Owner/Driver #341

ownerdriver
JUNE 2021 #341 $3.00 inc. GST
DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE PERSON BEHIND THE WHEEL
Destined to drive
Gemma Pilbeam: at home
in a Western Star 4900
See page 60
Scania’s
double shot
New R450 set for
B-double duties
See page 76
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Let’s clear the air
over illegal engine
remapping
Remapped engines release
60x more pollutants
To ensure the heavy vehicle industry does its part to
minimise impact on the environment, all new trucks
sold in Australia since 2010 must meet Euro V Vehicle
Emission Standards.
The illegal practice of engine remapping means the
vehicle will not comply with these standards, putting
truck drivers and the public at risk of harm.
Exposure to toxic diesel emissions in the workplace,
our communities, schools and the environment causes
major health risks.
The NHVR’s priority is to protect the safety of drivers and
the community, helping to ensure a productive and
sustainable heavy vehicle industry.
To find out more on the risks and penalties visit nhvr.gov.au/engineremapping

Contents #341
JUNE 2021
60
20 BRISBANE BEATS THE ODDS
After facing immense assaults on
its future from various sources, the
2021 Brisbane Truck Show proved why
it is truly the trucking industry’s
foremost event
30 ALONG THE TRAILER TRAIL
The Brisbane Truck Show proved that
Australia is home to some of the world’s
best and toughest trailer manufacturers
33 AFTERMARKET EXTRAVAGANZA
Parts and accessories stands were
spread across three big floors at the
Brisbane Truck Show
42 MUTUAL MILESTONES
While Paccar Australia celebrates 50 years
of truck manufacturing, it’s also 75 years
since Brown & Hurley opened its doors
44 PICTURE PERFECT
Gavin Sutton’s retired ’89 Mack Super-
Liner was earmarked for the show
circuit, but it’s now back in the workforce
54 RESTORATION BLUES
With decades in transport behind him,
Bob Miller’s 1955 Dodge and ’64 B-model
Mack are reminders of his working past
60 DESTINED TO DRIVE
Gemma Pilbeam always had a
fascination with the trucking industry.
Now she’s behind the wheel of a smart
Western Star 4900
72 DETAILED THE DRAKE WAY
Drake Collectibles’ latest replica model,
the limited edition 1988 Bicentennial
Mack, is a hot item for truck lovers of
all ages
20
76 SCANIA RAISES THE STAKES
In this wide-ranging report, we start with
a Sydney to Melbourne test drive in a new
R540 B-double before catching up oneon-one
with Scania Australia’s managing
director Mikael Jansson
44
“I was
delivering
equipment on
the float before
I even had my
full car licence.”
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4 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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OWD-FP-5210196-CS-341

ownerdriver
EDITORIAL
Editor: Greg Bush
Ph: 07 3101 6602 Fax: 07 3101 6619
E-mail: Greg.Bush@aremedia.com.au
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Technical Editor: Steve Brooks
E-mail: sbrooks.trucktalk@gmail.com
Contributors: Warren Aitken, Frank
Black, Warren Caves, Warren Clark, Rod
Hannifey, Michael Kaine, Sarah Marinovic,
Sal Petroccitto, Robbie Tyoson, Ken Wilkie
Cartoonist: John Allison
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BEHIND THE WHEEL Greg Bush
New age road charges
THE RECENT COVID outbreak in Melbourne has
again highlighted to Australians that, despite
intenational border restrictions, this virus will
be with us for some time to come. So, while the
trucking industry will keep doing what it has
been successfully doing since the pandemic hit in
early 2020, there remains a degree of nervousness
around event scheduling for the foreseeable future.
Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), the organisers of
the recent Brisbane Truck Show, must be breathing a sigh of
relief that its big event went ahead without any drama last
month. Despite COVID concerns, the trucking community
turned up in droves to check out the latest trucks, trailers and
industry innovations.
The importance of the event was reflected during a
speech on the Brisbane Truck Show’s opening day by Daniel
Whitehead, CEO of Daimler Truck & Bus. While Whitehead
voiced his disappointment that certain exhibitors had failed
to support the industry by not turning up, his remark that the
Brisbane Truck Show was currently the “biggest truck show in
the world” highlighted how well Australia is doing in regards
to minimising the effects of COVID.
Truck events worldwide, notably in Europe and the USA,
have been placed on the backburner, although organisers of
the big Mid-America Truck Show, held in Louisville, Kentucky,
have announced that the event will return next March
following its cancellation this year. Many more are set to be
back on the calendar in 2022 due to the vaccine rollout.
Back in Brisbane, one of the most intriguing aspects of
the show was the increasing number of electric vehicles on
display, from vans to rigids and right through to batterypowered
prime movers. For the non-believers who scoffed at
this section of the industry’s progression, this was a reminder
that electric commercial vehicles primarily aimed at last-mile
deliveries are quickly arriving from a wide range of inventive
manufacturers.
The benefits are many: zero emissions, low noise pollution
and less reliance on fossil fuels. Governments should be
rejoicing at this scenario. Instead, they are perturbed about
missing out on revenue, namely fuel excise.
The Victorian government has come to realise that “electric
vehicle uptake is inevitable”. While it promotes the ideal of
reducing emissions and mitigating climate change, the fear
of losing revenue has promoted Victoria to introduce a road
user charge specifically for electric vehicles, despite the small
percentage currently on the road.
Whether this dampens the enthusiasm for would-be electric
vehicle buyers remains to be seen.
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6 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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The Goods
NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Vale: Cummins stalwart Col Baker
Former truck driver and highly valued Cummins executive Colin
(Col) Baker loses his battle with cancer at age 52
ONE OF THE MOST respected, dedicated
and genuinely liked people in the
Cummins realm, Col Baker has passed
away at the age of just 52 after a long
and fiercely fought battle with cancer.
A true gentleman of the trucking
industry and an immensely trusted
colleague within the Cummins
company and its vast customer
community, Col is survived by his wife
Jenny and three daughters.
Born in Longreach and a
Queenslander to the core, Col first
trained as a mechanic before turning
his hand to truck driving where he
gained a founding appreciation for
the world of truck operators and the
road freight industry.
He joined Cummins in 2000
as a mechanic working in the
Darra (Brisbane) branch where his
commitment to customers and
mentoring others in the Cummins
network saw him rise to a leadership
role in the engine company’s
Queensland truck and bus markets.
With an engaging personality
and inherent appreciation for the
importance of customer satisfaction,
all mixed with an almost insatiable
initiative, Col was able to nurture
and maintain the respect of a wide
cross-section of industry partners
from customers to truck dealers and
brand executives. His friendships
spanned all sectors of the trucking
industry, from drivers and mechanics,
fleet operators to chief executives.
Given his abilities and experience,
it was perhaps inevitable that his
services would eventually necessitate
a move to Cummins head office in
Melbourne during a difficult time
for the company when senior people
of Col’s ilk would be an invaluable
asset in maintaining customer
relationships.
“Col Baker was the best example
of living out the values of integrity,
caring, teamwork and the pursuit
of excellence,” says close friend and
Cummins colleague, Mike Fowler.
“The courage he demonstrated
during his fight with cancer has been
nothing short of inspirational but, in
truth, it was just so typical of him. We
truly mourn the loss of a dear friend
and our sincere and heartfelt thoughts
are with his wife Jenny and family.
“Cummins and the wider trucking
industry have lost someone very
special.”
– Steve Brooks
The late
Col Baker
monroe.com.au
OWD-HH-5211106-CS-318
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8 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Heavy vehicle limits for aging bridge
Transport for NSW plans noninfrastructure
improvements for the
Hume Highway’s Sheahan Bridge
TRANSPORT for New South Wales’
(TfNSW) moves are afoot on the
ageing Sheahan Bridge northbound
at Gundagai, NSW’s Livestock Bulk and
Rural Carriers Association (LBRCA)
and the National Road Transport
Association (NatRoad) report.
Transport for NSW has announced
that short-term improvements will be
carried out to improve access, while
planning work is underway to ensure
future capacity and efficiency for
heavy vehicles on the Hume Highway.
“Sheahan Bridge northbound, over
the Murrumbidgee River at Gundagai,
was built in 1977 to the standards
of the day, however, modern heavy
vehicles are now capable of carrying
heavier and longer loads than could
have ever been imagined 44 years ago,”
the LBRCA points out.
“Due to the bridge’s design
capabilities, it has previously been
inaccessible for higher productivity
vehicles. However, following
the weather event in March and
demolition of Wallendbeen Bridge on
Burley Griffin Way, Sheahan Bridge
northbound has been opened, under
permit, to these vehicles to allow the
efficient transportation of freight.
“To allow this short-term measure,
TfNSW are investigating a series
of non-infrastructure solutions to
ensure the bridge remains safe and
fit-for-purpose, including limiting
the northbound bridge to one lane
of traffic for trucks and installing
cameras and monitoring equipment
on the bridge to identify vehicle
numbers, loads and how the bridge
responds to these loads.”
The Australian Trucking Association
(ATA) welcomed initial moves to
address the bridge’s issues last
September.
NatRoad underlines that the Hume
Highway is the nation’s busiest
The Sheahan Bridge over the
Murrumbidgee River
interstate freight route and carries
40 per cent of the total national road
freight task.
“NatRoad supports the work of
Transport for NSW to make the
much-needed upgrades to the
bridge required for accessibility to
all heavy vehicles using this major
route but especially an expansion
of capacity so that 30 metre A-doubles
or quad B-doubles can be used on
the entire length of the Hume
Highway and operate under a
notice rather than on a limited
permit basis,” it says.
“More must also be done to provide
a larger number of rest areas along
the Hume as well as upgrades to
existing rest areas along the highway
to allow for the longer length of
combinations.”
The LBRCA notes two main actions
that can be expected:
• Over the coming months, TfNSW
will be carrying out short-term
improvements. This may include
the introduction of a heavy vehicle
lane restriction, upgrades to line
marking and installation of data
collection cameras
• There may be temporary traffic
changes. Electronic signage near the
bridge will alert road users to the
changed conditions.
10 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Call to put brakes on award increase
NatRoad deems ACTU demand ‘unrealistic’
while TWU backs 3.5 per cent increase
THE NATIONAL ROAD Transport Association (NatRoad) is
rejecting Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) calls
for a 3.5 per cent increase across all awards rates, which
it claims is crucial for post-pandemic economic recovery.
Instead, NatRoad CEO Warren Clark seeks “cool heads
and realism” in the push for a higher minimum wage.
He says the ACTU claim amounts to a rise of $30.24 per
week for a local driver of a single articulated vehicle and
$31.57 per week for a local driver of a B-double, which
places too high a burden on small businesses while the
economy is still in a post-COVID recovery phase.
“NatRoad believes now is not the time to make an
ambit claim of this size,” Clark says.
“Last year the ACTU sought a 4 per cent increase, but
the Fair Work Commission’s [FWC’s] minimum wage
panel settled on 1.75 per cent in recognition of the
effects of the pandemic.
“Those effects are still being felt and uncertainty
remains, so cool heads and realism must prevail.
“That may not sound a lot but when the vast majority
of heavy vehicle operators are small businesses
operating on a profit margin of 3 per cent, it can
break someone.
“NatRoad supports the federal government’s
submission in urging the FWC to take a cautious
approach given the current uncertainties in the
domestic and international economic outlook.”
Though not putting an exact figure on an acceptable
increase, Clark says keeping small business viable is “not
negotiable” right now and the minimum wage increase
should be discounted to take into account the rise in the
superannuation guarantee from 9.5 per cent to 10 per
cent that is due from July 1, 2021.
The FWC’s minimum wage panel decided that due to
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and government
efforts to prevent the spread of the virus there were
exceptional circumstances to justify deferring the wage
increases in certain industries, NatRoad notes.
As a result, the 1.75 per cent increase to the minimum
rates in the two road transport awards and the clerks
award were delayed to November 1, 2020.
NatRoad is at odds with the Transport Workers’ Union
(TWU), which supports the ACTU push for a 3.5 per cent
increase for workers on Awards, including drivers.
“This is a fair increase given the effort drivers have
put in over the past year and given the ballooning
profits of retailers, manufacturers and oil companies
at the top of the supply chain,” TWU national secretary
Michael Kaine says.
“Drivers have proved themselves during the pandemic
to be essential workers, willing to risk their own health
and lives to keep goods flowing around Australia.
“They overcame last-minute border closures, confusing
state entry permits, closed truck stops and continual
COVID tests to keep doing their jobs.
“At the same time, many of the companies whose
goods they are transporting have seen their profits soar.
“Global and domestic retailers have boomed during
the pandemic: Aldi Australia grew its sales in 2020
by 10 per cent to $10.5 billion; Amazon last week
announced profits up 224 per cent to US$8 billion;
Apple said its profits have more than doubled to
US$23.6 billion,” Kaine says.
“We don’t think it’s right that drivers should work long
hours and yet struggle to support their families and put
food on the table as all other costs go up.
“We don’t think it’s right that drivers are pushed to
speed, skip their rest breaks and drive faulty trucks while
obscene profits are being made by the companies whose
goods they are carting.”
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12 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Warehouse owner in Fair Work sights
Sydney warehouse distribution workers allegedly
underpaid more than $360,000 in 12-month period
THE FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN (FWO) has announced
that it has commenced action under the ‘serious
contravention’ provisions of the Protecting
Vulnerable Workers laws, alleging the underpayment
of 30 migrant employees in Sydney.
The FWO has commenced proceedings in the
Federal Court against Winit (AU) Trade Pty Ltd, a Hong
Kong-owned company that provides warehousing
and distribution services in Sydney for products sold
on online platforms, including eBay.
Also facing court is the company’s director and
general manager, Song Cheng.
The regulator alleges Winit underpaid 30 employees
a total of $368,684 under the Services and Wholesale
Award 2010 between July 2017 and June 2018.
All 30 employees were working holiday visa
holders, mostly from Taiwan and aged in their
20s, who performed various duties associated
with sorting, loading and packing goods at Winit’s
warehouse at Regents Park, western Sydney.
Individual alleged underpayments range from $446
to $28,202, with 19 of the employees being allegedly
underpaid more than $10,000.
It is alleged that four of the underpayment
contraventions meet the definition of ‘serious
contraventions’ under the Protecting Vulnerable
Workers amendments to the Fair Work Act because
there is evidence to show the contraventions were
deliberate and systematic.
Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker reminded
companies that maximum penalties for serious
contraventions are $630,000 per breach.
“Employers are on notice that the Fair Work
Ombudsman will enforce the Protecting Vulnerable
Workers laws to ensure that any individuals
or companies who allegedly commit serious
contraventions are held to account,” Parker says.
“All workers in Australia have the same rights,
regardless of nationality and visa status. Anyone
with concerns about their pay or entitlements should
contact us for free assistance.”
It is the fifth matter nationally in which the
FWO has alleged the increased maximum penalties
should apply.
FWO investigated Winit after receiving requests for
assistance from several employees.
It is alleged employees regularly worked up to 60
to 70 hours per week over six or seven days but most
were paid a flat hourly rate of $24.41 with no penalty
or overtime entitlements.
Winit allegedly also failed to comply with laws
relating to pay slips, providing new employees with
a Fair Work Information Statement and various
award obligations, including shift allowances, meal
allowances and frequency of pay.
FWO also alleges the company contravened adverse
actions laws by reducing at least two employees’
shifts after they refused Winit’s settlement offer,
made shortly after FWO commenced its investigation,
to pay only 25 per cent of their outstanding
entitlements.
All employees have now been back-paid in full.
It is alleged Cheng was involved in Winit’s
co ntraventions concerning overtime rates, penalty
rates and frequency of pay.
In addition to the penalties faced for the alleged
‘serious contraventions’, Winit faces penalties of
up to $63,000 per contravention for other alleged
contraventions. Cheng faces penalties of up to
$12,600 per contravention for the contraventions he
was allegedly involved in. Serious contraventions are
not alleged against Cheng.
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14 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

National Conference
NatRoad Conference 2021
August 19 - 21
Why You’ll Want To Be There
Reconnect on the Gold Coast at the NatRoad Conference with
a gala dinner, social events, the opportunity to have your voice
heard and create real change in the road freight industry.
Great Speaker Line-Up
Gillian Bristow
Bristow Legal
Peter Rowsthorn
Gala Dinner MC
Sal Petroccitto
CEO NHVR
Register Now For Early Bird Special!
1800 272 144
WWW.NATROAD.COM.AU
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OWD-FP-5188391-CS-341

THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
Budget slammed for ignoring safety
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine says gig economy, road safety
and aviation are glaring omissions
THE TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION (TWU) says the
federal government has failed to provide any
funding or initiatives to tackle deaths and abuses
in the gig economy, provide a strategy to help
aviation and to address the high numbers of deaths
in truck crashes.
The TWU notes that the budget admits a decrease
in funding for the Infrastructure Investment
Program, including $188.7 million in 2020-21 and
$3.3 billion over four years to 2023-24. It re-states
money for aviation, which was announced months
ago, and again fails to set conditions for airlines
like Qantas receiving the money.
TWU national secretary Michael Kaine slammed
the budget for ignoring safety in Australia’s
deadliest industry and for failing to provide a
plan for aviation.
“There are glaring omissions in this budget
on aviation, road transport and the gig economy,
and workers and the Australian community
will pay the price for this. These industries have
workers dying, road users dying, workers losing
their jobs and dealing with grave uncertainties
about their futures.
“We need urgent structural certainty, structural
reforms, investment and planning. Yet there is no
strategy, no plan and no policy in this budget,”
Kaine says.
“The budget admits a decrease in funding for
infrastructure at a time when truck drivers and
road users are losing their lives. There is no funding
set aside to save lives in Australia’s deadliest
industry and there is no investment to tackle the
financial squeeze on transport by wealthy retailers
and manufacturers which is forcing operators and
drivers to delay maintenance on trucks, work long
hours, speed and skip their rest breaks.
“The federal government has yet again badly let
down the trucking community and road users in
Australia,” Kaine states.
“On the gig economy we have had a horrendous
year of deaths of delivery riders and exposés of
appalling abuses. The federal government clearly
does not see any of this as a problem as there is no
investment plan to fund agencies to address it. In
fact, the budget does not even mention the sector.
“This is a signal to the likes of Uber, Deliveroo,
Amazon and others to keep exploiting workers and
driving them to their deaths because the federal
government won’t be holding them to account,”
Kaine adds.
The TWU points out that, according to the
Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional
Economics 885 people have died in truck crashes in
the last five years. It adds that in the same period,
183 transport workers have died on the job, the
highest by far for any industry, according to Safe
Work Australia.
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16 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

NHVR Sal Petroccitto
Mapping a safe future
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator is aiming for
a sustainable and productive heavy vehicle industry
THE HEAVY vehicle industry is
the backbone of this country.
It’s been this way for many
years and the number and
movement of trucks and
trailers on our roads is only
increasing.
Right now, our industry includes
more than 40,000 owners and
operators and in excess of half a
million heavy vehicles. With this
amount of movement, it’s vital that
together, we continue to ensure
the best safety, productivity and
efficiency outcomes are maintained
and strengthened.
Safety and innovation have been
cornerstones of the National Heavy
Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) since its
inception. I’m pleased to say that,
overall, we are an industry that
delivers on safety and welcomes
innovation, particularly when it
comes to our vehicles and those
who drive them.
Like any industry, however, there
is always room to improve and work
together to ensure we remove risks,
such as engine remapping, which
can release up to 60 times more
pollutants into the atmosphere.*
To an extent, we’ve been combatting
the risk since 2010, with all new
trucks sold in Australia since then
required to meet Euro V Vehicle
Emission Standards. This was an
important step in the right direction
over a decade ago and it remains
so now. Inevitably, the standards
will increase, and the NHVR is
continuing to work with our industry
and stakeholders to deliver these
improvements.
ENGINE REMAPPING
For now, we need to remain vigilant
in ensuring that heavy vehicles
are always operating in a safe and
sustainable way. That’s why the NHVR
is undertaking an engine remapping
campaign, reminding heavy vehicle
owners and drivers about the risks
SAL PETROCCITTO became CEO of
the NHVR in May 2014, bringing
extensive knowledge of heavy
vehicle policy, strategy and
regulation to the role. He has
broad experience across state
and local government, having
held senior leadership roles in
transport and logistics, land use,
transport and strategic planning,
and has worked closely with
industry and stakeholders to
deliver an efficient and effective
transport system and improved
supply chain outcomes. Over
the past seven years, Sal has
led a significant program of
reform across Australia’s heavy
vehicle industry, including
transitioning functions from
participating jurisdictions to
deliver a single national heavy
vehicle regulator, harmonising
heavy vehicle regulations across
more than 400 road managers,
and modernising safety and
productivity laws for heavy
vehicle operators and the supply
chain.
of remapping and the benefits of
improved engine technology.
The campaign is focus ed on
compliance and education, and the
NHVR is seeking to ensure that owners
and drivers are helping to deliver a
sustainable and productive heavy
vehicle industry of the future.
While NHVR officers will continue
to ensure that the HVNL is upheld,
including prosecuting those
that deliberately put themselves
and others in harm’s way, it is of
equal importance that we work
collaboratively as an industry to
provide greater education on the
risks of engine remapping.
Over the next few months, we’ll
continue the discussion around
engine remapping, and I thank you
in advance for playing your part in
developing a cleaner environment for
years to come.
Let’s all continue to clear the air over
engine remapping and deliver better
outcomes for our communities.
*Australian Bureau of Statistics January
2017 Motor Vehicle Census
“There is always
room to improve
and work together
to ensure we
remove risks.”
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 17

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OWD-DPS-5030542-CS-341

isbane truck show
BRISBANE
BEATS THE ODDS
After facing immense assaults
on its future over the past
few years, and despite several
major brands choosing not
to support the show and the
multitude of men and women
who have kept Australia fed,
fuelled and functional during
the toughest time in modern
history, the 2021 Brisbane
Truck Show proved yet again
why it is truly the trucking
industry’s foremost event.
Steve Brooks reports
IT WAS A POWERFUL statement by
Scott Buchholz, the federal
government’s assistant minister for
road safety and freight transport, which
perhaps best summed up the timely
and critical importance of the 2021
Brisbane Truck Show.
After being escorted around by
Todd Hacking, chief executive of the
Brisbane show’s organising body, Heavy
Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), an
obviously impressed Scott Buchholz issued
a press release describing the 2021 show
as being part of “a heavy vehicle industry
renaissance, following a significant increase
in freight and logistics demand during the
COVID-19 pandemic”.
Adding: “Workers in the [trucking]
sector are Australia’s unsung heroes and
the truck show not only put on display
the latest and greatest in technology, it
recognised the significant contribution
of the workforce.”
What’s more: “I want to thank all the
freight operators, drivers, DC [distribution
centre] workers, manufacturing and
maintenance crews who have met the
challenge of increased local demand,
keeping our supermarkets stocked and
our economy running.
“To the industry, and to Todd Hacking
and his team, all of the sponsors and
exhibitors and, of course, the visitors here
over the course of the show, thank you for
supporting this industry.”
Perhaps he could have also made mention
of a Queensland government intent on
creating the platform for the show to go
on in a safe and secure environment. Then
again, kudos for a Labor state government
probably wasn’t front and centre in the
Liberal minister’s mind.
Nonetheless, if ever there was a year for
Brisbane-based truck brands in particular
to revel in the excitement and potential
of a loosening of the pandemic shackles,
it was 2021. However, only the Penske
Group’s Western Star and MAN brands,
headquartered at Wacol on Brisbane’s
outskirts, took the opportunity to attend.
As a Penske spokesman pointed out, it’s
now 40 years since Western Star made its
Australian debut, where else but at the
Brisbane Truck Show.
Blatantly conspicuous by their absence,
of course, were the big name truck brands
20 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Left: Across the ages. In the
background, the Legend SAR
and up close, the latest in the
line, the T410SAR
“Workers
in the
[trucking]
sector are
Australia’s
unsung
heroes.”
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 21

