1. travel
2. tourist destinations
3. australia and new zealand

New Zealand’s news source for road transport, logistics & heavy equipment industries
Volume 2 | Issue 10 | December 2014
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TRUST:
mployers who allow alcohol
at Christmas functions will
face increased risk under the
combination of new drink driving rules, and the new Health and
Safety at Work Act that is soon
becoming law.
On December 1 new legislation will lower breath and blood
alcohol limits for adult drivers.
This creates greater risks for
employers who allow employees and guests to drink at work
(e.g. after-work drinks, business
lunches) or at work functions
such as Christmas parties.
The Land Transport Amendment Act (No. 2) 2014 will reduce
the drink-driving limits for adult
drivers aged 20 years and over
from 400 micrograms (mcg) of
alcohol per litre of breath, to
250mcg. The limit per 100 ml of
blood will reduce from 80mg, to
50mg. The zero alcohol limit for
drivers under the age of 20 years
is unchanged.
Employers who either provide
or permit alcohol consumption
at work functions could be held
liable if employees or guests are
Continued on page 4
Mainfreight founder
'visionary leader'
T
he founder and executive chairin 2011, and Best Growth Strategy in
man of Mainfreight Bruce Plested 2007. Group managing director Don
has won the 2014 Deloitte Top
Braid won the title of executive of the
200 Visionary Leader award.
year in 2011 and 2008.
Plested was amongst a number
Mainfreight was also a finalist in the
of winners honoured by the Deloitte
Top 200 Awards in 2005 for Most ImTop 200 Awards at a ceremony held
proved Performance. Plested was an
in Auckland’s Vector Arena, which
Executive of the Year finalist in 2000,
the global accounting and financial
and in 1996 the company was also a
services firm has been running for
finalist in Best Corporate Strategy.
more than 25 years in New
Plested was in good comZealand.
pany for the 2014 Deloitte
In a recent speech titled
Top 200 Awards as there
You are now in control of
were a number of companies
the rest of your life presentin the export, tourism, logised at a University of Aucktics, construction, and aged
land graduation ceremony,
care industries vying for the
Plested attributed his
top honours.
success to being fit. It was
Plested founded Mainthe second of ten pieces of
freight in 1978 with a Bedwisdom he dispensed to the Bruce Plested
ford truck and $7000, and
graduands that day.
37 years later it is now a
“If you are going to make it in this
listed international logistics company
world, you are going to need to be
employing more than 6000 people in
physically fit – continuously for long
more than 230 operations globally.
periods for the rest of your life. For
To understand Plested’s philosophy
my 70th birthday, a group of us from
and the reason the Top 200 award
Mainfreight walked up Mt Taranaki –
judges recognised him as the 2014
fitness and success are brothers,” says Visionary Leader DIESELtalk found a
copy of his address You are now in
Plested.
control of the rest of your life which
This is the sixth time that Mainwas given at a University of Auckland
freight has won an award in the Deloitte Top 200. It took out Best Growth graduation ceremony in September.
Continued on page 3
Strategy in 2012, Company of the Year
Seasons greetings, and happy holidays from the
DIESELTalk Team. We look forward to working with
you all in 2015, and hope to see you all back safe
and sound in the New Year.
TrainingTalk
foundationsponsors
DIESELtalk acknowledges the support of our foundation sponsors and industry supporters:
Vehicle Inspection NZ
Industrysupporters
Transport’s Specialist Insurance Provider
2|
Dieseltalk
Shipping risks and
opportunities
L
arger international container ships
visiting New Zealand create both opportunities and risks, says a Ministry of
Transport study.
This is one insight from the Future
Freight Scenarios Study, commissioned to
provide impartial information to help the
freight sector plan effectively for more
larger ships visiting New Zealand.
“The study shows that more big ships
coming to our shores will reduce the cost
of international transport, but these savings
are likely be outweighed by higher domestic
transport costs, particularly for exporters
and importers far away from ports able to
handle the larger ships,” says Aviation and
Maritime general manager, Nick Brown.
“An efficient port and shipping sector is
vital, as 99% of our freight by volume is carried by sea. New Zealand’s international sea
freight costs are 21% higher than Australia,”
says Brown.
Brown says larger ships coming in will
only be an advantage if the private sector
and government continue to lower domes-
Plested touched on ten
points through his address
telling the graduands that:
“What you do from now
on gradually becomes critical to where you make your
mark in life.
“Firstly, some people will
already know what they
want to do – to work in
teaching or engineering or
law. Head off first and begin
working on what you think
you want to do.
