www.truckandbus.net.au $9.50 incl. GST Issue 131 2020
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There’s a simple reason that around one in four trucks on Australia’s roads is an Isuzu*. It’s because they deliver legendary reliability. And that’s why so many businesses trust them to deliver their cargo day-in, day-out, every day of the year. To find the right Isuzu for you, visit isuzu.com.au
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If you thought that advanced technologies for zero emission vehicles like hydrogen fuel cells are a long way off then think again. That’s the message from Horizon Fuel Cells, which has been developing and marketing its hydrogen fuel cell systems for the past 17 years, and has hundreds of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles running in China already. We sat down with its Australian boss to find out about its plans for hydrogen commercial vehicles in this country.
20 DAF “RE-NEWELL”
The opportunity to tackle a solid 1800 kilometre road test in one of DAF’s new generation XF 510s, hauling close to 60 tonnes was one we could not turn down, and given the shutdown of the economy over the last couple of months, we were lucky to get the chance. So we climbed aboard for a run from Brisbane to Melbourne for what could be termed a ‘DAF Re-Newell’, and here is our report.
26 WESTERN FORCE
Across the Western Plains of NSW the many major centres, small towns and farming communities are even more dependent on regular and reliable delivery of goods and parcels, than they ever have been. Where once it was mail orders from the Hordern’s catalogue, today its internet purchases from sites around the globe, while businesses also depend on solid supply chain. We take a look at a freight company that is seeing to the delivery needs of people in the middle of mighty NSW.
32 READY FOR LIFT OFF
A booming building industry has helped small and innovative company’s like Adelaide’s Ultra Lift Crane Services make the most of it by offering a speciality crane delivery service to the local building trade with a specially specced crane truck that enables almost ‘forensic’ lifting and positioning of loads. We take a look at Ultra Lift and its new Scania XT.
38 FUEL FOR THOUGHT
Rough, badly maintained roads, high fuel prices, bad droughts and tough conditions are just a few of the problems thrown at transport operators these days and for Toowoomba based fuel transport company, Maktrans, all of these challenges and more are a part of day to day operations. We sat down for a chat with company owner Rob Hanneman.
44 IT’S A HARD ROAD
Australia throws up a whole lot of tough conditions, from baking sun to freezing rain and snow, choking dust and challenging roads. The town of Oberon nestled in the foothills of the Great Dividing Range west of Sydney throws up all of these challenges, and more especially for the people harvesting timber in the vast forests surrounding the town. T&TA dropped into Mangan Haulage to see how its fleet of Kenworths is coping with the task.
52 BLAST IT
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In these difficult Covid 19 affected times so many businesses have been under pressure with shutdowns and forced closures with many having had to ‘pivot’ to a new opportunity in business. In a way, its exactly what Joseph Miller did prior to the Coronavirus Crisis, when an opportunity presented itself and he jumped at the chance. We head up the Hawkesbury near Sydney to get the story on how he turned the chance into a new business – Extract or Blast.
56 RAPTOR-US
They have been described as Tradie’s sports cars, dual cab utes, with big alloy wheels, aggressive tyres and even more aggressive bull bars, driving lights and paint jobs. Ford’s Raptor has taken this to another level and a recent drive highlighted many of the flagship ute’s drive qualities and some of its negatives.
60 TALE OF TWO RAVS
There was a time when Toyota’s RAV4 was a baby SUV that fitted a role as a mini touring/off road machine but these days like a lot of model plates, the RAV4 has grown considerably and is now considered a mid-size SUV. We tested both a petrol manual and a Hybrid powered auto recently and found both had their positives.
DEPARTMENTS 04 BACK TRACKS
Musings from the Editor
06 HIGHWAY 1
News and info from all over
64 MONEY
Paul’s latest advice on finances
CLEANER THAT’S ANOTHER HINO
THE CLEANEST JAPANESE TRUCK IN ITS CLASS. At the heart of the all-new Hino 500 Series Standard Cab is a heavy-duty A05 five-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine. It delivers superior torque at reduced RPM and lower fuel consumption all with a cleaner exhaust.
XAVIER_HINO36738/E
It produces up to 260hp and 882Nm torque, and is fitted with a true engine and exhaust brake, for exceptional downhill control. Plus, it’s the cleanest Japanese medium-duty truck in Australia, meeting Japan’s stringent pPNLT emissions standards (Equivalent to Euro 6). The smarter, tougher & safer Hino 500 Series Standard Cab. To find out more visit hino.com.au
Euro 6 Equivalent Emissions Standards
Photographs are representative only and may not reflect actual vehicle colours, accessories or option packages. Please check with your dealer regarding colour order and timing for delivery.
WE LIVE IN STRANGE TIMES
N
o one could have imagined, as Australia battled through the bushfire crisis that engulfed the country from November to January, that the country, no the World, would be shutdown and mired in a crisis of epic proportions as a result of a virus called Covid-19. There was some inkling in late February, that the Covid crisis was much worse than it appeared on the surface, and that we might be in for a tough ride, but even then the optimistic nature of humanity was dismissing talk of a global shutdown. However two weeks later in mid-March it started to dawn on the governments and the general populous that this disease with a funny name was going to have some serious impact on humanity around the world. What will happen in the longer term, in regards to the health, emotional, financial and overall lifestyles changes as a result of this crisis, can only be speculated on at this stage. No one really knows where this will head. Will we have a vaccine? Will the economy recover and how quickly? Will there be a second crisis if we ease the restrictions? All of these questions are difficult to answer according to the experts. The lack of certainty only serves to fuel anxiety and misunderstanding. From a truck industry perspective many operators have seen boom times, with companies scrambling to meet the supply and logistic demands of a society that has seen hording of everything from toilet paper to flour, hand sanitiser to bottled water and all sorts of other odd products that no one could have predicted. As a result trucks have been working overtime to keep supply up to meet these amazingly inflated consumer demands. However if you just look at that extraordinary demand it would, as it does when you only view one aspect of anything, give a skewed understanding of how things really are overall. For every truck carting groceries, there is a
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fuel tanker parked up because no one is buying petrol and for every tipper dog still working on an infrastructure project there is a car carrier sitting idle because the car market has pretty much stopped dead. So it is not consistent and it is good for some and not for others. Similarly for truck makers there are upsides and downsides. We have heard stories of frantic calls from supermarket chains to light and medium duty truck makers demanding more small pantechs to bolster home delivery fleets. “We need ‘em and we need ‘em now!” has been the cry from the supermarkets, and the ability to supply has not necessarily been a lack of truck stock but the inability to have the pantechs built and fitted because the body parts come from overseas where factories are closed. Similarly local truck factories including Paccar at Bayswater in Melbourne and Volvo Group’s Volvo-Mack plant at Wacol in Brisbane, have both been temporarily closed, not because they can’t work in a time of social distancing requirements, because they have been able to ensure worker separation, but because international supply chain hold ups have meant they have not had the component supplies necessary to keep building. In contrast, Iveco in Melbourne has apparently kept its Dandenong factory open throughout the crisis so far. So just like every other part of this wild and crazy ride through the Covid Crisis, there are starkly differing affects, very different fortunes and varying challenges. As someone uttered the other day, ‘the only certainty is uncertainty’ and as we mentioned earlier no one knows when or how this will end or how it will play out in the meantime. As an industry we can only keep driving forward, ensuring the supply chains that are so necessary, whether we are in shut down or not, keeping the building sites supplied, extracting excavation material from work sites, ensuring the fuel supply is maintained, and getting the harvest from
our farms to where it is needed, as well as all the other myriad demands the industry has to meet. The world is likely to be very different on the other side, although as we have seen time and time again over the history of humanity, we are a resilient and resourceful species and triumphing over adversity is something we have a proven track record for. So stay safe, stay healthy and stay optimistic, because things hopefully will get a whole lot better down the track. Meantime we have a lot of interesting stories for you in this edition, including a tremendously interesting look at a start-up company that will be supplying hydrogen fuel cell power systems for trucks, buses and vans. Hyzon Motors is a China based hydrogen fuel cell developer headed up by an Australian which is aiming to give us zero emission hydrogen trucks very soon, take a read, it is a great yarn. As well as that we head out into the forests around Oberon NSW to take a look at a local timber harvesting and hauling company, Mangan Haulage and its fleet of Kenworths. While out in the Central West we have a story on Midstate Freight and its well organised, and very busy transport operation, keeping the people of the state’s mid-west supplied with day to day requirements whether they’re in Lithgow or Lightning Ridge. Also in this issue we visit Toowoomba based fuel transporter Maktrans and its fleet of Freightliners and look at the role the company has played in the test and development program for the new Cascadia. We have an 1800km road test of the new DAF XF530, a look at a new Scania XT in a different building supply operation in Adelaide, and look at an interesting use for a little Isuzu NPR In Sydney’s North. All that and a whole lot more in this issue of Transport & Trucking. So take it carefully and enjoy the read. JON THOMSON
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DAIMLER AND VOLVO COSY UP TO DO HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS TOGETHER IN YET ANOTHER indication that hydrogen fuel cells will become the power source for future long distance and for that matter short haul trucks, truck industry behemoths Daimler and Volvo have announced that they are creating a joint venture to pursue fuel cell
through electric drive trains with energy coming either from batteries or by converting hydrogen on board into electricity. “For trucks to cope with heavy loads and long distances, fuel cells are one important answer and a technology where Daimler has built
and for society as a whole and by forming this joint venture, we are clearly showing that we believe in hydrogen fuel cells for commercial vehicles,” he added. “But for this vision to become reality, other companies and institutions also need to support
both companies to offer heavyduty vehicles with fuel cells for demanding long-haul applications in series production in the second half of the decade, while other automotive and non-automotive uses are also part of the new joint venture’s scope.
technology. It is another clear indication that the
up significant expertise through its Mercedes-Benz fuel cell unit over
and contribute to this development, not least in order to establish
To enable the joint venture, Daimler Trucks is bringing together all
commercialisation of hydrogen fuel cell technology is edging closer with the two heavy hitting, heavy-duty
the last two decades,” said Daum. “This joint initiative with the Volvo Group is a milestone in bringing fuel
the fuel infrastructure needed,” Lundstedt said. The two companies say the
group-wide fuel cell activities in a new Daimler Truck fuel cell unit. Part of this bundling of activities is
truck companies saying that they
cell powered trucks and buses onto
joint venture, will operate as an
the allocation of the operations of
will contribute the equivalent of close to $AUD1billion ( 600 million) for a half share in the new company,
our roads,” Daum added. Daum’s counterpart at Volvo, the group president and CEO, Martin
independent and autonomous entity, while Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group will continue to be
“Mercedes-Benz Fuel Cell GmbH”, which has longstanding experience in the development of fuel cell
which will take over the operations
Lundstedt, says that electrification
competitors in all other areas
and hydrogen storage systems for
of Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz fuel cell vehicle development operation and will be based in Germany and with
of road transport is a key element in delivering the so called Green Deal, a carbon neutral Europe and
of business. The companies say that joining forces will decrease development
various vehicle applications, to Daimler Truck AG. Fuel cell technology is favoured for
a North American operation based
ultimately a carbon neutral world.
costs for both and accelerate
long haul trucks because they can
in Vancouver. The two companies say they have signed a preliminary non-binding agreement to establish the new
“Using hydrogen as a carrier of green electricity to power electric trucks in long-haul operations is one important part of the puzzle, and
the market introduction of fuel cell systems in products used for heavy-duty transport and demanding long-haul applications.
be fuelled rapidly just like a diesel truck, while battery-electric trucks take longer to charge and impose a weight penalty on trucks that is
joint venture.
a complement to battery electric
The joint statement says that in the
avoided by using the much lighter
Chairman of the Board of Management Daimler Truck AG and member of the board of
vehicles and renewable fuels,” said Lundstedt. “Combining the Volvo Group and
context of the current economic downturn cooperation has become even more necessary in order to
fuel cell systems that generate electricity internally. What is emerging is that for urban
management of Daimler, Martin
Daimler’s experience in this area to
meet the Green Deal objectives
and regional medium- and heavy-
Daum, said that truly CO2-neutral transport can be accomplished
accelerate the rate of development is good both for our customers
within a feasible time-frame. The common goal they say, is for
duty transport battery-electric may be the right solution while
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longer distance and heavier duty trucks may be better powered by fuel cell electric systems. The core powertrains are almost exactly the same with the only real difference being how the electricity is delivered to the truck and its powertrain Toyota/Hino and VW’s Traton
BRIDGESTONE ROLLS OUT A NEW STEER TYRE FOR TRUCKS
recently announced an MOU to look at and explore electricification and hydrogen fuel cell technology, while US start-up Nikola has scored a $250 million investment from another European truck manufacturer in Iveco. Paccar’s Kenworth has also been involved with Toyota in developing 10 hydrogen fuel cell prime movers that will be used in a trial in the Long Beach/Port of Los Angeles precinct. While the Daimler/Volvo JV is likely to really push hydrogen fuel cell technology along, Martin Lundstedt said that other companies will also have to push the technology and help develop a hydrogen fuelling infrastructure to make fuel cell vehicles viable. That’s already starting to happen, with California already in the initial stages of building a hydrogen fuel station network while Korean maker Hyundai is working with a joint venture in Switzerland to build stations for fuel cell trucks that will enter service there later this year. Hyundai plans to build 1,600 fuel cell heavy-duty trucks and has a contract to haul goods for Coop and Migros, Switzerland’s two largest retailers who will pay for the freight services, creating cash flow that will be used to build the fueling network. Back in the USA, Nikola is intending to market all-inclusive leases for fuel cell trucks including the truck, the fuel, maintenance and repair, etc., and plans to start testing this concept with customer fleets by the end of 2022 with production to follow in 2023. Nikola has said that the lease payments will finance construction of a fueling network which initially will be located in or near depots of its large fleet clients. Nikola says it will start with specific city pairs where it has customers and build out the network as it gets more customers saying it intends to have around 700 filling stations across America by 2025.