“It’s sure to be
remembered as an event
that defied the odds.”
from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane who chose not to
support the show and, as Buchholz commented, recognise
the significant contribution of the freight industry’s
workforce.
Those who did attend, however, were intent on giving
back to the industry and perhaps none extolled that intention
better than Freightliner chief Stephen Downes during an
overview of the highly impressive, three-pronged Daimler
Trucks exhibit of Freightliner, Fuso and Mercedes-Benz. The
Brisbane Truck Show is a major platform, Downes exclaimed,
and while it’s expensive to exhibit, it also represents an ideal
opportunity “to give back to our industry, which gives so much
to our country”.
Yet, while Brisbane 2021 certainly won’t go down as the
biggest show ever held in the northern capital – though
more than 30,000 people filed through the doors – it’s sure
to be remembered as an event that defied the odds and
attracted substantial crowds to what is sure to be the only
truck show in the world in 2021. Moreover, creating an
event that truly added much-needed glitter to an industry
audience that, like every part of Australian society over the
past year and more, has known little else but gloom, difficulty
and separation.
Indeed, the resilience and determination of HVIA to maintain
Brisbane’s established position as the Australian road freight
industry’s premier event for the broader trucking community of
Top & above left: Safety first. Freightliner Cascadia takes conventional
truck safety to an unmatched standard while, on the inside, the
digital dash option creates a new dimension in function and form
Left: Livewire DAF. Assembled at Paccar’s Bayswater (Vic) factory, DAF
CF model is now available with the sprightly MX-11 engine as well as
the MX-13
22 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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OWD-FP-5030542-CS-341

drivers, operators, fleet businesses, truck, trailer and
component manufacturers and suppliers, have been
inspirational.
It’s easy to forget, for instance, that after the 2019
show, there was a powerful move to push Brisbane
into obsolescence with the Truck Industry Council’s
(TIC) expensive and somewhat naïve attempt to
make Melbourne the new Mecca for an Australian
truck show.
Stunning display!
One of the main protagonists of the TIC venture
was Melbourne-based Paccar Australia but to its
inestimable credit, the company went to Brisbane ’21
with arguably the best presentation of show trucks
ever seen at a truck show, anywhere in the world.
And for good reason, with 2021 also marking 50 years
of Paccar truck manufacturing in Australia.
Vitally, Kenworth and DAF were for the first time
presented as equal Paccar partners, each painted
in the same spectacular show livery adorned by
brilliantly air-brushed images of iconic Australian
scenes. Words can’t do the display justice and show
visitors were attracted to the Paccar stand in droves.
As for new models, none were more appealing
than the special edition Legend SAR, pulling people
to Paccar like bees to a hive.
Created to capture the almost euphoric esteem
of the legendary Kenworth SAR, the ‘Legend’
version follows in the hugely successful wake of
earlier Legend 950 and Legend 900 models and,
like its predecessors, is almost guaranteed to be an
economic master stroke for Paccar.
While we initially, and wrongly, forecasted that
the Legend SAR would go on sale for one day only
at the truck show, the ‘one day’ for taking orders
will actually be July 8. In the interim, it’s easy to
envisage Paccar principals rubbing their hands
together in expectation.
Many pundits are predicting at least 300 orders
and with a unit price said to be somewhere between
$425,000 and more than $500,000 – depending on
the specification of course – it seems no one has the
ability to cash in on a classic better than Kenworth.
Then again, if past performance is any guide, there’s
no shortage of cashed-up buyers willing to take a
trip down memory lane, even if it means stepping
into a skinny cab with an incredibly tight squeeze
between the seats for accessing the sleeper. The good
ol’ days, indeed!
Taking the SAR mantle into the modern era,
however, is the wide-cab T610SAR and its new sibling
sharing the roomy 2.1 metre-wide cab, the T410SAR.
Making its first public appearance at the Brisbane
Truck Show, the 410SAR is punched by Paccar’s MX-13
engine at up to 510hp (380kW) and with its setforward
front axle design, provides another critical
string to the Kenworth bow.
On the DAF front, pride of place alongside its K200
cab-over kin was the flagship XF model but grabbing
the eye of shrewd show-goers at the back of the
display was a Bayswater-built CF punched by Paccar
Australia’s relatively new MX-11 engine.
Available in ratings from 370 to 410hp (276 to
306kW) and 450hp (336kW), and offered in the 6x4
CF at a gross combination rating of 60 tonnes, our
few short stints in the MX-11 have shown the engine
to be the spearhead of a remarkably lively and
smoothly efficient DAF powertrain.
The MX engines are, however, simply the tip of the
iceberg in Paccar Australia’s ambitions for the DAF
range. Indeed, big things are brewing both locally
and overseas which, from next year and beyond, will
have a major impact on Paccar’s cab-over class – DAF
and Kenworth.
Stay tuned, because there’s also a big story brewing
on these developments.
24 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

For Safety’s Sake
Just as it was two years ago, staring straight across the aisle
at Paccar’s presentation was Daimler’s Freightliner Cascadia.
Unlike 2019, though, when a right hand-drive Cascadia was still
a work in progress, North America’s biggest selling truck is now
pushing ahead with bold ambitions for the Australian market.
And it is not without a very powerful and expedient tool in
the chest. Safety!
From the outset, Cascadia set a new and incredibly high
benchmark for safety in conventional trucks with the standard
inclusion of the Detroit Assurance 5.0 suite of advanced safety
functions. But, as the company announced in Brisbane, it is
about to push the safety stakes to an even higher level with the
introduction late this year of a head-protecting side airbag in
addition to the existing steering wheel airbag. Right now, and
for what will be probably quite some time to come, Cascadia is
unrivalled in conventional truck safety.
Typically, Daimler Trucks Australia boss Daniel Whitehead
didn’t pull any punches in citing Cascadia’s credentials and,
specifically, the need to protect drivers no matter what brand of
truck they drive.
“There is no good reason why conventional truck drivers in
Australia should not be able to drive a truck fitted with the
latest safety features,” he said in a prepared statement.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are driving a truck with or
without a bonnet, your safety is just as important.”
As Freightliner’s announcement added, the head-protecting
side airbag has been specially developed for the Australian
market by RollTek and America’s IMMI, industry leaders in the
design, testing and manufacturing of advanced safety systems.
Meanwhile, a number of the Cascadias on display also
featured a digital dashboard layout that will become optional
later this year.
Largely identical to the digital dash already available on
Mercedes-Benz models, it’s a layout using a 312mm (12.3-inch)-
wide screen as the main display directly in front of the driver
for gauges, trip data and adaptive cruise control information
and to the left, a 254mm (10-inch) touchscreen to access a range
of ancillary functions.
Familiarity and ease of operation with the digital dash come
quickly, as we’ve found in previous drives of Mercedes-Benz
trucks where the system is known as the multi-media cockpit.
While Cascadia was unquestionably the star attraction for
Daimler this year, the three-pointed star certainly wasn’t short
of its own news, led by the announcement that Mercedes-Benz
“Cascadia
set a
new and
incredibly
high
benchmark
for safety.”
Above: Fuso’s new Shogun 360 sixwheeler.
Japanese toughness with
Daimler smarts. A Euro 6 mediumduty
Fighter was also released
Opposite top: Family first. DAF and
Kenworth shared the spotlight and
the same livery for the first time.
In the cab-over class, there’s big
news brewing for both brands
Opposite bottom: Star power:
Top-of-the-tree Mercedes-Benz
2663 was joined by a rigid class
now with a similarly high level
of safety features. Benz will soon
start testing a partially automated
steering system in Australia
TRIDENT TRIBUTE
While neither Cummins nor Mack attended the
2021 Brisbane Truck Show, Followmont Transport’s
display of a Cummins-powered Mack Trident was
a magnanimous and highly fitting tribute to a true
stalwart of the trucking industry, the late Col Baker.
A Cummins man to the core and immensely proud
Queenslander despite a move to Cummins HQ in
Melbourne, Col passed away only days before the
Brisbane show after a fiercely fought battle with
cancer. He was just 52-years-old and is survived by
his wife Jenny and three daughters.
In what was something of a secret project between
Cummins and the Brisbane-based transport company,
Col worked closely with Followmont Transport
principal Mark Tobin to slot an X15 engine under the
Trident snout for an extensive trial, with the trust
and respect between the two manifesting in Tobin’s
heartfelt tribute to his Cummins mate.
“Col Baker was the best example of living out
the values of integrity, caring, teamwork and the
pursuit of excellence,” says close friend and Cummins
colleague, Mike Fowler.
“The courage he demonstrated during his fight with
cancer was nothing short of inspirational but in truth,
it was just so typical of him.
“Cummins and the wider trucking industry have lost
someone very special.”
Absolutely!
Above: Followmont Transport’s tribute to Col Baker. A Cummins
man to the core and true stalwart of the trucking industry
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 25

is set to launch an Australian validation program for
an Actros that can help steer itself.
Known as ‘Active Drive Assist’ technology, a
statement from Mercedes-Benz says the system
enables a partially automated driving capability and
is a first for the Australian market.
Mercedes-Benz states: “The system helps to actively
steer the truck and keep it in the centre of its lane,
although the driver is still required to hold the
steering wheel.”
Also, says Benz: “It is one step ahead of some
current systems [because] the Mercedes-Benz system
actually helps steer the truck in the first place.” As
the company insists: “Proactive rather than reactive.”
Apparently, we’ll be given a drive of Active Drive
Assist before too long but it wasn’t the only news
from Mercedes-Benz.
Until now, the Benz rigid range and specifically the
Arocs 8x4 model, wasn’t available with the full suite
of advanced safety functions used in prime mover
models due to what were explained as “applicationrelated
packaging restrictions”.
Those engineering challenges have been overcome
and the eight-wheeler now comes with the radarbased
‘Active Brake Assist’ package as well as existing
safety features such as electronic stability program,
driver airbag and lane departure warning.
Last, but definitely not least in Daimler’s truck
triumvirate, is Fuso, easily the biggest selling
brand in the group and using the Brisbane show
to highlight the iconic Canter model’s 50-year
milestone on the Australian market.
It’s worth noting, too, that of the four Japanese
truck suppliers in Australia, only Fuso attended the
Brisbane show and, as one senior Daimler executive
was quick to comment: “It’s their loss because we
have plenty to show and plenty to talk about. It’s
disappointing for the industry that the others aren’t
here but, commercially, we don’t mind being the only
Japanese brand on show. Not one bit.”
Emphasising the evolution of the remarkably
durable Canter range, the light-duty Fuso is also the
platform for the recently launched eCanter electric
truck and, at a truck show where electric power was
high among the highlights, the eCanter was certainly
a timely addition to Daimler’s displays.
However, it was the launch of Fuso’s new Shogun
360 model, which perhaps had pragmatic truck
operators most engaged.
According to Fuso, the Shogun 360 six-wheeler
– available as a 6x2 or 6x4 – was developed as a
premium 14-pallet rigid model equipped with
Daimler’s extensive standard safety features, Euro 6
emissions compliance and a trim cab/chassis tare
weight of 6,950kg.
Power comes from Daimler’s responsive 7.7-litre
six-cylinder engine dispensing 360hp (268kW) and
140Nm (1,030lb-ft) of torque through a 12-speed
automated transmission that also provides the Eco-
Roll fuel-saving feature and crawler modes for lowspeed
manoeuvring.
Continuing Daimler’s high level of standard safety
features, the 360 comes with advanced emergency
braking, lane departure warning, electronic stability
program and Driver Attention Assist, which uses
facial recognition technology to warn of fatigue.
It is, by any measure, an impressive package in
the six-wheeler rigid class and, according to Fuso
26 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

“The ‘Road Ant’ can be driven independently
from both ends of the vehicle.”
Australia chief Alex Müller, sizeable orders have already
been taken.
Business Models
Michael May, the former head of Mercedes-Benz truck operations
in Australia and now managing director of Iveco Trucks
Australia, went straight to the point when previewing the
company’s Brisbane display.
“Iveco is excited to be supporting the 2021 Brisbane Truck
Show,” he said in an opening statement.
“The display vehicles highlight the benefits Iveco enjoys as a
European manufacturer with a local research and development
and manufacturing capacity, which ensures all vehicles are
tailored to Australia’s unique operating conditions.”
Diversity was at the core of a four-model display ranging from
the latest incarnation of the versatile and popular Daily lightduty
line-up in its ‘Tradie-Made’ ready-to-work configuration
through to the well-mannered medium-duty Eurocargo, the
never-say-die ACCO in a typical 8x4 configuration with a
Superior Pak front-loading compactor body, and at the top
of Iveco’s on-road range, a ‘Highway’ heavy-duty model rated
to 70 tonnes.
A quick look at the specifications of all Iveco’s show trucks
confirmed an undeniably well-equipped range sporting
advanced safety and Euro 6 emissions as standard features.
Top, L to R: Wide appeal: Iveco was
intent on showing a Euro 6 product
range that covers many bases,
from the latest light-duty Daily to
the revamped Highway flagship.
Meanwhile, over at the Southbank
Truck Festival was the unique
‘Road Ant’, an aggregate spreader
based on an ACCO that can be
driven independently from both
ends of the vehicle
Below, L to R: Electric power was
high among the highlights in
Brisbane with none bigger than
the innovative Janus heavy-duty
system of exchangeable batteries.
The batteries power an electric
motor from Dana Spicer
Away from the show, however, another Iveco was doing its
bit to not only support the broader industry, but also confirm
the breadth of the brand’s engineering and manufacturing
capabilities.
As a company statement explained: “In addition to its
support of the Brisbane Truck Show, Iveco is also supporting
the Southbank Truck Festival with display of a Q-FE ‘Road Ant’,”
described as being “a dual control, forward moving aggregate
spreader based on an ACCO six-wheeler fitted with a Trout River,
asphalt-compatible body and 10-gate chip spreader.”
Its creation stems from a recent VicRoads requirement, which
mandates that from July 1, 2022, all aggregate spreaders working
in sprayed sealing applications must be forward-moving.
Consequently, the ‘Road Ant’ can be driven independently
from both ends of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, back at the show, the Penske pair of Western Star
and MAN certainly weren’t without plenty of people keen for a
close look at a couple of big bangers.
Top of the list was Western Star’s 4900FXC, destined for
heavy-duty roadtrain roles with a 600hp (447kW) Cummins
X15 powering into an Eaton 18-speed overdrive – manual, of
course – and Dana rear axles running a 4.56:1 final drive ratio,
mounted on Neway airbag suspension.
Yet, perhaps one of the most underrated or overlooked
features of Western Star these days is the Stratosphere sleeper.
According to many people we’ve spoken to over the many years
since Stratosphere first arrived here, it is the best bunk layout
in the business and there’s little doubt the premium 82-inch
(208cm) high-rise shed on the back of the 4900 show truck was a
solid reminder to most.
When it comes to muscle, though, MAN’s flagship TGX 640
carries the flag in the Penske portfolio. This is an impressively
strong truck to drive but, unfortunately, durability issues haven’t
been kind to buyers and the brand alike.
Still, while Penske insiders didn’t deny the brand’s “chequered
past”, there’s confidence that a new MAN range due in 2022 will
help right the wrongs, perceived or otherwise. Critically, they
also say Penske is committed to the brand’s future in Australia.
Similarly, an entirely new Western Star range launched in the
US last year is said to be heading our way in 2022.
Gas and Electric
Down the power scale, South Korean brand Hyundai, exhibiting
through its Brisbane-based East Coast Hyundai distributor,
appeared to attract plenty of interest in its new medium-duty
addition called the Pavise.
Available in weight ratings from 12 to 12.9, 15.5 and 17.6
tonnes, and wheelbase lengths of 4.3, 4.9 and 5.7 metres, all
Pavise models are powered by a turbocharged 5.9-litre Euro 5 sixcylinder
diesel rated at 276hp (206kW) in the top weight model
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 27

“Somewhat surprisingly, though, there
was no Hyundai Xcient on show.”
Top: Big bangers: The Penske pair
of MAN and Western Star. Insiders
say there are new models coming
for both brands next year
Left: Cummins was missing in
action but technology partner
Eaton waved the flag for both
brands. Expect some big news
from the transmission specialist
as it prepares to test a new
Endurant family
Below: Korean connection. With
the absence of three of Australia’s
four Japanese truck brands, there
was ample interest in Hyundai’s
new Pavise medium-duty models
and 246hp (183kW) in all others. Coupled to the engine in all
models is the choice of a nine-speed ZF manual transmission
or a 12-speed automated box, also from ZF.
All models come with an extensive range of advanced
safety features, including autonomous emergency braking,
forward collision avoidance system and airbags for driver
and passenger.
Somewhat surprisingly, though, there was no Hyundai
Xcient on show. Xcient is Hyundai’s flagship heavy-duty
contender and, while Australian sales continue to be ghostly
thin, it is the platform model for the South Korean maker’s
well publicised plans to become a major player in the
development of hydrogen-fuelled trucks.
Several Chinese commercial vehicles were also on show
in Brisbane, including the much maligned JAC brand now
attempting a comeback with a light-duty electric truck.
In fact, electric power was on show at every level, from the
light EC11 Chinese van currently under evaluation, to the wellpublicised
SEA Electric venture, which has attracted former
Hino executive Bill Gillespie to a top management role, and at
the top of the weight scale, the undeniably innovative Janus
electric heavy-duty truck.
Following an earlier announcement that it will revolutionise
heavy-duty road transport with its patented exchangeable
battery system, Janus Electric showcased its prototype model
based on a converted Kenworth T403.
With its exchangeable battery packs, Janus principals insist
its system removes the need for heavy electric vehicles to
stand idle for up to 12 hours waiting for batteries to recharge.
Instead, says Janus, battery packs can be swapped by
forklift in a matter of minutes to dramatically enhance
vehicle utilisation.
Janus director Lex Forsyth says operator interest in the
system is exceptionally strong and, with confidence running
high, the company has worked with Kenworth to supply a T610
‘glider’ for further testing and development.
Typically, perhaps, the Janus system has already drawn
an undercurrent of cynics, but this innovative Australian
approach to electric truck viability appears to have significant
potential.
Two years from now at the next Brisbane Truck Show, we’ll
know if the potential is being realised or not.
Even more certain, those brands missing from this year’s
event will be clamouring to come back in 2023.
28 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

The legal view Sarah Marinovic
Offence highs and lows
What is the HVNL’s ‘risk-based categorisation’ and
can you dispute it?
THE HEAVY Vehicle National
Law (HVNL) uses ‘risk-based
categorisation’ for all mass,
dimension, loading and fatigue
offences. This is a system whereby
each offence is divided into
different categories based on
the potential risk to safety and damage
to infrastructure.
There are four categories:
• Minor
• Substantial
• Severe
• Critical (which applies to fatigue offences
only).
So for example, a driver who works a few
extra minutes over their hours might receive
a penalty notice for ‘exceed work hours –
minor risk’. An operator who allows their
truck to be driven many tonnes over the mass
limit might be charged with ‘not comply with
mass requirement – severe risk’.
Which category a breach falls into can
significantly change how it is treated. The
HVNL uses the risk categories to:
• Decide whether you will need to go to court
– usually penalty notices can be issued for
lower category offences, whereas the higher
category offences can only be prosecuted
through court
• Set the penalties – for a penalty notice,
the amount of the fine depends on the
risk-category. If your case goes to court, the
maximum penalty that the magistrate can
impose is determined by the risk category.
The category also determines the number
of demerit points
• Signal to the magistrate how serious the
offence is – the higher the risk category,
the higher the presumption is about how
much risk the breach posed to public
safety or infrastructure and the more likely
it is that you will receive a bigger fine.
NUMERICAL LIMITS
With so much riding on the categorisation,
I can understand why drivers and operators
are concerned about being placed into too
high a category. Recently I’ve had a number
of people approach me for advice on whether
they can dispute the category.
The scope to successfully dispute a risk
category depends on what type of offence
you have been charged with. To understand
why this is the case, I need to explain how
the risk categories are decided.
There is a misconception that deciding the
risk category is always up to the discretion
of the charging officer. Many people think
that the officer assesses how dangerous
they think the offence is and chooses a risk
category accordingly. For most offences this
is not the case.
For fatigue, dimension and mass offences
the risk categories are decided entirely by
numerical limits. So, for example, whether
your dimension offence is a minor risk or
severe risk depends entirely on how many
millimetres you’re over the limit. Whether
your fatigue offence is substantial or severe
depends on how many extra hours you
worked. There’s no scope for the officer to
look at the situation and decide whether
they think what you did was a serious risk
or not.
The exception to this is loading offences.
For a breach of the loading rules, the risk
category depends on whether the load has
actually shifted and the extent of the risk
it poses to public safety, infrastructure and
public amenity. In this case it is the charging
SARAH MARINOVIC is a
principal solicitor at Ainsley
Law – a firm dedicated to
traffic and heavy vehicle
law. She has focused 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. For more
information email Sarah at
sarah@ainsleylaw.com.au or
phone 0416 224 601
officer’s assessment of the situation that
decides which risk category is applied.
OFFENCE DISPUTE
So, where does this leave us? If you have
been charged with a loading offence then it
can be possible to successfully dispute the
risk category. The assessment of whether an
incident posed an appreciable risk to public
safety, etc. is a judgment call, and people may
hold different opinions.
Unfortunately, if you have been charged
with a mass, dimension or fatigue offence
the scope to dispute the risk category is very
limited. It would usually only be possible if
the officer has made a miscalculation (e.g.
they measure your truck incorrectly, or add
up your work hours wrong).
This can be frustrating for people who are
charged with a high risk category offence
in circumstances where the actual danger
caused by the incident is very low.
There are many scenarios where in purely
numerical terms a breach falls within the
severe or critical risk category, but when the
actual circumstances are considered, it’s clear
the real risk was low.
In situations like this we rely on
magistrates to look at the situation
objectively and make sure the penalty is
proportionate to what actually happened.
Thankfully, in my experience, this usually
happens.
“Higher category offences
can only be prosecuted
through court.”
Your Transport
Manufacturing Specialist
5 Year Structural Chassis Warranty
12-16, Fowler Road,
Dandenong South, Victoria 3175
Ph: (03) 979 40330
Email: admin@bte.net.au
38-40, Carrington Road,
Toowoomba, Queensland 4352
Ph: 0427 502 881
Email: scotta@bte.net.au
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 29

isbane truck show: traliers
ALONG THE
TRAILER TRAIL
A truck show has to have trucks. But, trailers are just as important. Australia
is home to some of the best and toughest trailer manufacturers in the world.
The Owner//Driver team follows the trailer trail at the Brisbane Truck Show
BYRNE’S BIG ON LIVESTOCK
Byrne Trailers showcased a diverse line-up at the
Brisbane Truck Show (BTS) but the standouts were
undoubtedly the livestock trailers, standing tall as the
only ones on show. And with good reason.
The company, founded by Mick and Teri Byrne in
Peak Hill, NSW, in 1974, has seen solid growth from its
small beginnings, where it now claims to hold market
leadership in the livestock sector.
Extensive manufacturing facilities were established in
Wagga Wagga in 1988, with expansion into Queensland
in 1993 via a manufacturing and service depot in
Toowoomba.
Byrne’s capabilities were represented at the show
via a B-triple unit that can cart sheep, cattle and pigs
alongside a B-double cattle-only unit belonging to
Shanahan’s Livestock Transport.
Though not outright new releases, Byrne explains it
is seeing success in recent years with these units due
to their clever stainless steel design, which delivers the
“same strength and ductility as carbon steel but is 250
times more corrosion resistant”, and therefore “rusts 250
times slower”.
“It also makes the trailer a bit lighter and allows you
to add a couple more animals on the trailer,” Byrne sales
expert Sam Gwynne tells us.
A tri-axle dolly, designed for the livestock task,
accompanied its headline units.
Elsewhere, Byrne had a couple of aluminium bulk
trailers on display, containing the Keith Manufacturing
Walking Floor conveying system, where slats move back
and forth in the loading/unloading process.
One of units is ideal for agriculture, while the other,
heavier-duty, unit, has been designed for waste and
building supplies industries.
INNOVATIVE DRAKE
BTS saw some of the latest Drake Group innovations
across the Drake Trailers and O’Phee Trailers brands.
The Drake Group show stand highlighted the fact
it is still innovating, merging new technology with a
century of combined O’Phee and Drake trailer-building
know-how.
You’d be hard pressed walking through the show and
missing the Drake Group’s gargantuan Steerable Deck
Widener.
The latest widener from Drake features its own ‘Active
Steer’, allowing for up to an additional 35 degrees of
manoeuvrability – the difference between being able to
fit or not!
A standout feature on the latest Steerable Deck
Widener, and one of the keys to achieving such
significant manoeuvrability improvements, is that all
axles on the trailer steer, not just the self-tracking on the
rear axle.
The system works via a mechanical link and is steered
off the skid plate to the turntable, steering the trailer
behind the prime mover.
Active Steer also allows the operator to steer the trailer
independently using a remote control setup, allowing
the trailer to be ‘crabbed’ to achieve more steering angle
than you could with the prime mover.
O’Phee Trailers are all about semitrailers and its BTS
display was all about showcasing performance-based
30 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

standards (PBS) Super Semi options. The O’Phee Super
Semi range includes side loader, flat top, drop deck and
skel trailers ranges.
The two on display at the show were the slick flat top
and container skel trailers, showing off the new axle
group arrangement that allows up to 49.5 tonnes gross
in PBS applications.
GRAHAM LUSTY TRAILERS’ PBS OFFERING
It may not be all that widely known but Graham Lusty
Trailers (GLT), listed as Lusty TIP Trailers Pty Ltd by parent
company Teaminvest Private, is a big deal for said parent,
which assumed full ownership just a couple of years ago.
After all, GLT “again delivered record operational and
earnings improvements in the first half of the year” for
TIP’s engineering division, TIP says.
“GLT’s unique designs deserve a substantial premium
in the transport market, and their never-ending quest
for innovation gives us confidence that their reputation
as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of bulk haulage will continue to be
enhanced,” it continues.
“Happily, the use of a GLT trailer adds so much to most
haulage companies’ bottom line that customers now
choose to place orders up to six months in advance just
to secure a booking in GLT’s busy Brisbane facility.”
Such innovation was certainly on show, and taking
pride of place was a 30-metre A-double combination
with a tandem dolly setup for Riordan Grain Services.
Built for Victorian PBS applications, the combination
comprises two chassis tippers, six-foot-six (1.98m)-high
sides with 50-tonne hoists and manual rollover tarps.
“The combination all up can tare a payload of 68
tonne, so you’re getting around a gross weight of 82 to
85 tonne, depending what you put on them,” purchasing
officer Grant Platts says.
“Another trailer here for Reardon is a chassis tipper
with 6-foot (1.83m)-high sides – it has a blower
application in it pumping grain up in the silos for when
an auger isn’t available.
“We’ve got quite a few of those and they seem to be a
bit of a flavour combination.”
Also featuring was a tri-axle dolly for 30m A-double
PBS combinations for New South Wales and Queensland
– which can run in conjunction with B-doubles.
Such a B-double unit was also on display, pulled by
Magill Transport’s Kenworth prime mover.
“It’s our most common sale – it gives you the
versatility of carrying a different range of products in
different applications,” Platts says.
ROBUK’S AUTISM AWARENESS
A fascinating narrative coming out of the BTS is the
emergence of Hemmant-based Robuk Engineering – and
its backstory, given its relation to GLT.
As operations manager Josh Petersen tells us, BTS was
meant to be the company’s big unveiling.
Instead, the 11-month-old fledgling company is
already snowed-under with orders.
“It was supposed to be our, ‘hey, we’re here’ moment
but our build schedule is out until April next year,”
says Petersen.
“If we had them in the backyard we could have sold
eight sets this week.”
Petersen describes the company as less than a
year old, but with more than 90 years’ experience
building trailers.
It’s the brainchild of James Yerbury, interestingly
the former managing director of GLT, who, along with
Petersen and others in the Robuk team, departed GLT
following its takeover.
Petersen is quite bullish on his firm’s trajectory, saying
it drew from its experience making trailers at GLT and
“made it better”.
“We offer the full range of trailers – anything that
carts grain: side tippers, end tippers, tip-overs, sliders,
rollbacks, tri-axles, tandem dollies.
“We can also do some pocket road trains, 19-metre
B-doubles.”
To this point, the confidence is justified for the
expanding Brisbane-based company.
“We started in a small little shed in Gympie and
outgrew the shed,” Petersen says.
“The trailers we were building were 34-foot (10.36m) –
we had to build a 36-footer (10.97m) and it wouldn’t fit in
the shed, so we had to come to Brisbane.
“We were going to do one trailer a month and be
sustainable with the small crew we had, but the demand
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 31