“Secondly, work on your
fitness.
“Thirdly, look inwardly at
what you are good at. I gave
up teaching aged 19 and
took up accounting aged 22
www.Dieseltalk.co.nz
Editor
Robert Barry
022 0180 998
[email protected]
Business Manager
Ian Ferguson
021 446 164
[email protected]
operations
manager
tic freight costs and increase efficiency in
the port and shipping sectors.
“Government has a role in providing land
transport capability and regulations that help
to reduce domestic freight costs. Investments to improve road and rail links to ports,
are examples of this. The permitting regime
for high productivity motor vehicles is also
important.”
Inland port and intermodal logistics hub
developments — which provide a way of
consolidating cargo and moving it costefficiently to and from container ports — are
other encouraging developments.
Mainfreight founder
'visionary leader'
Continued from page 1
The way to reach the
entire heavy vehicle
and contractors’
equipment industries
and qualified at 29. It totally
changed my life.
“Fourthly, try to work
out what you like. If you
are good at what you like,
and you can create a career
from it, you can be said to
be never having to go to
work.
“Fifth, set high standards
in everything you do.
“Sixth - Be ever so grateful of the luck of your birth,
and the country in which
you are born. Live by the
maxim – would Mum approve of what I’m doing?
“Seventh – recognise
crossroads in your life, especially global financial crises,
accidents, redundancy,
firing, death of someone
close to you, a crime, world
events.
“Eighth – If you start to
think I like this, and I think
I’m good at it, better than
those already doing it - have
a go.
“And please, you’re not an
entrepreneur because you
invent an App – but you’re
getting the right idea.
“Ninth – Try to wipe the
word “I” from your vocabulary. When we can remove
“I” from our centre of
thinking, we can probably
move to number 10, the last
recommendation.
“Tenth – start thinking
about making a difference
Deborah Baxter
027 530 5016
[email protected]
Managing Editor
Richard Edwards
021 556 655
[email protected]
Publisher
Vern Whitehead
021 831 153
[email protected]
DIESELtalk and dieseltalk.co.nz
are published by:
Auto Media Group Limited
PO Box 105010, Auckland
Ph 09 309 2444
Auto Media Group Limited makes every endeavour
to ensure information contained in this publication is
accurate; however, we are not liable for any losses or
issues resulting from this use.
to your neighbourhood, or
community or country or
the world at a young age.
“Good luck – you are
now totally in control of the
rest of your life.”
In their summary, according to the New Zealand
Herald, the Top 200 Awards
judges noted that Plested
built a global transport company from nothing and has
done many wonderful things
along the way, describing
him as an “extraordinary
character and a rounded
person who links to the
commercial community.”
Dieseltalk
|3
newsTalk
Freightliner chases television audience
F
reightliner Trucks says
its decision to enter the
V8 Supercar arena was
motivated by the huge audience the category enjoys,
both on television and at
race circuits around Australia
and New Zealand.
It recently unveiled the
Freightliner Trucks/Brad
Jones Racing Commodore
#14 for the 2015 season.
The #14 car will be driven
by Fabian Coulthard, who
joined Brad Jones Racing in
2012.
“There are strong parallels
between the V8 Supercar
Fabian Coulthard
audience and Freightliner
Trucks,” says Daimler Truck
and Bus Australia MD Daniel
Whitehead.
“Freightliner Trucks are
as traditional as the Aussie
V8 sedan; by being big and
powerful, that cover huge
distances with ease,” he said.
“To be aligned with Brad
the name ‘Freightliner’ into the minds of
the huge television
audience, both nationally and globally,”
says Whitehead.
“There will be
no mistaking this
Daniel Whitehead
Jones Racing, which
entry," he says.
has surpassed a 25 year
The Freightliner Trucks/
milestone in motor racing,
Brad Jones racing Comcouldn’t come at a better
modore will make its public
time for our brand.
debut at the V8 Super Test
“With the V8 Supercar sein Sydney on February
ries moving to Foxtel in 2015 7th/8th and its competition
as well as selected races on
debut at the 2015 Clipsal
free-to-air television our
500 in Adelaide, February
partnership will firmly etch
26-March 1st.
Christmas parties brings increased risk
Continued from page 1
subsequently harmed as a result.
Health and safety development organisation Workbase
says these changes will become more significant once
the new Health and Safety at Work Act becomes law in
the first half of 2015, because it will further increase employers’ responsibilities to manage the risks when making
alcohol available to employees or allowing them to drink
at work functions.