TYRE MAKER BRIDGESTONE has launched its next generation flagship steer tyre, the R154 and says it is the first of several significant launches for the company’s commercial products over the next two years as it revitalises its truck and bus range. Bridgestone’s R154 is the successor to the R150, and will also serve as the replacement for the long-lasting R156, after proving its durability though real-world local testing the company says. The company says the new tyre has shown an advantage of 18 to 32 per cent over its predecessors, depending on the application. In turn, Bridgestone projects an advantage of between 20 to 40 per cent over R154’s nearest competitor based on the correlation of benchmark tests and previous comparisons with competitor products. According to Bridgestone Australia’s sales director, Heath Barclay, the introduction of the R154 is a significant step forward and its results surpassed expectations. “The introduction of the Bridgestone R154 allows us to simplify our Bridgestone steer tyre range without compromising on characteristics our R150 and R156 customers are accustomed to, and show even greater value through our longest lasting steer tyre ever,” Mr Barclay said. “R150 and R156 were the obvious benchmarks for the new R154, but we had other ambitious targets in place which have been surpassed in the development of the new tyre. “We’re certain that the R154 will prove to be the ideal choice for steer applications, in linehaul applications, coaches and also in medium on/off road duties and metropolitan truck and bus fitments.” Bridgestone invested significantly in the development of the R154, championed by the Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand Technical Field Services team, ensuring it meets the necessary criteria for our local market. The focus of R154’s development was a strong, durable construction, improved worn appearance over its predecessors, and handling and comfort. Group Technical field services manager, Garth Middleton, says that Australian customer feedback drove the technical requirements for R154. “The R150 has proven itself as a highly popular and successful tyre, and the R156 was a stand out for its durability. The challenge for R154 was meeting the needs of customers of both tyres,” Mr Middleton said. “While they were both segment leading tyres in their own right, customers identified areas where improvement could be made, and our local Technical Field Services worked closely with the global R&D team to ensure that these areas were met.” The Bridgestone R154 utilises a newly designed pattern which reduces the occurrence of rib tears and cutting/ chipping in regional and on/off road applications. Optimisation of the top and base tread compound layers and improvements to irregular wear have also reduced base tread compound exposure incidents significantly. The pattern design of the R154, base tread compound, and construction has led to better worn appearance over the predecessor products, maximising the life of the tyre through a significant reduction in shoulder edge wear and base tread compound exposure. The sturdy construction means R154 is also suitable for retreading multiple times. The optimised crown shape enhances handling characteristics, as well as deliver a more comfortable ride at the recommended pressure. As a result, the R154 eliminates the temptation to underinflate steer tyres and compromise wear life. “We have no doubt that the R154 will share the same success as R150 through its lifetime, and with proper maintenance will be a smart choice for fleet operators and customers,” Mr Barclay added. The Bridgestone R154 is available from Bridgestone’s network of commercial vehicle locations.
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HINO GETS TOYOTA HELP WITH HYDROGEN DEVELOPMENT GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE giant Toyota and its truck subsidiary, Hino have
voltage battery and the all-important
service in March, but naturally
electric motor and is based on Hino’s 700 series or as it is known in Japan
that has been impacted by COVID-19 work restrictions.
the Profia model. Two fuel cell stacks developed for
Toyota has been an early adopter and a leader in hydrogen-powered
the next-gen Mirai fuel cell car would provide a traveling range of
fuel cell vehicle technology and development and its Mirai fuel
Toyota and Hino have jointly announced and gone public with the
approximately 600 kilometres with a manageable store of hydrogen to power the fuel cell stack.
cell passenger car is available in California on a subsidized threeyear/60,000km lease at $US389
program, after they apparently began work on it back in October last year.
Toyota and Hino declined to discuss the location of the tanks, the truck’s
a month with a $US2,499 down payment, and with both maintenance
Toyota and Hino say they hope to have running prototypes on Japanese roads this year and while commercial production is possible, they have not
payload, motor output or battery capacity. They also offered no information on production timing or pricing.
and the hydrogen fuel included in the lease price.
mentioned a timeline. Toyota, which has produced hydrogen
“Fuel cell trucks are needed globally, not just in North America,” said
fuel cell vehicles including the Mirai car and in its collaboration with Kenworth, not to mention its Hydrogen fuel cell buses developed for the now postponed Tokyo Olympics, will be in charge of the fuel cell system and controls. Hino will work on the cab, chassis and other truck structural components. The Hino Hydrogen fuel cell prototype truck will include hydrogen tanks, the
Andrew Lund, Toyota Motor North America chief engineer for research and development, who is working on the Toyota-Kenworth project. Five of the 10 Kenworth trucks with Toyota fuel cell powertrains have been built so far and are in various stages of testing, according to Kenworth director of research and development Brian Lindgren. The first Toyota Kenworth fuel cell
fuel cell electricity generator, a high-
truck was planned for commercial
announced that they are working together on fuel cell trucks for Japan in what is a similar project to the one Toyota has been engaged in with Kenworth in the United States.
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The Mirai fuel cell stacks developed in Japan are central to both the Hino and Kenworth heavy-duty truck programs. Toyota of course owns 50.1 per cent of Hino and considers its work with the subsidiary an internal project, allowing access to all Toyota
designed fuel-cell powered buses in use at the Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo were put on the shelf following the announcement that the Games were to be postponed until 2021 because of the pandemic. In January Toyota also announced at the US Consumer Electronics Show that it is building a 70 hectare hydrogen city located at the foot of Mount Fuji. The development to be called Woven City, will be populated by Toyota employees and their families, retirees, scientists, and researchers, and
By contrast, Toyota provides the Mirai fuel cells and other equipment to Kenworth, which then assembles the proof-of-concept trucks at its base in Seattle, for use in Southern California.
will be adjacent to the Fuji Motor Speedway which is owned by Toyota. The name Woven City harks back to Toyota’s early origin as a manufacturer of automatic weaving looms and it says it will be a fully connected ecosystem Woven City’s buildings will be made mostly of wood, using traditional Japanese wood joinery combined with robotic production. The rooftops will be covered in photo-voltaic
“The programs are managed completely separately,” Lund said. Toyota’s plans to have 100 Hino-
panels to generate solar power in addition to power generated by hydrogen fuel cells.
technology, according to Andrew Lund.
When emotion meets logic
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For more information about our new generation trucks and services simply visit www.scania.com.au
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RENSCHLER ON HINO COLABORATION AND TRATON’S ONGOING PLAY FOR NAVISTAR ANDREAS RENSCHLER, boss of Volkswagen’s commercial vehicle arm, Traton has given his first public views on the company’s cooperation with Japanese truck maker Hino, since the MOU between the two was signed in September 2018.In an interview with German
likely purchase of the remaining controlling interest in US maker Navistar, to give Traton its much desired footprint in the USA. The Covid 19 crisis might just give a cashed up Traton, fresh from one of the largest IPOs in European history, last year, the opportunity to buy an
According to Renschler, Traton wants to concentrate initially on battery electric trucks in terms of electrification. but added the fuel cell is “certainly an option” for the future drive of commercial vehicles. “We are on the fuel cell truck. You’ll be surprised when the first one
both companies in a shambles over the last month and a half, with Navistar having shed close to $US18 per share and Traton more than $US11 since the 31st January. During the company’s annual media conference in mid-March Volkswagen’s chief finance officer,
media, Renschler spoke about the existing cooperation between the
even further weakened Navistar at a bargain price. With massive cash
comes along,” said Renschler. He did not rule out the further
Frank Witter said the German truck and auto manufacturer still
VW commercial vehicle division and Toyota subsidiary Hino saying
reserves at Traton and a sinking Navistar share price, the stated aim
intensification of the cooperation – even in response to direct inquiries
planned to press forward with a buyout of the American company,
that joint work has begun in both Germany and Japan. Renschler’s comments indicate that the
of taking over the US truck maker from Traton’s current position of around 18 per cent, might just
as to whether the collaboration could lead to a merger. “In Japan, people think in very concrete
despite headwinds from a near global shutdown that includes the temporary shuttering of some of
two companies are now driving
become a lot easier.
projects, not in big pictures. These
Volkswagen’s plants.
electrification as well as purchasing parts together, while Traton has established an e-mobility team
“Hino complements Traton perfectly because they are very successful in Asia for small and medium-sized
will emerge over time or not,” said the Traton boss. Meantime while the spread of the
Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess said despite the current economic condition, his company
“to clarify which modules we
trucks. Besides, they are very far
COVID-19 coronavirus has caused
has not pulled its offer, adding he
can jointly develop for an electric drive,” Renschler said. A former boss of Daimler Trucks, Renschler
ahead in the future topic of fuel cells and hydrogen, and here, too, we are doing well together”. Hino
widespread disruption and blown trillions of dollars out of the global economy, it’s done nothing to quell
still believed the acquisition was a good idea. During his company’s earnings call
is spearheading the Volkswagen push to consolidate its commercial
and its parent company Toyota have announced, as reported on
Volkswagen Traton’s bid to purchase Navistar.
in early March, Navistar CEO Troy Clarke declined to field questions
vehicle operations on a global scale, putting into play lessons he learned and used during his previous
the previous page, that they intend to equip a 22 tonne GVM 12-metre Hino 700 rigid truck with two Toyota
In January, Traton made a $US 2.9 billion cash offer to buy Navistar at roughly $US35 a share. Virus-
surrounding the Traton offer, but said he planned to “just let the board continue to work through this. We’ll
tenure at Daimler. This includes the
Mirai fuel cell stacks.
inspired fear has left the stock of
just let the process work.”
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NIKOLA JOINS GROWING CROWD OF ZERO EMISSION PICKUP MAKERS FUEL CELL commercial truck start up Nikola has announced that it
temperatures and conditions.” Milton is claiming some impressive
on grades up to 40 per cent through advanced software blending of
Rivian, a Michigan based start-up will also build its own vehicles. It
plans to join the growing market for zero-emission pickups/utes by
specifications for the truck. It said the Badger can generate more than
batteries and fuel-cell. With a fully loaded trailer and
plans to start production of the R1T electric pickup at a former Mitsubishi
announcing the launch of a pickup it will call the Badger.
906 horsepower and 980 pound-feet of torque. It will have an estimated
combined vehicle weight of 8000kg, Nikola claims the Badger will be able
auto factory in Illinois later this year. It also plans to build the R1S SUV.
The startup, based in Pheonix Arizona, says the pickup will be
1000km range. The electric Bader will accelerate
to launch from a standstill on a 30 per cent grade without motor stall,
Both will start at about $US70,000. Like GMC with the Hummer, Rivian
able to operate on power from its hydrogen fuel cell or batteries, or
from 0 to 100kph in approximately 2.9 seconds.
he said. The company already is taking
is pitching the pair as adventure vehicles.
as a blend. It will be built through a partnership with an unnamed vehicle manufacturer. The companies
The truck’s hybrid drive will allow it to travel 550km off the battery for those who aren’t near a hydrogen
reservations for the Badger . Nikola joins a rapidly growing market for electric-drive pickup
Tesla recently unveiled its controversial Cybertruck. It uses an ultra-hard, cold-rolled stainless
will detail their plans at a Nikola
filling station.
trucks and SUVs.
exoskeleton instead of a traditional
conference in September. “Nikola has billions worth of technology in our semi-truck program, so why not build it into a pickup ?” said Trevor Milton, Nikola’s. CEO. “This electric truck can be used for work, weekend getaways, towing, off-roading or to hit the ski slopes without performance loss. No other electric pickup can operate in these
But Nikola is attempting to address that issue, both for its heavy-duty trucks and light vehicles. It said it plans to build 700 hydrogen stations to give North America hydrogen coverage. Milton plans to announce the locations in the coming months. Milton said in a news release that the Badger will handle 0-160 km/h launches with minimal loss of performance. He said it will operate
General Motors said last month that it will relaunch its behemoth Hummer as an all-electric pickup truck under its GMC brand. Like Nikola’s Badger, it will have some impressive numbers and goes on sale in September 2021. Just the week before Ford announced it is working with electric truck developer Rivian to launch a Lincoln branded electric luxury SUV.
body on frame construction. Tesla said it will start deliveries in late 2021. The base model starts at $US39,900. The mid-range dual motor model is $US49,900 and the tri-motor begins at $US69,900. Bollinger Motors plans to start selling its $US125,000 boxy, Hummerinspired battery-electric B1 SUVs and B2 pickup trucks also aimed at the adventure crowd.
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ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND
DaIMLER AND VOLVO CO
SY UP/ HINO EXPLORES
VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE
HYDROGEN/RENSCHLER
GLOBE
’S VIEW/NIKOLA’S HYDO
RGEN PLAY
ISUZU THROWS SUPPORT BEHIND GOVERNMENT STIMULUS SUPPORT ISUZU TRUCKS, has thrown its weight behind recently announced government economic stimulus support, welcoming measures designed to insulate Australian businesses from the unfolding COVID-19–led economic downturn. The federal government has committed to a significant business stimulus package totalling upwards of $200 billion. The package, comprising several initiatives and programs, are all aimed at keeping businesses operating and the economy moving. Isuzu Trucks says the broader stimulus measures complement the government’s affirmation of the critical role played by the freight and transport sector in continuing to provide essential supplies and services. Isuzu Australia Limited Director and Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Harbison, acknowledged the comprehensive suite of initiatives recently announced and noted the Instant Asset Write Off threshold increase as a critical measure Australian businesses can take
and economic crisis continues to unfold and disrupt, we’re encouraged to see the federal government take the necessary action to help Australian businesses survive,” Mr Harbison said. “The IAWO measures are of particular note as they allow businesses to immediately write-off multiple asset purchases, realise significant tax
state governments in designing and rolling out these programs in these trying times is to be applauded,” Mr Harbison said. “It’s this foundational public support and the confidence-building measures that allow individual businesses to also take the required steps and to continue to invest, and slowly we can build the much-needed critical mass.
continued access to essential supplies, Mr Harbison underlined the importance of maintaining Australia’s diverse supply chains. “We have a specific role as a capital equipment OEM; we remain committed to ensuring our customers have every support they need during this difficult time, and we’ll continue to do so.
deductions and provide cash-flow benefits in the process. “This assistance presents clear
“We hear a lot about being ‘in this together’ in relation to the COVID crisis, and the same is true in an
“Notably, Isuzu Trucks wants to thank every Australian continuing to work in the freight and road transport sector
economic benefit for a range of businesses, but also helps to meet
industry-specific sense. “If we’re cognisant of the benefits of
during this crisis. “It’s an uncertain time and yes,
the increased demand on the road transport and logistics sectors right
closing ranks around our sector and taking full advantage of the measures
there are many unknowns. But as a galvanised collective, we give
now,” he said. There are a variety of other initiatives
on offer, we stand the best chance possible to recover, and recover well.”
ourselves a good chance to see a strong recovery as a transport
that have been announced including the Backing Business Investment accelerated depreciation schedules,
Reaffirming the brand’s commitment to ensuring all Australians have
sector and as a nation,” Mr Harbison concluded.
support for the flow of credit and the many programs focused on individuals and families. Mr Harbison said that for the road transport and logistics sector to achieve strong economic recovery
on capital equipment in their daily operations.
there was a heavy reliance on a nationally consistent, collective approach.