was ridiculous as soon as anyone found out what we
were doing.
“They all wanted trailers from us and our production
schedule is out nearly 12 months.”
On show were customer Duggan Bulk Haulage’s two
identical dangerous goods-specified 32-foot (9.75m)
lightweight aluminium tippers with six-foot-six sides,
taring in at 6.6 tonnes, along with a tri-axle dolly.
In a nice touch, Duggan’s livery puts autism awareness
in the spotlight.
“John Duggan is a big advocate for autism awareness,”
Petersen says.
“He said to me: ‘That is the only thing that matters
about it, I couldn’t give a shit if they didn’t work.’
“Obviously we care if they didn’t work, but yeah, we’re
very proud to display it.”
HAMMAR FLIES SWEDISH FLAG
Hammar is the Swedish container transport specialist
with a burgeoning Australian presence – in fact, it
claims to produce over half of all new sideloaders to hit
the road here.
While its headquarters, manufacturing, development
and testing are based in Olsfors, since Bengt-Olof
Hammar designed his first sideloader in 1974 his
company has expanded to eight worldwide locations,
including Australia, and has provided its products to
more than 115 countries.
As Australian general manager Grahame Heap tells
us, bluntly: “You can’t be the best if you don’t focus on
one thing.”
Thus, Hammar’s Australian business was displaying
one such thing – its latest PBS offering, the split-tri PBS,
allowing 30-plus tonnes payload on the road.
Heap notes the new concept’s axle groupings allow
for a PBS combination with higher payloads, which will
appeal to the wharf cartage sector.
“This combination is already up and running in
Queensland and is able to carry higher mass without
impacting infrastructure,” the National Heavy Vehicle
Regulator (NHVR) notes in its own BTS walkaround.
The key to Hammar’s offering down under, Heap
adds, is a high-grade steel brought in from Sweden, with
frames manufactured there but assembled in Australia,
and some chassis manufactured here too.
“You can take a main product and tweak it to suit the
country you are in,” he says on the local focus on quality.
He also emphasises the brand’s dedicated local
support network.
“If something goes wrong for an operator we are never
down for long.”
MAXITRANS BIG CELEBRATION
MaxiTrans is a staunch BTS supporter, invested fully in
the belief of its wider importance for the industry.
Of course, the show coincided with celebration of the
group’s Freighter brand notching up 75 years – just
another indication of the extraordinary staying power of
the nation’s peerless trailer-making sector.
“Fortunately for us, we had a customer function
where we saw in excess of 300 people attend and
celebrate with us and former staff members. And
we had customers from all across the country, which
was fantastic, and a couple from New Zealand,” NSW
sales manager Glen Sharman says of an event the
company sees as an acute indication of customer
regard for the make.
With so many of its makes and models on display,
he was loath to highlight particular items but felt a
comparison of old and new was compelling.
“If there was a highlight, it was showing the old strap
trailer that we had up high,” Sharman says.
“Show attendees had the opportunity to see what a
trailer looked like in the 1950s, how it was and how it
differed to now.
“We had it on a current trailer, a current drop-deck,
and that allowed people to walk underneath to see the
quality of the finish and build of the Freighter products.”
Otherwise, he did note a “safety mezz deck on a
Freighter drop deck, new model suspension on the
Boral Azmeb, and the new diesel-electric fridge on the
MultiQuip Maxi-Cube”.
Sharman is full of praise for show organiser Heavy
Vehicle Industry Australia’s (HVIA’s) steely resolve to
make the event a success, despite Covid spot-fires in the
lead-up.
“We had full confidence in the HVIA and followed suit,”
he said.
“We put the show on and supported them 100 per cent
and beyond. We had outside space as well as inside space.
We asked for additional space [early on].
“For us, it was about being there for the industry and
for our customers.
“We looked at contingency plans if there was a border
closedown, as opposed to not going to the show.”
That included surveying its dealer network and other
options to source equipment.
PRIME POSITION FOR MUSCAT
No stranger to awards and recognition of high
achievement, Muscat Trailers was keen to make the
most of its BTS opportunity and spruik its offerings’
productivity and safety accomplishments.
“Because business is now more focused on safety, we
are focusing on non-tip solutions,” Muscat Trailers CEO
Troy Azzopardi, bullish about his firm’s ability to punch
above its weight, said.
“This is a PBS quad that with the right prime mover
can give the operator 32.5 tonne payload.
“We’ve worked in the non-tip market now for five
years. We are a leader in non-tip solutions. Other
manufacturers are sitting on the fence to see how the
industry evolves. But I feel that’s not a plan.”
Certainly, Azzopardi feels Muscat was in a rare and
very forward position, both in the Show and more
broadly.
“When you look at the next 10 years, things will
certainly evolve but we’re five years into it and about to
release a second live floor.”
The top half is manufactured in the US but Muscat has
been working with the manufacturer to ‘Australian-ise’
that section.
“The next version of this will be better again and more
suited for our roads and our conditions.”
As a smaller manufacturer, the company was
conservative in its presence but happy to gain a strategic
position on main floor.
While Azzopardi was critical of a few much larger
firms with bigger budget withdrawing, it did allow
operations like his to shine. And he was one of a
number who welcomed federal support for exhibitions
and exhibitors, despite the time entangles in attendant
red tape.
And while he believes the attendance was fair under
the circumstances, he reckons organiser HVIA will
“have its hands full” fitting everyone in during the
next show.
Muscat
Trailers CEO
Troy Azzopardi
32 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

isbane truck show: parts & accessories
AFTERMARKET
EXTRAVAGANZA
Parts and accessories stands were spread across three floors at the Brisbane
Truck Show. Here’s a snapshot of some of the standouts
Garrett Motion
Australia GM Paul
Carlsson
GARRETT’S LIGHT DUTY CREDENTIALS
Garrett Motion Australia GM Paul Carlsson highlights
the many ways to gain from the BTS. The local arm of the
global US firm that helped boost engine output through
turbochargers, Garrett had a range of both heavy and
light machinery options, including those for trucks.
But, as Carlsson notes, fleet owners and their managers
are also performance and leisure machine fans.
Thus the Garrett stand accommodated both.
Whereas Garrett used to do heavier-duty truck turbos,
it is now more focused on fitting lighter rigids, such as
Isuzu, Hino and Fuso.
“In most cases, you’ll get guys come up and say ‘I don’t
have your turbocharger in my truck but, I’ve got a twinturbo
ski-boat that I want to do up – and that’s why we
have the performance stuff here,” Carlsson says, noting
that they might also have company utes or private
performance cars as part of their lives.
They can be “truck drivers, fleet owners, managers that
are successful as far as their work-life goes” who may
have little opportunity otherwise to see the performance
range, which, interestingly, is where the most BTS
enquiries are focused.
Carlsson’s 2021 is chequered with similar events
planned at least as far back as before November.
He insists there was little concern about the BTS
going ahead.
And the value of it and other such events is broad.
”It’s a way of getting in front of the customers out
there – the end-users, the installers – and talking
to them – it works well,” he says, not to mention
the opportunity for education and advice nights
Garrett can provide to the likes of diesel mechanics.
Carlsson estimates that perhaps half of turbo
problems can be put down to device failure and the rest
are entirely fixable, saving replacement cash.
“It could be an oil drain line that’s blocked [meaning]
that oil’s got to go somewhere so it goes through the
seal,” he says.
“Fix the drain line and the oil can drain away again
and it’s not pressurising the internal part of the turbo
charger and the oil stops.
“Or, the opposite. They think it’s the turbocharger, they
replace the turbocharger and the leak’s still there.
“It’s what I call ‘diagnostics by replacement’ – it’s very
expensive. It’s not a good thing to do.”
Carlsson insists developments come constantly,
reducing device size while increasing power, at a ratio of
15-20 per cent a time and informed by Formula 1 turbo
technology.
And it wouldn’t be the 2020s without an electric aspect
here too.
“This year we are launching with AMG the world’s first
mass-produced e-turbo vehicle,” he says.
“It’s like a normal turbo-charger but in the centre of
it, instead of having the bearing where the oil and water
goes into it for cooling, it has an electric motor as well.
“Through the rpm range, from the 800rpm at idle to
1,500 to 2,000, the electric motor does the work.
“As soon as it’s going fast enough that the exhaust gas
takes over, the normal turbocharger kicks in. And then,
when it goes past that point, it then reverts the electric
motor to an alternator and the power goes back into
the battery.
“So, what that gives you, via ECU control, is infinite
power whenever you want.”
The e-turbo move to from performance use to heavy
vehicles is seen as only a matter of time.
HELLA’S SHINES WITH DURALED RANGE
Hella Australia’s stand lit up the surrounds with its
array of heavy commercial lights, lamps and other
electrical accessories.
The company promotes a ‘fit and forget’ mantra
for fleet owners with maintenance-free lighting
solutions – particularly its DuraLED range of signal,
marker, heavy duty and combination lamps that comes
with a lifetime warranty.
The company notes the DuraLED collection is tried
and tested over two decades, hence its confidence in
the range.
Further offerings include its Grilamid lenses that
provide UV and chemical resistance to avoid fading and
embrittling, Jumbo-S Series signal lamps, Rallye 4000
driving lamps, and wider catalogue of warning beacons,
safety daylights, light bars and work lamps.
Hella specialist Kevin Betty notes an innovative
product development involves forklift-mounted bar
lights that shine a ‘guided’ area around the vehicle,
providing a safety zone for others to keep clear of.
He also emphasises the importance of Australian
Design Rule (ADR)-spec lights as non-compliant
products that are not optimised for human eyes
can contribute to an accident and lead to later legal
headaches for the user.
In an interesting sidebar, suzi coils have been a recent
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 33

point of conjecture in the industry and Hella sees its
heavy-duty trailer connectors as future-relevant.
“It’s a changing scene for manufacturers – the old
common metal one no longer be allowed to fit at
manufacturing level.
“Six months away this will be the standard – you’ll
have no choice.”
LOADMAN AIMS HIGH
On-board weighing is growing in importance as road
access arrangements increasingly require availability
of mass data collected through Smart on-board mass
(OBM) systems.
In one example, by late 2021, Victoria’s higher-mass
limits access system will require vehicles to be fitted
with Smart OBM.
Hence, scale system distributor Loadmass Australia
was spotlighting its credentials at the BTS.
It notes it was the first supplier to be Category-A
type-approved by transport technology assurance
organisation Transport Certification Australia (TCA),
and, importantly now boasts two brands, Loadman
and Airtec, type-approved for Category B higher mass
applications.
Those seeking higher mass limits access are
offered scale systems digitally connected to Smart
OBM systems, allowing not only the recording of
the load, but other safety and regulatory information
for compliance purposes, Loadmass notes.
At the other end of the spectrum, the BTS saw a release
of Loadmass’s light commercial range – its LMA Series
3030 sensor, developed in Australia for utilities and vans.
Loadmass director Ralph Rossteuscher explains its air
bag or spring systems can accommodate the full range
of rigid trucks and commercial vehicles.
“Air bag system measures movement in the air
pressure in the air bags of the suspension, so, as the
truck gets a load on it, the air bags compensate and
pump up and we measure the pressure in the airline.
“In the spring suspension one, we measure the
movement in the suspension – it will display an
overload situation when it happens.”
Similarly, for heavier-duty applications, “we measure
the air pressure in air lines through a transducer which
sends a signal back to a converter.”
MERITOR LOOKS TO BLUE HORIZON
Helpfully placed diagonally opposite SEA Electric’s space,
it was by happy coincidence that axle provider Meritor’s
flagging of its Blue Horizon EV option came as the show
put on its most electric face yet.
Meritor was able to explain to visitors curious and
fascinated by the EV impact there that Blue Horizon
would be coming the Australian market’s way soon, in
12Xe, 14Xe and 17Xe e-powertrains capable of 180kW and
250kW, 250kW, and up to 450kW ratings respectively.
Some two decades in the planning, these are to be
aimed at battery electric (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric
(PHEV) hydrogen fuel cell hybrid and compressed
natural gas hybrid electric vehicles.
This time around trailer and line-haul axles took
centre stage, with aftermarket parts acting as a chorus
led by its red drums.
“This is a product we’ve had for a while but it’s a
new version without a pump,” product and marketing
manager Adam Carroll says.
“It’s basically a high-efficiency version for linehaul
work.
“The trailer axle is the main focus for us because we’ve
not done that before. It’s available in North America but
it’s not been available here.”
The key to getting traction with it is fleet attraction.
“What we’re looking for are partners, so fleets that are
interested to trial. We have one fleet that has it on trial at
the moment,” Carroll says.
“We need the fleets to have it on trial, then we need the
trailer-makers interested as well.”
Carroll admits that uncertainty was an issue his side
had to deal with pre-show.
“We ‘um’ed and ‘ah’ed quite a bit and also about the
numbers and whether it was worth bringing everybody
up here with lockdowns . . . but ultimately we decided to
go to the show,” he says, adding that it was worth doing
even if his mob was somewhat overstaffed.
“Because it’s a networking thing as well.”
SUPERCHROME’S FINE FINISH
Sydney-based Superchrome has been in the wheel
chroming business for 25-years with the last 20 of those
years offering a chromed alloy wheel to the industry and
owner drivers alike.
“We are the only ones in Australia who chrome alloy
rims,” says Superchrome general manager Greg Druitt.
“We have a special way we do the chroming and we
offer a seven-year warranty.”
The appeal of Superchrome’s seven-year warranty and
the low maintenance aspect are some of the reasons why
people are choosing to go with a chromed alloy over the
standard wheel, according to Druitt.
“The main complaint we hear all the time is people are
sick of polishing,” Druitt says.
“The work of polishing an alloy wheel for an hour and
you can’t get between the nuts etc. and with our wheels
all you do is give them wash with a soapy brush and a
pressure washer and away you go.”
But it’s not just all for aesthetics with Druitt noting the
protective nature of chrome on an alloy wheel.
“One of the big advantages of chrome on an alloy
wheel is that alloy is soft and chroming puts a hard
coasting on it so all the little stones that hit alloy wheels
and leave marks that need to be polished out, that and
the continual need to polish alloy wheels to keep them
looking good, make our chromed alloy a good choice.
“We’ve always used Alcoa but now Armoury out of
Taiwan have a very good well with good finish to chrome
so we have them at the Truck Show. We only do the two
34 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

ands because we know these are really good quality so
that’s all we use,” says Druitt.
The Brisbane Truck Show has also given Superchrome
a chance to come and interact with its customers
and meet people who may not have heard of the
company before.
“Our wheels are not cheap, but they last. We’ve got guys
coming up to us here at the show with wheels that are
15-years-old and still going and quite often they sell
their truck, keep the wheels and put them on their next
truck,” Druitt says.
As with many industries the global pandemic has
affected Superchrome.
“Originally, with Covid, things slowed things down, but
in the last 10 months we’ve had all time record months
in sales and we currently going through our third
upgrade to our production facility,” says Druitt.
“It just keeps getting bigger and bigger because most
guys when they buy a new truck they don’t go back
to alloy wheels. You just can’t beat chrome for a great
shine,” says Druitt.
BETTER SHOE FROM TRU-SHU
Adelaide-based company Tru-Shu say it has made a
‘better mouse trap’ with its innovative brake shoe and
drum design for S-cam braking systems based on the
firm’s years of maintaining trucks and trailers teamed
with the availability of supply chain manufacturers
left behind from Holden’s departure from the Adelaide
manufacturing landscape.
“I’m a transport operator and in my journey, I guess
we’ve had to put up with a lot of not-very-well-made
parts,” says Tru-Shu managing director Ken Pitt.
“The S-cam brake drum overall is quite good but it had
some failings; the brake shoes would walk out the side
of the drums, especially in rough conditions. So I had a
good look at the system and we came up with a way to
stop shoes coming out. We trialled it and it worked well
so we started manufacturing.”
But it wasn’t enough to just make a better shoe. From
years of pulling braking systems apart for maintenance
and repair, Pitt wanted to make it easier to repair and
maintain as well as more effective.
“When 10-stud rims started coming in it seemed
stupid to pull the hubs off just to do brake maintenance
so we’ve made our brake shoe with an extra hole in it to
put a cable or a zip-tie through to pull the return spring
up and put a clip in to hold everything in place so now
we don’t have to pull hubs off to replace brake shoes,”
Pitt says.
Along with the hole to access the return spring,
the system relies on no backing plate as well
with a drum with various holes and slots to release
braking gasses, dust and general debris, which
can cause overheating and pose a potential fire
risk in a traditional trailer braking system.
“We’re not running backing plates, we aren’t trying to
hide anything, we want to do our maintenance and we
want to look in there,” Pitt says.
“We’ve perforated the drum with different sized
holes to help clear the drum of rubbish and dust and
things like that.
“Our trailer axles we’re making actually use drive
hubs, bearings and seals. We’ve made a collar to go
over the drive hub so we run two wheel seals because
we want to run oil rather than grease as a lubricant
because it does a better job. Now we are starting to
build our own suspension which is based being easy to
maintain, being very stable, so one thing is leading to
another,” says Pitt.
“We fell like we’ve got the drum brake working
as good as it can. We’ve got it to a stage where the
maintenance and performance and cost saving from
having something work really well is there. We think
we’ve helped out a fair bit.”
Pitt says his company runs around 30 trucks and 45
trailers moving machinery around Australia and has
trialled their braking system over 100,000km with good
results so far.
With plans to sell the shoes on a return basis and
an eye toward engineering better suspension and
axle components, Pitt is optimistic about the future
of the company especially with the support of local
manufacturers.
DOUBLE THE RANGE WITH TYREMAX
Independently owned and operated tyre wholesaler
TyreMax had an impressive array on show, with
a particular focus on its Maxxis and Continental
commercial vehicle tyre ranges.
First cabs off the rank were the Maxxis steer and allposition
tyres, which TyreMax notes is the perfect midrange
offering for regional and long-haul highway
applications.
“We’ve developed a new steer tyre, which we have
tested at length in Australia and have found better
results than both the Michelin and Bridgestone,” says
TyreMax technical product specialist Neil Jonsson.
“It was only a smallish test but it was a really
promising result so we’re bringing that out in bulk
from about June onwards and hoping for a good result
and good sales.”
Vital to Maxxis’ product development is its proving
ground in Kunshan near Shanghai, one of only a select
few privately-owned in China, notes TyreMax product
manager Jeff Moorhead.
The US$150 million rigorous testing operation,
which took several years to plan and construct, opened
in 2012 and is the basis for the company’s evolving tyre
technology.
Meanwhile, Continental’s research and development
department has devised a range of Conti CrossTrac
tyres, which “lead the way for a new generation of onand
off-road truck tyres”, the company notes.
The story of Continental’s heavy-duty range is
characterised by a “dedication” to the Australian
market, with Jonsson noting, pre-COVID, engineers
would regularly fly out from Germany to Australia to
check test tyres and examine how they wear here, what
influences that wear, and much more.
“It’s a massive investment in a market that isn’t huge
globally, but because it’s such a difficult market to
make tyres for, their ideology is if you can make tyres
for the difficult market … that can come together to
build better tyres for the world.”
Another recent development for Continental sees
it team up with Pacific Telematics to offer a digital
transport monitoring system.
The new ContiPressureCheck system, launched at the
show, uses sensors fitted inside each tyre to provide
drivers with real-time information on the tyre status.
The continuous, automatic tyre pressure monitoring
system is designed to reduce overall operating costs
and results in lower fuel consumption, reduced risk of
tyre-related breakdowns and extended tyre life.
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 35

INNOVATIVE EXHIBITORS
The Brisbane Truck Show’s technology and innovation centre showcased
the latest and greatest ways to digitally enhance many facets of one’s
business – from fleet, job and repair management software to thermal
imaging and remote controlling
KEEPING
TRACK
WITH
Pete Hellemons (left)
and his son Drew from
Avantgarde Distribution
SENSIUM
Sensium is a Brisbane-based vehicle telemetry and fleet tracking firm whose point of
difference is its local focus.
As CEO Jeremy McLean tells us, its designs and manufacture all its hardware – its
platforms, developments, firmware, communications protocols, end-to-end, are all its
own, and “very few others are doing that, so it’s unique”.
Another selling point is that the product suits the majority of companies – it’s
web-based, not over the top, and claims to provide the highest resolution and quality
data in the industry.
Starting with trades and moved into transport industry, registered as a provider for
TCA schemes – for example, on show it was demonstrating how the system integrates
with other products like Airtec on-board mass.
AVANTGARDE’S
EASTERN EXCURSION
It is a long way from Perth to Brisbane, so the
appearance of FLIR Thermal Imaging provider
Avantgarde Distribution at the show was welcome.
Avantgarde’s Pete Hellemons gain more of a
public profile four years ago when the safety
technology was making a splash and he says the
desire to be at the BTS has been around since
then. The trouble being how to successfully find
an opening.
As with other exhibitors, this year saw that
opportunity open up.
“We’ve had this business going for nearly 10 years
now and we’ve been getting pretty big in the west
but we wanted to diversify, so we thought ‘we’ve
got to come over to Brisbane’.
“Had wanted to come here for a couple of years
but getting into the show has not been easy.”
So, with some exhibitors forced to withdraw due
to pandemic disruption, he was never going to let
the opportunity slide.
“We’re just hoping we get an invitation to come
back in 2023 – that’s the plan.”
Hellemons was buoyed at the opportunity to get
in front of eastern-state faces, in the same way he
did early on in WA, saying he gained serious interest
even on the show’s last day.
After all, there is at least as much need in the
east to know, at night when the sun in low on the
horizon, what might be about to damage crucial
expensive trucks when seeing danger is difficult.
The other opportunity the show provides is
networking and Hellemon found that particularly
valuable, providing “as much, if not more” interest
than interaction with visitors.
“We are keen to integrate our products,” he says
“Telematics organisations here have shown a lot
of interest in our products. Trucks already have a
lot of cameras on them these days and they are
recording that footage into their DVR unit, so it
makes sense to have this as a bolt-on item and then
marry that information.
“So you’re putting that image on the dashboard
for your operator to see but why not feed that into
the recorder so that, if an event does happen, you
can see what occurred and what the driver could
see before it happened.”
ONE STOP IBODYSHOP
iBodyshop offers a one-stop maintenance suite for smash repairers and
workshops.
Director Stephen O’Brien notes that, unlike desktop packages that
traditionally need two or three pieces of software for the whole task,
iBodyshop’s system is cloud-based and integrated within one package,
making it faster and smarter.
This allows a repairer to write a quote, manage a job, lodge with
insurance, do labels, time recording and accounting all in the one place,
making the product popular with large truck and smash-repair groups.
36 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