The new regulations will require directors, owners
and managers (who are duty holders with influence and
control over the business) to know about all of their
business’s operational risks and hazards, and how they
are being managed.
This means duty holders will need to proactively identify all relevant alcohol-related risks and hazards; identify
everyone’s health and safety responsibilities in relation to
serving and consuming alcohol, and engage with employees to make sure that the organisation’s alcohol policies
and processes are understood - and correctly applied - by
all managers, supervisors, frontline workers and contractors, says Workbase chief executive Katherine Percy.
The new health and safety regulations may be months
away but employers are advised to use the upcoming
drink-drive law change as an opportunity to start making longer term preparations for more robust practices in
relation to alcohol.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Percy suggests the following tips for employers to
reduce the risks associated with the new law:
1.
Review policies to make sure that any stated
alcohol limits are in keeping with the new law’s
requirements.
2.
Understand the business’s health and safety obligations in relation to alcohol and put steps in place
to close any gaps.
4|
Dieseltalk
9.
Make employees aware of the new law. Educate
them about safe drinking, including that blood
alcohol levels continue to rise for up to two hours
after drinking stops.
Advise people about the dangers of using the
number of drinks consumed as a drink-driving
limit guideline. There are many variables, including
alcohol strengths differing widely between types
of beverages. Furthermore, pour sizes can differ,
which makes it difficult to accurately judge alcohol
consumption. For example, a standard glass of
wine is 100 ml but people typically pour more and
still regard that as 'one' glass.
Educate employees that each person’s individual
factors (e.g. body weight, health conditions, medications, metabolism, etc.) also significantly affect
their body’s alcohol absorption rates.
Put host responsibility practices in place, including
processes for identifying people who are drinking too much and stopping further alcohol from
becoming available to them.
Always provide substantial food when alcohol
is served, to slow down alcohol absorption and
consumption (peanuts and crisps are not enough).
Provide a choice of interesting, adult-appropriate
non-alcoholic options (think beyond fizzy drink
and orange juice!).
Encourage people to plan ahead and organise a
ride home if they are likely to be drinking. Alternatively, provide taxi chits or other transport options.
Percy says some organisations try to remove the
guesswork by providing breath-testing at functions. This is a double-edged sword because
although it can alert someone if they are over the
limit, it can also serve to provide a ‘goal’ for people
to drink up to.
employmenttalk
Improving lone worker
communications
N
avman Wireless has
launched a new
communications
solution called Lone Worker
in New Zealand and Australia for employees working
alone and in remote locations.
Developed from the
ground up, Lone Worker
helps to address the safety
needs of workers in remote
regions on New Zealand’s
farms, forests and conservation estates says Navman
Wireless. The two-way communication device remotely
connects workers to their
managers via mobile networks or the Iridium satellite
communication network.
Lone workers often face
high-risk conditions working with at-risk patients, on
electricity lines, in rugged
terrain or remote forestry
environments where they
have limited or no access
to cellular communications
networks.
Navman Wireless says
Lone Worker enables onduty workers in remote
areas to check-in with their
managers or signal for help
if needed, providing an extra
layer of safety.
The Lone Worker solution includes a small, lightweight pendant that workers
carry at all times, which
connects back to their vehicle. It utilises the Navman
Wireless tracking unit and
satellite communications
device to send notifications.
It also enables workers to manually send high
priority alerts, automatic
'man down' alerts and low
priority check-in confirmations. Its range is up to 500
metres with clear line of
sight, but varies based on
terrain.
If workers should move
so far away that the pendant
loses contact with the vehicle , the solution automatically sends an out-of-range
alert to the pendant to notify
the worker to return to a
safe operational range or
move the vehicle closer to
their working location. After three alerts withContinued on page 8
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Dieseltalk
|5
Christchurch branch on
track to reduce fuel usage
Through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) heavy vehicle fuel
efficiency programme the Christchurch branch of Waste Management New Zealand is
working to save on their diesel usage.
E
ECA-approved fuel
management advisor
Tony Newth completed the first fuel efficiency programme report
for the Christchurch branch
of Waste Management New
Zealand (WMNZ) in October
2013, which focused on fuel
data management, driver
development, and communications between personnel and branches.
“One reason we chose
to start the fuel efficiency
programme in the WMNZ
Christchurch branch was
because it was well run
and managed with a newer
vehicle fleet, so it would
prove to be a good control,
and most of the drivers
were NZQA trained,” he
says.