“As this unprecedented health
“The lead from the federal and
advantage of, especially those reliant
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IVECO TALKS UP TRUCK PURCHASES UNDER GOVT INSTANT ASSET TAX WRITE OFF PERIOD TRUCK MAKER IVECO is talking up the potential for companies to buy new
now available with five-years’ free scheduled servicing and a five-year
$3000 Visa card. It’s a similar deal for Stralis AD/AT
we’ve seen the importance of the road transport
capital equipment in the form of trucks and vans, and to take advantage of the
factory warranty, from $57,910 (excluding dealer delivery and on-
models, with a three year / 600,000 kilometre factory warranty on offer,
sector and the fantastic work the industry is doing to keep Australia
Federal Government’s instant asset write off even in these difficult virus
road costs). As an added incentive Iveco is also offering, prospective
as well as a bonus $5000 Visa card. IVECO Australia marketing manager,
moving,” Damon Paull said. “Demand for commercial vehicles
affected times. Iveco, which has been able to keep its Dandenong factory ticking
buyers a bonus $500 Visa gift card. There is also good news for buyers wanting a Daily van or cab chassis
Damon Paull, said prospective owners were well placed to enjoy some fantastic benefits when they
continues to be steady at this time, and we trust that the additional incentives that Iveco is offering
over – while both Australian truck making counterparts, Paccar and
with Iveco offering other incentives including a free transmission
purchased selected Iveco models in the coming weeks.
until the end of June, makes putting one of our vehicles to work an even
Volvo Group, have had to temporarily shut their plants, is keen to keep its
upgrade to the 8-speed automatic. Again, eligible buyers will also
“In light of recent events,
sales ticking over. Iveco says that with the instant asset write-off for
receive a bonus $500 Visa gift card and, if the purchase is financed
capital equipment up to the value of $150,000, there’s even more
through CNH Industrial Capital, buyers can make a deal
impetus for buyers to look at buying new trucks and vans. As well as this Iveco says it is offering sharp pricing and extra value across selected Daily, Eurocargo and Australian-manufactured Stralis AD/ AT models, until the end of June or while stocks last, Iveco says that to keep Aussie tradies moving, the limited edition ‘Tradie-Made’ 45C17 light truck is
without a deposit and no repayments for the first three months. Iveco also says that for customers looking for a medium duty truck, it is including a five year/ 300,000km factory warranty on Eurocargo ML120 and ML160 models as well as a bonus
more appealing proposition.”
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Technology
IF YOU THOUGHT THAT ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES LIKE HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS ARE A LONG WAY OFF THEN THINK AGAIN. THAT’S THE MESSAGE FROM HORIZON FUEL CELLS, A CHINA BASED, INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, WHICH INCLUDES SOME KEY AUSTRALIAN INVOLVEMENT AND MANAGEMENT, WHICH HAS BEEN DEVELOPING AND MARKETING ITS HYDROGEN FUEL CELL SYSTEMS FOR THE PAST 17 YEARS, AND CURRENTLY HAS HUNDREDS OF HYDROGEN FUEL CELL BUSES AND TRUCKS RUNNING IN CHINA. WE SAT DOWN WITH ITS AUSTRALIAN BOSS TO FIND OUT ABOUT ITS PLANS FOR HYDROGEN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES IN THIS COUNTRY.
H
orizon was started in Singapore back in 2003, with an International team and has since moved its engineering and manufacturing base to China for manufacturing logistics reasons. Now after 17 years they have established an automotive subsidiary, Hyzon Motors. Managing director and CEO of Hyzon parent company Horizon Fuel Cells, Craig Knight is an Australian, and one of the founders of the company. Knight is an industrial chemist by profession, so he knows a thing or two about the chemistry of fuel cells and brings a vast knowledge of the hydrogen fuel cell process and business. “The key is material science, the material you use, “ says Craig Knight. “We have been developing and building hydrogen fuel cells for the past 17 years, so we have a huge store of IP knowledge and a track record of safety and reliability,” Craig told us. The company started with small fuel cell systems that they initially sold into education and for use in ‘toys’, as well as R&D programmes globally, and in portable OEM power products, where they were the intel inside the end product. In other words, they provided the fuel cell for use inside other company’s branded products. “We came at the whole fuel cell thing
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from a material angle, as we believe the material science in the fuel cells is really the most important thing, the engineering side is fairly routine and mechanical, it is the material in the fuel cell that gives you the performance levels, longevity and reliability,” he adds. “We got into this business because we liked the technology, we had a vision that we could really do something with it one day, but we knew if we got into it, we had to start small, so our motto has always been ‘think big, start small’. “We’ve got some pretty deep IP around fuel cells and fuel cell systems with expertise from around the world, but we set up operations in China because that is the place that gave us access to the number of people we needed for the engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and to be able to afford them,” Craig adds. The premise of Horizon sounds a bit like an old multi-racial gag, a French guy, a Chinese guy in the US, a guy from Hong Kong and an Australian formed a company. But far from being a joke, these guys were absolutely serious and from that original partnership a very International company was born. As part of the effort to accelerate hydrogen adoption in the automotive sector, and broaden their role from supplying Fuel Cell powertrains, Horizon
formed Hyzon Motors, an amalgam of the Horizon name and its hydrogen capability, in other words Hydrogen by Horizon or Hyzon. Hyzon Motors is new actively chasing Australian sales in zero emission buses and trucks from its base in the USA. Knight emphasises that Hyzon Motors leverages those 17 years of fuel cell technology development within Horizon, and combines this with a newly assembled, highly qualified leadership team with vast Internal Combustion Engine and Electric Vehicle experience. Knight says Hyzon Motors will be the first fuel cell commercial vehicle manufacturer in series production in the USA, leveraging the substantial field experience gained by parent company Horizon, to ensure all vehicles perform reliably and effectively in deployment scenarios. It’s a bold claim but speak with Knight for any length of time and his determination and focus are clearly evident. “Our objective is to reach absolute efficiency and sustainability with all that we do,” Craig told Transport & Trucking Australia. “The aim for Hyzon heavy vehicles is to reduce energy consumption, to capture maximum efficiency from our industry leading Fuel Cell Power Systems, he adds. China’s air pollution situation and
government will is accelerating the development of fuel cell technology as are government incentives and legislation in Europe, which is something that has enabled and encouraged Horizon to lift the pace of its heavy vehicle fuel cell programs. “The tech is finally ready for the challenge, but it’s the external factors have brought things along a lot faster than we had anticipated, and there are three things that have really driven it,” Craig Knight explains. “The first thing is China, you cannot discount the extent to which China has made things happen, look at the way things have developed with batteries and solar panels which have been driven largely by China as a marketing and manufacturing base,” he said. “So, by moving the heavier duty vehicles like trucks and buses in China on to electric and hydrogen electric fuel cells, that has created demand that would have taken years to develop on its own,” Knight adds. “That has been hugely beneficial, we have been able to invest in technology and manufacturing capability, which we couldn’t do before, because we just didn’t have the volume to justify it, so we are able to put in more automation and drive unit costs down.” “The more you do the cheaper it gets, it is the Plasma LED TV model really, when Plasma and flat screen TV’s first
hit the market they cost $25000 and within a relatively short time they cost less than $1000.” Knight says the second big motivator has been the commitment from Euro countries. “Denmark, Norway, Germany etc. are clearly pro-hydrogen and have encouraged investment in hydrogen, electric motors, control systems and the like, and this has driven things and led to the development of the whole supply chain.” “For instance, if you tried to go out and source a 450kW electric motor to drive an electric truck five years ago it would have been difficult and very expensive, but now because of the government subsidies and incentives, the whole supply chain had to evolve, so its encouraged a supply chain to build up around it ,” Knight explains. The third thing he identifies is the general global desire to decarbonise and also the corporate will to demonstrate you are starting the journey to decarbonise business activities, especially diesel powered vehicle operations. “This is only going to accelerate with global attention on what has been going on in Australia over the past summer with bushfires and the focus on climate change,” he said. “Those external factors are very important, it wouldn’t have mattered
how hard we worked in our labs and our factory if the external factors weren’t there to help us along it wouldn’t have happened as quickly. Fortunately, we have been able to accumulate a lot of valuable experience over the years that has enabled us to jump on this with pretty good speed,” he adds. Knight says a significant number of the hydrogen fuel cell trucks currently being deployed in China are equipped with Horizon fuel cells. One of the inspirations for Horizon to push into zero emission fleet operations was a little known but very interesting forklift and materials handling company in the USA called Plug Power. For around two years Knight studied the Plug Power model in the US to understand how they had deployed tens of thousands of fuel cell powered forklifts in sensitive warehouse operations for material handling. “I was quite fascinated by the commercial deployments because the entire industry was aware that the majority of their deployments historically used third party fuel cells and the fuel cells weren’t ours, they were from another fuel cell supplier,” said Knight. “It interested me that so many customers were buying from Plug Power some kind of solution where they weren’t spending years to validate the technology, and didn’t even know who had built the fuel cells,”
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Hyzon CEO Craig Knight
he said. “That encouraged me enormously because I could see the potential to promote a similar model for zero emission back to base transport fleets where the customer was buying a highly dependable service, they were not focused on the technology within the vehicle, which can take years to fully comprehend and accept.” “It was very innovative for Plug Power to never sell a single machine, only to lease them, as this they took away the technology anxiety from the customer by telling them that they don’t have to worry what was in the box,” said Craig. “Plus assured their customers they would guarantee a working, clean, zero emission forklift, and that Plug Power engineers would be on hand in their warehouses and work with their engineering team to make sure everything ran without problems and disruptions.” “It wasn’t all plain sailing, Plug Power had to change a lot of stuff, fix a lot of stuff and throw a lot of stuff out, but there are roughly 30000 forklifts systems working around the US on hydrogen fuel cells to date, and the customers love them. Knight explains that the material handling situation in closed warehousing (especially food grade facilities) is absolutely perfect for hydrogen fuel cells, because they operate in confined spaces
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where you can’t use internal combustion engines, so they need zero emission power. A large number of distribution centre warehouses in the USA are 24/7 and use battery electric power. Unfortunately, 24/7 doesn’t really work for battery electric, because you need time to charge the batteries. The alternative is to change batteries, but this is also a complex and time consuming process. “If you have to change the batteries, this can be a 40 minute process and it presents all sorts of OH& S challenges because the battery packs can weigh up to 600kg,” said Knight. “Companies doing this found that all the workplace injuries were coming from changing the batteries over and getting the battery packs on to the charging stations, it is slow and troublesome. If you are spending 40 minutes or more to change a battery pack at the end of an eight hour shift then you are losing almost an eighth of the shift in terms of productivity and the charging racks take up a tonne of space.” Knight says the other factor that accelerated Plug Power’s hydrogen fuel cell forklift uptake was the deployment of fork trucks in refrigerated warehouses and cold environments because batteries don’t like cold, so the voltage drop in a refrigerated warehouse is very steep. In a freezer warehouse, it happens much more
quickly, costing hours a day on every bit of forklift machinery with battery changing and losing charge etc. “There is typically a 30 to 40 per cent improvement on pallet movements by each piece of forklift equipment in frozen food warehouse operations when busy locations switch from battery to hydrogen fuel cell technology,” said Knight. “That doesn’t include the fact that many have been able to repurpose whole sections of their warehouses, and they can now rent that area out or better utilise the space, which before was a cost because it was full of battery charging equipment and personnel managing the process. So, they took out a bunch of cost and adding in a bunch of revenue,” he said. Knight emphasises that while forklifts in warehouses clearly aren’t equivalent to buses or trucks running on public roads, he still believes that Plug Power’s model was very interesting and very prescient for commercial road transport . “The key, as I say, was that they took away the technology concerns and they took away the investment barrier,” he said. “Fuel cells are expensive, that’s the mantra everyone will give you when talking about the technology, but they negated that by offering a lease price that was the same cost as running on battery electric forklifts, and that is the model that
Hyzon promises hydrogen fuel cell vehicles from minibus/ vans to tour coaches, buses, heavy trucks and prime movers.
will win over truck operators to hydrogen fuel cell power trains,” he added. While others speak of battery electric vehicles being ideal for daily back to base operations, Knight believes deploying hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in this environment will not only be more viable cost wise but also will help justify the necessary hydrogen fuelling infrastructure. “After we understood the Plug model, you realise a forklift operation is just a back to base logistics model and many bus and truck operations are also back to base. As the vehicles are higher value and need a lot more power (hence hydrogen as fuel), that provides much greater critical mass in the business model, and our bus and truck projects will overshadow the forklift concept, because the systems are so much bigger and much higher value; also higher impact in terms of environmental factors.” “There are already around 100 privately owned hydrogen filling stations in the USA at the moment, and while I can’t tell you where they all are, this fact illustrates that the economics are there to set fuelling stations up to power materials handling equipment when you have enough of them,” said Knight. Knight says Horizon is already talking with Hydrogen suppliers about establishing transportable hydrogen fuelling stations.
“There is a myriad of bureaucracy tied up in building permanent hydrogen fuelling stations, but if it is a trailer and not a permanent structure then we can place a transportable fuelling facility much more quickly and less expensively,” he added. “We are working with our partners to have a fleet of mobile fuelling systems because waiting for fixed hydrogen fuelling stations will be a slow and very circuitous process that would slow down the roll out enormously. One of the most exciting things for fuel cell adherents is that green hydrogen is coming, and large-scale green hydrogen production has the potential to enable heavy vehicle fleet operations to run at a lower price level than diesel, Knight reckons. “We already have MOUs with green hydrogen suppliers in Australia whose green hydrogen pricing when we start will be around $8 AUD per kilo dispensed into the vehicle,” he said. “Our aim is to get that $8 down to $AUD5 per kilo over the next couple of years, and that will happen with volume. While even at $AUD8 we will be pushing parity with the cost structures of diesel engines in heavy trucks, at $5 per kilo they will be hitting diesel cost structures out of the park,” he adds. “It will be cheaper, and it will be zero emission and it will also be much more
efficient than either diesel or battery electric vehicles. “The efficiency of a fuel cell stack is almost 60 per cent, and when you integrate a fuel cell for powering an electric power train the efficiency is about 45 per cent, but the efficiency of a diesel engine is only about 20 per cent,” says Knight. Craig says that the other environmental headache that comes with battery electric vehicles is that the chemistry of the batteries can never be undone, whereas the elements inside a fuel cell can be reworked, recycled and re-used . “You also get a lot more yield out of a fuel cell and they are fully recyclable, there is no waste issue as there is a with a battery, it is a one way trip for chemicals in a battery.” “Basically, a fuel cell uses aluminium, graphite, titanium and platinum, so you simply don’t have that compromise with a fuel cell because you can reuse every part of the cell by recycling and repurposing. “With a battery you have either a weight compromise or a range compromise, or both with some BEVs, however a hydrogen fuel cell has neither, and since it supplies DC power just like a battery, you have the same benefits of an electric driveline with torque and power, but without the range anxiety or the battery weight trade-offs.