VWORK ON SCHEDULE
VWork is an electronic job scheduling and dispatch software package for any
transport operation.
It claims to reduce paperwork processes, increase responsiveness to customers
through automated electronic notifications for proof of service or impending
arrival of drivers, bill more accurately for time or distance travelled and reduces
the need to chase drivers for paperwork.
Business development manager Paul Blackwell says the software is easier to
deploy as it’s up and running in matter of weeks and is adaptable to different
types of operations – courier, linehaul, spare sparts, etc. – and configured for
individual business.
Plus it’s free for 12-months – the longest trial period on the market, more than
enough for an operator to become accustomed to the tech.
TIGER SPIDER’S 3D VIEW
Tiger Spider is a transport engineering and
software consultancy for heavy commercial and
performance-based standards (PBS) vehicles.
Managing director Marcus Coleman runs
through its suite of services, including PBS
design and approval work, testing, certification
and compliance tasks for truck and trailer
manufacturers, transport companies, road and
traffic managers and engineers.
Hevi Spec is the firm’s flagship product: software
for truck and trailer design.
It incorporates any vehicle combinations, taking
into consideration weight distribution, payload
optimisation, PBS assessment and more. It
presents a 2D vision with 3D model in the backend.
Another key product, Spider Path, provides
‘swept path’ diagrams of vehicles, meaning it can
build any vehicle configuration and check if it
fits over satellite image map – critical for access
assessments.
FUTURE FLEET’S ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Future Fleet is an Australian telematics provider
specialising in internet of things (IoT), artificial
intelligence (AI) powered, satellite and 4G/5G
asset and fleet tracking solutions.
General manager Richard Saad says the
company’s three pillars are efficiency,
compliance and safety.
One of its highlights is Australia’s first IoT
direct-to-orbit tracker developed in conjunction
with satellite connectivity firm Myriota, a fellow
Australian company.
It also offers an AI-driven front-facing and road-facing camera that warns of distraction or
fatigue, electronic work diaries (EWDs), solar and non-solar asset trackers.
SCANRECO’S
REMOTE SOLUTION
Hace Industries is the distributor of wireless
industrial control products from Swedish firm
Scanreco. In a nutshell, it’s like playing with
remote controlled vehicles to the real world.
From pocket remotes to whole consoles
complete with joysticks and screens, Scanreco
is able to reduce the risk of human involvement
in hazardous applications.
Its systems are suitable for materials
handling, mining, agriculture, transport, and
shipping equipment such as cranes, winches,
concrete pumps, tilt slides, forklifts and others.
Pertinent to trucking, Hace manager Niall
Field points to Scanreco’s capability to remote
control a truck – stop and start an engine,
command steering and drive, activate brakes
and lights, and more.
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 37

isbane truck show
SNAPSHOTS OF
38 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

BRISBANE
The
Brisbane Truck
Show burst its
boundaries in May,
extending beyond
the traditional event
to encompass Heavy
Vehicle Industry Week.
And, as this pictorial
shows, the event
brought out many
of the personalities
associated within and
outside the industry
PHOTOS BY WARREN AITKEN, GREG BUSH AND BEN DILLON
Top, L to R: Waiting game: The crowds
gather outside the Brisbane Convention
& Exhibition Centre; HVIA president John
Drake, NTI CEO Tony Clark and HVIA CEO
Todd Hacking officially opening the 2021
Brisbane Truck Show on May 13
Above, L to R: Owner//Driver columnist
Ken Wilkie takes a day off from longhaul
to catch up with his daughter-inlaw
Michelle Wilkie, a member of the
Heritage Truck Association. (See our
feature on the heritage truck display
in Owner//Driver’s July edition.); This 10
Swedish Kronor coin was found at the
Brisbane Truck Show. Any takers?
Left: The big rigs made their presence felt
among the wining and dining scene at
Brisbane’s Southbank
Opposite bottom, L to R: It was standing
room only on the foyer level at the
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
during the Brisbane Truck Show; The
girls from Rocklea Truck Electrical were
happy to pose in front of the company’s
Kenworth
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 39

Above: Country star Sinead Burgess
was at the show to promote the RACQ’s
LifeFlight Rescue helicopter service
on the Rhino Trailers stand. Back in
January 2020 Sinead was the co-host
of Tamworth’s Golden Guitar awards
concert
Above left: Glen ‘Yogi’ Kendall (left)
caught up with Simon Keogh of Keogh
Transport who looked as pleased as
punch that his new Western Star 4900
with Stratosphere sleeper was on display
at the show
Far left & left: NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto
took time out at the Brisbane Truck Show
to approve a new electronic work diary
option – Quallogi by Kynection – for
heavy vehicle drivers, watched on by
John Tsoucalas from Quallogi; Lawyer
Adam Cockayne and veteran truck
driver and practising paralegal Robert
Bell came to Brisbane to gauge feedback
for their new Highway Advocates legal
service
Bottom, L to R: Strongman Troy Conley-
Magnusson successfully pushing a
Freightliner Cascadia at the South Bank
Truck Festival during the show. His
effort earned him a Guinness World
Record as well as raising money for
charity; Leonnie Carter, co-founder of
Carter Heavy Haulage, popped in for a
visit at the Owner//Driver stand. Leonnie
is also co-organiser of the annual
Newcastle and Hunter Region’s Road
Safety Awareness Day
40 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Top: The National Apprentice Challenge kept the Southbank Piazza audience enthralled. Southern Region (Luke
Kneebone and Samual Allan) came out on top in the final. Photo courtesy HVIA
Above left: The National Road Freighters Association stand attracted plenty of interest at the show: From left,
national secretary Glyn Castanelli, driver’s advocate and VP Trevor Warner, NHVAS auditor Mark Reynolds, and NRFA
president Rod Hannifey
Above: Kenworth was a popular brand for night revellers at the the Southbank Truck Festival
Left: Paccar Australia managing director Andrew Hadjikakou and Naomi Frauenfelder, CEO of Healthy Heads in
Trucks & Sheds with the new DAF LF260. The customised vehicle was used for free ‘Truckie Tune Ups’ at the show
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 41

trucking heritage
MUTUAL MILESTONES
Paccar Australia has
celebrated 50 years of
truck manufacturing
at its Bayswater (Vic)
headquarters but,
notching an even
bigger milestone, it
has now been 75 years
since two Army mates
formed a company
called Brown & Hurley.
Today, of course, the
two companies are
synonymous with
success. Steve Brooks
writes
THE FIRST HALF of 2021 has certainly been a
memorable time for Paccar Australia and its
leading dealer group, Brown & Hurley.
For Paccar, it’s now 50 years since a K125 cabover
affectionately known as the ‘Grey Ghost’
became the first Kenworth truck to roll off the
Bayswater (Vic) production line.
For Brown & Hurley, this year notches 75 years
since the fateful day in 1946 when Alan Brown
and Jack Hurley cobbled together their Army discharge
pay to create a company bearing their surnames.
It was, however, in 1964 that Paccar and Brown &
Hurley forged the first bonds that would glue the
companies so intrinsically together. After all, that
was the year Brown & Hurley became Australia’s first
Kenworth distributor and, soon after, sold its first
Kenworth, a W923 model, to Doug Wyton of Toowoomba.
Two years later, Paccar principals in the US announced
that Kenworth trucks would be assembled in Australia
from completely knocked-down kits but it wasn’t until
1969 that a big block of land at Bayswater, back then
a largely rural suburb on Melbourne’s outer rim, was
bought to build a factory to actually manufacture trucks
in Australia. It was a boldly optimistic and exceedingly
fortuitous decision.
In half a century of truck making, Paccar Australia
has produced more than 70,000 trucks and around 30
per cent of them have been sold through the Brown
& Hurley Group. The 70,000th truck was, in fact, a
T659 specifically ordered by Brown & Hurley as a
commemorative unit for its 75th anniversary.
Celebrating its 50 years of truck manufacturing with
a high-profile event at the Bayswater plant attended
by federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg and a number of
government ministers and industry leaders, Paccar
Australia chief Andrew Hadjikakou emphasised the
critical contribution of past and present employees in
securing the company’s success over such a long, and
sometimes demanding, period.
“Today, the workforce behind each truck is measured
in the thousands. An extended family of exceptional
employees, dealers and suppliers that span the nation,”
Hadjikakou enthused in a statement.
“The desire to build the world’s best trucks still
inspires and unites us.”
Critically, the statement also cited Kenworth’s success
despite “the removal of import tariffs, soaring fuel costs,
economic downturns, global recessions, dimensional
changes, emissions reductions and, most recently, a
pandemic demanding changes to the production line to
42 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

“He’s
sold more
trucks on
his own
than some
brands
have sold
altogether.”
protect the workforce and maintain supply of trucks to the essential
transport industry”.
As Hadjikakou commented: “2020 showed how important
Australian manufacturing is to this country.”
Likewise, a determined Hadjikakou didn’t miss any opportunity
to make the same point as he led Frydenberg and his political
allies on a tour of the Bayswater plant. By any measure, it was
a polished and highly professional performance by the Paccar
Australia chief.
Equally, it wasn’t lost on a few guests that while all Australians
have despaired at the widely publicised decimation of the
country’s car making industry, the truck manufacturing sector
has quietly continued to remain buoyant, productive and a
significant employer, despite ongoing corporate pressure to
remain economically viable in a demanding, low volume market.
Farewell and funny business
Among several honoured guests at the 50th anniversary event were
Manny Melkonian and the elder statesman of Brown & Hurley these
days, Jim Hurley.
It was a deserving tribute for Manny in particular, announcing his
retirement after a truly stellar career with Paccar Australia spanning
more than 50 years. Indeed, Manny was selling Kenworths before the
Bayswater plant produced its first truck.
Something of a quiet achiever and now close to his 81st birthday,
Manny is the quintessential master salesman whose loyalty,
knowledge and contacts seem to know no bounds within the Paccar
fold, and whose passion and commitment to the product and its
customers have seen him accrue more than 3,000 sales. As one wit
remarked: “He’s sold more trucks on his own than some brands have
sold altogether.” True!
On the other hand, Jim has been retired for a number of
years and, with a business card which describes him simply as
a ‘roving ambassador’ for the Brown & Hurley Group, he bears
many of his father, Jack’s, traits, not least a dry wit and laconic
sense of humour.
The choice of a T659 model as the 70,000th truck was, as Jim put
it: “Because it’s a real workhorse.” As for the truck’s notable absence
from the event, held up by floods around Moree, an unfazed Jim said
simply: “Well, it just goes to show, Nature has the final say.”
But with so much history to draw upon, it was Jim’s delivery of
an anecdote from the formative years of Alan and Jack that had
many people captivated and laughing. A few, however, appeared
exceedingly relieved that prime minister Scott Morrison – then
being hammered far and wide for his poor handling of genderrelated
issues as well as a very seedy act of self-gratification by
a parliamentary staff member – had belatedly flick-passed the
Paccar event to Frydenberg.
Just as well, because Jim’s story went something like this: in the
very early days of the business, and as was their occasional want,
Alan and Jack would adjourn to a local pub to discuss things, with
Jack’s wife, Thelma, or Alan’s wife, Lil, invariably left to look after
the office at the company’s Kyogle base in far northern NSW.
One day, Jack was proudly telling a mutual acquaintance
how he’d sold various pieces of equipment and how well he
was going. Listening to Jack’s high opinion of his sales success,
Alan soon reminded him that the business – with Jack doing
the selling and Alan looking after service – was in fact a
partnership in every way and everything they did, they were
equally responsible for.
Suitably chastened, Jack agreed.
“Yep, you’re right mate. We share responsibility for everything.”
A few days passed. Alan strolled past and Jack asked him into
his office.
“Mate, you know how you said we share responsibility for
everything?” Jack asked.
“Yeah,” Alan replied.
“Well, we’ve just got the office girl pregnant.”
While the assembled audience cracked with laughter, on stage it
was a toss-up who squirmed the most, Frydenberg or Hadjikakou.
As for how ‘Scotty from Marketing’ would’ve coped … well, we’ll
never know, but it would’ve been priceless to watch.
Opposite top: Grey Ghost. Fifty
years ago, the K125 cab-over was the
first truck fully built on Paccar’s
Bayswater production line
Opposite below: Making a point.
Paccar Australia chief Andrew
Hadjikakou gets the ear of a
thoughtful federal treasurer, Josh
Frydenberg
Top, L to R: Half a century later,
Brown & Hurley’s 75th anniversary
T659 becomes the 70,000th truck
to roll out of the Paccar Australia
factory; Master salesman Manny
(Manuel) Melkonian. Set to retire
after more than 50 years, the Paccar
stalwart has sold more than 3,000
trucks in a long and dedicated
career
Above: Brown & Hurley roving
ambassador, Jim (JJ) Hurley. The
artwork on the 75th anniversary
T659 captures the early days of
company founders Alan Brown
and Jack Hurley
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 43

truck of the month
PICTURE PERFECT
44 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Gavin Sutton discovered a retired classic Mack Super-Liner,
refurbishing it with a view to taking it around the truck show
circuit. But this ’89 bulldog scrubbed up so well that it quickly
wound up back in the workforce. Warren Aitken writes
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 45

“He replied,
‘it’s for
sale’ so I
grabbed my
wallet and
said ‘how
much?’”
Top: Rewiring led to an all new dash,
with new upholstery as well
Above: The old Super-Liner led a
pretty hard life as a tow truck
Right: Gavin Sutton’s life-long dream
was to own a classic Mack Super-
Liner
Opposite top: Back to work: the
Super-Liner’s truck show career has
been put on hold
EVERYONE’S HEARD the old adage, ‘a picture paints 1,000
words’. Right? Well, as a journalist I supply the picture as
well as 1,000 words to go with it. Some of it is an attempt to
be informative, some of it is an attempt to be entertaining,
but most of it is just to get paid. Every now and then I get
to photograph some trucks where there is no number of
words that will ever entertain as much as the photos of
aforementioned trucks. Like Gavin Sutton’s Super-Liner for
example. A photo of this Mack is worth more than 1,000
words, easily.
Gavin runs GST transport, based out of Australia’s home of country
music, Tamworth. He’s got a fleet of trucks covering all corners of
the country and there is a story to tell there as well, but that’s for
another day. Right now we are focusing on the ‘right place right time’
situation that resulted in Gavin fulfilling a lifelong desire to own a
classic Mack Super-Liner.
Believe it or not, the 1989 Super-Liner was an unwanted child. It
ended up in the hands of Don McQueen and the McQueen family
after the original order got cancelled. The keen-eyed observer will
pick up on the non-factory sleeper box that Don had fitted to the
day cab-specced truck. With Don behind the wheel, the truck was a
regular on the Newell raceway back in the infamous early ’90s.
“It’s still good for near 100mph [161km/h],” Gavin confesses,
though I’m sure this is a qualified estimate based purely on the long
diffs and some fine calculations, not from testing it out. The Mack
spent five years running up and down the coast. Word has it the
truck used to haul for Comet out of Melbourne, up to Brisbane and
then race off and grab a load of bananas back to Sydney. Painted up
in an olive green with yellow blue and silver stripes, and adjourned
with plenty of scrollwork, the Super-Liner was the epitome of cool
from day one.
After five years it was apparently sold to Keysseckers in Mudgee,
where it was used to cart explosives. Think of the irony in that – a
big banger carting big bangs (it doesn’t take much to amuse me). The
Mack spent another five years doing explosive work, but sadly the
rules and regulations for that work stipulated that no trucks older
than 10 years were acceptable. Again, the truck went up for sale.
That’s how the truck ended up in Gavin’s neck of the woods,
though still a fair while before he would get it. It was bought by John
Dunn Towing in Tamworth, the chassis was shortened to fit some
heavy towing gear on the back, then a nice new paint job and it
became one of NSW’s coolest tow trucks.
46 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Retirement ready
After five years of Hume racing and five years of explosive
adventures, the big Mack settled down to nearly two full decades of
playing recovery vehicle. In that time, John wore the factory E9 out
and had it replaced with a new one. Even with the old motor I’m
pretty sure it would not have been beaten to many recovery jobs by
anything other than the local cops.
In early 2017, John retired the 28-year-old truck and replaced it
with a new Iveco. It was here that a chance encounter brightened up
both Gavin’s day and the bulldog’s future.
“I happened to stumble along John one Saturday morning
doing a recovery,” Gavin recalls. “I said: ‘What are you doing with the
old girl?’. He replied: ‘It’s for sale,’ so I grabbed my wallet and said:
‘How much?’”
Impulse shopping is never really a great idea, but restoring an old
Super-Liner, driving an old Super-Liner, owning an old Super-Liner,
well, all that trumps common sense and Gavin walked away that
Saturday with his very own Mack Super-Liner.
According to the thousands of photos on Gavin’s phone it was
February 2017 when he picked the truck up, drove it straight to the
yard, stirred up some dust and no doubt let off a few smoke signals
before parking it in the workshop, where he and the team began the
tear down.
The truck obviously had the towing gear already removed,
meaning Gavin, along with a lot of help from Daniel ‘Boon’ Dowe,
was left to pull the rest of the truck to pieces. Cab and bonnet were
removed and all the tanks; in fact, everything was removed. The cab
and chassis were all blazed, primed and resprayed by Boon.
Before the respray the truck was lengthened back out to its
original specs by the team at Alan Fisher Fabrications. Once it
had been tidied up by Boon, with a little help from Gavin, they
put the truck back to a basic point and sent it back off to AK
Fabrications to get a lot of the more specialised repairs done.
All-new deck plating needed to be built and all-new brackets
were built for the tank steps as, at some stage during its lifetime,
someone had replaced them after some damage. A new turntable
was also fitted.
Not so smooth
The fuel tanks themselves were about as smooth as the Bruce
Highway, so, rather than try and repair them, Gavin actually threw
them in the back of the ute and headed to Rob and the boys at RC
Metalcraft to get them wrapped.
“They didn’t have a stencil for these type of tanks” Gavin recalls.
“They mucked about for about a day and got it done though, did a
great job.”
Contrary to my first assumption it wasn’t just to avoid polishing, I
saw photos and the tanks were very worn.
The other stainless work was farmed out to a local company, JRC
Stainless, and, like Gavin, I couldn’t fault the workmanship. The
customised pieces between the rear guards – with the bulldog cut
into it – are spot on. JRC also did the stainless and lights on the
steps, as well as around the dogbox. According to Gavin, their biggest
challenge was adding the stainless under the cab.
“The bit under the cab on a Super-Liner is very, very difficult.
Because of the nature of the cab and how it’s formed, it took a lot of
work.” He makes it very clear though that he’s very pleased with the
work. “They did an outstanding job, outstanding.”
Another local company with huge involvement in the project was
A&K Auto Electrics. Basically the whole truck got rewired, everything
around the engine, the cab … everywhere.
“It was a bit of a rat’s nest,” Gavin admits. “Over the years, different
owners, different applications, it had been doctored up a lot.”
From the radiator to the taillights it all got a work over. When it
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 47

came to rewiring the interior it was decided to source a whole
new dash.
“The old one was just full of holes from 57,000 CB radios, UHFs,
scanners and all that sort of thing,” Gavin says. A fibreglass company
in Toowoomba was able to supply a new one for the big rig. Pretty
much all the lights were stuffed or walking the plank at best, so
all-new lights were fitted. Gavin sourced original Mack lights, just
sealed beam lights this time. He wanted to try and keep the truck
close to original.
Part of that originality was the Mack bullbar. The truck’s original
bar had obviously sent many a creature off to that big farmyard in
the sky and was beyond repair. A call was placed to Tony Tester, who
runs BigRigBullbars and specialises in replica Mack bars. The bar is
slightly different to the truck’s original one, but the new one looks
right at home under the bulldog’s nose.
Mack aficionados will notice the offsets on the steer axle. True,
those weren’t factory fitted, however the 10 stud alloys were. On the
build sheet, and in the early photos of Don’s ride, you’ll see it had
10 studs up front. Sure, Don would have had to polish his whereas
Gavin’s gone with chromed alloy all round for the restoration. One
less thing to polish.
Freshened up
A cup of tea and a computer screen with the legendary Showy from
Showman Signs in Newcastle saw the scrollwork designs decided.
“He’d add one here, I’d take away one here,” Gavin smiles. He
admits Showy is a fan of Macks as well so he had some great ideas
that wouldn’t be too over the top.
While the company colours for GST are white with the blue, when
Gavin and his painter Boon discussed the repainting they knew it
would start with a metallic blue chassis. Cab-wise, he wanted it to
look similar to his fleet, albeit different, so cream it was. There was
a fair bit of time mixing, getting creamier and creamier as it went,
until the end result emerged.
Last but not least was a freshen-up of the cab. With the allnew
dash and wiring set up it goes without saying that the rest
would get a spruce up. Again, Gavin looked locally and had the
Top, L to R: The Mack practices
smoke signals before heading into
downtown Tamworth locals (note
to environmentalists: please look
away); A bulldog guards the rear
guards
Above left: The Super-Liner’s
wrapped tanks, thanks to RC
Metalcraft
Below: A special shout-out to Roger
Evans, the man with a million Mack
photos, who found this stunner of
the Mack in its original setup. She
was an eye-catching piece even then
“Over the years, different
owners, different
applications, it had been
doctored up a lot.”
truck sent off to Ferry’s Motor Trimmers to get the upholstery fitted.
It took almost two years to get the legendary old Mack back into
show class standards. From a hard worked ex-tow truck, Gavin
brought it back to a top class show truck. I say that with a little grin.
Why? Because it lasted as a show truck about as long as I would
on Dancing with the Stars. In fact, it was roadworthy for a week
or so before Gavin had it down at the local transport office getting
it registered.
Two days later he had hooked it up to the company trailers and
loaded up. They built those old MKIIs to work and Gavin couldn’t
resist doing just that. Sure, he was gentle with it at first, just single
trailer jobs, very picky about which pickups and deliveries it
would do.
Then he decided to change the rego and start putting road trains
behind it. As a truck lover and a photographer I’m all for this.
However, I’d also want a chaser car out front making sure no-one
was flicking stones at the classic truck as they went past either. It
would be an emotional rollercoaster.
With it getting a bit of work to do there has been another
important change as well. The original nine-speed ’box has finally
been removed and replaced with an 18-speed.
“I thought it might slow it down as well,” says Gavin with a grin.
“I don’t think it has.”
He’s had the old Super Liner for four years now and is still loving
every minute of it. Even as we moved around Tamworth to go get
some photos there were heads turning as they heard and saw the
big girl coming.
“The desired effect was plenty of smoke and plenty of noise and
that’s what we got,” Gavin admits.
It may be helped that during the restoration project the single
muffler in the chassis just ‘happened’ to be left out. The end result is
that Gavin Sutton has a working show truck whose image can paint
more than 1,000 words.
50 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

TWU Michael Kaine
Joint industry effort
Despite the usual opposition, a minimum road
transport rate will benefit al l in the supply chain
IT WAS almost five years to
the day since the Road Safety
Remuneration Tribunal was
torn down that I was back in
Canberra again last month. This
time it was to give evidence to
the Senate inquiry on the safety
and sustainability of the road
transport industry.
I described the need for reform in
our industry so that standards can be
lifted for drivers and operators alike,
ensuring that fairness and safety
are the main focus. I spoke about
the need to hold wealthy retailers,
manufacturers, oil companies and
banks at the top to account. Because
it is our industry that is forced to cart
their goods for low prices and it is our
industry that bears the brunt of these
low prices through financially stressed
operators, bankruptcies, underpaid
drivers, faulty trucks, injuries and
deaths.
This is something the Transport
Workers Union (TWU) has been calling
for for some time.
But what was new on this day in
Canberra was who I was standing with.
I was proud to make a joint
submission to the Senate Inquiry with
Gordon Mackinlay of the National Road
Freighters Association.
Five years ago, as the nation’s
attention was focused on the views
and thoughts of the trucking industry,
myself and Gordo found ourselves on
opposite sides of the debate. Since then
we have realised we in fact have a lot in
common. We both recognise the deep
unfairness in the system and we want
to address the squeeze on transport by
the big clients whose profits grow at
our industry’s expense.
Our decision to stand together does
not come without risks for both sides
but Gordo perfectly summed up where
our minds have met when he addressed
the Senate Inquiry: “People ask, ‘What
are you doing working with the TWU
or talking to a Labor senator?’ I’ll tell
you what I’m doing, talking to them.
I’m trying to get something done for
this country. They’re the only people
who are listening, and I thank them for
listening.
“You don’t have to be a rocket
scientist for this. We’re not making
money out of transport. The best
operators are not making money out
of transport. While the wage thing is
important, you can’t get blood out of a
stone. The person who owns the vehicle
has to be remunerated properly. That
can filter down to the drivers, and so it
should filter down to the drivers, but it
should also filter down so the person
who owns that company can give that
driver a very safe, modern workplace to
work in. I think it’s very important that
we try to get to that point.”
The truth is, Gordo and myself care
about the transport industry. We know
things aren’t good right now and we
want to change it.
What we are battling are those
standing in the way of reform and
those who say they care but really don’t.
MINIMUM RATE OPPOSITION
Giving evidence after myself and
Gordo was the Australian Trucking
Association (ATA), which made some
startling admissions.
The ATA said it was opposed to
reforms holding clients to account
for their low rates and ensuring a
minimum standard across the industry,
despite the fact that many of its own
members are in fact in favour of this.
The ATA seemed to believe that all
was okay when it came to sham
contracting and it gave evidence that
the Australian Taxation Office was
handling this just fine.
It failed to name one achievement
by the federal transport minister,
Michael McCormack, when asked,
despite insisting that “he is strongly
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
BELOW:
At the Senate Inquiry into
road transport: Gordon
Mackinlay (left) and
Michael Kaine
engaged with the sector”. Anyone
watching this evidence would be left in
no doubt as to what the ATA represents
in our industry: it is an apologist for a
federal government that had actively
made our industry worse.
On Senate Inquiry day this got
exposed.
Senator Glenn Sterle pushed
the ATA on whether minister
McCormack consulted with the
association on the setting up of
the Senate Inquiry before the
government voted against it. The ATA
representatives refused to give an
answer, which said it all.
SUPPLY CHAIN SQUEEZE
Our industry is becoming more
united each day on need for real,
binding reform to right the wrongs
and to balance the power dynamic
in transport. We want an end to
take-it-or-leave it rates; we want an
industry striving for excellence, not
one continually engaged in a race to
the bottom.
The TWU at our national council
in Darwin last month revealed our
plans to target the top of the supply
chain. We are serving claims on over
50 major retailers, warning of their
responsibility to ensure that they are
paying transport operators enough
to guarantee that their goods are
being delivered safely. As enterprise
agreements for thousands of transport
workers expire in the coming months,
we will target the squeeze by retailers
with actions and protests.
To those industry bodies and
operators which are serious about
reform and also want to see change we
will be happy to join forces with you.
But to those who stand in our way, to
those proposing meaningless voluntary
codes and cosy-ing up to the likes of the
federal government, allowing them to
pretend they have our industry onside
for doing nothing we say: get out of
our way. Because there are lives and
livelihoods at risk and this reform
agenda is too serious for jokers and
charlatans.
“While the wage thing is important, you
can’t get blood out of a stone.”
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 51