Former WMNZ branch
manager Layne Sefton says
before the fuel efficiency
programme was rolled out
to the drivers with Newth’s
assistance, it was decided
that the branch would
change its refuelling policy
from using truck stops to
having a mini tanker deliver
fuel each night to the trucks
parked in the depot.
Each vehicle had a RFID
chip which tallied the number of litres of fuel deposited
into the tank, and a report
efficiency programme.
Newth says the mini tanker initiative has been very
worthwhile, not only is the
data produced extremely
clean and accurate, drivers
no longer have to queue up
at fuel stops and they have
one less job to worry about
during their working day.
of fuel dispensed to each
vehicle was then sent to the
branch manager weekly”.
“From a management position it gave us greater control over the fuel data, and
there wasn’t any adverse
comment or push back from
the drivers, because we had
communicated to them that
this was an efficiency gain
for the branch that would
support further fuel effi-
ciency programmes,” says
Sefton.
The company removed
the need for fuel cards
entirely and also the need
for the driver to fill up the
vehicle during the day, but
more importantly as Sefton
points out, it also allowed
the branch to gather historic data to put a benchmark
in place which would assist
in the facilitation of the fuel
Driver development
Newth says to better
develop the drivers, WMNZ
trained up several instructors to deliver the SAFEDNZ
programme to the Christchurch branch drivers.
A vehicle was set up to
monitor the key performance indicators and over a
four week period more than
50 drivers were put through
the SAFEDNZ programme.
Sefton says that the
combination of understanding how the truck works in
addition to learning a more
efficient driving style drew
positive feedback from
many of the branch drivers.
“Some of our longest
serving staff not only had
the greatest results from
the SAFEDNZ driver training, they were very positive
about the programme, and
very receptive to the concept behind it,” he says.
Continued on page 7
Waste Management wanted to save on fuel costs.
That’s not the only thing they saved.
Your business can also reduce fuel burn, improve driver safety and save on maintenance costs.
Visit www.eecabusiness.govt.nz/heavy-vehicles to find out more.
EEC3278_DT_3
6|
Dieseltalk
employmenttalk
Continued from page 6
WMNZ have a mixed fleet
of Hino and Iveco Acco
trucks which are divided into
organic, recycling, rubbish,
and mixed units with four
spare trucks on hand. The
majority are side loaders.
Newth says since the
programme was initiated,
early indications show that
there is the potential for an
average of 7% fuel saving
across the drivers trained,
and a large reduction in the
number of gear changes,
because the drivers can
choose to match the engine
speed to the road speed
through the use of gears.
Improving communications
“Transport businesses are
busy doing what they do,
and fuel and tyres are often
managed at branch level
by the fleet manager, who
is also the branch manager
and quite often also the HR
manager,” says Newth. “It’s
only when a fuel management advisor comes in and
says ‘have you thought
about this, here are some
resources from EECA to
help you’, that they can get
some clarity on what can be
achieved.
“Having the ability to
call on others within the
business to contribute to
the development and implementation of the programme is very important.
“I’ve been a conduit for
communications between
management and drivers, and between branch
managers, and we learnt
through the Christchurch
programme that the what,
where and how of the vision
really needs to be communicated from top management down,” Newth says.
“We needed to ensure
that the reason for putting
the fuel efficiency programme in place was well
communicated to all members of staff, and that they
could see the results of their
efforts,” says Sefton.
“You need two or three
champions within the business to make sure everything goes all the way
through the business when
running a fuel efficiency
programme. They need to
check the data as well as
ensure that the communications and the training is
completed for the programme to succeed,” he
notes.
Sefton says that the
support from Newth and
from EECA heavy transport
relationship manager John
But one striking piece
of feedback and initiative
from a WMNZ Christchurch
recycling truck driver was
“light is right”.
His suggestion was if local residents in Selwyn put
their smaller light recycling
wheelie bins out to the right
of the larger bins it would
be easier for the drivers
to see them, and it would
“Having the ability to call on others
within the business to contribute to the
development and implementation of the
programme is very important.”
Doesburg was very good
and made the implementation of the programme at
WMNZ much easier.
Driver feedback
One WMNZ Christchurch
branch driver says that as
a result of the programme
he was saving fuel in his
own personal vehicle and
another commented that he
was more relaxed and had
a better rhythm behind the
wheel.
enable the drivers to slow
down earlier, saving brake
wear, fuel, and time, but not
having to reverse unnecessarily to pick up the smaller
“hidden” bin.
