective exhaust brake in earlier
generations. There is, however, nothing ineffective about
Intarder. In fact, so effective was the combined effort of engine
brake and Intarder in the relatively light test truck, it was
easy to apply a tad too much pressure on the brake pedal
which in auto mode occasionally caused an unwanted and
unwarranted downshift.
Personally, the wand was a far simpler and smoother way to
tailor such a powerful and responsive retardation effort.
Yet no matter how it’s applied, this level of retardation in a
six-wheeler truck grossing 21 tonnes is phenomenally effective.
Mt Ousley, for example, where the 40km/h descent speed for
trucks was met with almost ridiculous ease. Indeed, starting the
run down with the shifter in 10th gear and second stage on the
retarder wand quickly proved to be too much effort. A happy
medium was soon found with the first stage of the retarder and
11th gear, plus an occasional shift up to 12th when the grade
eased slightly, comfortably keeping the truck slightly under the
40km/h limit. Easy!
Cruising contentedly down to Nowra, the next big test was
the Cambewarra climb and again, the long wheelbase meant
Hino made easy work of what is normally a formidable route
for any truck. In fact, the transmission’s ability to basically
‘read’ the hill and make full use of the engine’s torque reserves
was no less evident and impressive than the control and safety
demonstrated by the retardation system on the steeply twisting
descent into Kangaroo Valley.
Likewise on the testing Barrengarry assault where the
handling and vision of the Hino were pronounced and almost
as impressive as the transmission’s ability in full auto mode
to again make maximum use of the engine’s torque reserves.
What’s more, when shifts were needed, they came sweet and
smooth with almost no discernible delay, while on those very
few occasions when a shift to manual mode seemed appropriate,
it was only to hold the transmission in a particular gear rather
than actually make a shift up or down.
Over the last of the long climbs and with 200km of diverse and
regularly demanding work under its belt by the time the truck
hauled into Mittagong, Hino’s ‘unprecedented level of vehicle
connectivity’ was allowing boffins at HQ in Taren Point to see a
fuel return of 2.6km/litre, or 7.3 mpg, for the trip to that point.
From then on with the truck notching 100km/h around
1,600rpm, it was an easy dawdle down the Hume Freeway back to
Hino head office where, through relatively light traffic, the final
150km or so revealed a thrifty 3.38km/litre (9.55mpg).
According to Hino, the overall fuel figure for the trip was
2.88km/litre, or 8.1mpg, which to my mind seemed entirely
acceptable given the size and output of the engine and demands
of the route.
As a six-wheeler rigid, the long wheelbase Hino is a lot of truck
and to some minds, it’ll be way too much metal and muscle for
jobs like metro distribution.
To others, not least cow cockies looking to maximise axle
allowances over a long wheelbase, yet with the capacity for a
generous tray body and the performance and drivetrain to tow a
trailer of sorts, the FS 2848 looks the goods.
Just as Hino intended, no doubt.
68 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

In times like these, it is important to acknowledge
our dependency on the men and women in
Australia’s road freight industry, who continue to
go above and beyond to get much needed supplies
across the country and into our homes.
So to all the truckies, long haulers, last milers,
loaders, couriers, packers, their families and
everyone behind the scenes in the supply chain,
we at NatRoad thank you for helping Australian
families in our everyday lives and in our moment
of need.
Share the recognition #thanktruck
NatRoad is the only national member organisation for the road
transport industry. Whether you’re large, small, or somewhere in
between, our expert team has the knowledge, advice and support
you need to keep your business moving.
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For more information:
Call 1800 272 144
Visit www.natroad.com.au
Email info@natroad.com.au

tech briefs
Steer tyre for the longer haul
TYRE BEHEMOTH Bridgestone says
it has reset the benchmark for steer
tyres with the launch of its next
generation flagship steer tyre,
the R154.
It is the first of several significant
launches for Bridgestone commercial
products over the next two years as
the company revitalises its TBR range.
“The Bridgestone R154 utilises
a newly designed pattern which
reduces the occurrence of rib tears
and cutting/chipping in regional
and on/off road applications,” the
company states.
“Optimisation of the top and
base tread compound layers and
improvements to irregular wear have
also reduced base tread compound
exposure incidents significantly.
“The pattern design of the
R154, base tread compound, and
construction has led to better worn
appearance over the predecessor
products, maximising the life of the
tyre through a significant reduction
in shoulder edge wear and base tread
compound exposure.
“The sturdy construction means
R154 is also suitable for retreading
multiple times.
“The optimised crown shape
enhances handling characteristics,
as well as delivering a more
comfortable ride at the recommended
pressure.
“As a result, the R154 eliminates
the temptation to underinflate steer
tyres and compromise wear life.”
The successor to the market
leading R150, it will also serve as
the replacement of the R156 after
proving its durability though realworld
local testing.
The new tyre has shown an
advantage of 18-32 per cent over
its predecessors, depending on the
application.
In turn, Bridgestone “projects an
advantage of between 20-40 per cent
over R154’s nearest competitor based
on the correlation of benchmark
tests and previous comparisons with
competitor products”.
According to Bridgestone
Australia sales director Heath
Barclay, the R154’s results surpassed
expectations.
“The introduction of the
Bridgestone R154 allows us to
simplify our Bridgestone steer tyre
range without compromising on
characteristics our R150 and R156
customers are accustomed to, and
show even greater value through
our longest lasting steer tyre ever,”
Barclay says.
“R150 and R156 were the obvious
benchmarks for the new R154, but we
had other ambitious targets in place
which have been surpassed in the
development of the new tyre.
“We’re certain that the R154 will
prove to be the ideal choice for
steer applications for linehaul
applications, coaches and also be
suitable for medium on/off road
duties and metropolitan truck and
bus fitments.”
Bridgestone Australia says
the parent company invested
significantly in the development
of the R154, championed by the
Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand
Technical Field Services team,
“ensuring it meets the necessary
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70 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