sponsored content
FREIGHTER CELEBRATES 75 YEARS
The year 2021 marks 75 years since the first Freighter products rolled onto
Australian roads. Freighter’s history is clearly as long as it is rich, and that
legacy is a key component of every trailer that rolls off the line today
The origins of Freighter hark all the way back
to before World War II, and its influence has
been growing ever since. Truly national
before any other manufacturer dreamed it
was possible, the company didn’t limit itself
to being the best in truck trailers. It also made
boats, buoys, buses, forklifts, caravans, starting
gates for racing tracks, wood heaters and even
had a crack at building its own 4WD vehicle.
It’s said that, during the 1970s, nine out of every
10 heavy-duty trailers on the road were Freighter. Its
influence on the industry remains undeniable.
Freighter was officially created in 1945, with
the first products rolling onto Australian roads
in February 1946. However, its origins reach back
even further, starting with a man named John
McGrath, who was born in Melbourne just as the
19th century turned into the 20th. Back then,
an estimated 1.6 million horses, 6,000 camels
and 45,000 bullocks were providing the power
behind freight, and a car trip between Sydney
and Melbourne could take a week.
From scratching around to get by, McGrath
had become the biggest trailer manufacturer in
the country.
Post-war, new roads and new regulations were
created to formalise the transport industry. The
developments didn’t suit John’s mode of operation
or stage of life, so he decided to sell out of his
burgeoning, but somewhat ramshackle operation.
An enterprising man named Noel Peel saw things
another way – with more structure around the
already impressive operations, surely McGrath’s
team of engineers, welders, fixers and makers
could really shine.
The company was renamed Freighters Ltd
(apparently after a champion racehorse of the
time) and held its first AGM in late 1945. The
main order of business? Buying McGrath Trailer
Equipment.
Peter White – an experienced industry
professional – purchased the business in
late December 1982 and in early January it was
named Freighter Australia Manufacturing.
With Peter’s laser focus on costs and product
innovation, as well as some inspired licensing
arrangements (such as the relationship with
Tautliners), by 1985 the new Freighter celebrated
the manufacture of 600 trailers in two years. By
the early 1990s, the business was on the up-andup
again.
More geographic and product diversification
followed, and by the late 1990s Freighter’s
performance drew the attention of a respected
industry performer, Jim Curtis. Jim had created
Maxi-CUBE, which had been ASX-listed in 1994,
and was looking for a big step forward to achieve
his growth aims. Freighter was a much bigger
fish than Maxi-CUBE, but that didn’t stop him.
In 1998, Freighter was acquired by Jim’s business.
Later that year, MaxiTRANS was established.
Freighter’s standing was so well-established
that its name was retained and Freighter
products became a key component of the
MaxiTRANS business. Its status continued
throughout the 2000s, as MaxiTRANS underwent
a period of significant acquisitions and growth.
Today, Freighter is celebrating 75 years as
Australia’s longest standing trailer brand. While
it has gone through significant changes through
its journey, the brand continues to deliver on
its promise of high quality, high performance
trailing equipment with an unmatched network
of national back up support.
“Freighter’s long and successful history is
owed to our loyal customers,” says Dean Jenkins,
MaxiTRANS managing director and CEO.
“Many of our customers are second- or thirdgeneration
Freighter loyalists. It is this on-going
support that has helped build the legacy that
Freighter prides itself on and will continue to be
a part of every locally-manufactured high quality
trailer that is produced.
“We sit here today reflecting on the great
achievements of Freighter, from introducing
the first mass-produced curtain sided trailer into
the Australian market, known in the Freighter
family as the Tautliner, through to continuing
to push the boundaries on performance-based
standards (PBS).
“A common theme across the years has been
finding innovative ways for our customers
to get more out of their equipment, allowing
them to increase productivity with outstanding
reliability, so they can focus on continuing to
deliver the needs of the nation.
“75 years in operation is a significant milestone,
not only for the Freighter brand, but for the wider
“WE LOOK FORWARD WITH GREAT EXCITEMENT TO
THE FUTURE OF THE FREIGHTER BRAND.”
transport industry too. Supporting Australian
business and locally manufactured products
is what has made it possible for the brand to
continue to thrive.
“In celebration of this milestone and for our
customers wishing to be a part of this historic
year, we have released a limited edition Freighter
75th year Diamond Pack, available across the
Freighter range throughout 2021. We encourage
those interested to reach out to their local
MaxiTRANS dealer.
“We again take this opportunity to thank
all our customers, suppliers and staff for
their on-going support throughout our
extensive history, but also as important, during
the most recent challenging times. We look
forward with great excitement to the future
of the Freighter brand and the transport
industry as a whole.”
52 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

OWD-FP-5184448-CS-341

trucking heritage
RESTORATION BLUES
With decades in the transport
industry behind him, Bob Miller
turned his attention to a couple of
reminders of his working past, a ’55
Dodge and a ’64 B-model Mack, with
the end result of returning the iconic
models to their former glories.
Warren Caves writes
54 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Bob Miller and Warren King
hauled new cars and old with
their 1955 Dodge in the early ’70s
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 55

SEEMINGLY INSIGNIFICANT chapters in one’s life can,
unknowingly at that particular juncture, leave a lasting
imprint on your soul. A road trip holiday, a significant
birthday celebration or even something as mundane as
weekends tinkering in the shed. These are all the little
things that make us who we are, these fragments of
time get tattooed firmly on our minds as real as if they
happened yesterday.
It stands to reason that the more time we spend
experiencing these chapters, the more vivid the tattoo.
For those of us that call the open road our workplace, the
memories are etched deeply. Different loads, roadhouses, loading
facilities and the people that we shared them with, remembered
fondly, albeit, sometimes through ‘rose-coloured glasses’. Let’s
face it, time spent on the road in trucks can easily, in some
cases, outweigh the time spent at home with wives, partners
and spouses.
One constant throughout these years for some, can be the
truck. Hours upon hours spent together, learning each other’s
quirks and personalities, forming a bond based on mutual
respect and dependability.
As time passes, for some the opportunity to reunite with an
old truck many years moved on can prove irresistible, much like
catching up with an old mate sharing tales of old over a beer or
two, the urge can be intoxicating.
For Bob Miller, it would seem the desire of catching up with
“We were paid as much
to bring one wreck back
as we were paid to take
three new cars up.”
56 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

that old truck and treating it to a few sessions at the salon to
spruce it up again has bitten him – not once but twice.
In a quiet residential street (occasionally disturbed by a
Mack air start) in the lower Blue Mountains, west of Sydney,
Bob Miller has two of the trucks that have shared space in
his life.
Yet to be fully restored is Bob’s first truck he bought in
partnership with his mate Warren King.
The 1955 Dodge was purchased by the pair in 1970 and
worked as an interstate car carrier, for Commonwealth Car
Freighters in Enfield, NSW.
As a rigid truck, Bob and Warren ran mainly Sydney to
Brisbane with two cars on the top of a frame and one on the
trays deck below. Eventually the truck was stretched out a
further six feet to allow it to accommodate two on top and
two below.
Originally the truck had a Dodge ‘Kew’, side-valve, sixcylinder
engine in it, which Bob says was prone to overheating.
Warren, a mechanic, and Bob promptly removed the old
side-valve, replacing it with a 225 cubic inch (3,687 cubic cm)
Chrysler Valiant engine that, according to Bob, were readily
available at the time and produced more power than the
truck’s original engine.
Bob recalls completing one-way trips to Brisbane in
a laborious 24 hours, a time which seems somewhat
incomprehensible in these days of 600-plus horsepower and
cruise control, although he did admit on one occasion the run
took a week due to persistent breakdowns.
“We would take new cars up north and sometimes return
with bagged potatoes or smashed cars for the NRMA. These
wrecks were a good backload; we were paid as much to bring
one wreck back as we were paid to take three new cars up,” Bob
recalls.
Above: Bob is keen to get the refurbished Mack back on the historic truck
show circuit
Left: Bob Miller’s B-model and James Miller’s Flintstone at the 2017 Sydney
Classic and Antique Truck Show
Opposite top: Bob Miller bought the Mack back in 2007, the old B-model
looking a little worse for wear; Blue and green should not be seen together
– except on a B-model Mack
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 57

at Mt Victoria sometime in the mid-1980s … and there it stayed.
Warren, who had a penchant for restoring old machinery
himself, was mid-way through the resurrection of a traction
engine at his Mt Victoria property in 2005, but he would not
see its completion. Sadly, he passed away before the job was
finished.
In true Aussie style, Bob and some of his mates completed
the traction engine project in Warren’s honour.
During those long hours in Warren’s shed completing the
traction engine restoration, Bob’s old Mack was looking
on sitting idly in the background in a somewhat less than
pristine condition. At the completion of the traction engine
project – and at a time when Warren’s sister was eventually
ready to sell some of his old equipment – Bob asked if he could
have first offer on the old B-model.
A deal was done and Bob found himself back in possession
of his old Mack in around 2007.
“We had two 44-gallon (200-litre) drums attached to the truck
which permitted us to complete the trip without fuelling up.”
Pushing luck a little too far one day saw the upper deck
frame work pack it in halfway to Brisbane, buckling under
the overburden of a Land Rover Warren had loaded on the
upper deck. According to Bob, this ultimately ended the car
carrying business.
The Dodge was shortened up again after that and converted
into a tipper for a time before being put out to pasture at Bob’s
parents place in Katoomba in 1973. There it sat until five years
ago when Bob brought it back to his home where he has been
chipping away at the restoration ever since.
Now, what about the Mack you say? Well, for the rest of the
story we must revert back some years to 1974 again.
Born again
For the next three-years, Bob and his son James (who also owns
a classic Flintstone Mack) gradually brought the old truck back
to her former splendour.
As Bob tells it, all of the truck’s springs were broken and had
to be replaced. Carrolls Springs fabricated new springs and all
of the brakes were overhauled by the father and son team at
Bob’s home. Apart from the springs, brakes and some universal
joints, the restoration was mostly cosmetic. Bob did point out
that after all those years working on the coal; the black dust
had gotten into literally every corner and crevice of the truck.
The engine and driveline remain untouched, although Bob
does admit that, like many who enjoy their first coffee of the
morning to get the day started, the old B-model’s engine takes
hers with a splash of Aerostart.
The truck features a Mack Thermodyne engine producing
160hp (119kW). This power is stirred and distributed to the
diff by a Mack 18-speed Quadruplex twin-stick transmission.
Top & above: The old Dodge
currently under restoration
Right: Bob gives the Mack a blast of
Aerostart to get the old girl rolling
each morning
Opposite from top left: The
B-model ran Vaughan Transport
trailers in the mid-’70s; The
B-model was a regular at events
such as Haulin’ The Home before
COVID hit; The 225 Chrysler motor
still sits in the old Dodge
Parked up
Following the retirement of the Dodge, Bob went to work
driving for others before eventually buying the ’64 B-model
Mack in 1974 to once again return to owner-driver life. The
union of Bob and that Mack saw the two working on interstate
transport, firstly for Halls Van Lines in Milperra, then later
Vaughan Transport. Over a two-year period, many miles were
covered and a strong bond formed.
In 1976, Bob sold the B-model to his former business
partner, Warren, who worked the truck on coal carting duties
around the Lithgow area for some years. Tired and battle
weary, the old B-model was eventually parked in Warren’s shed
58 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

“With all the
cancellations of
truck events the old
truck hasn’t been
out much.”
No fancy AMTs here. Using a makeshift spray
booth set up in his back yard, the make-up was
re-applied to paint the old Mack back to her
original, sky-blue hue to complete the job.
Before the world went to hell in a handcart
(COVID-19), Bob was a regular at truck shows
and the Haulin’ the Hume truck rally, which he
sorely misses.
“It’s been a quiet 18 months or so,” Bob laments.
“With all the cancellations of truck events the old
truck hasn’t been out much.”
Occupying the need to get behind the wheel
these days, Bob can be found driving the local
school bus twice a day, and of course there’s
always something to do on the old Dodge parked
out the back.
One thing is for sure, driving that school bus
these days must be a lot easier than running
the highway in the old B-model. I’d even wager
a bet that the school bus doesn’t have twin gear
sticks to contend with, just excitable school
kids. I’m not sure which would prove the most
troublesome? I’ll let you decide.
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JUNE 2021 59

driver profile
DESTINED TO DRIVE
From a very early age, Gemma Pilbeam had a fascination with the
trucking industry. Now she’s an experienced driver behind the wheel
of a well-cared-for 2011 Western Star 4900. Warren Aitken catches up
with Gemma in Gippsland, Victoria
60 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

IAM FINALLY getting to start on my little
pet project. I have been impatient to start a
specific run of ‘Woman in Transport’ stories for
quite a while now and I have finally found my
first one. My editor has been behind me since I
first voiced the idea. I have had numerous story
ideas and options open to me and so there was
only one hurdle left to overcome: my tendency
to get side-tracked, distracted, off topic …
see, there I go again. Then, I saw Frank Morgan
Transport’s magnificent Western Star. Sitting
behind the wheel of this stunning Western Star was
the incredibly friendly Gemma Pilbeam. Two ‘Stars’
in one scene; how could I pass that up?
Let’s deal with the bigger of the two stars first
– obviously I’m being extremely literal in that
comment. As mentioned before, Frank Morgan
Transport runs the 2011 Western Star 4900 and
has clocked up over 1.3 million kilometres with
it so far.
Frank Morgan Transport is located out of
Myrtlebank in Gippsland, Victoria and is the
epitome of a rural transport business – small in
numbers but massive in its impact. Frank runs
six trucks, two T909s, a big cab Kenworth K108, an
anniversary model Kenworth T601, an FM Volvo and
the 4900 Star.
Frank began the company back in 2000 and, as
trucks were added, the diversity of the company
just kept growing. He has stock trailers, flat tops
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 61

and tankers. There literally is nothing that Frank
will not cart.
He keeps his locals well covered. In fact, when I
arrived at his yard to meet the second star of his
fleet, Gemma was busy tarping down a flat top load
of bulk bags that she would be delivering to East
Gippsland the next day. I dared not offer a hand, as
I am sure that my tarping skills were well below the
level Gemma was displaying. I politely waited until
she was finished before we grabbed a cold drink
and sat down to hear her story.
Well-schooled
Gemma was born and raised in Heyfield, Victoria.
From as far back as she can remember she would
tag alongside her father when he went off to work.
“Dad was a diesel mechanic for a logging
company,” Gemma says.
“I used to go to work with dad and I always
said to him I was going to drive a log truck when
I grew up.”
I tried to get a rough ‘guesstimate’ on her age at
that stage. Gemma freely admitted that she was
extremely young.
“I’ve always been with dad; I was daddy’s little
girl.”
Gemma grew up in and around trucks. After
school, during the holidays, anytime she could, she
would be down learning and helping. When she
was old enough to reach the pedals she was even
moving the trucks in and out of the workshop for
her dad.
“I remember walking to school and seeing an old
Western Star. It used to do the mill run and I would
think: ‘I’m going to do that one day’,” she recalls.
Both Gemma and her parents figured she would
eventually grow out of the fascination, but we all
know that once trucking has a grasp on you, you
are hooked.
By the time Gemma finished Year 12, her mum
had convinced her to get a job in nursing. She
applied, got accepted and was due to start her
course in February, which was just a couple of
months after school finished. If only the course
had started earlier, who knows what could have
happened – transport may have lost one of its
brightest young recruits. Instead, just a week after
being let out of school, Gemma picked up a job for a
local contractor. The jaws of transport had grabbed
her and nursing was going to miss out.
Her first job was behind the wheel of a roller.
“I hated that!” Gemma freely admits now, but it was
a step in the door.
“Being a girl I didn’t know if anyone would, you
know, have any faith in me.”
That roller did not last long. Her attitude
and skills soon saw her moved up to a grader.
Responsible for working on many of the shire
roads, it was another step towards her goal of
driving trucks. Soon enough, Gemma got her first
driving work in that company on a single drive tilt
tray. It wasn’t long then before she was upgraded to
a bogie drive tilt tray.
Even at that stage, though, Gemma had her eyes
on a Kenworth and float trailer. Gemma remembers
being told by her boss: “When you can load a
20-tonne excavator by yourself then you can try the
float,” to which she replied: “Fine, that’s what I’m
going to do then.” She did, too.
Licensed to haul
Gemma learnt how to drive, load and chain down
the big excavator, then the keys to a Kenworth T408
were hers. At just 19-years-old it had taken a special
permit for Gemma to get her HC license only a year
after gaining her HR.
“I was delivering equipment on the float before
I even had my full car licence,” Gemma tells me. A
lesson in determination and commitment to your
passion shows anything is possible.
Gemma admits she learned a lot in that job,
spending almost four years doing heavy haulage
work, but also learning how to deal with a little bit
of industry jealousy as well. She admits that, as a
62 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Far left: Gemma’s favourite Star
is all ready for her to head off and
unload. Her trusty stock crates sit
ready for her to hook back up to on
her return
Left: Getting into the B-double
work saw Gemma getting some
pretty big logs, I mean loads
Opposite below: Flashback: Five
year-old Gemma hanging out with
her father Glen Pilbeam
Below: I’m a terrible passenger
but had a ball as I sat back and
watched Gemma do all the work
young woman doing a job that many guys wanted, she
copped a bit of flack. Credit to her resolve, though – instead
of buckling under, it just made her more determined to do a
good job.
A chance encounter at a local weighbridge with another
local, Shannon Smith of Gippsland Logging & Earthmoving, led
to Gemma finally fulfilling her childhood goal.
“If you’re ever interested in driving a logger, let me know,”
Shannon told her. Summoning all her cliché Australiana, her
reply was: “You ripper!”
With the keys to a yet another Kenworth 401, this one with
a jinker in tow, Gemma took to logging like a duck to water.
I could have said like an activist to a tree, but it just seemed
inappropriate. It was no easy track into logging either (pun
intended). Gemma was straight into the hardwood logging,
getting in and out of places not originally designed for trucks
like hers.
“It was good to start off in the little truck,” Gemma admits.
“Just to get the feel of how to do it, load the logs on and tie
them down.”
Her natural abilities saw her promoted to a B-double with
a T909 in front, the 402’s big bonneted brother. For Gemma,
“I always said to him I was going to
drive a log truck when I grew up.”
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 63

“I was delivering equipment on the
float before I even had my full car
licence.”
this was the pinnacle, this is what she had been chasing. Her
alarm clock was going off half an hour before midnight, so
she would be up in the bush ready for her first load. Tackling
the kind of roads that saw you spending an hour and a half to
cover a mere 35km, it was heaven to this hard-working young
truckie.
“People always ask me why I like driving a log truck,”
Gemma says.
“There’s no better feeling than coming out of the bush,
crawling up a hill with a load of logs on and the morning’s
breaking. People just don’t get it.”
Gemma also recalls a moment when she first moved up to
B-doubles.
“There’s a sign on the way out by Corryong that says,
‘Caravans not permitted’ and you are in a fully loaded
B-double. It’s strange but pretty cool at the same time.”
For Gemma, it was a dream job, fulfilling her childhood
goal. As she got older (I use that term loosely as she’d hadn’t
even hit her 25th birthday), Gemma felt the need to spend
more time at home. The logging had her traveling far and
wide, and away from home. She even spent time carting pine
out of South Australia.
Above: Gemma with her Western
Star workhorse. Her attitude and
drive is very infectious and a great
sign for the future of trucking
Carting livestock
When she started building a house back in Heyfield she took
the opportunity to chase another item left on her bucket list
– stock. When you think ‘chasing stock’ I’m not making a Kiwi
joke. Carting livestock was another of the challenges Gemma
had set herself.
“When I was 19 I’d done a couple of loads for Frank [Frank
Morgan Transport] and I told him: ‘One day I’m going to drive
one of your trucks.’ When I heard one of his drivers had left,
I went and saw him,” Gemma relates. Another example of
how strong Gemma’s word really is. It was five years since
she had first made that comment to Frank but in the end she
was right.
The keys to the day cab Western Star were handed in and
Frank gave Gemma the keys to her first sleeper cab truck – the
still very cool 4900 Star you see before you.
Gemma’s ability to take on information, mixed with her
home-grown common sense saw her spend just a few days
under Frank’s guidance before she was off on her own. She was
mastering another challenging area of the industry, carting
livestock.
“I found that the livestock took a bit of time to get into a
routine,” Gemma tells me.
“They are so different: are they shorn, are they not shorn,
are they broken, are they not, whereas, with the logs, you just
threw them on and they’d be fine.”
There was a settling-in period for Gemma and, in her usual
humble style, she is the first to credit others for assisting her
along the way.
“Pete who works here, he’s 63 I think, he’s been doing
livestock all his life and is absolutely amazing at his job.
I was super lucky to learn the ropes from Pete.”
She also made it clear that Pete can still, even at his age,
very easily run rings around her.
With stock not being a year-round job at Frank Morgan
Transport, it gave Gemma the opportunity to learn more skills
in the transport industry. Loading wool, tarping, bulk bags –
Frank was there to help Gemma upskill.
“I guess the hardest part about this job as a woman
is loading the wool; I wish I was a bit stronger,” Gemma
laughingly admits. I admit I’ve done that myself; it’s not just a
gender issue. By the time you hit that third layer I was wishing
I was the Hulk. However, it hasn’t stopped her mastering
everything from bails of wool to tighter-than-tight tarp jobs.
Mother and son
If you needed any more proof of Gemma’s dedication to
64 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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“There’s not really
much that gets to
me; I’ve heard it all
before.”
Pictured: Gemma finishes off a
tidy tarp job
trucking, look no further than 2019. That was the year Gemma
became pregnant. She chose not to tell anyone, as she did not
want to be treated any different.
“I worked right up until about three weeks before Will
arrived,” Gemma confesses.
The arrival of little Will Pilbeam at first made her reassess
her career path, admitting that she did think about settling
down and getting a different kind of job. Thankfully, that did
not take.
“Now that Will’s a bit older and I can take him with me; I’ve
found a new lease of life for it again and I want to show Will all
of that.”
Balancing the mum life with the diesel addiction has seen
Gemma come back to work in several roles. I caught up with
her on one of the several days a week she works for Frank. She
also does a couple of night shifts back on logs for an ownerdriver
and, when she’s free, she’ll work on a mate’s dairy farm.
The workload she carries says more about Gemma’s attitude
and work ethic than any of my words could. Although it was
once driven by her love of trucks and the transport industry,
now Gemma admits her driving force is to make the best life
possible for her son. She is setting an amazing example.
While this story is covering the whole ‘Women in Trucking’
angle, it became apparent in our chat that, gender aside, it
was just a couple of truck mad ‘nutters’ enjoying a cuppa
and a chat. Like the majority of us, Gemma can remember
her days walking down the street seeing trucks driving by
and just feeling that pang of jealousy that it was not her
behind the wheel.
Gemma has never shied away from any of the challenges of
the industry.
“If you’re going to do a job, you’ve got to do all of it – the bad
and the good. It’s not all the shiny stuff,” she tells me, referring
to the countless tyres that she has had to change and the
roadside repairs she’s undertaken.
But it’s all part of the job, according to Gemma. This ‘all in’
approach to her work is something she gives credit to her
mum and dad, Glen and Lynette.
“I was just brought up with the fact if you have to do it you
just get in and do it.”
Being a woman in a male-dominated industry has not
diminished Gemma’s love of the job. It seems her natural
respect for the industry and those already in it, as well as
her work ethic and skills, has seen her garner respect from
all those she interacts with. She is extremely happy to listen
to the older experienced drivers and take on board what she
finds useful. That is not to say she hasn’t had her fair share of
CH40 comments.
“There’s not really much that gets to me; I’ve heard it all
before,” Gemma says.
“It’s horrible, it really is, but you can’t let it get to you.”
Instead, Gemma lets her actions speak for themselves.
Although she stated: “I don’t think I’m very interesting,”
a couple of times during the interview, I have to disagree.
Gemma has an enviable driving record now, building up a
reputation for hard work and admitting that she continues to
be driven by harder and more difficult challenges.
It seems my first ‘Woman in Transport’ story shines a
light on a young lady that sets the bar for all those in
trucking. So thank you very much, Gemma, for finding the
time to sit and talk with me. With your workload and drive,
it’s much appreciated. And it was a pleasure to photograph
two great Stars.
66 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