WMNZ is in discussions
with the Council to implement this suggestion. While
small, this suggestion along
with all the other fuel efficiency initiatives could see
the WMNZ Christchurch
branch further reduce diesel usage says Newth.
Dieseltalk
|7
peopleTalk
Keenan and CAL Isuzu
head in a new direction
I
t’s not yet been two
months since John
Keenan took the role of
CAL Isuzu Auckland general
manager and already he is
bringing a little more structure to the family-owned
and managed business.
“Ashok Parbhu owns
and runs the company and
he has a very strong family
approach to the business,
with strong people values,
” says Keenan. “My role is to
bring a little more structure
to the business but not to a
level that stifles the family
approach.”
Keenan says he is pleased
to be working for a company that is 100% New Zealand
owned and 100% focussed
on the New Zealand heavy
transport industry.
“I can pick up the phone
and call Ashok and get a
decision made quickly,
which is a great thing for the
customer,” says Keenan
To improve its service
and delivery of new trucks
to customers, CAL Isuzu is
centralising its processing of
truck sales.
This will allow CAL Isuzu
sales people to be able to
get on with their job of selling, while other staff ensure
the truck is sent off to the
body builder for the required
body to be mounted on to
it, then once the build is
complete ensuring that the
truck is then sent off to the
paint shop, and sign writing
providers, before it returns
to the workshop for a predelivery inspection, where
it is checked over by the
technicians and salesperson
before delivery to the client.
Keenan says during the
centralised process from
sale to delivery, the custom-
8|
Dieseltalk
ers and salesman will do a
spot check to ensure that
everything is in order as the
build progresses.
For 2015 Keenan says
CAL Isuzu Auckland branch
aims to sell more than 400
units and he
wants to make
sure that the
right structures
and processes
are in place to
build that number to 500 sales
and beyond.
“We’re lookJohn Keenan
ing very closely
at our structures
and facilities to service future customer demand and
improve our service delivery
to the customers.”
When DIESELtalk arrived
at the CAL Isuzu Auckland
branch to meet with Keenan
he had spent the morning in
staff interviews as he needs
to fill a new truck salesperson role within the branch
“We have a very good
calibre of people within
CAL, there are more than
120 staff throughout the
group which has branches
in Auckland, Hamilton, and
Tauranga,” says Keenan.
“We always look internally
first for suitable candidates
as is our company policy,
and I don’t anticipate going
outside for this vacancy,
but once filled it will create
another internal vacancy,”
he notes.
Keenan says the current
market for new truck sales
is still strong but the body
builder pipeline is almost
at capacity. Although more
capacity is needed there is
a reluctance for suppliers to
get bigger and then have to
cut back, but he says there
are no signs of the market
demand backing off.
“Everyone is trying to get
trucks out of bodybuilding
shops as quickly as they can,
but customers are still waiting longer than they would
wish to,” he says.
Keenan comments that even
in Japan, where
Isuzu sources its
light tipper trucks
for the New
Zealand market,
the Japanese
factories are
at full capacity
and even their
bodybuilding lead times are
getting longer because of
local demand.
“It doesn’t take much of
an event, such as a natural
disaster or a financial crisis
to change the outlook of a
market, but if there are no
major disruptions, I think we
are in for another strong 12
to 24 months of truck sales
in New Zealand,” he says.
Keenan says the falling
dairy payout won’t have a
major effect on Isuzu truck
sales unless it keeps dropping, because the brand
has more indirect sales to
the dairy industry rather
than direct ones, and the
bulk of the company’s sales
are in Auckland and north
thereof.
DIESELtalk asked Keenan
if the recent fall of the Yen
versus the Kiwi dollar would
see lower truck prices, but
he says he feels that it is
more likely to be used by the
OEMS to offset the higher
costs of new diesel engine,
and new truck technologies
which will be introduced
due to emission legislation
in the future.
Improving lone worker
communications
Continued from page 5
out any response, the Navman Wireless Lone Worker
vehicle device will notify headquarters that the worker
is out-of-range and could be at risk.
Another key feature of the Lone Worker is its
two-way communication system. While most duress
systems only allow one way communication, where
workers send a distress message and have no confirmation whether it has been received, Lone Worker
sends a confirmation signal when it has been received
by the server.
Navman Wireless says Lone Worker has been designed to revolutionise the level of remote communication, safety and care that can be provided to mobile
workers in remote regions.