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While Knight emphasises that the Hyzon Motors model will follow the Plug leasing model and take away the longevity and technology anxiety, the other question that arises with Hydrogen fuel cells is how long do they last? Knight holds up the commonly held wisdom that the life of a commercial vehicle diesel engine is about 800,000 to one million kilometres before an overhaul or scrapping. By comparison a Hydrogen Fuel Cell designed for a commercial vehicle aims to operate effectively for at least 20,000 hours and possibly up to 30,000 hours. To give that some relevance, a truck averaging 60 km/h would take around 17000hours to cover one million kilometres, so potentially, fuel cell life of 20,000 to 30,000 hours could see the vehicle covering around 1.5 to 1.8 million kilometres before the fuel cell life needs to be recycled. While other hydrogen vehicle proponents are saying the technology is about five to ten years away, Knight says Hyzon is already there and the company is ready to take advantage of this gap in the market. “We have major global companies partnering with Hyzon on electric motors and other core components, as well as Type 4 hydrogen storage tanks. Since we can deploy these vehicles right now, why the hell should we wait?” challenges Knight. “One of the big factors regarding the need to reduce emissions to benefit the environment is that you have got to start somewhere and at the moment we are only deploying hundreds of zero emission vehicles, but we need to deploy millions to make a real difference,” said Knight. It must be underlined that Hyzon Motors will essentially produce the FCEV drive trains to power trucks and buses and it already has agreements with
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a number of OEM vehicle makers to integrate these power trains into existing vehicle platforms in countries outside its well established base in China. Some of those vehicles will bear the name plates of these OEMS, while others will bear the Hyzon badge. “I’d say one to two years ago, it was near impossible to get OEMs interested, so we started to do things ourselves, we started things moving and reckoned that we would try to figure out how to fund it later, so we started investing in developing larger capacity fuel cells” said Knight. “Then six months ago the OEMS started to get interested, they started to answer the phone, then they started calling us and in the past three months it has just gone insane and the recent feedback has been amazing, everything has started to change, and the attitude has changed,” he added. Craig says the company made the pitch to investors asking them if they want a three to five year head start on a business model that is going to go ballistic in commercial vehicles, then they can join us, and we can deliver because we are going to jump into this gap in the market. We have some serious investors on board to help us resource this model properly. “Our first manufacturing capability is in China and we have already taken possession of a terrific production and integration site in the USA, in upstate New York, and we will start with system integrations there in the coming six months. “We will stage our ramp-up in the USA, by first shipping the core fuel cell stack to the US from China, and we will do the peripheral system integration as well as the vehicle integration locally in America for deployment in the US market, so we will be deploying fuel cell powered heavy vehicles in the US from
our local factory later this year, and will be the only company to be doing so in series production before the end of 2020,” he adds. “It was critical that we had a plant in the USA to create some clear air given the trade tensions between China and America.” Knight is at pains to point out that they are not prepared to compromise on quality, safety and performance and will only be working with quality OEM suppliers “Hyzon Motors is going to market using the Horizon hydrogen fuel cell technology built up over the past 17 years, with all the IP behind it along with the more than a million kilometres covered by the trucks already powered in China and the more than 1.5 million fuel cells we have sold globally, so we leverage a lot of highly valuable experience,” he said. “Our goal is to essentially offer best in class in safety and environmental impact, and the performance of each vehicle platform has to be at least as good as the traditional fossil fuel versions, but our aim is for them all to be better.” “They will have better torque, better power, efficiency and economy, and there needs to be no compromise on specs at all in any possible way. Simply put, everything has to be the best, and this will facilitate rapid acceptance with drivers and fleet operators,” he adds. “At the moment we are the only company making 150 kW fuel cell modules, but we have already designed a 370kW module and our aim is that we are going to use these for very high power applications, including the famous Australian road trains towing 135t. We are committed to be the first hydrogen fuel cell company to power a road train,” Knight says with a grin.
Setting a new benchmark for excellence in safety, fuel efficiency, driver comfort and exterior styling. Curious? Book your test drive now. Visit daf.com.au/pureexcellence
THE NEW XF AND CF PURE EXCELLENCE
Road Test
THE OPPORTUNITY TO TACKLE A SOLID 1800 KILOMETRE ROAD TEST IN ONE OF DAF’S NEW GENERATION XF 510S, HAULING CLOSE TO 60 TONNES WAS ONE WE COULD NOT TURN DOWN, AND GIVEN THE SHUTDOWN OF THE ECONOMY OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE WERE LUCKY TO GET THE CHANCE. SO WE CLIMBED ABOARD FOR A RUN FROM BRISBANE TO MELBOURNE FOR WHAT COULD BE TERMED A ‘DAF RE-NEWELL’, AND HERE IS OUR REPORT.
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t the national launch of the new DAFs, a passing almost flippant question from the brand manager, Tim Car asked when we would like to have an extended drive of the new truck. It turned out that Paccar needed one of the launch trucks back in Melbourne in a fortnight’s time and that seemed like a perfect opportunity. Ten days later we found ourselves in Brisbane late in the afternoon, heading to the Brown and Hurley Paccar dealership at Darra, to meet up with Paccar driver trainer Brad Crockett. Brad had prepped the truck and would accompany me on the drive south to Melbourne on the Newell over a couple of days in late February. Having Brad along was a bonus for us. The chance to have a highly credentialled and experienced driver trainer offering tips and advice to improve our skill set during an intensive two days of driving was a real plus. That, along with the fact that having a decent amount of seat time in the new DAF, to understand its idiosyncrasies and really appreciate its improvements, meant we were looking forward to the drive immensely. After checking the load and doing a once over of the truck, as well as filling out the work diaries, it was time to hit the road pulling out into Brisbane peak hour traffic on the Ipswich Motorway around 5pm in the afternoon. The smoothness of the new DAF and its ZF sourced 16 speed TraXon AMT was a real plus in the stop start traffic for the first few kilometres before we gained some clear freeway running, as we pointed the new machine towards the equally new, Second Range crossing, and the new Toowoomba bypass. It was a chance to see both what the new road was like and how the 13litre 530 hp MX13 diesel would cope with the new climb. For this new model the MX-13 litre has seen torque significantly increased with 2600Nm available from 1000rpm while its improved 530hp output up from 510 hp on the old engine also makes a difference. We pretty quickly selected the adaptive cruise and headed west into the setting sun, the MX13 humming along nicely and the AMT smoothly selecting gears. While the new Range crossing does not seem as steep as the old approach to Toowoomba, it is a long and hard grind up into the Great Divide, with spectacular viaducts and cuttings and
with two lanes each way to allow plenty of passing opportunities. The new DAF took the climb in its stride pulling well up the hill, cresting the summit at about the same time as the sun slipped below the horizon ahead of us. Apart from anything else the new Toowoomba bypass will make truck driver’s lives a hell of a lot easier, avoiding the myriad traffic lights and congestion, benefitting both time efficiency and fuel economy. Heading into the growing darkness, our mission was to make Moree late that night, where Brad would grab a motel bed and I would camp in the DAF’s capacious sleeper. However there was still a few hours of driving ahead of us before we could enjoy some shut eye. While the new Range crossing was all smooth tarmac, the Gore Highway south to the NSW border was nowhere near as nice, with bumpy surfaces, broken edges and a pile of road works and automatic traffic lights enforcing one way traffic at dormant work sites. All of which the DAF managed with ease and handled with confidence and aplomb. The well laid out dash and instrument panel is very good, neat, well thought out and easy to use. DAF has included what it calls a ‘Driver Information Panel’ which features, apart from all the other info, a tachograph countdown, which shows remaining driving and resting times, very useful indeed particularly on a long trip down the Newell. All speed-related functions, including cruise control and adaptive cruise control are intuitively grouped on the steering wheel for easy use. The dash also features modular, configurable switches which means that if you want a particular switch closer or in a different spot, it can be removed from its slot and swapped with one of the other switch units. The electronic signal in the switches and multiplex architecture means they can be moved where you need them. The terrific headlights, and high mounted driving lights, set into the front of the cab above the windscreen line, lit up the road ahead as we headed for a light, late evening meal in Goondiwindi. As we munched down some food the skies were lighting up to the south with a spectacular light show courtesy of a thunderstorm off on the southern horizon, which also indicated a potential downpour before we reached our overnight stop another 130 odd kilometres down the road.
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We weren’t disappointed, as the storm swung through bringing sheeting rain and swirling winds, however the DAF cut its way through the treacherous conditions, sitting firmly on the road with the large sweep of the wipers doing a great job to keep vision reasonably clear. By the time we reached Moree the storm had passed, washing the streets clean and leaving everything looking like a newly mopped floor. Brad headed across the road to his lodgings and I closed the curtains, rolled the sleeping bag out and checked out for a good six hours of nigh, nigh. The DAF’s flat floor and spacious interior layout makes it easy to organise yourself for bed and to prepare for getting back behind the wheel when you awake. There are also plenty of little ‘nooks’ for storage around the bunk and the lighting is excellent, not only in the strength and location of lights, but also in the flexibility and control it offers.
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The DAF’s new interior lighting system is very intuitive and easy to use, and the central control positioned in the middle of the dash allows the possibility of dialling up variable dimming for ‘night drive’ and ‘relax’ modes as well as a full-on flood of light when you need to find something small and hard to see in the middle of the night. There is also very good storage, a great new sliding table and large sliding stowage including an onboard fridge under the bottom bunk in the XF, so in terms of living in the truck day in day out on the road, it is a very comfortable environment. Along with that, the newly designed interior is finished in warm and tasteful colours across the dash, seats, curtains, mattresses, and walls, making it an attractive place with a modern contemporary feel that is pleasing to the eye, as well as practical. The Motel DAF proved a very comfortable and very practical home
for the evening and awaking before dawn, the bedroom was made up and converted back into a truck cab ready for Brad to arrive. A quick coffee and a bacon and egg roll prepared us for the long day ahead as we mounted up and headed down the Newell. All along we were monitoring the efficiency figures working hard to get our score up to the holy grail, which was a score of 100 per cent driver efficiency. The efficiency rating monitors a number of criteria. Including fuel usage, anticipation as well as smoothness of acceleration and braking, basically just the overall efficient operation of the conveyance. As we headed south through Narrabri and Coonabarabran the efficiency numbers were rising and the delightfully flexible and efficient 13 litre was just humming along, taking on the undulations of the Newell along the edge of the Pilliga, all the while delivering a smooth
and comfortable ride and a level of quietness that is truly exceptional. The new DAF also features a major improvement to its Paccar engine brake, and as we descended down the ranges south of Coonabarabran it showed its efficacy and ease of operation. The improved engine braking impressed us at the DAF launch in Brisbane back in early February and on the road it was even more impressive, retarding the truck extremely efficiently. Paccar claims the MX13 delivers 360kW of braking power in the important 1,200 to 1,500 rpm range, an increase of 100 per cent on the old MX-13 and it certainly worked well for us, not just in descending big hills but also in towns where it could be used to slow the truck with minimal use of the service brakes. Aerodynamics have also been dramatically improved with a number of cab improvements including more
rounded cab edges with corner deflectors that reduce the gap closures between the headlight and the deflector, and new grille closures to further reduce drag, along with a new sub visor design. Out of sight and a little less obvious are new flow guides behind the grille on the XF to optimise aerodynamics around the truck and through the engine bay. This certainly was contributing to the impressive fuel readings we were getting on the dash information read out, with the figures hovering around the low 2 km/litre bracket, which was to improve further as we went. We reckon this also adds significantly to the quiet inside the cab of the new DAF with less turbulence and wind noise making it a more pleasant place to work in. On the approach into the sprawling rural city of Dubbo the driver efficiency score hit 98 per cent, almost the holy grail, however the joy was short lived. A couple
of traffic lights turning red at inopportune times and a baulk or two by car drivers, and our figure dropped a couple of basis points, which only had this driver all the more determined to make up for that efficiency loss. Parkes gave a mid-afternoon opportunity to stop for a shower and a quick bite to eat and our stop again underlined, the very ordinary facilities for trucks and drivers at many road houses around the country. Note to fuel companies you really have to do better! Back on the road the hot afternoon outside the DAF was not reflected inside the cab, where the climate control air con was keeping Brad and I chilled and relaxed as we headed for Wagga Wagga and on to our overnight stop in Albury. We had plenty of opportunity to test the DAF’s new air conditioning and ventilation system, on the warm February day through the middle of NSW, proving
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a stern test for any cooling system. The DAF passed with flying colours and is both easy to use and very effective. DAF says the new system also contributes to improved fuel efficiency with the new ‘smart controlled’ airconditioning system consuming less energy as it only cools the air down as much as is needed to reach the desired temperature. Intelligent control of the evaporator is also used to avoid unnecessary air cooling and it uses residual heat from the engine for heating the cab during shorts breaks, further adding to fuel efficiency. There is also a controller on the rear wall so the driver can control temp while lying in the bunk. The DAF was doing it easy and so to were the occupants of the truck, chatting easily as the truck ate up the miles in the quiet ambience of the cab. By the time we reached Albury the sun was setting, and it was time to head for a hotel to write up some notes and attend to emails before a meal in the pub dining room and a night in a proper bed. We would have stayed again in the Motel DAF,
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with its wide and comfy mattress, but the need to get some work completed on the computer, meant a proper room was the necessary requirement for the evening. With the sun yet to rise, we struck out early the next day for the 300 km run into Melbourne. We found that the DAF easily gathered speed to the 100km/h limit and comfortably sat there, cantering down the Hume Freeway with consummate ease. The efficiency figures continued to improve, and our fuel usage was at around 2.2km/ litre as we crested Pretty Sally on the Hume and glimpsed the outskirts of Melbourne for the first time. The driver efficiency rating had also climbed back to the 98 per cent mark after losing some efficiency points in the ‘traffic’ of Dubbo, Wagga (which he encountered around afternoon knock off time) and Albury Wodonga. A truck magazine road test, by its nature, can be a little unreal compared with the real world nature of piloting a truck for a living and meeting the deadlines and practicalities of life on the road. Most drivers don’t get to have a night in a motel and have to use the bunk day after day
and also would not have the luxury of stretching a Brisbane-Melbourne run out over two nights and the best part of two days as we did in this drive. But most road tests don’t get to stretch out to 1800km, so this was a good test and gave us plenty of time ensconced in the comfortable and well-appointed DAF cab. While we were impressed with our initial short drive at the launch, our longer road test left us even more enamoured of this Euro Paccar and further convinced that it could be a winner for the company in Australia. That’s if they put their minds and focus into using it to win over the Volvo, Scania, Benz and MAN buyers who they need to attract. With Volvo breathing down the neck of Paccar’s Kenworth brand in the battle for heavy duty market supremacy, Paccar needs to make this new DAF a go to alternative for Volvo buyers in order to defend its heavy duty market lead, and there is no reason why it shouldn’t. DAF has a winner in the new XF and our time in the new truck on this extended road test only underlined that belief.
Operator
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ACROSS THE WESTERN PLAINS OF NSW THE MANY MAJOR CENTRES, SMALL TOWNS AND FARMING COMMUNITIES ARE EVEN MORE DEPENDENT ON REGULAR AND RELIABLE DELIVERY OF GOODS AND PARCELS, THAN EVER BEFORE. WHERE ONCE IT WAS MAIL ORDERS FROM THE HORDERN’S CATALOGUE, TODAY ITS INTERNET PURCHASES FROM SITES AROUND THE GLOBE, WHILE BUSINESSES ALSO DEPEND ON SOLID SUPPLY CHAIN. WE TAKE A LOOK AT A FREIGHT COMPANY THAT IS SEEING TO THE DELIVERY NEEDS OF PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE OF MIGHTY NSW.
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Midstate Freight founder and operations manager, Mick Winwood Smith (left) with his brother and managing director Ray.