NatRoad Warren Clark
Premeditated fatalities
The instances of death by truck is among the more
than 3,000 suicides that occurred in 2019
RECENTLY NATROAD has
been even more focused on
road safety. We have lodged
submissions on the national
draft National Road Safety
Strategy for 2021-2030 and the
complementary National Heavy
Vehicle Regulator draft Heavy Vehicle
Safety Strategy 2021-2025.
Currently, around 1,200 people are
killed each year on our roads, and almost
40,000 are seriously injured. During the 12
months to the end of December 2020, 170
people died in crashes involving heavy
trucks. These included 104 deaths in
crashes involving articulated trucks and
68 deaths in crashes involving heavy rigid
trucks. Both draft strategies set a path to
achieve zero deaths and serious injuries
by 2050. NatRoad supports these targets
and views road safety as a high priority. A
lot of work and effort needs to be made to
reach this target.
In the NatRoad feedback to
government we addressed an issue that
is an uncomfortable reality: that many
fatalities involving light and heavy
vehicles are the light vehicle driver
choosing to commit suicide.
NatRoad emphasised that the mental
health component of the government
plans should deal with issues associated
with “suicide by truck” both from a
preventative view and in assisting drivers
directly affected. There must also be
better research undertaken about this
method of taking your own life.
TRUCKIES’ TRAUMA
Research revealed in 2019 shows that 37.5
per cent of fatal truck and car crashes
(multi vehicle incidents) in 2017 were
indicated or strongly indicated to be
suicides by the driver of the car.
This is simply tragic, not only for the
victim but for those truck drivers who
are likely to suffer significant long-term
trauma from such incidents but who have
limited ability to take time off work to
recover and get expert counselling: their
livelihoods depend on them keeping
working. More support for affected
drivers must be part of government
road safety plans.
NatRoad has called for urgent research
as to why suicide by truck is a way in
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.
which people increasingly are choosing
to end their own lives. We believe that
there can be no zero road toll where the
opportunity for this kind of behaviour
remains, particularly where road
incidents are not clearly of the character
of suicide and the related fatalities are
included in the road toll statistics because
of the doubts raised. Road deaths that are
clearly suicides (and other intentional
acts like murder) are excluded from
the road toll statistics. There has been
discussion that suicide by truck may be
chosen because it has the appearance of
being an accident; therefore, in the mind
of the victim this end to life is a lesser
burden on family and friends.
One solution is for road separation
infrastructure to be installed, especially
on highways where heavy vehicle traffic
is extensive, such as along the Hume
Highway. But that is expensive and
cannot possibly be rolled out on the
nearly 880,000 kilometres of Australia’s
roads. Other solutions could be focused
on general mental health and supporting
agencies that reach out to people in crisis.
Over 3,000 Australians died by suicide in
2019 and more must be done generally to
prevent this number increasing, as well as
in the context of reducing road fatalities.
If you have been affected by this article,
help can be found at Lifeline on 13 11 14,
and beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.
“Road deaths that are clearly suicides are
excluded from the road toll statistics.”
MOORE
Moore trailer for your money!
TRAILERS
07 4693 1088
www.mooretrailers.com.au
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THE GOODS NEWS FROM THE HIGHWAY AND BEYOND
WHAT’S ON upcoming events
ALEXANDRA TRUCK UTE & ROD SHOW
June 13, 2021. Alexandra, Victoria
Celebrating 25 years. Sunday Show ’n Shine on Alexandra’s main street.
Includes live music, Victorian woodchop tournament, exhibitions and
trade displays, kids’ amusements. Be early for Saturday June 12 truck
driver’s memorial service at 2pm and sponsors’ dinner at 6pm.
For truck show details email trucks@alexandratruckshow.com.au, or for
further info phone Gordon Simpson on 0409 577 212, Andrew Embling
on 0418 266 038 or see the website www.alexandratruckshow.com.au
Daimler reflects
on ‘first truck’
Gottlieb Daimler invented the
world’s first truck back in 1896
ONE OF THE greatest talents of
inventor Gottlieb Daimler was
finding new areas of application for
his engine. He invented the motor
cycle, then went to the motorised
trolley car, a motorised fire fighting
hose and then to the truck in the
year 1896.
According to Daimler, pragmatism
was behind the design of the first
truck in the world, which looked
like a cart with an engine and
without a drawbar. The engine, called
‘Phoenix’, was a 4hp (3kW)-strong
two-cylinder engine located at the
rear, with a displacement of 1.06
litres, originating from a car. Daimler
linked it to the rear axle by means of
a belt. There were two helical springs
to protect the engine, which was
sensitive to vibrations.
The vehicle rolled on hard iron
wheels, after all. Daimler steered the
leaf-sprung front axle by means of a
chain. The driver sat up front on the
driving seat as with a carriage. The
engine was at the rear of the vehicle.
The fuel consumption was
approximately six litres of petrol
per 100 kilometres.
It is noteworthy that the first
truck already anticipated 125 years
beforehand the planetary axles
that are still common today in
construction vehicles: because
the belt drive sent the power from
the engine to a shaft fitted
transversely to the longitudinal
axis of the vehicle, both ends of
which were fitted with a pinion.
Each tooth of this pinion meshed
with the internal teeth of a ring gear,
which was firmly connected with
the wheel to be driven. Daimler says
this is how the planetary axles of the
heavy Mercedes-Benz trucks up to the
current Arocs series have worked in
principle.
In 1898, Gottlieb Daimler and
Wilhelm Maybach shifted the
Phoenix‘s engine, which had been
located at the rear, to a position
under the driver’s seat, with the
four-gear belt drive also being
transferred forward.
In the same year, the truck was
then given the face that clearly
distinguished it from the car and was
to level the path towards ever-increasing
output and payload: the engine
was then placed right at the front, in
front of the front axle. It conveyed its
10hp (7.5kW) via a four-gear belt drive
and a front-to-rear longitudinal shaft
and pinion to the internal ring gears
on the iron wheels at the rear.
For these vehicles, Daimler made
the crucial improvement not only
to the drivetrain, but to the engine
itself. Instead of a hot tube ignition,
the new low-voltage magnetic
ignition from Bosch ignited the
petrol-air mixture in the cylinders of
the 2.2-litre two-cylinder engine, and
the radiator was redesigned.
However, Gottlieb Daimler was
cautious at first before presenting
his new five-tonner to the public. The
vehicle, which was highly modern
at the time, underwent ‘customer
testing’. For months, Daimler
subjected his new vehicle to the
daily grind of work at a brick factory
in Heidenheim and painstakingly
remedied the shortcomings it
showed.
The first purchaser of the very
first truck came from the home of
industrialisation: England. There,
steam-driven vehicles had long since
made the shift from rails to the road,
and did not die out until the 1950s.
SA TRUCK AND UTE SHOW
June 13, 2021. Mannum, SA
Sponsored by The Truck Factory. Mannum’s main streetscape will
become one massive trucking garage with polished prime movers,
trucks and utes from across the state and over the border. Show ’n
Shine, trade displays, live entertainment at Pretoria Hotel and more.
For further into see the website at www.satruckanduteshow.
com.au or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/
SaTruckAndUteShowMannum
CASINO TRUCK SHOW
August 7, 2021. Casino, NSW
Show sponsored by North Coast Petroleum. Westlawn Finance
Truck Parade will roll through Johnston and Centre Sts from 10am
on Saturday. Truck registrations ($30 each) from 6am at the Casino
Industrial Area on the town’s east side. Includes live music, amusements
and markets. Over $12,000 in cash and prizes. Presentation at 2pm. The
blinged-up trucks from across Australia will be parked in the CBD.
For further info email info@casinotruckshow.com.au or Darren Goodwin
at dtgoodwin1@yahoo.com.au; website www.casinotruckshow.com.au
and Facebook page. Phone 02 6662 8181 or 0424 340 330.
NATROAD CONFERENCE 2021
August 19 to 21, 2021. Gold Coast, Qld
After a difficult year for road freight operators, NatRoad is pleased to
invite members to the NatRoad National Conference 2021, to be held
at the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Gold Coast from August
19 to 21. Includes the ‘NatRoad Parliament’ and the NatRoad Awards
presentation at the Gala Dinner.
For further info see the website at www.natroad.com.au/eventsnetworking/2021-conference
NATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT HALL OF FAME REUNION 2021
August 23 to 29, 2021. Alice Springs, NT
The National Transport Historical Society and The Old Ghan Historical
Society has the announced the inaugural ‘Festival of Transport’. As well
as the regular reunion activities there will be new events to experience.
For info and nomination forms see the website at
www.roadtransporthall.com, www.facebook.com/Trucks.n.Trains,
email info@roadtransporthall.com or phone 08 8952 7161.
LIGHTS ON THE HILL MEMORIAL CONVOY
October 2 & 3, 2021. Gatton, Queensland
The 2021 Lights on the Hill Memorial Convoy is planned to be held on
October 2 and the Memorial service will October 3 at the Lake Apex
Memorial wall.
For further info see the website at www.lightsonthehill.com.au
or www.facebook.com/ lightsonthehillmemorial
I98FM ILLAWARRA CONVOY
November 21, 2021. Shellharbour Airport, NSW
The Illawarra community’s 16th annual big convoy. Bikes will leave
Illawarra Coal’s Westcliff Colliery on Appin Rd at around 8am, followed
by trucks at Maddens Plains to Mount Ousley, Warrawong, Stockland
Shellharbour, Albion Park Rail and on to Shellharbour Airport for
the family fun day. Includes live music, food and market stalls and
activities. Funds raised will be distributed via the Illawarra Community
Foundation to charities and families in need within the Illawarra and
South Coast regions.
For further information visit www.illawarraconvoy.com.au or see the
Facebook page at www.facebook.com/i98fmillawarraconvoy
To have an event listed, phone (07) 3101 6602
or e-mail odonline@aremedia.com.au
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 69

DIABETES NSW & ACT Robbie Tyson
Hungry or just tired?
A few tips on how to make a healthier and conscious
decision when fuelling-up your body
IT HAS BEEN reported that fatigue is
four times more likely than drugs
or alcohol to affect an individual’s
ability to undertake their work and
do it safely. If your work is driving,
then the ability to monitor your
fatigue has critical implications
for safety.
What is fatigue? Fatigue is a feeling of
weariness, tiredness, or a lack of energy
that does not go away when you rest.
People may feel fatigued in body or mind
(physical or psychological fatigue). If you
are experiencing a level of fatigue that is
not relieved by enough sleep, rest or a lowstress
environment, it may be advisable to
have your diet evaluated by an accredited
practising dietician. In many cases,
simple nutritional changes to your diet
will bring back your vitality.
It’s noted that truck drivers have
unfavourable working conditions when it
comes to the risk of fatigue and they often
report sleep problems and back pain as
well as other physical health problems.
Given the working conditions, with
regulated breaks and driving hours, truck
drivers often end up eating their meals
while driving, or refuelling at a truck stop
where there is a limited range of food
types and choices.
The difficult working conditions faced
by drivers also includes health and social
challenges. Limited access to balanced
food choices and small and isolated
work places are just two examples of the
difficult work setting.
It is not uncommon for an unfavourable
meal pattern to develop, which can
then make working out whether you are
hungry or tired very difficult. One way
to avoid this is to introduce some simple
nutrition strategies that will provide
long lasting energy and ensure greater
alertness.
RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to make long-lasting changes
to your way of eating and overall health,
start by making small realistic changes.
Making incremental changes rather than
overhauling your entire way of eating in
ROBBIE TYSON is an
accredited practising
dietician at Diabetes NSW
& ACT. For more healthy
lifestyle tips and other
helpful information
on diabetes head to the
Diabetes NSW & ACT
website www.diabetesnsw.
com.au or call the Helpline
on 1300 136 588 to speak
with a health professional.
“Truck drivers often end up eating their
meals while driving.”
one go is advisable. This will set you up
for success and it will be much easier
to maintain.
If there are limited healthy options
at a lunch stop try downsizing the
portion and adding in some healthy
options. For example, limit the fried
aspect of a meal and swap the soft
drink for a bottle of water.
PREPARE
One of the biggest barriers to a healthy
eating approach is being prepared.
Changing locations and varying work
schedules along with long hours on the
road can make it challenging to have
meals planned ahead of time.
Some simple, easy tips include packing
yoghurt tubs and fruit for a quick
breakfast and making wraps, sandwiches
and salads for lunch and dinner.
HEALTHY SNACKS
To beat the boredom of a long drive it
is easy to mindlessly snack. If this is a
weakness for you then it’s important to
keep healthy snack foods at hand so that
the healthy choice is always right in front
of you.
Before a shift, stock up on healthy
snacks like fruit, nuts, trail mix, vegetable
sticks, muesli bars and low-fat yoghurts.
Having a healthy snack every three hours
can help keep your hunger satiated and
your metabolism working. If you wait
too long between meals you are likely to
overeat at lunch or dinner.
SWAP THE SOFT DRINK
Some soft drinks have 10–16 teaspoons
of sugar in them and while that may
give you a momentary lift, it is not good
for your metabolism, nor for long-term
hunger suppression. Sugar contains
kilojoules and, if consumed in excess
of your energy requirements, will be
converted to fat and stored, making it
challenging to achieve or maintain a
healthy weight.
Try swapping soft drinks for water.
If you find water too boring add some
sugar-free cordial, fruit slices, or even tea
bags for flavour. Go easy on the caffeine.
Too much caffeine can make you irritable
and jittery, which could affect driving
performance. Limit caffeinated drinks
to three or fewer per day and avoid these
types of drinks after dinner.
IDENTIFY WEAKNESSES
Whether you’re a breakfast skipper or
unable to resist the chocolate treats at the
service station, try to make small changes
in those areas that you acknowledge as a
problem. Load up on some healthy quick
breakfasts to eat on the road and preplan
your snacks to curb the urge for an
energy- dense snack bar at the counter.
Changing habits isn’t always easy, so
try choosing just one goal and one action
step to achieve that goal. For example,
start to introduce healthier snacks by
buying a bag of carrots at your next
supermarket shop. Carrots make a great
snack for the truck. Then as time goes on
try adding other veggies such as celery
sticks, baby cucumbers or snow peas;
before long you’ll be getting your five a
day without even thinking.
For more information on healthy eating
you can always ask an Accredited
Practising Dietitian (APD) by visiting
dietitiansaustralia.org.au/find-an-apd.
70 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

EYES ON THE ROAD Rod Hannifey
Shouldering a large load
Compulsory R&R after surgery can be beneficial for
attempting positive change in road transport
MY SHOULDER is improving
slowly. I have been told
there was little to attach
both the tendon and
shoulder repair to, so I had
the sling on longer than
some. It’s recommended
I still wear it around crowds and must
build up some attachment before I
can even consider starting building
the muscles back up. Physio exercises
three times a day, with heat pack first,
then ice pack afterwards, visits to the
physiotherapist twice a week and now
they want me to sit in a heated pool and
wave myself along – no swimming or
putting weight on it. But I have been
busy with other stuff.
It has been a month of submissions
and typing left handed. First there was
the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
(NHVR) submission towards its own
input into the National Road Safety
Strategy, which was due by April 30. They
outlined their intents and focus themes
and I responded to each of them directly.
Two and a bit pages, 1,400 words, then
there was a meeting held in Dubbo by the
NSW Centre for Road Safety, which I was
able to attend. That was followed by an
online issues survey, a few hundred more
words, and you then had the chance
to submit further comment online –
another four pages and 2,300 words.
There was another online forum, but in
joining in for it I found it was part of a
Sydney meeting, so another couple of
hours there.
Then I had been offered a spot as the
new president of the National Road
Freighters Association (NRFA) at the last
day of the Senate Inquiry into a Safe
and Viable Road Transport Industry
held in Canberra. Still not able to drive
and being in my sling, I put out a call
through our NFRA WhatsApp group and
one of the new board members offered to
drive me to Canberra and take part, then
drive me home. Not getting to Canberra
too often, I then set up meetings with
the new CEO of the Australian Trucking
Association (ATA), the CEO of NatRoad
and the COO of the Livestock, Bulk &
Rural Carriers Association (LBRCA), which
are all in the ATA building. We’ll come
back to this later.
Knowing our timeslot in Canberra was
for 30 minutes and that some had gone
over time – and wanting to make sure
I did not run out of time for the issues
RIGHT: A new Kenworth K200 on display at the
Brisbane Truck Show’s Paccar stand. A worthy
TruckRight Industry Vehicle?
I wanted to raise – I rang and asked if I
could lodge a written submission when
there. I was asked to submit it online
that afternoon, both to have it checked
that it met the criteria for the inquiry
and to allow copies to be sent to other
inquiry members who were participating
through video conferencing.
That was three more pages, plus
attachments for the National Rest Area
Strategy and National Road Standard
and Removing Police Powers to Police
the National Heavy Vehicle Law written
previously, then another three new
pages and 1,400 words. So now it was
nearly 10 pages and over 5,000 words. In
my spare time I started designing the
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. Rod is
the current president of
the NRFA. Contact Rod on
0428 120 560, e-mail
rod.hannifey@bigpond.
com or visit
www.truckright.com.au
logbook divider and flyer for NRFA, then
the member benefits page, pricing and
ordering in between sending drafts to the
committee for approval.
The next task I took on to keep me
occupied was to ring and introduce
myself to all current and past members
of the NRFA. We are aiming to improve
contact and have some new member
benefits and are looking to grow
membership.
I must say that with regard to
the Senate Inquiry, there have been
some large companies, industry and
government bodies appear but I believe
that NRFA members, both representing
the association and individually,
would be the single biggest number of
submissions. It just shows how passionate
we are.
TRAILER LETDOWN
While in Canberra we did get to meet
with Andrew McKellar, the new ATA CEO.
I had previously spoken to Andrew on
the phone, wishing him well in the role
and offering him a ride in the TruckRight
Industry Vehicle (TIV), as well as wanting
to meet him in person. Andrew was very
open in discussion and generous with his
time and I do hope we can work with the
ATA on some issues in the future.
Warren Clark from NatRoad was not
available and Bec Coleman from the
LBRCA was off crook for the day, so we did
not get to meet with anyone else, but I
have spoken with Bec previously with an
issue from one of our members and she
offered me congratulations and the offer
to work together in the future.
That leaves me to update on the next
TIV. There is now a problem with the
trailers. For some reason nothing had
been actually ordered and the timeline
has gone out the window. I do have two
fall-back plans and once I can confirm
the delivery date for the truck, I will then
come up with a solution.
Trying to pull all this together while
working has obviously made it harder
and while I have been off I have ended up
doing a heap of other things that meant
my focus had drifted.
I have been asked why I would take on
more things; that’s difficult to answer.
However, I would love to see others do
more as well and, at least, it can’t be said I
have not at least had a go.
The green reflector marking of informal
truck bays is approaching 22 years since
the first blue ones were put up by Stuart
Peden of the then RTA Parkes. I thank him
for making that effort and hope we will
soon have many more of them.
You must agree, I don’t give up easily.
“The green
reflector marking
of informal
truck bays is
approaching
22 years.”
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 71

eplica models
DETAILED THE
DRAKE WAY
Whenever a new Drake Collectibles’ detailed
replica model is revealed it’s bound to
create a great deal of interest. Warren Aitken
battles his way through the crowd to check
out Drake’s latest model release – the 1988
Bicentennial Mack
BY THE TIME you guys get to read this
the cat will already be out of the bag, or
should I say the dog is off the leash. The
latter analogy seems more fitting, as
the news is out that Drake Collectibles
has branched out from its stunning
Kenworth replicas and started producing
diecast Mack trucks, and its first release
is the quintessential Aussie bulldog –
the Bicentennial Mack Super-Liner.
What started out as a PR project has turned
into a worldwide phenomenon for Bruce Hay and
the small team of dedicated workers at Drake
Collectibles.
Back in 2007, when Bruce was a special
projects manager for Drake trailers, he got into
a discussion with the man in the big chair, John
Drake, about a different way to market their
product and acknowledge their customers.
Bruce was, and still is, an avid diecast collector
and knew several of the larger companies
overseas had commissioned diecast models to
hand out to their customers. He put the idea of
getting a scale replica of Drake’s popular 4x8
Swingwing trailer made to John. They decided
to give it a go but insisted they get an Aussie
truck built as well to go in front of their
diecast trailer.
Bruce approached Paccar about building a
replica T908. Several meetings and a lot of emails
later, Drake Collectibles had begun.
Right from the start, Bruce was determined
that anything carrying the Drake name would
have to adhere to the Drake standards. The
company had been founded back in 1958 by Colin
Drake and his goal was to build the best quality
trailers available. Over the years, the controls
have been handed to his son, John, but the
insistence on top quality has never faltered.
Bruce was determined to bring the same attention
to detail with this PR exercise.
With the use of an NQ Haulage T908, every effort
was made to replicate a real truck. Measurements
and parts were taken and photographed;
there was no skimping on detail. After the
announcement at the 2009 Brisbane Truck Show,
72 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Above: The first Bicentennial off the production
line dwarfs the first ever diecast Bicentennial
Left: With only 150 available on open day the
queues formed pretty quick
Opposite below: The rumble of the big Macks as
they snuck round during the unveiling nearly
drowned out Bruce Hay’s rehearsed speech at
Wacol
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 73

“It was all done with my tape
measure and a pencil.”
Top: After the first two
Bicentennial Macks sold out
online and in store in record time,
rumours that a third was being
released at the Brisbane Truck
Show brought the crowd in
Above right: The Drake Collectibles
attracted interest from all ages at
the Brisbane Truck Show
Below: Drake’s in-house
photography maestro David Price
sets up the stunningly detailed
model for a range of shots
Opposite from top: While there
was a lot of help from a lot of
people, three of the main players
stand proudly by the Mack Super-
Liners. Bruce Hay, Don Hoey, who
played a major role in the building
of the original Bicentennials,
and Glen Buetel, another Mack
man who has actually restored
several Bicentennials to pristine
condition; The devil is in the detail
of these replica Macks
pre-orders were taken, and Bruce found that half the orders
were snapped up before the models had even landed in
Australia. The other half marched out the door pretty bloody
quick once they did.
The success and popularity of that first couple of T908s
ensured there would be more to come and over the last
decade there’s been the release of T909s, 2.3 K200s, king cab
K200s, C509 and most recently 900 Legends.
Mack permission
In a mix of fleet signage and standard colours the Drake
Collectibles have become very hot items. Every new release
would see hordes of people bombarding the phone lines or
squeezing into the first little shop at Drake’s Wacol factory.
It necessitated the need for a bigger store, more phone lines
and, eventually, a world first for model manufacturers: a
mobile app. Even with every possible avenue of purchase,
the growing popularity of the models saw the systems
overloaded at the beginning. It has gone well past a PR
exercise now.
While Drake Collectibles was trying to organise new
heavy haulage trailers, new fleet releases, new Kenworth
model releases, the addition of flattops, curtainsiders, skel
trailers and all manner of other variants, Bruce was also
working on the passion project that we are seeing today.
The Bicentennial Macks are an iconic piece of Australian
transport history. Released back in 1988, 16 went on the
road and are all named after famous Australians. At the
time they were the epitome of luxury, yet they all ended
up hard at work. The carpeted floors didn’t stop them
getting covered in bulldust and red sand as they covered
the country.
Bruce is the first to admit the most asked question is:
“When are Drake going to do a Mack?” Right from the
formative years, Bruce has had a desire to one day make
a model of the legendary Bicentennial Mack. The hardest
part has always been getting the right permission and
licence to allow Drake to undertake such a massive
investment. With conglomerates like Mack Volvo there
are always a lot of hoops to jump through.
The long and the short of it is that, eventually, the
licensing paperwork ended up on the desk of Cam Creech
in North Carolina. Bruce acknowledges Cam and Dick
Nyvall from Volvo for finally getting it across the line.
With that sorted the next job was to start the designs.
“With the Kenworths we were able to get all the 3D images
and drawings for the trucks,” Bruce says, before adding:
“The Macks though, there was nothing; it was all done with
my tape measure and a pencil.”
Thankfully, Bruce had a lot of help from the Mack
maestro himself, Don Hoey. Don was actively part of
the Bicentennial build and, in all honesty he’s probably
forgotten more about Macks than anyone else even knows.
His help was invaluable. Take the sleepers for example.
There was never really any firm design for them; there
was a lot of cutting up sleepers and building by scratch
back in 1988. So, getting the accuracy Bruce required
wouldn’t have been possible without the likes of Don.
A little random fact: the windows in the sleepers were
actually sunroofs from cars.
Glen Beutel is another Mack aficionado and Bicentennial
owner that played a huge supporting role. Glen has
restored a couple of the life-size Bicentennials, so it
would have been interesting for him working on a
much smaller scale.
74 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