Hino aims for 600km range with fuel cell truck
HINO AND TOYOTA have agreed to
jointly develop a heavy-duty fuel cell
truck, and to proceed with initiatives
toward its practical use through
verification tests and other means.
Through their respective
‘Environmental Challenges’, Hino
and Toyota have signalled their
intentions to reduce CO2 emissions
by 2050 and are both developing
electric vehicle technologies for
widespread use in society.
In order to achieve further
reductions in CO2 emissions, Hino says
major improvements will be required
in the environmental performance
of heavy-duty trucks, which account
for about 60 per cent of the total CO2
emissions from commercial vehicles
in Japan.
For the electrification of commercial
vehicles, the optimum powertrain must
be adopted to ensure both outstanding
environmental performance and
just-right practicality as a business
vehicle in terms of cruising range, load
capacity, and other aspects depending
on the usage.
Heavy-duty trucks are typically used
for highway transportation and are
therefore required to have sufficient
cruising range and load capacity as
well as fast refuelling capability.
For this reason, fuel cell vehicles that
run on hydrogen with its higher energy
density are considered effective.
The heavy-duty fuel cell truck in this
joint development project is based
on Hino Profia, which is known in
Australia as the Hino 700 Series.
According to Hino, it is being
developed taking maximum advantage
of the technologies both Toyota and
Hino have developed over the years.
The chassis is specially designed
with the optimum packaging for a
fuel cell vehicle, and steps are being
taken through comprehensive weight
reduction to ensure a sufficient load
capacity, Hino says.
The powertrain is equipped with
two Toyota fuel cell stacks that have
been newly developed for Toyota’s next
Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle
and includes vehicle driving control
that applies heavy-duty hybrid vehicle
technologies, developed by Hino.
The cruising range will be set at
approximately 600km, aiming to meet
high standards in both environmental
performance and practicality as a
commercial vehicle.
Toyota and Hino have both
positioned hydrogen as an important
energy source for the future and
have worked together on developing
technologies and spreading and
innovating fuel cell vehicles for over 15
years since their joint demonstration
trials of the fuel cell bus in 2003.
“This is an exciting project for Hino
at a global level,” says Daniel Petrovski,
product strategy manager for Hino
Australia.
“Here in Australia, Hino is committed
to the Hino Environmental Challenge
2050 and has proven to be a leader
in the reduction of emissions of
commercial vehicles.
“We were the first truck manufacturer
in Australia to introduce a hybrid
commercial vehicle, the Hino 300 Series
Hybrid, in 2007.
“It is the best-selling diesel-electric
commercial vehicle in Australia with
over 600 sales.”
Hino Environmental Challenge
2050 was established in 2017, of which
one part is the New Vehicle Zero CO2
Emissions Challenge, through which
Hino aims to cut its average carbon
dioxide emissions from new vehicles
by 90 per cent (compared to 2013
levels).
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MAY 2020 71