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n what these days is a highly connected world, it’s not letting the cat out of the bag, to say that internet connectivity has super boosted demand for parcel delivery to every corner of our nation. Demand for online shopping is not just booming in the cities but also in the country areas, particularly in these fraught times of social isolation and the Covid 19 crisis . This has resulted in strong demand for the services of companies like Midstate Freight, which is a multi-faceted freight company based in the Central West NSW city of Bathurst. It is an example of a company that has surfed that wave of increased demand for fast, efficient and reliable transport of all sorts of delivery items from pharmaceuticals to internet shopping across the rural areas of Western NSW.
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Mick Winwood-Smith started Midstate Freight in 2006 with a single truck, servicing a three days a week Bathurst to Mudgee delivery service. That quickly grew and within a year he was running five days a week with three trucks, one of which was contracted to Australia Post. Fairly quickly the business established a depot in Bathurst and that was followed by another in Mudgee. Today, 14 years after starting, Midstate Freight, the company runs a fleet of 72 vehicles, from vans and utes up to semitrailers, with a staff of 85 people spread across the various depots and routes the company now runs across the west of NSW. A big expansion for Midstate came five years ago when the company won a contract with StarTrack, to service its operations out of Dubbo. Very quickly the employee count almost doubled and
the pressure that any rapid growth brings started to be felt. After running the business himself for the first 11 years, Mick sat down for a chat with his brother Ray and asked him to bring his substantial corporate management experience and join him in running the freight business. “I had no background or experience in trucking and transport and in fact I was working for Mars Food as a logistics manager. I’d held a number of positions with Mars over the years I was there, including as a commercial buyer,” said Ray Winwood Smith. “Mick just said that the business was getting bigger and he asked me to come into the company to look after the business side of things, which allowed him to concentrate on running the operations side,” he added.
“Mick knew the business had to become more strategic and that was my first goal, to plot a strategy and put into place more planning to enable us to service our customers better and more efficiently,” he said. Ray is now the managing director of Midstate, while brother Mick is the operations director, a situation that suits both and has allowed the business to flourish. Midstate has continued to grow as the two brothers worked alongside each other picking up more significant clients including DHL, Regional Road Express, Symbian Medical and Toll “We are recognised for our commitment to quality, service and safety, and our continued innovation in the development of process and systems to support our customers,” said Ray.
“We have positioned the company and we have become recognised as a dynamic industry leader in the transport business particularly in the mid-west region and we are known for our efforts to strive for quality using a solution focused approach, and importantly delivery on time and in full,” he added. Midstate has built a network throughout the central west with the headquarters and main hub in Bathurst and depot facilities in Orange, Dubbo, Lithgow and Cowra and according to Ray they allow the company to service an area stretching from Blackheath to Cobar. Mudgee to Parkes and Cowra and ‘everywhere in between’. The Midstate fleet is made up of a variety of vehicles from Toyota HiLux utes and HiAce vans to larger Volkswagen Crafter vans, a flotilla of
Fuso, Hino and Volvo FE medium duty rigids and largely Volvo FM prime movers, which haul the company’s 45’ double drop SX trailers. “We have put a lot of effort into the organisation and design of our trailers to segregate freight and make loading and unloading and sorting as efficient as possible,” said Ray. The business can be put into a few different baskets with line haul, bulk delivery, parcel and postage but it also means Midstate can gain some significant efficiencies and competitiveness. “It means we don’t have all our eggs in one basket, and we stay competitive on price, because we have multiple drops in centres throughout the west,” said Ray. “The more we can do for more customers enables us to be more competitive,” he added.
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This means that places like Nyngan, Walgett and Bourke have daily deliveries and as Ray says anywhere from Lithgow to Lightning Ridge can be serviced. “Basically if you drew a big square in the centre of NSW that is where we operate and our track record shows we do a pretty good job serving the region,” he said. Having a flexible fleet and a number of depots across the region allows Midstate to organise the logistics and delivery runs, breaking down semi loads in major hubs like Bathurst and Dubbo for delivery on either smaller medium duty rigids or for smaller runs, in vans and utes. “We have several line haul semis running each night from our facility in Sydney to Dubbo and back as well as dedicated semis running from Sydney to Bathurst and Bathurst to Dubbo,” said Ray. Like many transport operators, Ray says. The company’s biggest challenge is getting quality drivers who are willing to stay and learn the way Midstate does things.
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‘Having said that, we don’t have a high turnover because we are willing to wait for the right calibre and type of driver for our business,” he said. “You can divide our drivers up into two types, young drivers getting experience with a longer term goal of moving into long distance line haul, and older drivers who have done the hard yards in line haul and now still want to dive and utilise their experience but want to be home in their bed each night.” “We need and look for team players who we can trust and trust us, we have a number of remote locations to service and we can go days without seeing drivers, so there is a lot of trust,” said Ray. The cost of fuel is another challenge, which is the same for all transport companies, even with the recent dip in prices, but as Ray points out, the variation in prices across the region can be quite wide and requires a focussed strategy to ensure efficiency and competitiveness. “We can see fuel prices vary by 15 per cent across the region, which poses its own challenges and you
have to manage it,” Ray reckons Bulk fuel is not a solution, because only around 20 per cent of the Midstate fleet operates in a single area at any given time, so it’s not a matter of refuelling back at the depot. At times the fleet can cover 600 to 700 km in a day in remote areas where fuel is at its highest. “We use fuel cards and look for the best fixed price per litre deals we can do , but as I say, you have to manage it, but cost is my baby, that’s what I do and have done throughout my career, so we are on top of it,” Ray adds. Midstate has initiated the latest technology fleet management system using Transvirtual and Navman, tracking and monitoring fleet movements, integrating those with other logistics and management software including Employment Hero. “It’s a matter of using the GPS data to track fleet performance and efficiency and we put a lot of effort into data monitoring across the systems platforms, because these are the back bone of our business success,” said Ray.
“WE HAVE MADE A COMMITMENT AND WE HAVE TO SERVE CUSTOMERS WHETHER WE HAVE ONE ITEM OR A DOZEN ITEMS TO DELIVER”
“We have our own in house IT team and they drive how we develop the platforms needed and are critical to our success, providing the cutting edge that gives us significant technological and competitive advantages,” he added. Each Depot has a manager that is responsible for the day to day operation reporting into the Operations Manager. One of Midstate’s other challenges is having to serve customers and areas no matter what volume of deliveries is going to that area. “We have made a commitment and we have to serve customers whether we have one item or a dozen items to deliver, that is one of the challenges of servicing rural areas like this. There is a fixed cost which doesn’t change so you might make $100 one day and $1000 the next depending on the load, but you have to serve as promised and it means you have to be efficient, which is where the planning and logistics come into play.” As well as that some customers, like Symbian Medical are critical because
they are providing pharmaceuticals to chemist shops, hospitals and even jails around the region. “It is vital that you get deliveries like that, to the customers as quickly as possible and there are no delays because it can mean life or death if a vital pharmaceutical doesn’t arrive on time,” he added. Similarly, for many small remote towns and communities the delivery of parcels and goods ordered on line or merchandise for shops and businesses are a vital lifeline that Midstate provides. “One of the other challenges are the roads and the poor state many are in, it really puts pressure on the vehicles and maintenance is vital,” said Ray “ We have our own mechanics on staff, who not only service vehicles at our major depots in Bathurst and Dubbo but are also mobile and service the trucks and vans at our remote depots at scheduled times, so that every vehicle is always mechanical A1, it is vital in ensuring a reliable supply chain,” he added. “Our basic promise is that if we have it
in Sydney by 6pm it will be delivered to Nyngan Bourke or Walgett or any other remote location by close of business the next day, so reliability is everything. The places might be a long way from the big smoke but with a company like Midstate Freight servicing their needs local businesses and residents of that big square in the middle of NSW don’t need to feel isolated or remote.
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Operator
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PHOTOS BY JOHN KRUGER
A BOOMING BUILDING INDUSTRY HAS HELPED SMALL AND INNOVATIVE COMPANY’S LIKE ADELAIDE’S ULTRA LIFT CRANE SERVICES MAKE THE MOST OF IT, BY OFFERING A SPECIALITY CRANE DELIVERY SERVICE TO THE LOCAL BUILDING TRADE WITH A SPECIALLY SPECCED CRANE TRUCK THAT ENABLES ALMOST ‘FORENSIC’ LIFTING AND POSITIONING OF LOADS. WE TAKE A LOOK AT ULTRA LIFT AND ITS NEW SCANIA XT. www.truckandbus.net.au 033
Frank and Marco Tigani
“ WE SPECIALISE IN DIFFICULT ACCESS JOBS, OR JOBS OTHER OPERATORS DON’T WANT TO UNDERTAKE. WE LIKE A CHALLENGE”
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building boom, which has been pretty universally spread across the country over the past few years and in particular in the major cities, has seen high demand for specialist building services and delivery operators. That’s where small crane truck business, Ultra Lift Crane Services, comes into the picture. For about the last two years, Ultra Lift has been delivering heavy building materials such as Hebel sheets, timber and other heavy items to worksites, but not just dumping them on the edge of the site but directly to the level they’re needed and often through small and narrow openings. The company was started and is run by two Adelaide brothers, Frank and Marco Tigani, who saw a gap in the market and have reaped the benefit of the move into a speciality operation like this. In fact demand has been so strong Ultra Lift has recently acquired a new Scania G 500 XT rigid equipped with a specialist Effer 315 crane mounted on the rear and with a specially built dual-axle trailer often attached to the truck, to help almost double payload. “The benefit of this type of combination is that we can get the truck on its own into very tight worksites, but when there is good access we can carry as much as a semitrailer,” Frank Tigani said. “Buying the Scania, we have stepped up in engine performance from our previous European truck, and we are seeing better fuel consumption as well. So, we’re able to carry more and use less fuel. In addition, the all-round air suspension gives us the ability to ensure the truck is very stable and level when deploying the crane. As we eluded to earlier, driving part of the demand for Frank Tigani’s services is his ability to deliver a load via the crane up to six levels above the ground and using his experience and skill and the fly jib on the end of the crane to land the load in through window apertures well inside the building. “There’s a safety benefit here, of course,” Frank said. “If we can deposit a pallet load of Hebel, gypsum board or sheets of cladding well inside the building, it reduces the risks for the workers having to go near to the edge and makes it easier for the builders. “We specialise in difficult access jobs, or jobs other operators don’t want to undertake. We like a challenge,” he said. Frank and Marco Tigani grew up on a farm so they have always been very
familiar with all sorts of machinery. “We actually had an old Scania on the farm for a long time, and it was always reliable and strong. It is bullet-proof and always starts first time, so that helped steer us to buying a new Scania. “I was working in farming for a while,” Franks said, “but then I noticed that Marco had a crane truck lying around his construction yard and I asked him if he wanted to get the truck working all the time and start a crane truck delivery business? From that, Ultra-Lift Crane Services was formed and things got busy very quickly, but just as quickly it was clear a new truck was needed to provide a reliable service for customers. “The Scania XT was very appealing with its strong steel bumper and the protected lights and mirrors that give it the ability to absorb small knocks on site. The visibility from the driver’s seat is also very good. “Another winning feature is the strength of the 9 mm chassis rails, they are the strongest I have seen on the market,” Frank says. “This is helpful because I needed to add a far less substantial sub-frame for the crane mounting, meaning I can carry a bigger payload. “The crane can lift 500 kg as far as 24 m into the air and it’s controlled via a remote pack that I can wear. “It is also very accurate to use so on jobs that require precise positioning this is invaluable. We often have to drop concrete tanks that weigh up to 9-tonnes into holes, so accuracy of movement is very important,” Frank said. A typical day would involve two jobs, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, though an 11- or 12-hour day is common due to travel to the load site then across to the worksite and back again. Frank said the new Scania’s comfortable and quiet cab, plus its retarder all help to keep fatigue at bay. “First thing in the morning and later at night going home you can be quite tired but the ease of driving the Scania and the comfort make it a good place to be,” he said. “The lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control safety systems make it easier to stay alert and make good decisions,” he added. “You certainly don’t feel as fatigued jumping out after a 12-hour shift. I’ll be working about 60 hours a week on average and the truck will be running for 40 hours. The engine drives the PTO that drives the crane, so although we’re covering
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only around 50,000-60,000 km a year, the engine and PTO will be working hard,” Frank added. “I’m expecting to get around 3 km to the litre on average from this truck, which would be about 0.5 km better per litre than the previous, less powerful truck. It’s hard to say exactly so far, as the winter months are less busy with construction work.” As the photos show, the dark grey truck with the very bright dayglo green highlights is an eye-catcher. “We wanted a colour scheme that would make an impression and would be memorable,” Frank says. “The green is certainly bright, and the benefit of the darker grey paint is that it always looks clean, even at the end of the week. I can see it might need a wash but when I turn up onsite the guys always
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comment on how clean and bright the truck looks; that’s important for our image. “When we were considering what truck to buy, Tim Jensen at Scania Adelaide was a real help. He understood what we were trying to achieve with the new truck, and he was able to guide us towards the right specification,” Frank says. According to Tim, the G 500 XT is the perfect tool for the job the Ultra Lift team does day after day. “The Ultra Lift XT is well suited to the job and has plenty of power to haul their payloads and also provide a safe, comfortable and quiet office. In addition to advances in visibility provided by the Scania NTG range, with its bigger windscreen and the driver’s seat moved closer to the door and windscreen, and the mirrors re-positioned on the revised
A pillars, and full electrical adjustment of the mirrors from the driver’s seat, it all adds up to vastly improved on-site visibility, far superior to anything on the market. “Good visibility assists more efficient and productive activity because the truck can be placed perfectly more quickly, and the crane can be put into action faster. Good visibility also lessens the possibility of damaging the truck. Sometimes Frank could be 8 hours away from Adelaide so you don’t want to damage a truck and potentially make it unroadworthy by accidentally taking out a headlight on site, for instance,” Tim says. “We are confident that the G 500 XT will be a great success for Ultra Lift and we look forward to supplying them with more vehicles as their business expands.”
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Insurance products are provided by National Transport Insurance, a joint venture of the insurers Insurance Australia Limited trading as CGU Insurance ABN 11 000 016 722 AFSL 227681 and AAI Limited Trading as Vero Insurance ABN 48 005 297 807 AFSL 230859 each holding a 50% share. National Transport Insurance is administered on behalf of the insurers by its manager NTI Limited ABN 84 000 746 109 AFSL 237246.
Operator
ROUGH, BADLY MAINTAINED ROADS, HIGH FUEL PRICES, BAD DROUGHTS AND TOUGH CONDITIONS ARE JUST A FEW OF THE PROBLEMS THROWN AT TRANSPORT OPERATORS THESE DAYS AND FOR TOOWOOMBA BASED FUEL TRANSPORT COMPANY MAKTRANS, ALL OF THESE CHALLENGES AND MORE ARE A PART OF DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS. WE SAT DOWN FOR A CHAT WITH THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MAKTRANS TO FIND OUT WHAT MAKES THE FUEL TRANSPORT COMPANY WORK.