Attention to detail
Bruce acknowledges the assistance he got from so
many past and present owners in his attempts to
do justice to the magnificent Macks.
“Mussy Deen’s probably sick of my face,” he
laughs, explaining that he was forever turning up
at the MacTrans Heavy Haulage yard and running
the tape measure over Deen’s Bicentennials. Bruce
even ended up in Rockhampton at a place I like
to call ‘Heaven on Earth’, though Tony Champion
just calls it his back shed. Here, he was given
an engine, drive line and all other goodies to
measure up and photograph.
It does seem like a lot of effort, but as Bruce
says, it’s the Drake way. Attention to detail and top
quality. Adding in that he wanted to do justice to
such an important part of Australian transport
history. Well, for those wondering, he’s nailed it. As
an owner of several Drake models I must say that
they’ve not only raised the bar on this one, but
they’ve strapped the bar onto a 4x8 Swingwing
and driven it that far out of town you can’t even
see it anymore.
Don’t take my word for it though, just check out
the active front suspension – you need to remove
the pin to tilt the bullbar so you can tilt the
bonnet and inspect the detailed engine. Or maybe
try the air ride seats that do go up and down.
Maybe the Jost plate attached to the turntable or
the compliance plate inside the driver’s door will
convince you. These models are the next level.
By the time this story hits the stands there will
have been three of the 16 Bicentennials already
sold out and in the hands of collectors. Never fear
though, there is still 13 to come. The choice was
made to release the trucks in the same order they
came off the production line and in exactly the
same setup as they came off the line. So, there will
be differences in many of them. In another next
level upgrade rather than numbered certificates,
each truck will have its number laser engraved in
the underside of the chassis.
Drake Collectibles have built a reputation of
quality and detail that mirrors its big brother
Drake Trailers. It’s great to see an iconic
Australian company paying homage to a great
Australian truck. Now I’m off to line up for the
next release.
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 75

and overview: Scania Australia
SCANIA RAISES
THE STAKES
Recent years have been the best in Scania’s 50-year history in Australia. Not
spectacular and not without a few foibles, but certainly better than ever before and
certainly enough to cause market leaders to keep a concerned eye on the brand’s
rising prominence from one end of the country to the other.
Scania’s gains, of course, have come from the evolution of a significantly more
appealing product range but, so too, have they come from more astute management.
In this wide-ranging report by Steve Brooks, we start with a test drive from Sydney to
Melbourne in a new R540 B-double before a one-on-one talk with Scania Australia’s
quietly composed managing director Mikael Jansson on some of the factors behind
the brand’s steady rise in recent years. Then, back in Sydney, we climb into the new
baby of the bunch, the seven-litre P-series
76 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

test drive
SCANIA’S
DOUBLE
SHOT
SCANIA HASN’T wasted any time slipping the
new 540hp (403kW) version of its 13-litre Euro 6
engine into the market. And nor should it, given
that, since the local launch of its much-lauded
‘New Truck Generation’ (NTG) more than three
years ago, the Swedish brand has been somewhat
off the pace in the 13-litre power parade.
Sure, the new range has many attributes: second-tonone
in safety, exceptional build quality, respectable
efficiency and, when it comes to big bore brawn,
there’s nothing to match Scania’s venerable V8. But, as
we asked several Scania operatives during the NTG’s
Australian launch, why is the 13-litre engine limited to
500hp (373kW) when the similarly-sized engines of its
main rivals, namely Volvo’s D13 and Mercedes-Benz’s
OM471, peak at 540 and 530hp (395kW), respectively?
The official response was to simply cite
the six-cylinder engine’s gritty torque output
(2,550Nm/1,880lb-ft) and its subsequently-stated ability
to deliver an enviable mix of potent pulling power and
frugal fuel economy at gross combination weights up
to 75 tonnes.
Besides, as Scania stalwarts were equally quick to
comment, if you want more than 500hp, there’s always
the 16.4-litre V8 with outputs starting at 520hp (388kW)
and going all the way up to 730hp (544kW).
Even so, a few Scania insiders quietly admitted to
being equally perplexed by the six-cylinder engine’s
500hp limit that, in our parochially power conscious
market, appeared to be handing its main rivals –
which now include DAF’s Euro 6 MX-13 engine at 530hp
– something akin to a free hit.
On the other hand, Scania’s more senior people were
again quick to firmly refute any suggestion of being
off the pace, claiming the 13-litre 500hp rating in both
the full-size R cab and the lower profile G cab has been
“among our most popular [and] widely praised for its
performance, fuel efficiency and driveability”.
Fair enough, but with the recent arrival of the 540
rating, the company hasn’t been at all shy about
pointing out the new setting’s ability to turn its “sixcylinder
prime mover into a genuine long distance
interstate B-double hauler”.
Call me cynical, but doesn’t that suggest the 500
rating wasn’t quite the genuine B-double linehauler
its defenders declared? It would seem so.
Whatever, there’s no doubt the 540’s additional
horsepower, coupled with an extra 150Nm of torque
– taking peak torque out to 2,700Nm, or 1,990lb-ft –
finally put the Swedish contender head-to-horsepower
head with any contender in the highly competitive
12- to 13-litre class.
The extra punch, however, hasn’t come without
some critical updates to enhance performance and,
predictably, fuel efficiency. In fact, the message from
Scania is that, like its in-line siblings, the DC13 engine
has been reworked in a number of key areas, not
least through the application of low friction coatings
on pistons, rings and bores, plus modified inlet and
exhaust manifolds, increased compression rates
and higher cylinder pressures from Scania’s durable
XPI fuel injection system, and a new fixed geometry
turbocharger. Also new, and specifically designed to
enhance efficiency when the engine is operating at low
load cycles, are variable coolant pumps and a variable
steering pump that, combined with all the other
updates, allow Scania to confidently claim an overall
fuel consumption improvement of up to 2.5 per cent.
All up, it’s simply a more potent package with 540hp
on tap at 1,800rpm and top torque on stream from
1,000 to 1,300rpm. And yes, while the V8 is always an
option for Scania’s 500-plus proponents, it comes with
a 300kg weight penalty over the steer axle compared to
the six-cylinder 540 rating.
So, to push the point just a fraction further, a 540
rating might have taken a lot longer than expected to
get here but it certainly won’t take long for word to get
around that Scania’s 13-litre can now punch as hard as
any in the high end of the mid-bore business.
Down the Hume
Understandably, Scania has been keen to get bums on
the seat of its latest linehaul specialist and the offer
to take an R540 B-double with almost 34,000km under
its belt on a daylight run from Sydney to Melbourne
quickly became as likeable as it was logical.
Scania’s affable driver trainer, Dave Whyte, whose
previous lives as an owner-driver and writer for several
truck magazines have embedded a deeply ingrained
regard for the Swedish truck, appeared more than
happy to spend the day in the shotgun seat.
Still, with a shrewd grin, he wasn’t bashful about
proclaiming high hopes for performance and
efficiency as the combination headed out of Scania’s
Prestons dealership in Sydney’s south-west at a gross
weight of 58.5 tonnes.
The outfit settled easily into stride down the freeway
and while much more than a year had passed since last
driving a Scania, it didn’t take long to be reacquainted
with a slick powertrain and an impressive array of
standard features.
Typically, the engine uses selective catalytic reduction
(SCR) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF) to achieve
Euro 6 emissions compliance, matched to Scania’s
highly intuitive and stunningly smooth 14-speed
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 77

“There’s plenty for a driver to like but there are also a few
areas where the Scania isn’t quite the equal of others.”
Above: Inside views of Scania’s R-series cab. It’s an entirely comfortable and well-appointed layout but familiarity
with control functions takes time
overdrive Opticruise automated transmission. Feeding into a 3.42:1
final drive ratio, 100km/h was notched around 1,400rpm.
Fuel capacity in the standard R540 is 1,030 litres – 720 litres in
the left tank, 310 in the right – and a 105-litre AdBlue tank, with
steer and drive axles rolling on Continental 295/80R 22.5 tyres
mounted on Alcoa DuraBright wheels. Scania states a tare weight
with full tanks but no bullbar or driver at a tad under 9,800kg.
By comparison, a V8 under the same cab would easily push tare
over 10 tonnes.
Disc brakes all-round operate in concert with an advanced
emergency braking system and Scania’s highly effective, multistage
R3500 retarder and exhaust brake. In short, Scania braking
is incredibly strong, smooth and no doubt, as safe as they come.
Standard safety systems are, of course, a major influence in all
new trucks nowadays – still, some more than others – and while
the R540’s list includes a driver airbag, electronic stability program,
lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and auto hill hold
(arguably the most practical innovation of all), Scania has gone
one better than its European counterparts with what it calls ‘side
curtain roll-over protection airbags’.
On the inside, there’s plenty for a driver to like but there are also
a few areas where the Scania isn’t quite the equal of others. The
sleeper, for instance, is not as functional or practical as the topof-the-line
Benz bunk and, with a wide array of control functions
on the steering wheel, familiarity can take quite a while. In this
estimation, operational ease could be improved by moving the
small buttons for cruise control and downhill speed control from
the bottom of the steering wheel to a higher position on the rim.
Just a thought!
Similarly, and like most of its continental rivals, it took a while to
feel completely comfortable with the Scania’s soft and somewhat
sensitive steering. But not too long. Indeed, by the time the truck
approached the first significant climb at Skyline near Mittagong,
comfort and on-road confidence were well established and it was
easy to concentrate solely on the R540’s performance.
With the transmission in auto mode and the engine showing
a propensity for digging deep into the torque band before
dropping a gear, the Skyline climb forced the truck back to eighth
gear with engine speed briefly reaching down to 1,450rpm. A good
effort, and one which was largely repeated on the pull out of the
nearby ‘dipper’.
At the back of the brain, though, there lurked the thought that
hill climbing performance could probably be improved in manual
mode, making shifts earlier and, where appropriate, taking two
gears rather than one. And so it was that, on the approach to
the long hard pull over Conroy’s Gap, manual mode was selected
and the Scania ultimately steamed over the crest in ninth gear
at 1,200rpm. This was a highly impressive pull, with earlier
downshifts allowing the engine to keep up a full head of steam and
hang onto a higher gear than perhaps would’ve been achieved with
the shifter in auto mode.
By this stage, confidence in the Scania’s performance and
technology attributes, not least high regard for the downhill speed
control function, was winning an increasingly positive opinion of
the R540’s abilities. The quiet strength of the peak 13-litre rating
and the inherent driver comfort were, in fact, making the trip pass
surprisingly fast and with plenty of daylight remaining, the truck
was soon enough mingling in the congested afternoon traffic of
Melbourne’s western ring road.
Final destination was Scania’s Laverton dealership, but not
before swinging into a nearby service station to top the tanks and
physically confirm the trip computer’s fuel reading of 2.0km/litre,
or 5.65mpg for us older heads, for the 860km run. Either way, a
respectable return by any measure, and enough to put the hint of a
smile on Dave’s dial.
It was, in fact, an even more respectable return given that
the truck was largely driven to assess performance standards
rather than any feather-footed, technologically tooled attempt
to maximise fuel economy. Proving the point, trip data revealed
the R540 averaged a lively 86km/h with an overall driving time of
under 10 hours.
So, the end assessment is to simply vouch for Scania’s claim that
it has turned its 13-litre “six-cylinder prime mover into a genuine
long distance interstate B-double hauler”.
Not before time, perhaps, but there’s no doubt Scania has now
made the 13-litre linehaul class even more competitive.
78 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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interview: Mikael Jansson
THE RIGHT
DIRECTION
IF EVER TWO managing directors appeared to
emerge from different sides of the corporate
corridor, they are current Scania Australia chief
Mikael Jansson and his retired predecessor, Roger
McCarthy, the sharply styled, articulate Englishman
with a polished salesman’s flair for the limelight,
and, typically, always up for a chat on industry issues
and Scania achievements. And a photo, of course.
Jansson, on the other hand, is a mild mannered
Swede with a strong Nordic accent and an apparent
preference for quiet conversation rather than public
appearance. In fact, now approaching four years in
the top job at Scania Australia, it’s surprising to learn
that this is Jansson’s first one-on-one interview.
Yet, despite their decidedly different personas,
they share a couple of critical similarities. Each is a
passionately proud and loyal Scania stalwart with a
determined competitive streak and, most significant
of all, each has achieved far more than any of his
many predecessors.
Indeed, Scania Australia is today stronger and more
successful than ever before and certainly nothing
like the struggling entity that, in the late ‘90s, came
close to being withdrawn from the market according
to a blunt admission long ago by the brand’s
authoritarian and often outspoken former leader,
Leif Ostling.
Yet, while Sweden’s commitment to stay in Australia
all those years ago had next to no impact on Scania’s
position on the sales ladder, it apparently had a big
influence on financial performance. According to
a bullish Ostling, interviewed during a 2004 visit,
Australian profitability had by then improved to be
one of the best in the Scania world on “an investment
to equity relationship”.
Nonetheless, for the first decade of the new century,
the Swedish maker simply could not climb off the
lower rungs of the heavy-duty ladder, generally
hovering around three or four per cent of the sector
despite callow guesstimates by a succession of
imported leaders that a 10 per cent slice was “entirely
possible” within a few years.
Consequently, and given the underwhelming and
occasionally short-lived performances of numerous
predecessors, McCarthy’s arrival in 2009 was cynically
seen as just another Scania chief happy to enjoy
an idyllic sunny break from the great grey of the
northern hemisphere. It was soon evident, though,
that this highly professional Pommie import was
seriously intent on making a mark and, over the next
seven years, cleverly implementing several initiatives
in niche markets and effectively making Euro 6
emissions a Scania specialty, the brand finally started
to achieve steady growth.
To date, he is Scania Australia’s longest serving
managing director and, it’s fair to say, it was McCarthy
who finally got the ball rolling for Scania. However,
it’s equally apparent that, despite a somewhat
diffident demeanour, Jansson hasn’t been at all shy
about picking up the ball and running with it.
At the close of 2017, just months after McCarthy’s
departure for retirement and Jansson’s appointment,
Scania, for the first time, cracked 1,000 heavy-duty
sales in a year – 1,003 to be exact – but at 8.4 per cent,
still notably short of the elusive 10 per cent share of
the big boy class.
However, the best was yet to come and it is a
surprisingly buoyant Jansson who agrees that the last
four or five years have been Scania’s most successful
in the Australian market.
Still, there have been a few unexpected setbacks.
Certainly most worrying of all is COVID-19 but, well
before the pandemic struck with all its fears and
frustrations, challenges were emerging that would
rain on Scania Australia’s excitement after the early
2018 launch of its New Truck Generation (NTG).
Hiding under the fanfare of the new model
release were destructive supply shortfalls in Europe,
especially on components for building Scania’s
popular V8 engine, which led to the bent-eight
production line shutting down for several months.
As Jansson commented, it was particularly
disappointing “after the new series had received
so much positive feedback from customers. The
new product ran into supply problems very quickly
[creating] a major problem because we’re so
dependent on the V8.”
Consequently, 2018 was a year of struggle that took
the gloss off the initial excitement of the NTG release,
with Scania achieving a relatively lacklustre 891 sales
and falling back to just 6.2 per cent in what was then
a booming market for the heavy-duty sector.
Still, according to Jansson, the market’s enthusiasm
80 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

for the new model range and the gradual unblocking of V8
supply lines created ideal conditions for a major turnaround in
2019 and, accordingly, Scania notched its best year ever with 1,140
deliveries and nine per cent of the heavy-duty class.
Even so, demand for the new range continued to outstrip
supply and it’s an adamant Jansson who insists 2019 would’ve
been significantly better if supply had been able to match orders.
Likewise, 2020!
Considering COVID
In Scania Australia’s Campbellfield (Vic) boardroom a few
months back, Jansson was quick to express relief that people
were once again sitting at desks and circulating through
the office.
“We need to learn from the lessons of having more flexible
working arrangements,” he comments. “But really, this change
was coming before COVID, with the younger generation looking
for more flexible working arrangements.”
In the next breath though, he stresses the need for face-to-face
interaction.
“Sometimes, important decisions are taken during discussions
at the coffee machine [and] that’s the interaction you miss when
working from home.”
It was a simple example but the message was clear. Quiet for a
moment, he continues: “I’m very proud how we handled COVID
and how we had no infections at all.”
Equally, employment was kept at full strength, there was no
shutdown for Scania and the service network stayed open and
firmly fixed on meeting customer needs.
“We kept and protected our people, we kept supporting our
customers, the retail operation was running at full speed, and
the company was effectively managed despite so many people
working from home.
“It was important to keep our competence. We had no people
on JobKeeper at all, no support from government [and] it makes
me proud that we were able to do that.”
Eager to push the point and no doubt, espouse a higher ideal:
“We should get support from government when we really need it,
not just because we can get it. For me, that’s about maintaining
our social responsibility.”
Yet, whereas some companies were stunningly quick to
use COVID as an axe to cut people, it was a forthright Jansson
who remarked: “We kept all staff.” Then, a few minutes later, in
response to a question about Scania’s rising prominence: “We
now employ 500 people, so 25 per cent (100 people) more than
when I came here, plus we’ve started Scania in New Zealand
where we employ 150 people.”
Nonetheless, COVID-19 wasn’t the only constraint in 2020. In
fact, he adds: “I was a bit surprised that COVID was not impacting
the market as most thought it would.”
However: “Order intake for us last year was very strong [but] we
lost market share because we had supply issues, so we ended just
short of 900 trucks.”
The official number was 880 deliveries for 8.3 per cent of the
market and fifth spot on the heavy-duty leader board.
Meantime, while he insists the strong order intake is
continuing in 2021, so too are the supply issues, which are
certainly not peculiar to Scania alone. As Jansson explains, the
issues are two-fold: “One is the shortage of semi-conductors
[essentially the micro components of the electronic control
systems at the heart of almost every automotive product in the
world today].
“That is a global problem but how much it will impact us is
somewhat unknown, but it is a big challenge for everyone.”
Critically, however, it’s a challenge accentuated by the high
level of international demand for Scania’s NTG range.
“So it’s a fight to get capacity from production, but the ramp-up
to get higher volumes at the factory is impacted by suppliers in
Europe who, in this COVID time, can’t ramp-up at the pace we all
want,” he explains.
Consequently, it’s a sincere and gratefully candid Scania
chief who says: “We will not get the supply this year that we
want from Europe.”
On the positives though, he firmly suggests it’s a short-term
issue. Demand for the NTG range is, however, not peculiar to
Europe alone.
“We have an order book now we have never seen before,” says a
positive Jansson, predicting a strong market for heavy trucks this
year and, potentially, another record for Scania.
“The heavy segment was 10,600 [trucks] last year but I think it
will increase by at least 10 per cent and, if we get the supply we
want, I’m confident we will get to 1,200 sales.”
“If we get the supply we want,
I’m confident we will get to
1,200 sales.”
Thoughtful for a moment, he continues: “The supply issue may
stop us from reaching that figure but, from what we know at this
moment, we will deliver over 1,000 trucks this year. The order
book is just so strong.”
Asked if Scania’s rise comes at the targeting of any one
competitor, a serious Jansson replies: “Mercedes-Benz and Volvo
are the two main competitors normally [but] I don’t care. We are
not focused on who we target.
“It’s a tough market, especially with big fleets where you can
get a lot of volume but it’s important for me to have a profitable
business, so it’s not just about volume.”
Yet, when subsequently asked if 10 per cent market share is
still Scania’s target, an unequivocal Jansson said simply: “Yes!”
At this point in the discussion, he confidently stated he was
looking forward to the end of March (see footnote on page 82)
when Scania’s strong performance for the first quarter of 2021
would be revealed.
As the numbers soon demonstrated, his confidence was
entirely justified, finishing the first quarter with 218 deliveries
and notching 8.9 per cent of the market. Biggest news of all,
though, was that Scania’s performance for the month of March
alone was exceptionally strong, finishing third in the heavy
rankings with 10.3 per cent and just five units behind the
other Swede, Volvo.
Talk of ‘the other Swede’ brought a wry smile to Jansson’s dial
and an unusually sharp snipe at his competitor’s corporate
leadership in Sweden.
“At the top executive level, Volvo has brought in a number of
Scania people. Scania has not found the need to entice Volvo
people into its executive realm.”
Yet, asked why the two Swedish brands historically change
Australian leadership so often, it’s a somewhat evasive Jansson
who retorts: “I can only talk from a Scania perspective [but]
there are still things to do here and I am very keen to continue
that journey.
“Stability,” he contends, “comes from a Scania way of working
[but] you need to understand the local market, so it’s the people
who are our asset and driving the changes.”
Has Australia been a tough learning curve for him? The answer
is immediate: “No. This organisation was already working to
Scania’s way of thinking but I quickly learned to like working
with Australians. They are direct, but in a positive way. They
Below: A serious Mikael Jansson
considers a question on COVID.
“It was important to keep our
competence [and] it makes me
proud we were able to do that.”
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 81

“Scania has not found the need
to entice Volvo people into its
executive realm.”
tell you want they think and they understand that, if things go
wrong, it’s how you deal with problems that’s important. It’s a
mentality I like.”
At 62 years of age and still with plenty to achieve here, it’s
a convincing Jansson who declares there are no plans to go
anywhere else.
Above: People power. “We now
employ 500 people, so 25 per cent
[100 people] more than when I
came here, plus we’ve started
Scania in New Zealand where we
employ 150 people,” explains an
earnest Mikael Jansson
More muscle
It’s no secret, of course, that Scania is nowadays a vital part of
the ambitious Traton Group, effectively the global commercial
vehicle conglomerate of automotive giant Volkswagen, which
also includes MAN and, most recently, Navistar (International)
in the US.
Asked what influence Traton may have on Scania in Australia,
Jansson just shrugs and says the conglomerate’s impact here is
likely to be minimal, suggesting the main effects will be in global
research and development programs on future product, and
greater production efficiencies.
On the possibility of a closer commercial relationship with
MAN and its association with the Penske organisation here,
he says there has simply been no contact or discussion and,
moreover, expects none.
“For me, MAN is just one of the competitors,” he says.
Far more important, he asserts, is the continuing evolution of
the NTG range, not least the recent introduction of a 540hp rating
in Scania’s 13-litre line-up.
While declining to comment on Scania’s reasons for limiting
its top 13-litre rating to 500hp in the initial launch of the new
models, he quickly contends: “We now have the horsepower more
in line with the competition and that will be good for us. The 540
is filling a gap that is important.”
There will, however, be no lack of power in a refreshed V8 range
headed our way later this year, with Jansson confirming a top
rating of 770hp (574kW) and a stump-ripping 3,700Nm (2,730lbft)
of torque, accompanied by 660, 590 and 530hp (492, 440 and
395kW) settings.
All four ratings will be Euro 6 models coupled to a significantly
updated Opticruise automated transmission designed to work
more efficiently with the big bore V8 and capable of producing
fuel savings up to six per cent, according to Scania.
Consequently, it’s an upbeat Jansson who cites a powerful
future for Scania Australia, in more ways than one.
“With increased volumes, we also need to increase our
retail network and that is creating a lot of new jobs,” he says
enthusiastically.
“We have started to build a second workshop in western Sydney
and a new national parts warehouse [in Melbourne] and a
supporting warehouse in Perth.”
Meanwhile, plans for coming years include more service
centres in other cities and regions, and, as is the Scania custom,
most will be company-owned.
“Our strategy is to have company-owned facilities in the main
cities and non-captive in the regions, which means 90 per cent
of all workshop operation is captive. That’s important for us,” he
continues.
“It’s a huge investment, of course, but you are in control of the
service you’re giving the customers.”
All up, the future for Scania has never looked brighter?
“Yes, but if you stay still in this market, you will lose,” a definite
Jansson concludes.
FOOTNOTE: SCANIA SOARS IN APRIL
If Scania was happy with its market share in the month of March, it must be
ecstatic with April’s barnstorming performance.
Scania’s take of the heavy-duty sector in April was a potent 14.1 per cent,
second only to absolute market leader Kenworth and notably ahead of arch
rivals Volvo and Mercedes-Benz.
April’s numbers pushed Scania’s year-to-date slice of the sector to 10.4
per cent, putting it well within range of forging past Volvo and Benz in
overall standings.
Meanwhile, the 2021 heavy-duty market remains defiantly strong and, if
current momentum continues, the sector will deliver around 12,000 trucks
this year.
82 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

model report: Scania seven-litre P280
NEW BJORN
BABY
IN A SHORTHAUL rigid truck market so thoroughly
and fiercely dominated by Japanese models, it can be
curious why local European brands bother to throw
a slick and highly advanced contender into the mix
when the likelihood of significant sales is perhaps as
slim as the potential profit margin.
Then again, why not? Any new model does, of course,
add another string to the business bow, and, moreover,
a high-tech ‘round-town toiler may even prove to be
just the thing for some applications and individuals
who might require significantly more than a relatively
standard, off-the-shelf workhorse.
Scania, it seems, is figuring on just such a scenario for
its new and extremely well equipped seven-litre P-series
truck, because there’s no doubt that when it comes
to top-shelf componentry in shorthaul and regional
distribution roles, nothing comes close to the brand’s
new baby.
The specification of a P280 6x2 demonstrator doing
the promotional rounds recently was an excellent
example of just how far Scania has gone in an obvious
quest to needle its way into applications ruled by
Japanese makers.
It all starts with the new seven-litre – actually, 6.7-
litre – engine, which is, in fact, the culmination of
another development project between Sweden’s Scania
and North American engine giant Cummins. These two
powerhouses are long-term partners who have worked
closely on a number of major engine and component
exercises over many years – not least the well-proven
XPI high pressure fuel injection system – so it’s no
coincidence that the smallest engine Scania has offered
in decades shares exactly the same displacement and
dimensions as its Cummins equivalent, the 6.7-litre
ISB engine.
Yet, Scania refutes any suggestion that its engine is
simply a Cummins clone. All monitoring and control
systems have, for instance, been developed by Scania,
along with a fixed geometry turbocharger and an SCR
emissions system for Euro 6 compliance. Accordingly,
Scania says there are around 100 different parts in its
version of the six cylinder 6.7-litre displacement, which
comes in 220, 250 and 280hp (164, 186 and 209kW)
variants, with peak torque of 1,200Nm (885lb-ft) in the
highest power rating.
As Scania is equally quick to point out, though, the
introduction of the engine known as the DC07 definitely
does not mean the end of its current and more powerful
five-cylinder nine-litre engine, which comes in Euro 5
and Euro 6 variants up to 360hp (268kW).
“We will continue to offer our nine-litre in the P-series,
which is ideally suited to heavier twin-steer and 6x4
applications,” says Scania Australia director of truck
sales, Dean Dal Santo.
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JUNE 2021 83