tech briefs
Daimler and Volvo connect for fuel
cell venture
TWO OF THE BIGGEST names in truckmaking,
Daimler and Volvo, are aiming
to form a 50-50 joint venture to explore
fuel cells for heavy-duty vehicles.
The move is a decisive shift in favour
of fuel cell technology at a time when
electric propulsion’s future has been
territory disputed with battery power
proponents.
Still at an early stage, it so far involves
Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group
signing a preliminary non-binding
agreement to establish the JV.
Their intention is to develop, produce
and commercialise fuel cell systems for
heavy-duty vehicle applications and
other uses.
Daimler aims to consolidate all its
current fuel cell activities in the joint
venture.
The Volvo Group would then acquire
50 per cent in the joint venture for about
Euro 600 million (A$1.03 billion) “on a
cash and debt free basis”.
“Truly CO2-neutral transport can
be accomplished through electric
drive trains with energy coming
either from batteries or by converting
hydrogen on board into electricity,”
Daimler Truck chairman Martin Daum
says.
“For trucks to cope with heavy
loads and long distances, fuel cells
are one important answer and a
technology where Daimler has built
up significant expertise through its
Mercedes-Benz fuel cell unit over the
last two decades.”
It has been a busy and surprising past
five months for Volvo Trucks globally on
the cooperation front, with the group
having formed a strategic alliance with
Isuzu in December which sees UD go to
the Japanese company.
The latest move dovetails with the
European Union’s European Green Deal
initiative towards carbon neutrality by
2050, announced last December.
That occurred a matter of weeks
after Daimler Trucks & Buses
nominated 2039 for its CO2-neutral
driving operations in major northern
hemisphere markets.
“Electrification of road transport is
a key element in delivering the so
called Green Deal, a carbon neutral
Europe and ultimately a carbon
neutral world,” Volvo Group president
and CEO Martin Lundstedt says.
“Using hydrogen as a carrier of green
electricity to power electric trucks in
long-haul operations is one important
part of the puzzle, and a complement
to battery electric vehicles and
renewable fuels.
“By forming this joint venture, we
are clearly showing that we believe
in hydrogen fuel cells for commercial
vehicles. But for this vision to become
Above: Assembly line for a fuel cell drive unit
at Daimler’s research centre in Kirchheim-
Nabern, Germany
reality, other companies and institutions
also need to support and contribute to
this development, not least in order to
establish the fuel infrastructure needed.”
The joint venture is to operate as an
independent and autonomous entity,
with Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group
continuing to be competitors in all other
areas of business.
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72 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au

Truck makers offer stimulus incentives
A NUMBER of truck makers in Australia
see Covid-19 economic stimulus
measures as giving impetus to
strategic business investments in
new equipment.
One of those is Isuzu, which points
to the instant asset write-off (IAWO)
threshold increase as a critical measure
Australian businesses can take
advantage of, especially those reliant
on capital equipment, alongside the
Backing Business Investment accelerated
depreciation schedules, support for the
flow of credit and the many programs
focused on individuals and families.
“As this unprecedented health and
economic crisis continues to unfold
and disrupt, we’re encouraged to see the
federal government take the necessary
action to help Australian businesses
survive,” Isuzu Australia Limited (IAL)
director Andrew Harbison says.
“The IAWO measures are of particular
note as they allow businesses to
immediately write-off multiple asset
purchases, realise significant tax
deductions and provide cash-flow
benefits in the process.
“This assistance presents clear
economic benefit for a range of
businesses, but also helps to meet the
increased demand on the road transport
and logistics sectors right now.”
Mr Harbison says a nationally
consistent, collective approach is needed
for transport and logistics to achieve
strong economic recovery.
“It’s this foundational public support
and the confidence-building measures
that allow individual businesses to also
take the required steps and to continue
to invest, and slowly we can build the
much-needed critical mass,” he says.
“We hear a lot about being ‘in this
together’ in relation to the COVID crisis,
and the same is true in an industryspecific
sense.
“If we’re cognisant of the benefits of
closing ranks around our sector and
taking full advantage of the measures on
offer, we stand the best chance possible
to recover, and recover well.”
“We [Isuzu] have a specific role as a
capital equipment OEM; we remain
committed to ensuring our customers
have every support they need during
this difficult time, and we’ll continue to
do so.
“Notably, Isuzu Trucks wants to thank
every Australian continuing to work in
the freight and road transport sector
during this crisis.”
Meanwhile, Iveco sees the countdown
to the end of financial year as
“always being a great time for buyers
of commercial vehicles to land an
attractive deal, as manufacturers look to
clear stock holdings”, and the stimulus
efforts provide even more impetus for
prospective buyers.
Its response, until the end of June
or while stocks last, is “sharp pricing
and extra value across selected Daily,
Eurocargo and Australian-manufactured
Stralis AD/AT models”.
“In light of recent events, we’ve seen
Iveco is including a
five-year/300,000km
factory warranty on
Eurocargo ML120
and ML160 models as
well as a conditional
bonus $3,000 Visa card
the importance of the road transport
sector and the fantastic work the
industry is doing to keep Australia
moving,” Iveco Australia marketing
manager Damon Paull says.
“Demand for commercial vehicles
continues to be steady at this time, and
we trust that the additional incentives
that Iveco is offering until the end of
June, makes putting one of our vehicles
to work an even more appealing
proposition.”
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MAY 2020 73