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aktrans has been servicing rural communities through Southern and Western Queensland and across most of Western NSW, for the past 22 years, but the deep drought over the past few years has bitten hard into its business, as farmers eased back on spending, which included buying fuel. However no sooner has there been some relief from the drought and some brighter prospects, than we now face the problems thrown up by the Covid 19 Crisis. Its never easy! After 15 years owning and running
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Maktrans, Rob Hannemann takes it all in his stride, adopting a calm and measured approach to running the company, which operates a fleet of nine trucks with a roster of 13 drivers and another four admin and operations staff. Maktrans was started in 1998 by Mike McDonagh as a fuel tanker business, after he won a contract with Campbells Fuel Service, a large BP fuel distributor operating across South East Queensland and Western NSW. Mike had been a subcontractor with a single truck working for Brambles prior to that.
In 2002 Rob Hannemann joined Maktrans, having known Mike for many years before that, including going to school with Mike’s son. “Mike was looking to retire and I came on board to work for him, and to see if I wanted to buy the business from him, which I did when he retired in 2005,” said Rob. Ask Rob Hannemann how he got involved in the fuel tanker business and the one time apprentice butcher will tell you ‘it’s a long story’. When he was a kid straight out of school, Rob worked at a local Amoco
fuel distributor’s depot, and reckons he always wanted to be a truck driver. But his Dad, who was a mechanic, told him he should do an apprenticeship first. Naturally Rob wanted to do his time as a mechanic, but he finished up on the knives as a butcher and not as a mechanic. A few years later he started work back in the fuel business as a driver for an Independent distributor, where he met up with Mike McDonagh, which would eventually see him buy and own Maktrans. When Rob bought the business, Maktrans had three trucks, all Sterlings,
the now defunct brand that came about when Daimler purchased the Louisville heavy truck range from Ford in 1997. It was that relationship with Sterling as a Daimler brand through the early 2000s, that ensured Maktrans would continue as a Daimler fleet and still does today. Currently Maktrans has nine trucks, with seven Freightliner 114 Coronados, a Mercedes Benz Actros 2663 and for the last 12 months it has been a part of Daimler’s testing and evaluation program for the new Cascadia. This has seen Maktrans running one of the first right hand drive Cascadias
to arrive in Australia and they have had it hauling a 25 metre B Double fuel tanker rig across the give and take roads of Western Queensland and NSW. “We had a good run with the Sterlings, and we had a good relationship with the salesman Geoff Buswell at the dealer down in Brisbane, so we had no reason to change, we just kept buying them until the Sterling brand was extinguished around the time of the GFC,” said Rob. “With no more Sterlings we decided to move across into the Freightliners, the Century Class was the obvious choice,
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Rob Hannemann
so we bought one and we have been there ever since,” said Rob. These days Maktrans deals with Daimler in Toowoomba and Rob says that while there have been some minor issues they’re always fixed quickly and it has been a strong relationship with the brand, which is probably a reason why Daimler chose Maktrans to trial the early build RHD Cascadia. Maktrans services a number of different fuel distributors and oil companies and has retained the original contract with Campbells over the years, generally adding to the customer base and ensuring it retains clients. The company carts for BP, Caltex and Puma as well as a number of distributors, but as Rob says, the industry and nature of fuel distribution has changed significantly in recent years. “We’ve still got our original clients and a few others,” Rob adds with a chuckle. The fact that less and less fuel is being refined locally and more and more is being
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imported from overseas is a significant thing. Also many rural fuel distributors don’t have as many depots as they used to, and they aren’t willing to hold as much fuel in storage. “Naturally the distributors don’t want to hold too much fuel in stock, because it costs them money, so it means companies like ours have to ensure the supply flows,” said Rob. The obvious potential problem with this, is that if there were to be any interruptions to supply there could clearly be some headaches for Australia’s economy and industry. It also poses questions about our long term energy security. Perhaps another potential silver lining from the Covid Crisis may be a review of our need for more self-sufficiency and less dependence on overseas fuel supply. “I do worry about the future of the fuel industry here with less being refined locally and the length of the supply chain, at times
Maktrans tested the new Freightliner Cascadia on normal runs over the past year
we have seen minor restrictions but we haven’t seen any major shocks yet,” said Rob. With Maktrans covering such a wide spread of rural Queensland and NSW it is fair to say the trucks get a good workout on the rugged road network across the regions. Transporting fuel into rural areas means the Maktrans trucks have to cope with some of the worst roads in the land, and not all of them are the back roads. “The roads aren’t getting any better, and while we mainly work on the tar, the drought and lack of maintenance has done nothing for the condition of the roads and if a truck is not right it will shake itself apart,” said Rob. Back in the day Rob purchased a Sterling with an early automated Autoshift version of the venerable Eaton Roadranger, and it was the poor performance of that transmission that coloured his view of automated manuals for many years. “We haven’t been so keen on them, and it is
hard to get the driver’s excited with an AMT, but when we got the new Benz it made us realise how good the latest generation of AMTs really are,” Rob added. The Mercedes Benz Actros was purchased for a very specific task, hauling a 26 metre A Double rig. The Benz cabover design clearly fits the length limitations of the A Double configuration, while it also uses basically the same Daimler family turbo diesel driveline as the company runs in its Coronados. The new gen Cascadia has also impressed Rob and his team, thanks to its driveline, its fuel economy, build quality and the visibility from the cab. “The vision out of the Cascadia is excellent and its fuel economy is also very good.” “It has been returning about 1.96km / litre running 25 metre B Double tankers, which is about the same as what the Actros is getting, while the Coronados with the manual boxes return around
1.76 km/litre on 25 metre B Doubles,” Rob said. Although 0.2 km extra distance per litre of fuel doesn’t seem like a lot, across the life of a truck, say around one million kilometres, it means that the truck on 1.76km/ litre will use about 58000 litres more than the truck using 1.96 km/litre. At around $1.50 per litre the operator could be hosing about $87,000 across the life of the truck. If the truck covers that distance in three years that’s almost $30,000 a year in extra unnecessary fuel cost per truck. Across a fleet of nine trucks it adds up to about $750,000 over a three year period, or about the cost of two new prime movers. It is a saving not to be sneezed at. It might seem counter-intuitive but fuel economy and efficiency is just as important for a transport company carting fuel as it is for operators hauling just about any other cargo. It is just another
commodity and they don’t get it for nothing, so using as little fuel as possible to get the fuel to its destination is pretty important. The ‘down speeding’ philosophy of the latest gen Detroits and the intuitive computer control of the DT12 AMTs can sometimes go against a driver’s intuition, but Rob Hannemann says the technology clearly delivers better economy and efficiency than the manuals. “Sometimes when you are driving you think why did it change up then, I probably wouldn’t have done that, but it has a multitude of information it is monitoring and it is clearly doing it right. “I was around in the era of the Detroit 892s and 692s, which used to rev like crazy, but things have changed and the fuel economy is very important now, so the reality is, that with the technology in play, the Cascadia is an excellent and very fuel efficient truck,” he adds.
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Maktrans driver Tony Bowden
Maktrans has been running the Cascadia under PBS Higher Mass Limits running at up to 68 tonnes on set runs and Hannemann says, he is happy with the way it has performed and with what it has been doing. “They have certainly improved the quality over older Freightliners, you can tell, the doors shut like a limo and the plasticky bits you used to see in them are gone, it is all very solid and after 12 months the truck is still like new,” said Rob. Rob says that he’s looking to Cascadia to be the next new replacement truck for the fleet following the success of the test truck on the Maktrans fleet. The company normally keeps its trucks for about three years and a million kilometres before trading them in on a new truck. However while the Cascadia is the preferred option, the Covid 19 Crisis has temporarily closed the Daimler factory in North Carolina there may be a short delay before he can get his new truck. “We will need a new truck soon as
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the one we are replacing will be out to about four years and more than a million kilometres, we will have to wait and see what happens,” “Coming out of the drought things have been fairly quiet for the past 18 months because we cart a lot of fuel out into those rural areas where farmers have not been spending, but now we have some rain we are flat strap and we are sitting on some trucks that are four years old, and it looks like staying busy in the ag industry for the rest of the year, so we really need to replace them soon,” said Rob. While Maktrans has grown from three trucks to nine in the 15 years since Rob and his wife Ange bought the company, he is quick to point out that, it has been slow steady growth and has happened with caution and care. “With nine trucks today it has come with just a little bit of slow hesitant growth, I’m not driven by having lots of trucks, I’m driven by doing the job right, 15 years from three to nine trucks is not rapid growth but
I am comfortable with that,” said Rob. That steadiness and caution also sees Maktrans having good driver retention with the company focussing on ensuring its drivers have a good lifestyle and are not overworked. “We have 13 drivers and nine trucks and we make sure our rosters give good breaks and we rotate our drivers across runs,” he said. “Getting good quality drivers is a problem for the entire industry, but our fellas have a good lifestyle and don’t usually move on to quickly, it is a challenge but we try hard to hang on to our good drivers and some have been with us for 10 years or more,” he adds. It’s hard not to admire the philosophy and approach of Rob Hannemann and his running of Maktrans, lets hope the rains keep falling out west and the farmers and rural businesses needs and demands for fuel are strong, because it is companies like Maktrans that keep this country fuelled and moving.
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Operator
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AUSTRALIA THROWS UP A WHOLE LOT OF TOUGH CONDITIONS, FROM BAKING SUN TO FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW, CHOKING DUST AND CHALLENGING ROADS. THE TOWN OF OBERON NESTLED IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE GREAT DIVIDING RANGE WEST OF SYDNEY THROWS UP ALL OF THESE CHALLENGES, AND MORE ESPECIALLY FOR THE PEOPLE HARVESTING TIMBER IN THE VAST FORESTS SURROUNDING THE TOWN. T&TA DROPPED INTO MANGAN HAULAGE TO SEE HOW ITS FLEET OF KENWORTHS IS COPING WITH THE TASK. www.truckandbus.net.au 045
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he rolling green hills that surround the timber town of Oberon, on the western slopes of the Blue Mountains, can throw some pretty big challenges up for those tasked with harvesting and transporting the logs from those valuable forests to the mills for processing. Not only is the region around Oberon hot in summer but it can be extremely cold in winter with snow a regular occurrence in and around the town and temperatures that can fluctuate from minus 10 deg celsius to summertime sweltering in the high 30s. Combine those extremes of climate with the high altitude, severe hills and challenging forests and you have a pretty tough environment for trucks and machines in the timber industry.
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Situated about 50 km south east of Bathurst and about 140km from Sydney, Oberon is home to around 3500 people and sits at around 1100 metres above sea level, and is also the headquarters of a timber harvesting and transport company that can trace its history back almost six decades. Mangan Logging was founded in 1961 by Bert Mangan, and for many years harvesting was its main focus, heading out into the pine plantations around Oberon to cut the timber and ready it for transport by contractors. That worked well for about 40 years until the early 2000s when Mangan’s transport contractor left town, leaving the family business with a bit of a dilemma. Director of Mangan Haulage, Chris Mangan takes up the story of how the
organisation added a transport operation to its activities to get it out of a bind. “At the time our transport contractor left we had a lot of timber cut and ready to be transported to the mills but you only get paid when the timber goes over the weighbridge and is accounted for, so we had to act fast and decided to buy our own fleet of trucks,” said Chris. By this time in 2003, Chris’ Dad, Michael had taken over the business from Bert and Chris was a young mechanic working in the Mangan workshops. “It made us realise you can’t rely on anyone else and we decided to take the task of transporting the timber on ourselves, “Chris added. The decision was made and the fledgling Mangan Haulage went and bought a small
Founder Bert Mangan and an old Commer ‘Knocker’
fleet of Freightliner Argosy daycabs. It was a decision that would give the young mechanic more than a few headaches and which ultimately taught the company some valuable lessons. Today despite many challenges and hurdles, Mangan Haulage operates very successfully, a fleet of 25 Kenworth prime movers with a range of Kennedy timber jinkers to transport the timber Mangan Logging harvests. ‘It was a shock to the system, I have to say, harvesting had always been difficult, but haulage taught us some pretty harsh lessons between 2003 and 2010, in maintenance, costs, specifications and a whole lot of other factors,” said Chris. In 2008 the company bought its first Kenworth, a K108, partly as a result of
Freightliner discontinuing the daycab version of the Argosy, but partly in response to the reliability issues they’d suffered with the Freightliners. “Those early Argosys gave me, as head mechanic, quite a few headaches,” Chris says with a chuckle. “The dashes would fall apart and all sorts of small things would go wrong with the Argosys, and when we started buying Kenworth it was very obvious that the quality was so much better, and the trucks were so much better suited to logging and the forestry roads,” he added. Mangan had a fleet of 12 Argosy when they purchased the first Kenworth and pretty soon the Paccar brand dominated the Oberon based fleet. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing with the
Kenworths and while the first T659s were a ‘revelation’, according to Chris, albeit that the first K108 EGR equipped models presented a fair few issues, he says great support from Cummins got them over that hurdle. “We have a great Cummins dealer in Johnsons in Bathurst and there was also a Cummins depot in Orange so we got through that with their help and support,” he adds. Today the two parts of Mangan, Haulage and Logging employ about 75 people between them and while Michael is still involved in the business, Chris and his brother and sisters have started taking over the running of the business as the third generation of the family to be involved.
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“I am the director of Mangan Haulage and my brother Matt runs logging with my sisters Michelle and Lisa,” said Chris. “It is still very much a family owned and run business.” While they may have started off with Argosys, Mangan’s fleet and philosophy has changed over the almost 20 years since they started running trucks. While the US built cab-overs kicked the operation off, experience and the hard lessons have convinced Chris Mangan that conventionals are the best way to go in forestry operations. “We do have a few K200s on the fleet, but these are mainly used for our shorter B Doubles and for any on highway jobs, I don’t think they are suited to the bush, but they’re still good trucks.”
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“I have very much become an old school Kenworth fan over the past decade for a number of reasons,” said Chris. “Firstly the custom design they offer and the ability to customise the trucks from the ground up, there are really no limitations on what you want when it comes to building the truck the way you want it,” he said. “The other reasons are the build quality, the strength and the driver comfort.” Some people might argue about the comfort aspect of the old school Kennies, but Chris is quick to point out that the bonneted beasts handle the rough stuff a whole lot better than their cab over cousins. “I actually think that the ride quality in a lot of modern Euro cabovers works against them in forestry operations,” he says.