“The road
manners
and steering
of the
P280 were
exceptionally
sound in all
conditions.”
Above: Around town, the P280
was a delight and throttle
response from the seven-litre
engine is impressive. Out on the
open road though, undulating
conditions highlight the modest
displacement’s shortage of gritty
determination
Below: All in the family. Scania’s
P280 shares the same high
standard of build quality and
operational features as its bigger
brothers. There’s a lot to like for
shorthaul and regional work
does mean is that it is able to contest much the same two-, threeand
four-axle rigid configurations as its nine-litre brother but
with a significant weight saving up to 360kg and a 95mm lower
engine hump between the seats in the P-series cab. Additionally,
Scania says the lower floor “allows the fitment of the same storage
compartments as in [bigger] G-series cabs, plus there are new options
for layouts with rear storage and bunks”.
With the seven-litre only available under the P-series cab and
with a gross combination limit of just 30 tonnes – meaning
the engine’s potential for prime mover duties is purposefully
negligible – Scania’s target market for this addition to its New Truck
Generation (NTG) is obviously shorthaul and regional work in rigid
configurations. The way Scania sees it, the smaller, lighter engine will
enhance the brand’s appeal in those delivery applications where a
rigid truck might start the day at a gross weight around 20 tonnes
but soon be down to 12 tonnes or so as deliveries are made.
Predictably, the engine is matched to a suitably tailored,
direct-drive version of Scania’s sweet-shiftin’ Opticruise 12-speed
automated transmission that, like its heavier-duty brethren, comes
with two additional crawler gear ratios for slow manoeuvring as well
as ‘economy’, ‘standard’ and ‘power’ operating modes.
With the box driving into a relatively quick 3.08:1 rear axle ratio,
it’s a driveline that can comfortably cruise along a freeway – with
100km/h reached at a twitch under 1,550rpm – or calmly creep
through metro mayhem.
Indeed, when it comes to piloting a six-wheeler rigid through
choked city and suburban traffic tempos, it doesn’t come much
smoother or easier than Scania’s lightweight specialist.
Ridin’ on air
The demo truck’s 6x2 configuration came as no surprise. The singledrive
three-axle configuration has been something of a Scania
specialty for decades and it’s no exaggeration to suggest the Swedish
maker has been arguably the biggest promoter of the 6x2 (and now
8x2) layout in both rigid and prime mover roles since the brand’s
earliest days in Australia.
Sure, some early mechanically sprung versions didn’t quite
light the fires of excitement when a truck became stranded on a
gutter or the like, but the arrival of electronically controlled airbag
suspensions that allowed axle height to be raised and lowered has
done much to nullify the initial negatives.
Nowadays, airbag suspensions are the norm and, in the P280,
Scania has taken the evolution to its full extent with airbags on
the steer axle as well as driven and non-driven rear axles. Typically,
ride quality on everything from chopped secondary roads to slick
highways was second to none.
Yet, it’s worth mentioning that while earlier airbag designs
on steer axles didn’t always deliver inspiring handling, the road
manners and steering of the P280 were exceptionally sound in all
conditions, with none of the wallowing or dipping in corners that
limited the acceptance of some previous airbag steer axles.
Furthermore, the all-air Scania layout provides an individual axle
weighing system that displays on a digital readout in the cab.
In the case of the demo truck, it was simply a case of scrolling
the dash screen to the readout showing axle weights and instantly
seeing that the front axle was loaded to 5.6 tonnes, the drive axle to
6.3 tonnes and the tag axle to 7.3 tonnes, for an all-up gross weight of
19.2 tonnes for the day-long test drive. What’s more, it also revealed
a load weight of 7.7 tonnes, which meant that tare weight of the 6x2
with a sturdy Austruck curtain-sided body and full fuel (320 litre)
and AdBlue (47 litre) tanks was 11.5 tonnes.
Nor was it surprising that the smallest Scania offers a long list of
highly advanced standard safety systems. As the company states:
“Like all Scania trucks sold in Australia, the seven-litre specification
includes a steering wheel-mounted driver SRS airbag and dual side
rollover curtain airbags as standard, along with advanced emergency
braking, electronic traction control and lane departure warning
systems. Brakes are by discs all-round.”
LED lights all-round, including daytime running lights, are a
similarly standard feature as is the hugely beneficial auto hill
hold feature.
On the inside, and typifying the high level of build quality
in Scania’s NTG range, the day cab demonstrator was a superb
workplace for shorthaul and regional duties; immensely
comfortable and well-appointed with even a small fridge between
the seats, and all controls and switchgear in easy reach and, equally,
easily understood.
Likewise, it took little time behind the wheel to be fully at ease
with the Scania’s road manners and appreciate the truck’s attributes
in smoothly coping with the suburban slog. In other areas, though,
the smallest Scania wasn’t quite as convincing.
On a wickedly wet day and with almost 29,000km on the clock at
the start of our run from Scania’s Prestons dealership in Sydney’s
south-western suburbs, the P280 was run along the Hume before
turning east and dropping down Mt Ousley for a short jaunt around
Wollongong’s industrial backblocks. Then, up Ousley for a run into
Sydney’s southern suburbs and a meander through peak hour metro
madness on the way back to Scania’s dealership. All up, a 200km mix
that probably typified the model’s likely workloads.
Around town, the P280 is perfectly at ease – smooth, quiet,
agile and with enough response from the seven-litre engine to
comfortably keep pace with erratic traffic flows.
On undulating open roads, though, the small displacement
engine’s lively throttle response is not matched by an inherent
propensity for pulling power.
Admittedly, peak performance figures of 280hp (206kW) at
1,900rpm and 1,200Nm (885lb-ft) of torque on tap from 1,050 to
1,600rpm suggest a wide and reasonably tenacious fight but, as
numerous climbs showed with the transmission in auto mode, the
powertrain rarely utilises the full extent of the torque band. Instead,
it was quick to drop a gear at 1,400 or 1,500rpm rather than dig
deeper and utilise more of the available torque output.
On more demanding climbs, manual mode at least allowed the
full torque band to be utilised before making a single downshift or
on sharper pinches, taking two gears to use more of the rev range.
When it’s all boiled down, Scania’s seven-litre is simply a small
displacement engine with a typically high level of throttle response
but an equally typical lack of gritty pulling power.
Likewise, exhaust brake performance wasn’t particularly
inspiring. According to Scania’s figures, maximum exhaust braking
effect is a modest 88kW at 2,500rpm, which is again indicative of a
small bore engine.
Overall though, there’s a great deal to like about Scania’s P280 6x2,
not least fuel economy. At the end of a demanding day, the truck
returned an entirely acceptable 3.2km/litre, or 9.1mpg.
Just as Scania says, its new seven-litre rigid model is ideally suited
to shorthaul delivery work or regional runs. However, if the regional
runs have plenty of hills, it’d probably be worth stepping up to the
nine-litre engine.
Sometimes, you just can’t beat cubes.
84 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

WILKIE’S WATCH Ken Wilkie
Thankless occupation
We’re said to be an essential service, but try telling
that to the bureaucrats and road authorities
THE LATEST bit of rubbish to
stem from the shiny pants
is a suggestion that people
like me should be saddled
with a massive increase in
registration fees to encourage
us to update to the latest in
technology – to improve safety and
protect the environment. I’m not one of
those who are disbelievers. The earth’s
climate has been subject to change for
centuries – long before there was an
explosion of homo sapiens polluting the
environment; long before homo sapiens
were even present on the globe.
Virtually each and every one of us is
taking advantage of the God-given earth’s
natural bounties. I doubt if we can do a
lot to reverse the current situation while
the earth’s population is multiplying at
such a rate.
Just recently I read a report that
America’s oldest living person had just
passed away at 115 years of age. The lady
had direct descendants numbering close
to 200 – in just over 100 years.
My concerns regarding the loading
up of charges against older vehicles
in an effort to create a safer more
environmentally friendly fleet is: what
happens to the discarded vehicles?
And what of the environmental cost of
manufacturing new stuff to replace the
old? Would the hoped-for savings warrant
the wastage of current product? And
I think it a reasonable assumption to
consider that operators of older vehicles,
such as me and my truck, will be replaced
by a generally less experienced and
probably less motivated operators.
ANOTHER BLITZ
It has been announced that the
enforcement people are conducting
another blitz against this industry in the
name of safety no less. Of course the suits
will have difficulty in arguing against
such a lofty ideal once the word ‘safety’
has been mentioned. And I doubt the
suits even care about the difficulty truck
drivers have in accommodating such
persecution.
Truckies cannot win. We are saddled
with a set of regulations in the name of
fatigue that are totally irrational. And
bureaucracy cannot ignore that because
they have demonstrated they know it to
be the case. Every page in the work diary
bears the directive: “Do not drive if you
are impaired by fatigue.”
I don’t want to see a situation like that
of Olympic athletics where the fittest
and fastest wins a gold medal (read:
biggest pay cheque). There has to be
some consideration of a fair amount of
time spent working to gain a respectable
income for those of us rewarded with
mundane capabilities. And there has
to be some thought put into the work
situation of long haul drivers who can’t
really gain an advantage in stopping to
appease the work ethics of a bureaucrat.
Truck drivers do not go to work to be
irresponsible.
It has even recently been acknowledged
that ours is an essential industry. So why
the persecution of truck drivers?
I remind readers and – particular
NatRoad supporters – of the results
handed to that organisation when it
and industry in general was pressing for
uniformity of state regulations. I quote in
part from that report, Securing a National
Approach to Heavy Vehicle Regulation:
“Border crossings are a high stress node
in the transport network. According
to industry sources, drivers who cross
borders experience considerable
compliance stress, with attendant health
risks.” I do stress that the report was
in relation to establishing a national
approach to Australia’s transport
regulations.
It is no secret that I, for one, am critical
of the failure of that since-created
bureaucracy to fulfil its obligations in
that field. But the comments made in
the report to NatRoad in relation to
compliance stress and attendant health
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
“Truck drivers do not go to
work to be irresponsible.”
risks are equally relevant when policing
authorities are hell bent on chasing
breaches to fulfil an ambition to justify
the authority’s existence.
Did I ever mention the phrase 'Truth in
breach reporting'? It’s oh-so-convenient
for policing to list breaches in their
neat little headings. Brakes, fatigue,
speed limiting, non-conformance and
so on. Let the Australian Trucking
Association (ATA) demand a full and
public breakdown of every breach,
then the public might have a better
understanding of how we really perform.
Let the ATA demand truth in breach
reporting to raise the image of so many
decent honest people performing a
crucial task for this society.
MASSIVE KILOMETRES
A spokesperson has claimed that
trucks are over-represented in accident
statistics. Again, I suspect bureaucracy
are using figures that suit their aims.
And I have no doubt that at the end a set
of figures will be released to justify their
actions. Trucks over-represented?
So what figures are used to justify such
comments? Not the National Transport
Insurance’s consistent findings I’m sure.
Are they using registered numbers with
no thought to the massive kilometres
travelled by trucks in comparison to
light vehicles?
At some point in my recent existence
I have come across a request that police
be divorced from policing the (not)
National Heavy Vehicle Regulations.
I wish them luck on that and for the
record I don’t support the ideal. It’s been
said to me that the not-NHVR personnel
are more prone to issue warnings
and education lectures to offending
operators as opposed to breaching.
Yeah, when it suits that officer maybe.
A much better approach to my mind is
getting regulations in place that have a
real purpose instead of the current stuff
that is the result of industry prejudicial
persecution.
In the good old da ys when the National
Road Freighters Association was
interested in getting a better outcome
for the industry as opposed to pandering
to personal ambitions, considerable
effort went into developing a position
on fatigue management. Again, much
effort went into developing a position
on registration charging that would
have delivered a much fairer outcome.
Those works are still relevant if anyone
can be found to propel them to the
public eye. Maybe the ATA could put its
bias against small operators and the
general ranks of truck drivers on the
back burner and focus on a culture of
fairness to be included in its call for a
just culture. And I’m very lukewarm in
relation to ATA’s bragging in relation to
the ATA’s Safe T360 project.
So the ATA wants to impress Senator
Jacqui Lambie and discuss road safety. I’d
be red hot in support if the discussion
was in regard to getting the federal
government to endorse national driver
training in the nation’s secondary
school curriculum. Otherwise I ask
the ATA just what percentage of the
driving population will benefit from
the chest beating?
My required reading for the
month: Anzac and Aviator by Michael
Moikentin.
ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 85

tech briefs
Iveco’s dual control Eurocargo
IVECO HAS announced the addition of a
new dual control variant to the mediumduty
Eurocargo range, which it says is
designed to meet the increasing demand
for more compact waste removal
vehicles.
Available on the 4x2 Euro5 (EEV)
ML160 platform with shortened
4,455mm wheelbase, the new
Eurocargo is manufactured at Iveco’s
facility in Brescia, Italy, and features
‘predisposition’ for dual control, which
allows more efficient fitment of the
additional system componentry in
Australia.
Components to engineer the
dual control Eurocargo are from
Iveco-sourced parts kits, which the
manufacturer says provides seamless
integration of the system, resulting in a
high quality, factory finish and a more
efficient fitment process.
The ML160 dual control platform
is designed to be compatible with
a number of leading side loader
compactor bodies with volumes of up
to 15 square metres; an optimal size
that delivers considerable payload
benefits while still offering strong
manoeuvrability and a lower gross
vehicle mass (GVM) compared to
traditional 6x4 refuse collection vehicles.
Iveco ANZ product manager Marco
Quaranta says the new model was ideal
for work in gated communities, many
of which had private access roads with
GVM limits.
“There’s a growing trend in Australia
towards higher density living and it’s
changing the way waste needs to be
collected,” Quaranta says.
“Load restrictions on some roads,
and more restrictive infrastructure as
a whole, means that operating a full
sized compactor in these areas can be
a challenge, which makes the more
compact Eurocargo an ideal platform for
a dual control model.
“The Eurocargo already has smaller
dimensions than many compactors
in the market, but with a shortened
wheelbase of 4,455mm, this provides
exceptional manoeuvrability while
still accommodating a 15 square metre
compactor body and up to five tonnes of
payload.”
The truck is powered by a 5.9 litre, sixcylinder
Euro5 (EEV) engine producing
280hp (209kW) and 950Nm of torque and
is coupled to a five-speed Allison S3000
full automatic transmission. Iveco says
this is the preferred option for refuse
collection work thanks to its ease of use
and durability.
The dual control Eurocargo features
rear electronically-controlled air
suspension (ECAS), while the rear axle
includes a driver-controlled differential
lock should additional traction be
required.
Braking on the vehicle comes courtesy
of front and rear ventilated disc brakes
with electronic stability program, antilock
braking system and anti-skid
regulator.
Other reported benefits of the model
include a European-designed and
appointed cabin that places a high
emphasis on ergonomics, including
reduced noise and high comfort levels.
Prior to launching the new Eurocargo
variant, a variety of models were locally
trialled with leading waste service
provider, Suez, with positive feedback.
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86 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

More light for the
road ahead
IT WAS BACK in 2017 when Narva
launched its Ultimate LED 215 range
with a hybrid beam pattern. However,
over the last several years, Narva says its
engineering team has worked hard to
develop a worthy successor to the range.
The result is the Ultima LED MK2 range,
which is offering 30 per cent additional
light over its predecessors, as well as a 20
per cent longer beam.
Narva says the improved lighting
performance is complemented by a
range of bold new bezel colours to keep
up with new vehicle trends. Engineered
to be brighter and bolder, Narva points
out that its new Ultima LED MK2 range
is initially available in the 215 and more
compact 180 variants.
To achieve the extra performance,
Narva explains that each light benefits
from higher output Osram LEDs (24 x 5
Watt for Ultima 180 MK2 and 33 x 5 Watt
for Ultima 215 MK2), producing 15,000
raw lumens and one lux of brightness at
up to 812 metres per pair in the Ultima
180 MK2 and 21,780 raw lumens and one
lux of brightness at up to 1,093 metres
per pair in the Ultima 215 MK2.
As well as achieving this output, the
Ultima MK2 range is said to benefit
from improved colour rendering index
(CRI) performance, leading to more
natural light output (5,700 deg. colour
temperature), which improves depth
perception and reduces eye fatigue. Both
lights also include an LED front position
pipe for added visibility and safety
during daylight hours.
Both Ultima MK2 lights feature
pressure die-cast aluminium housings,
Gore-Tex breather vent and active
thermal management system that Narva
says offers superior heat dissipation.
Also standard is a hard-coated
UV-resistant and virtually unbreakable
polycarbonate lens and lens protector,
as well as a pressure die-cast mounting
bracket incorporating convenient three
bolt mounting with stainless steel
hardware.
To minimise vibration, lights
are equipped with a polyurethane
mounting and suspension system,
while an integrated DT connector
ensures uninterrupted power supply.
Narva states that these features help
provide the new Ultima MK2 range with
an impressive IP66 and IP67 rating for
water and dust ingress and the ability
to operate efficiently within extreme
temperature variations of -40 deg. C
to 65 deg. C.
The lights are available in ‘Stainless
Satin’ single lamp packs that include
a 180 or 215 MK2 light with stainless
steel trim and interchangeable slate
grey, red and yellow trim options, plus
clear lens protector. Black Edition single
lamp packs are also available for both
size lights.
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ownerdriver.com.au
JUNE 2021 87

tech briefs
Hino EV
boasts ultralow
floor
SCHEDULED TO BE released in
Japan in mid-2022, the Hino Dutro
Z EV is Hino Motors Ltd’s first fullscale
electric vehicle (EV) and,
as the Japanese manufacturer
states, is designed for the ‘last mile
deliveries’.
This variation of the Dutro
(known in Australia as the 300
Series) is a walk-through van style,
battery electric vehicle with an
ultra-low floor.
The Dutro Z EV features a compact
50kW electric motor mounted under
the cab, which drives the front
wheels.
“A lithium i on battery is smartly
packaged and is mounted under
the floor of the cargo area in
between the chassis rails, while
the electronic control units and
other ancillary equipment are
located under the cab,” says Daniel
Petrovski, manager of product
strategy for Hino Australia.
“The walk-through structure of
the van and its targeted cruising
range of 100-plus km is particularly
suited to the multi-stop delivery
characteristics of the last mile
delivery challenge.”
In addition to the walkthrough
van, Hino has also
developed a traditional light
truck-style cab chassis version
that customers can mount their
application specific body to.
“This is an exciting product and
Hino Australia is currently in
discussion with Hino Motors Ltd
regarding a release date for the
Dutro Z EV into the Australian
market,” Petrovski says.
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Corporate Authorised Representative Number 001257072 of Insurance Aid General Brokers Partnership Pty Ltd. AFS Licence Number 239049
88 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

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OWD-EP-5192545-TS-334
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MC TIPPER DRIVER
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Since 1970, Hardy’s Haulage has evolved from a single unit, operated by the
Founders Ross and Elaine Hardy out of Pottsville NSW, into today’s fleet of
modern, reliable 25-metre B Doubles and Tri-Axle single tippers providing
prompt, efficient delivery of bulk products to our customers.
From our Head Office and main depot in Pottsville as well as our depots in
Warwick and Yatala in Queensland, our operations take us from Emerald
and Bundaberg in Qld, down the east coast as far as Victoria, throughout
central-western NSW and up to Toowoomba, Dalby and Kingaroy in
Queensland. We have weathered the ups and downs of the Australian
economy to emerge as a solid, industry accredited, and well-respected
member of the Australian Transport Industry.
Hardy’s Haulage is SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HC AND MC DRIVERS to join
the team for regular runs into Qld, NSW, VIC and SA. All positions available
are Permanent Full Time based at our depot in Warwick Qld.
ALL SUCCESSFULLY CANDIDATES MUST
• Be willing to undergo a formal interview and practical driving test
• Spend nights away
• Have a HC or MC licence
• Provide a current licence printout and provide current medical paperwork
• BFM accredited
• Tipper experience preferred but training available for the right person
If you think this position sounds like you, then you can apply in the
following ways:
Career Opportunities
• Ph Nigel on 0431 504 639 • Ph Laeton on 0427 761 276
Resume: logisitics@hardyshaulage.com.au
www.hardyshaulage.com.au
OWD-QV-5211400-TS-341
DTS
Douglas Transport & Spreading
Douglas TS Pty Ltd - DTS is a family-owned business based at
Young NSW. We have an opportunity for an experienced MC Tipper
Driver to join our team.
Immediate start for an experienced B Double driver with tipper
experience. The applicant is required to have a current MC license,
be mechanically minded with good presentation and customer
service skills. The driver is required to have a current RMS driver’s
history and references.
BENEFITS OF THE ROLE
• Consistent work
• Excellent earning potential – above award wages paid
• Permanent & secure – full time position
• Immediate start
• Well maintained equipment
• $0.50 kilometre paid
• $35 paid for each load and unload
Please send your resume to fionakdouglas@gmail.com
or contact Darren 0418 957 049.
OWD-QV-5210593-CS-340
visit www.ownerdriver.com.au
NEWS & REVIEWS USED TRUCKS FOR SALE
JOBS NEW TRUCK SEARCH

Senator
Glenn Sterle
FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black
The fight to be united
The recommendations from the Senate Inquiry into
road transport are not far away
BEING AN owner-driver can be
lonesome work, so it’s always
good to take time out and meet
with other drivers and people
from other sectors of the
transport industry, and other
industries.
The Transport Workers Union’s (TWU)
annual national council this year
achieved just that. It brought together
industry representatives from different
states as well as the Australian Council
of Trade Unions (ACTU), politicians,
academics and business leaders.
It was great to listen and talk about
how to tackle the issues that still
plague us drivers and owner-drivers:
pay that forces us to drive unsafe hours,
shabby truck stops and poor health
among them.
These are things we talk about dayin,
day-out. But getting everyone into a
room (some that have the influence to
make significant change) focused us on
how to get things on the right track.
It was also interesting to learn from
folks in other industries. I didn’t think
I had much in common with pilots
or Uber Eats’ delivery riders, but our
struggles are strangely similar.
Take the gig economy. It’s a ‘new
frontier’ in road transport, but you’ve
got companies like Amazon and Uber
doing whatever they legally can to rip
off workers. It’s not going to stop there
if we’re not careful. These giants will
encroach on our side of the industry;
we are not immune from their greed
for profits.
Then there’s aviation, where 10
people doing the same job can have 10
different rates of pay (sound familiar?).
You can bet the companies at the top,
like those in trucking, are trying their
best to lower wages and conditions
even more.
We can’t sit back and let these guys do
what they like, driving down our pay
and standards whether we are ownerdrivers,
drivers or from any other sector.
This year the TWU’s going to be kicking
it up a gear with mass industrial action,
and it’s our chance to stand up and
fight back right across all sectors of
industry.
If we all get involved we can make a
real difference, nothing can beat the
power of unity.
SENATE INQUIRY
One of the industry’s greatest advocates,
Western Australian Senator Glenn
Sterle, meant business as he reported
back from the Senate Inquiry into road
transport. Not only a former truck
driver but the son and father of truck
drivers, he knows what happens on
the road and the challenges faced by
drivers and operators every day.
Glenn’s inquiry took place over two
FRANK BLACK
has been
a long distance ownerdriver
for more than
30 years. He is a former
long-term owner-driver
representative on the ATA
Council.
“I’d like
to see
improved
rest areas
on our
freight
routes.”
years even with the hurdle of COVID.
He heard from dozens of drivers,
operators, associations and other
industry players giving their evidence
and sharing what’s wrong with the
industry. I gave evidence myself in
Adelaide, and heard from many others.
What was absolutely clear from the
Senator’s report is the same thing I
hear from fellow truckies every day:
something has got to give. Enough
of operators struggling to keep their
businesses going, drivers trying to
earn a decent wage, and enough of
the ‘take it or leave it’ attitude of
customers.
The recommendations from the
inquiry are going to come soon,
and I hope they’re going to put
more pressure on retailers and the
government to act.
I’d like to see improved rest areas
on our freight routes and a system to
improve standards and conditions for
owner-drivers and drivers. I’d like to
see us drivers consulted more on how
to improve things, rather than being
continually constrained by red tape.
BUREAUCRAT SPEAK
I had the chance to appear at the
final hearing in the road transport
inquiry in Canberra at the end of
April. It was a solemn day, because it
not only coincided with International
Workers’ Memorial Day, but with the
fifth anniversary of the Road Safety
Remuneration Tribunal being torn
down by the government.
I watched as the Australian Trucking
Association (ATA) and NatRoad gave
evidence, which to me made it clear
they are not for drivers or ownerdrivers.
Even if they’d tried, they
could not have sounded more like
bureaucrats who don’t understand
our industry, though they continue to
meddle in it.
But the ATA is the exception and not
the rule. When we engage with other
industry players we find we have far
more in common than what divides
us, and this year in particular we need
each one of us to get on board and
help change things for the better. This
especially includes the grassroots of
the industry: we need to stand up and
be heard.
Whether that’s joining a protest or a
strike as the industrial fight kicks up,
or sharing our stories from the road,
we need to show we’re a force to be
reckoned with.
94 JUNE 2021 ownerdriver.com.au

WHEN THE GOING
GETS TOUGH,
TRUCKIES KEEP
EVERYONE GOING.
Transport operators across Australia rely on Shell Rimula oils to
protect their equipment operating in Australia’s tough conditions.
Contact us on 1300 134 205 or visit Shell.com.au/Rimula
to find out more about Shell Rimula and the range of transport
lubricants to ensure your fleet keeps going when the
going gets tough.

AUSTRALIAN
See page 8
See page 4
OUR NAME IS CHANGING
Our drive is to keep you safe on the road … now more than ever
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