to lease oil reserve space in the United States
is a fast enough back-up.
INDUSTRY COMMENT Steve Skinner
Just in time for a rethink
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted how
ridiculous ‘Just in Time’ logistics has become, so why
is the national trucking regulator arguably making
it even easier for customers to push drivers?
THERE ARE hopefully a few
positive things emerging for the
Australian trucking industry from
the virus crisis.
One is increased respect from
the general public for what the
trucking industry does. An ABC
radio program even recently described
truckies as the “unsung heroes” of the
pandemic. A pity its website has a photo
obviously taken in Europe of trucks driving
on the opposite side of the road.
Another positive thing is fewer singleoccupant
cars clogging up the roads in
peak hours. Hopefully both employers and
employees will realise there is huge scope
for many people to continue working from
home, at least part of the time.
When this is all over, governments
should further encourage remote working
by bringing in congestion taxes on cars
in CBDs, which, according to the Grattan
Institute, would mostly hit better-off
motorists and have benefits long distances
away.
Then there is the virus crisis highlighting
the fact that ‘Just in Time’ (JIT) logistics
has gone mad. Who really needs any item
from the supermarket right here and now?
Who needs that online-ordered dog toy
tomorrow? And considering what the nation
is currently going through, is it really the
end of the world if that box of car parts or
that pallet of cheese arrives in a couple of
days rather than overnight?
What driver enjoys the pressure of having
the warehouse guys revving up their
forklifts in anticipation before ripping open
the curtains when you have barely backed
onto the dock?
Further, using shipping containers and
the back of trucks as mobile warehouses
is a risky strategy. Companies worked out
long ago that not storing products on-site
saves them money in inventory costs when
everything is going smoothly. This might
produce fat bonuses for executives, but
as we are all now discovering, it doesn’t
take much to disrupt the JIT supply chain
very quickly.
Heaven forbid if anything disrupts our
embarrassingly low stocks of diesel. The
Australian Trucking Association certainly
doesn’t think the Government’s recent plan
STEVE SKINNER studied
economics and worked as
a journalist with Sydney’s
Sun-Herald newspaper and
ABC radio and TV for nearly
20 years. Steve has a family
background in transport
and a deep interest and
passion for all things
trucking. Over the past
decade he has combined
freelance journalism with
interstate truck driving
“The
standard
working
fortnight
for most
people
in the
workforce
is less than
80 hours.”
‘ADVANCED’ FATIGUE MANAGEMENT?
Which leads us onto the issue of how
much or how little governments should
get involved in JIT logistics in the public
interest.
At the very least, most in the trucking
industry agree there have to be rules
regulating work hours for truck drivers.
Before reading on remember this: old
eastern logbooks used to allow two hours’
work on top of 12 hours’ driving as standard.
The authorities have made criminals out
of anyone fudging the current 12-hour book
if they don’t include loading/unloading
time; and often penalise drivers with steep
fines if they accidentally write in a mistake.
Yet, you can do exactly the same things
perfectly legally on a 14-hour Basic Fatigue
Management (BFM) work diary. But hands
up who thinks drivers on this BFM system
are safer and healthier – and with better
sleeping conditions – than someone on the
standard 12 hours?
Considering the almost total lack of
flexibility with both the 12 and 14-hour
logbooks, can anyone explain why the
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is
actually encouraging operators to take up a
system which allows drivers to work nearly
16 hours? And who really needs to be able to
work up to 150 hours a fortnight?
This sort of stuff is allowed under
AFM (Advanced Fatigue Management)
being promoted by the NHVR. It would
be interesting to know how many people
involved with the NHVR have ever worked
16 hours in a single day/night, let alone
anywhere near 150 hours in a fortnight. The
standard working fortnight for most people
in the workforce is less than 80 hours.
And the accreditation process looks open
to a lot of discretion.
Apart from the likes of livestock carters
who have animal welfare to keep in mind,
and say remote operators who don’t want
to be parked up in the middle of the
Nullarbor for 24 hours, who on east coast
linehaul for example really needs these
sorts of hours?
Doesn’t it just pander to cowboy
customers who then have a licence to stuff
long-distance drivers around even more
at their distribution centres, before telling
them they still have to get to the other end
by the same deadline?
How much trust can we place in the
honesty of some of the AFM operators in
a recent NHVR survey which concluded
there had been no fatigue-related incidents
involving AFM operators in the previous
12 months?
Sure there are hours trade-offs and
‘countermeasures’ in the AFM system, but
who is going to audit them in real life rather
than just on paper provided by the operator,
let alone do on-site spot checks of the
claimed wonderful loading and unloading
practices of customers?
Remember that in the more than two
decades that Chain of Responsibility on
fatigue has been around, to the best of
our knowledge there has never been a
single prosecution of a customer. And
there have been very few prosecutions
of operators either.
It’s the driver who always gets whacked,
and goes to jail if something goes wrong.
So perhaps the NHVR could think harder
about whether it is inadvertently ratcheting
up the pressure for drivers.
ownerdriver.com.au
MAY 2020 74

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