“You actually want drivers in the bush to feel a few bumps and you want them to slow down, because if the ride is too good on the dirt then the truck can fall apart from the inside out,” he adds. “I’ve seen a bunch of blokes running European trucks on forestry and the trucks destroy themselves on our roads, they just don’t measure up alongside the Kenworths,” he said. To back this up, Mangan points out that the tough conditions in the Oberon region, and the areas where the haulage fleet operates puts a lot of pressure on trucks and machinery. “This is very hilly country and we have some very steep climbs and some very steep descents, that challenge any vehicle let alone a fully laden B Double timber
truck,” Chris said. “The huge temperature fluctuations put pressure on engines, it is really tough on diesels and they just don’t like such massive variations in ambient like that.” “We are also at quite a high altitude here at around 1100 metres in town but also we have some forests up over 1350 metres, which is about as high as any point on the Great Divide outside the Alps, so it puts a lot of added pressure on trucks,” he added. “This makes maintenance really important because the conditions are just not very forgiving.” Chris says that his allegiance to Kenworth has been strengthened by the fact that the company is always willing to listen and entertain his ideas about how
he might improve the set-up of the trucks with even more customisation. “I can ring up with a strange idea and they are always willing to listen and discuss the potential and what can be done to make it possible,” he said. “Apart from that I think it is important to be supporting a company that manufactures in Australia and to help preserve that local manufacturing capability,” he added. The vast majority of Mangan’s work is centred around Oberon harvesting from the local forests and carting to Highland Forest Products mill in Oberon contracting to Forest Corp NSW which owns the plantations. The furthest the company runs to is occasional trips to Tumut in Southern NSW doing some work for the Visy plant there while also
serving some smaller mills around the local area including Allied in Bathurst. “We have a depot in Bathurst alongside our main depot in Oberon but basically we are centred around here and tend to use our local expertise and knowledge,” said Chris. The hilly conditions, slippery roads, and the possible ice and snow, all adds to the difficult mix for a logging operator in the region. Its fair to say the early days of BDouble operations also posed a challenge for Mangan and other operators around Oberon. “In those early days of 19 metre BDoubles there were an awful lot of rollovers and accidents in this region and haulage operators weren’t very popular around here, in fact I reckon we were on
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“OUR GUYS LOVE THEIR TRUCKS, THEY LOOK AFTER THEM AND ARE VERY PROTECTIVE OF THEIR RIGS, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD AND POSITIVE THING” the edge of having BDoubles banned,” said Chris. “But some innovation including adoption of EBS on the trailers for better stability and some clever thinking meant we were able to reconfigure and change the way we did things and it is far safer and sustainable now,” he added. Mangan also works closely with trailer maker Kennedy Trailers, which like Kenworth is open to customisation and optioning up trailers to suit customer needs. The operation now mostly runs 23-metre BDoubles and with extra axles, drop deck design and lower centre of gravity the rigs are easier and safer to drive. “The turn-around really started in 2013 when we got EBS and since then we have continued working with Kennedy to further improve the dynamics of our rigs and that has not only seen safer operation it has also seen big productivity gains,” according to Chris. In the last few years the average payload has risen from around 32 tonnes to around 39 tonnes and this has meant a huge boost to productivity, but has also reduced the number of trucks on the road. With 25 Kenworth prime movers including 509s, T909s,659s
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and a few K200s, Chris has 25 full time drivers on the books along with a couple of casuals that can be called in to fill in for drivers off sick, away on holidays and so on. Part of the Mangan Haulage philosophy is to involve its drivers with their trucks, give them responsibility for their vehicles and a sense of ownership to ensure the trucks are treated with respect. “We get our drivers involved right from the start and they have input into the customisation and building the trucks to suit them. Kenworth and the dealer, (Gilbert and Roach in Sydney) play their role as well and they roll the red carpet out for the drivers when they go to pick up the new prime mover, that makes the driver feel important and they love it,” said Chris. “Our guys love their trucks, they look after them and are very protective of their rigs, which is a very good and positive thing,” he added. With a strong fleet, literally millions of trees to harvest and plenty of demand Mangan Haulage has many years of timber haulage ahead of it and Kenworth will continue to play a key role in it.
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Operator
IN THESE DIFFICULT COVID 19 AFFECTED TIMES SO MANY BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN UNDER PRESSURE WITH SHUTDOWNS AND FORCED CLOSURES WITH MANY HAVING TO ‘PIVOT’ TO A NEW OPPORTUNITY IN BUSINESS. IN A WAY, IT’S EXACTLY WHAT JOSEPH MILLER DID PRIOR TO THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS, WHEN AN OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF AND HE JUMPED AT THE CHANCE. WE HEAD UP THE HAWKESBURY NEAR SYDNEY TO GET THE STORY ON HOW HE TURNED THE CHANCE INTO A NEW BUSINESS – EXTRACT OR BLAST.
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n 2017 Joseph Miller was a driver of car ferries, piloting a number of ‘punts’ on the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney when a constant problem for the company operating the ferries opened the door of opportunity for the resourceful Mr Miller. In fact Joseph has always been on the lookout for his next challenge and has spent most of his adult life working for himself in everything from excavation to general maintenance and even starting a successful tow truck business.
Identifying opportunity is definitely not a skill that Joseph Miller lacks so when his boss at Hawkesbury River Car Ferries mentioned the fact that the company had a problem with moss, dirt and other muck accumulating on the ferry ramps his experience in maintenance and excavation came into play. accumulate on their ramps. Aware of Joseph’s knowledge and background in maintenance, From this conversation, Extract or Blast was born. Initially Joseph kicked off with the blasting side of the operation high pressure
cleaning the ramps to rid them of the moss. And other detritus, but this was later followed by the waste extraction operation Hawkesbury River Car Ferries operates almost all of the vehicle ferries on the picturesque river including the Sackville, Webbs Creek, Wisemans and Lower Portland ferries as well as operating the famous Berowra Creek across Berowra Ferry and also the Mortlake Ferry on Parramatta River, the only vehicle ferry still operating in the Sydney metro area.
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The relentless and recurring issue of the muck and moss was a major headache for HRCF that just had to be cured. In establishing the new business Joseph called upon his experience running his own towing operation where he had operated a pair of Isuzu SBRs. It was his experience with the two ‘Suzis that led him to seek another Isuzu upon which his new operation Extract or Blast could operate. He needed a small truck to carry the array of high pressure cleaning and extraction equipment and all of the other pieces that he needed to service the newly signed contract he had signed with HRCF. He heads off to his local Isuzu dealer in Gilbert and Roach at Gosford on the Central Coast north of Sydney and pretty quickly selected an NLR 200 Traypack
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which was the right size for the highpressure water cleaning unit on the back with a 4.5 tonne GVM and 150hp from the four cylinder Isuzu turbo diesel under the cab. As we said Joseph is a pragmatist and always keen to maximise opportunity so while he had a contract with HRCF to blast the moss and muck off the ramps he could see that there was an opportunity to offer the service to others, blasting away at hard to clean surfaces but also, to up the ante even further by incorporating waste extraction services that sees the removal of sewage waste, as well as unclogging greasy kitchen pipes and anything else. With the Isuzu NLR Traypack, Miller has grown Extract or Blast and the waste extraction side has required him to
upgrade the original NLR to cope with the equipment required. This meant heading to G&R again where he purchased a new NPR 75-190, a larger 7.5 tonne 190 hp Isuzu that while giving him more space and carrying capability, as well as delivering more power, while retaining compact size and easy maneuverability. “I needed a truck with enough power and GVM, but which was still small enough to fit on the ferries, the ramps and to be able to drive into customers’ yards,” Joseph said. The NPR 75-190 gives me both the power and payload I need to transport my equipment and is also compact enough for me to access tight areas. “I had also invested in an extraction
unit with a 2,500-litre tank and, on top of that, a better high-pressure cleaning unit which is quieter than the original one and this has allowed me to work past the daily noise-restriction curfew, which my previous unit was too loud for,” said Joseph. “When you’re running a small business like I am, you need that kind of edge to make it.” “For a light-duty truck, the NPR delivers an impressive GVM as well as a GCM of 11 tonnes which not only allows me to drive the truck right to job sites in hardto-reach places, but also lets me cart his equipment on the back alongside the 2,500 litres of waste that we might extract on the job,” he added. “The truck’s got a lot of power, it’s a
good little truck”, said Joseph. With his new truck, Joseph’s next step was to deck it out with Extract or Blast’s business logo, which he explained has worked wonders to generate business. “It definitely attracts the right attention! I do in fact get calls from people who have seen the truck and the number on the side of it,” he enthused. Standing out from the crowd has other perks, like being easy to find at the supermarket, which is important because the truck doubles up as an everyday vehicle for him as well. “With the constant use of the truck, the odometer is always ticking over, and I cover about 600 kilometres a week.” “I use the truck for everything, so I’m often driving an hour each way to the
ferries, plus all the other work and duties that come with life,” he added. Extract or Blast covers the region from the Sydney metropolitan to the Hawkesbury basin and west into the Blue Mountains and while it started as a business blasting the ferry ramps of the Hawkesbury Joseph now handles everything from balconies to driveways, worksites, jetties, bus shelters and graffiti removal from concrete or paved areas. The extraction business also handles difficult tasks from pumping out septic systems grease traps and even pumping out commercial swimming pool sand filters using its 2500 litre waste removal unit at commercial businesses, rural or residential properties and everywhere he goes it is on the back of his trusty NPR Isuzu.
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LCV
THEY HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED AS TRADIE’S SPORTS CARS, DUAL CAB UTES, WITH BIG ALLOY WHEELS, AGGRESSIVE TYRES AND EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE BULL BARS, DRIVING LIGHTS AND PAINT JOBS. FORD’S RAPTOR HAS TAKEN THIS TO ANOTHER LEVEL AND A RECENT DRIVE HIGHLIGHTED MANY OF THE FLAGSHIP UTE’S DRIVE QUALITIES AND SOME OF ITS NEGATIVES.
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hey might be seen as a tradie’s sports car, but the problem is that sports cars are generally considered to be light weight performance machines with minimal passenger capacity and even less room for luggage, the exact opposite to these new behemoths of our roads, two of which have become the best-selling vehicle models on our roads today. Truth is we have emulated our cousins across the Pacific in the USA where the ‘pick-up’ truck and Ford’s F series have long ruled the sales charts in that country. Ford’s Ranger is now the Blue Oval’s bread and butter in this country and without it the company would be in more trouble than the early settlers. Roughly two out of every three cars Ford sells in Australia these days is a Ranger. The upside is that the Ranger is an Australian designed and engineered ute, penned
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and developed at Ford’s design centre in Melbourne and built in Thailand. In a coals to Newcastle move in recent times the Aussie designed Ranger has been launched in the USA, albeit built in local plants there. So we can claim some credit for ‘our’ Ranger. While Ranger is the second highest selling model on Australian roads to Toyota’s HiLux, it is in this writer’s opinion also the second best ute on the market, not to the Toyota but to VW’s Amarok, but again that is personal opinion and many more people put it above the Amarok on the shopping list, so maybe we are wrong. Then again Ben Ean Moselle was for a long time the bestselling wine in Australia so popularity may not be a good indicator of quality. That brings us to Ford’s ‘special’ Ranger, the Raptor, a prehistoric bird of prey moniker, that has long been
associated with the top shelf models in Henry’s US F150 models, but don’t mention the word dinosaur! On paper the Ranger Raptor has some strong credentials, a two litre twin turbo four cylinder turbo diesel boasting 157 kw and 500 Nm of torque, mated to a proper 10-speed torque converter and low range transfer case equipped self-shifter, and a truck load of the best suspension you can fit under the bloated guards of a dual cab pick-up. The two litre diesel was ushered into the Ranger line up to pretty much replace the 3.2 litre five cylinder diesel, although this popular engine is still available, Ford is pushing the two-litre four harder and it is the only power plant available in the Raptor. We mentioned that this is all well and good on paper, because despite higher horsepower and torque in the two litre,
to this writer the new engine has always felt, well, doughy. By this we mean that despite having plenty of urge it just has never felt really sharp and willing like the old five cylinder donk always did. Again this is just a personal feel and part of it could be the audible cues from the two engines, but that can sometimes be an important factor in these emotive and strangely animate things we call automobiles. Fact is, it just doesn’t deliver the shove in the back and urge that the image of the Raptor would suggest. It feels underwhelming when the throttle is floored and that dull and slightly out of synch sound from the engine is very unsatisfying. Still you can’t fault the looks Ford’s design gurus down in Broadmeadows have gifted the Raptor. It is a hero ute, with an aggressive look, aggressive graphics, wheels and stance and it turns heads. It
has become a hit with our ute obsessed market despite the fact that the look and suspension package are better than the power plant. Price did not seem to be an issue for Raptor, certainly prior to the Covid 19 Crisis, with Ford selling as many as it could make, (it may change in the aftermath of Covid 19) and despite its rrp of $76,290, it is a lot dearer than many of its direct opponents in the market, including some of Toyota’s over-priced HiLux offerings, Nissan’s Navaras and Mazda’s BT50, which is based on the Ranger. It’s even more expensive than Volkswagen’s hot rod Amarok Ultimate at $72,790 but less than the ill-fated and not long for this world Mercedes X-Class 350d at 79,415, as well as the thumping petrol V8 RAM 1500 from $79,950. The reality is that the Volkswagen uses a V6 turbo diesel that has been taken
directly from Porsche’s Cayenne and delivers a smoothness and swiftness of performance that places it head and shoulders above every other engine in the class, particularly the Raptor. While we’re not fans of the Raptor engine, the reality is the underpinnings are a lesson in how to give a ute great dynamics and handling capabilities, both on road and off road. But then again for the roughly $10000 worth of suspension, by way of the Fox Racing Shocks in the Raptor, it should have great dynamics. The Fox Shocks are the main reason you’d spend the $11000 more you need to stump up for the Raptor over the Ranger Wildtrak on the next level down in the line-up. You don’t just get better suspension with the Raptor, it also features some distinctive style by way of its bigger flared guards, special interior trim, seats and
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THE RAPTOR’S STRONG SUIT IS ITS HANDLING AND RIDE PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU HIT GRAVEL AND START CLAMBURING OVER ROUGH STUFF.
carpet, a 4.2-inch display screen along with a Ford Performance instrument cluster, side steps, and ‘heavy duty’ underbody protection. The look is set off by special 17 inch Ford Performance alloy wheels shod with some excellent K02 all-terrain tyres from the Michelin owned BF Goodrich brand and a variety of Raptor graphics that leave no onlooker doubting what they see in front of them. Like its junior sibling, the Wildtrak, the Raptor also boasts LED lighting, a tub liner, an auxiliary12-volt outlet in the load tray as well as a 240v three pin GPO outlet in the rear passenger seat, climate control air con which also feeds cold air into the centre console ‘cooler’ box to keep your drinks frigid, keyless entry and push button start along with a chunky leather trimmed wheel and gear knob The AV system features an 8.0-inch
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multimedia touchscreen mounted in the centre of the dash using Ford’s Sync3 operating system which dovetails with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Sync3 system comes with DAB+ digital radio and an integrated sat nav system, however this writer questions the need and effectiveness of on board sat nav systems these days, when smart phones have better, easier to use and more convenient navigation apps. To say that the Raptor has presence and street cred is a massive understatement, no other ute in Australia can attract as many looks as this Ranger, with its graphics, wheels, stance and overall appearance standing proud anywhere it is driven or parked. Climb into the driver’s seat and settle into the excellent seats and you know you are in ute that is meant to be and is a bit special. The front seats are excellent, they
wrap around you and hug you tight and when you grip that thick leather steering wheel you can almost imagine sitting on the start line of the Baja 1000. Many a time, mass market car designers have gone over the top with garish trim and graphics, but we have to say the Ford team has done a great job at keeping the finishing touches classy and stylish. There is plenty of space in the Ranger interior for both front and rear seat occupants with nice, spacious door openings, unlike many opponents in the ute market that have even the short of stature doubling over to enter. We fail to comprehend how such big vehicles are designed with such small door openings. However it’s not a problem with the Raptor, but it is a long way to climb up given the high ride height, although it is made easier by the standard side steps.
Being high up, the forward vision is excellent, and the mirrors are also very well designed gifting the driver excellent all round vision. But this is a big ute and keeping a fix on where the extremities are in a tight city or airport car park can be a challenge. The Raptor’s strong suit is its handling and ride particularly when you hit gravel and start clamburing over rough stuff. The trade-off is a reduction in both towing weight and payload. The thing is if you want a true workhorse with a more usable payload and an added tonne in towing capacity then the Wildtrak would be a better option. The Raptor has 182 kgs less payload (758kg against Wildtrak’s 940kg) and boasts a 2.5 tonne tow unbraked towing capacity, which is 1000kg less than the Wildtrak). While the engine disappoints this writer
you can’t dispute its frugality, returning just under 10 litres/100km which is very impressive given the size and weight of the machine, and a figure that some other dual cabs struggle to match. The close and well matched ratios of the 10 speed auto no doubt help the fuel figures with the small downshift gaps reducing high revving and ensuring low engine speed at highway cruising. Safety wise the Raptor gets a five star ANCAP rating, like all Ranger models thanks to the swag of electronic safety systems which include auto emergency braking, traffic sign recognition lane departure warning, ABS and stability control as well as six airbags including rear curtain bags in the cabin. Interestingly it doesn’t have active cruise control like the Wildtrak, because the radar system isn’t compatible with the Raptor’s special bumpers.
Off road it benefits from hill descent control, hill launch assist, ‘load adaptive control’ and a six mode terrain management system as well as roll over mitigation and trailer sway control. While it is a smooth and rewarding ride and handling experience on road when you wheel Raptor on to a piece of dirt it is in its element, riding the bumps with absolute aplomb, while the BF Goodrich rubber grips the loose with confidence inspiring levels. Like all Fords, Raptor gets a five year warranty including road side assist, free auto club (NRMA, RACV etc) and a free loan car at every service. If you are after a dual cab ute with street cred and presence that rides and handles better than any other commercial on the market and the two litre twin turbo doesn’t turn you off too much then the Raptor could be for you.
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Company Car
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he RAV sits below the larger Kluger, Prado and flagship LandCruiser but above the even softer and smaller CHR, and is now much bigger than ever before. We recently had the chance to drive both a RAV4 Hybrid Cruiser AWD as well as a conventional petrol RAV4 GX manual, both of which impressed in their own ways. The Hybrid was our vehicle of test for a week mainly around the city and suburbs while we were able to drive the petrol manual RAV4 for an extended 10 day test on a road trip through South East NSW, the fire ravaged Gippsland, across to the Mornington Peninsula, a few days in Melbourne for the still born F1 GP, and back through Central Victoria to our home base in Sydney. The fact that you can still get a manual RAV4 is amazing given the low number of manual vehicles of any type that are sold in Australia these days. Automatics
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account for better than 90 per cent of all vehicles sold these days, so a manual is a bit of a novelty. The bush is where Toyota has a very strong presence in Australia, and is a place where buyers like manuals, so this is probably the rationale behind this entry level RAV. The pricing is also quite favourable and this model is actually the least costly variant in the line up, wearing a price tag of $30,640 plus on-roads, so with a few caveats this is a lot of car for the money, albeit one that lacks a little performance. The RAV GX is an exceptionally comfortable and well bolted together SUV, and was comfortable, generally quiet and fuss free chariot for an extended trip like ours. The one area that annoyed and frustrated us was the surprising lack of torque from its 127 kW/203 Nm two-litre normally aspirated engine, particularly when sitting at cruising speed on a country road.
Getting that sweet spot of acceleration when you push the pedal down to overtake a slower vehicle, was difficult and often required the driver to slot down two gears to get the engine revving and to accelerate quickly enough for a safe pass. It was something we encountered several times on country roads during the trip and it was the one thing that spoiled the RAV GX experience. By contrast the Hybrid with its CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission) auto mated to a 131kW/221Nm 2.5 litre petrol engine and with the added assistance of electric motors (which boost stated overall power to 163kW), delivers rocket like acceleration when needed and particularly in the mid range where the GX misses out. While the RAV is not a true off roader and lacks ground clearance the Hybrid drive and all wheel drive gives it some impressive credentials when you do get into sticky situations. We proved this at
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN TOYOTA’S RAV4 WAS A BABY SUV THAT FITTED A ROLE AS A MINI TOURING/OFF ROAD MACHINE BUT THESE DAYS LIKE A LOT OF MODEL PLATES, THE RAV4 HAS GROWN CONSIDERABLY AND IS NOW CONSIDERED A MID-SIZE SUV. WE TESTED BOTH A PETROL; MANUAL AND A HYBRID POWERED AUTO RECENTLY FOR OUR COMPANY CAR SECTION, AND FOUND BOTH HAD THEIR POSITIVES.
a four wheel drive track in Western Sydney where it willingly waded through a water crossing, climbed out and completed the course, albeit with a few minor challenges. This RAV4 Hybrid Cruiser will ring the cash register at your Toyota dealer at around $44,490, plus on roads, and in our view that is also pretty reasonable value given its performance and equipment levels. Standard features include leatheraccented seats and door trims, 10-way electric adjustable memory equipped driver’s seat, heated front seats, an 8-inch audio/infotainment touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, wireless phone charging and a power tailgate. The GX manual has less standard equipment but still has an amazing array of goodies for a such a keen price. In the GX you still get 17 inch alloy wheels, the same 8inch touch screen infotainment screen with Car Play and Auto and DAB+
digital radio with six speakers and a reversing camera, as well as integrated sat-nav. You also get LED headlights and front and rear parking sensors, making a pretty handy kit of standard equipment even if you only get manual air con. You get a less flashy driver’s instrument panel, but it still delivers the information you need in a clear and concise way. While the Hybrid slips silently from the kerb on its electric motor and can accelerate much harder with its CVT auto working away like a banshee under the floor and its electric motors giving it a serious boost, the petrol manual version is far more analogue. Although its manners are just as nice and well behaved in the ride and handling area, the petrol manual has to be rowed along through the six speed box, and although it gets off the line well with a few revs, it is that mid-range area, when sitting on a reasonable cruising speed that causes the issues.
RAV4s get a five star ANCAP rating no matter which spec is selected and that is because all models get Toyota’s full suite of safety including seven airbags, blind spot monitoring, lane depart warning, active cruise control, hill start assist, trailer sway control and a panoramic view monitor amongst other things. You can’t complain about thin equipment levels, no matter which RAV you choose. The Hybrid version uses its 2.5 litre twin cam 16 valve four cylinder petrol engine to drive the front wheels while there is an electric motor boosting the front wheels and another driving the rear wheels to give the car its AWD credentials. The added torque injection is the x-factor that makes the Hybrid such an impressive performer on the road, particularly compared with the petrol manual. The hybrid carries a 6.5 Amp hour nickel-metal hydride battery, which is recharged by the engine drive with
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the hybrid generator positioned in the driveline system, but also by harnessing the vehicle’s energy by recharging when coasting, and can be used effectively to almost stop the RAV, without touching the brakes. It is a thing that we will get more used to in time as more of us drive electric or hybrid vehicles. You can also select an EV only mode allowing the RAV to drive only on the battery electric system at low speeds and for relatively short distances. You also get three driving modes including Eco for maximum efficiency and lowest fuel usage, Normal for day to day running and Sport for the added performance edge. The different modes tune engine, steering and throttle response differently for the circumstances, but most people will be fine just leaving it in Eco. The AWD Cruiser also delivers Trail mode, which sends up to 80 per cent of the total torque to the rear wheels to get you out of trouble when things get slippery in mud, sand, snow, ice or other dicey conditions. The Cruiser gets terrific looking black 18 inch alloy wheels and you also get a sunroof to add to the luxury feel. Fit and finish is exemplary in every Toyota and there is lots of clever stowage and storage touches including cup holders in the rear armrest, a great front shelf below the dash on the passenger side, a wireless phone charger in the console below the centre of the dash and there
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is an abundance of space with good leg, shoulder and head room as well as plenty of luggage space Choose either of the RAVs and in both the ride is supple and well damped with handling tuned for comfort rather than absolute performance, but the steering is sharp and precise on any surface. Whether you are on tarmac or dirt the ride is good and the car feels confident and manageable, however the AWD Cruiser has that added assurance of all the wheels driving and the sure footedness that this delivers. Don’t be lulled however, the RAV Cruiser AWD is not a pure off roader. It will get you out of strife in marginal conditions, but we wouldn’t be taking it to the tip of Cape York or up the Gibb River Rd. This is particularly amplified by those nicely styled 18 inch alloys, that could be easily damaged on rough tracks, while the lack of ground clearance and average wheel articulation also reduce the RAV’s off road capabilities. Trail mode engages an automatic limitedslip diff and puts brake pressure to wheels that are freely rotating wheels diverting torque to the wheels with traction. Our one little off road encounter in that mock water crossing and slippery climbs at the 4WD track saw a fair bit of spin because of the electronic wizardry kicking in. Turn the traction control off and it works a lot better but just don’t forget this is not a LandCruiser and you do rely on
electric power to drive that rear axle. If you run out of charge for that you could be in strife. The Cruiser because of those 18 inch alloys only carries a space saver tyre, which is another real handbrake on any serious all wheel driving on back roads. Get a puncture and it could be a long slow trip to your nearest garage or tyre shop. Although the Toyota quoted fuel consumption average for the Hybrid RAV is a measly 4.8L/100km the best we could return was 5.9L/100km across our week with the car. Meanwhile our time with the GX manual petrol returned us 7.9L/100km, again a bit above the 6.8L/100km. Both models get a 55-litre fuel tank, which given the low fuel consumption means a pretty reasonable range for both vehicles. The RAV4 comes with Toyota’s standard five year unlimited kilometre warranty and with set price servicing with 12 month/15000km intervals they will cost you just $210 every time you visit your Toyota dealer service department. In this SUV obsessed universe we live in these days the RAV offers a very user friendly, practical and cost effective option if you are seeking a smaller SUV. The Hybrid is the pick and if you can afford the extra cash then tick the Hybrid box, if you want a very well-priced entry level model that doesn’t lack for much in terms of equipment the GX will deliver a very serviceable and economical alternative.
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MONEY MATTERS PAUL CLITHROE DIPPING INTO SUPER SHOULD BE A LAST RESORT
I
n response to the Coronavirus outbreak, the federal government has relaxed the rules around early access to super. It’s now possible to withdraw up to $20,000 from super if you’re unemployed, eligible for JobKeeper payments, or if you’ve been made redundant or had your working hours cut by 20 per cent. If you’re self-employed, and your turnover (that’s money coming in the door) has dropped 20 per cent since the start of 2020, you too have the option to withdraw money from super. What’s on offer is one withdrawal for up to $10,000 before 1 July 2020, with a further $10,000 available between 1 July and 24 September 2020. The Tax Office says you don’t need to provide evidence of financial stress to pull cash out of super (though keeping records always makes sense). And in a departure from normal conditions, the money is tax-free and won’t count towards Centrelink benefits. The downside of taking money out of super today is that can make a tremendous difference to the value of your final retirement savings. Industry Super Australia (ISA) estimates that a 50-year-old withdrawing $20,000 from their account could be worse off by $41,165 on retiring at age 67. A 25-yearold could lose up to $120,511 from their final super balance. These outcomes reflect the power of compounding returns. A 20-something can expect to have their super invested for close to 40 years. That’s a long time for compounding to work its magic, and it explains why you could be left out of pocket in retirement by considerably more than $20,000. The ISA numbers assume returns on super of seven per cent annually. However, data from SuperRatings shows the top 10 performing funds earned average annual returns as high as 8.45 per cent over the last five years. So the impact on your super
could be far higher. The bottom line is to make an early withdrawal from super your last resort. In addition, the sharemarket falls we saw in March can make it tempting to switch your super’s investment strategy from ‘balanced’, which is how most Australians have their super invested, to a ‘conservative’ option. History shows this too can come with a cost. According to ISA, during the Global Financial Crisis, fund members who moved their super from balanced options into cash-based strategies were $13,800 worse off after one year, $34,800 worse off after five years, and after seven years would have lost a whopping $46,000 of potential retirement savings. Your super is designed to be a very long term asset. If you can afford to, keep it that way. If you don’t have to dip into your fund for emergency money, the best course of action can be to do nothing at all. Meantime sharemarket falls can be especially challenging for retirees who don’t have the benefit of ongoing super contributions to make up for negative returns. But your retirement savings may have weathered the recent market storms surprisingly well. No matter whether you have a selfmanaged super fund (SMSF) or you’re relying on a pension or annuity from a professionally-run fund, chances are your nest egg is spread across a variety of investments. This diversity is your best defence against the recent sharemarket falls. Tax Office data shows that across SMSFs, listed shares typically comprise less than one-third of the typical fund’s portfolio. Cash and term deposits account for about one in every four dollars invested by SMSFs. Among retirees who use their super to purchase a retirement income stream, the overwhelming majority (94 per cent) opt for an account-based pension. On average, these can have 57 per cent exposure to
growth assets such as shares. So while the recent sharemarket falls will impact your retirement savings, it’s likely you’ll be shielded from the full weight of the market downturn thanks to a diversified portfolio. Despite being the cause of recent losses, shares still play a valuable role in many retirees’ investment mix. History tells us that sharemarkets recover over time. As I write in mid-April, the ASX 200 Index has already gained 8.10 per cent for the month. That’s not to say we won’t see further market dips. Volatility is very high right now. But having exposure to a crosssection of equities – which is easily achieved through exchange traded funds, will help your portfolio re-gain lost ground when the upswing gains momentum. If you’re in the so-called ‘retirement risk zone’ – that is, the years immediately before and after retirement, a run of poor returns can rapidly eat into your super savings. Investors concerned about the potential for large losses in this critical life stage may be tempted to eliminate as much risk as possible by shifting their portfolio into low risk assets to preserve capital. However, adopting an overly conservative strategy early on can work against you. At age 55 we can have another 30 years ahead of living, traveling, eating, socialising – all the things that make retirement worthwhile. Three decades is a long investment horizon. Moving your nest egg to conservative assets as a result of Covid-19-induced market falls, can leave you with a lump sum on retirement that is completely inadequate for your long term needs. That’s why the key is to maintain a diverse portfolio – and keep an eye on investment fees. You can’t control markets, but by proactively minimising the fees you pay, you can maximise your stake of market gains, and that can go a long way to making your nest egg last the distance.
Paul Clitheroe is Chairman of InvestSMART, Chairman of the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board and chief commentator for Money Magazine.
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