It is the newest addition to Navman Wireless’ portfolio of products and solutions that help businesses
adhere to workplace health and safety legislation and
duty of care for mobile staff.
businesstalk
The importance of
succession planning
W
ith recent media reports suggesting that the average age of owners of SME transport and contracting
businesses is now in the late 60s and only a quarter
of these have identified successors – this presents a real challenge to these businesses and the industries they support, says
Phil Herbert, GM of Advaro Speirs Finance.
“Succession planning is an important aspect of any business and should be about creating a robust, sustainable quality
culture and solid service ethic, which creates value in a business for both current and future owners.
"We are unfortunately seeing SME transport and contracting business owners frequently struggling to sell their
businesses for anything like the current market value of the
assets, and there is rarely any goodwill paid with prices typically being discounted. Often this is all the result of a failure
to build a sustainable business and the absence of succession planning.”
During a recent conversation with a partner in a major
accounting firm, Herbert reports he was told that while they
were seeing a reduction in requests to take up appointments
as a receiver, the number of business liquidations was increasing – this was largely due to owners having to voluntarily wind
up their own companies because they could not sell them.
Herbert suggests that in order to build a sustainable business
with a well thought out exit strategy that owners consider
the following 8 key points:
• Start early – succession planning ideally shouldn’t be
left until when you are looking to exit the business at
retirement age. Starting the process in your 40s and 50s
gives you time to develop a successful exit strategy and
provides better returns to owners.
• Seek assistance from the right key advisors, professionals
and other experienced business people that can give you
the right advice and feedback.
• Ensure the value of the business is “in the business”, not
“the owner” by creating a strong brand with credible and
Detroit Diesel increases warranty
M
TU Detroit Diesel
has increased its
warranty commitment to customers in New
Zealand and Australia.
Those customers running DD13 and DD15 onhighway engines in New
Zealand and Australia will
now receive additional benefits and inclusions to the
EW2 on-highway
warranty.
From November 1, 2014
all DD13 or
DD15 will experience enhanced
EW2 warranty protection, including no up-front
costs, paid towing, and no
deductables.
Phil Herbert
measurable points of difference.
• Where possible, secure medium to long term contracts
with your customers. This helps create more certainty
for them to receive sustained service quality and for
your business it demonstrates potential future income,
which in turn creates value and makes it a more attractive
proposition to any potential purchaser.
• Build a culture of excellent service by establishing rigorous service level agreements with your customers and
suppliers alike so that expectations are clearly defined,
met and measured. Review your performance against
these regularly to reinforce the value you provide to your
customers.
• Educate staff to understand the importance of representing your brand (or your customers’ brands) in a professional, superior and consistent manner.
• Develop close relationships with your customers and
strive to become such a valuable part of their supply
chain so that when the need arises to review rates, their
acceptance is more certain for fear of losing the valuable
services you deliver to their business.
• Employ staff that share your business values, invest in the
development of those that show they have the passion,
capability, skills and attitude to help run or potentially take
over the business. One method of encouraging staff to
stay with your business which provides ownership, is offering shares based on performance – over time this equity is gained in the business that can provide a pathway
to future ownership. It also allows for business owners
to progressively recover maximum value from the sale of
these shares to key staff over time.
He concludes by saying: “It’s very important to the future
success of New Zealand to build a sustainable economy
and a key contributor here is to ensure small to medium
sized business owners are well supported, build sustainable and quantifiable value in their businesses, and have
planned for the future”.
MTU Detroit
Diesel says the
enhancements
underline its commitment to supporting DD13 and
DD15 customers in New
Zealand and Australia.
The company’s director
of on-highway business
Kevin Dennis says the DD13
and DD15 products have
proven to be exceptionally
reliable.
According to MTU
Detroit Diesel there are
more than 3500 DD13 and
DD15 engines in service
across New Zealand and
Australia, as well as more
than 300,000 units operating across the globe, with
many engines clocking
up more than 1.2 million
km.
Dieseltalk
|9
A mandate for business growth
Recently appointed Sime Darby commercial group general manager Chris Brown had
been in his new role for six weeks when DIESELtalk interviewed him at his Auckland office.
DIESELtalk editor Robert Barry asked Brown about his background and his future plans for
the Sime Darby Commercial Group which employs more than 450 staff in four different
commercial vehicle businesses.
B
rown admits that he
is a newcomer to the
transport industry but
says that his previous senior
management roles in the
industrial and energy sector
have provided him with the
strategic vision, focus, and
leadership skills that gained
him the role at Sime Darby
Commercial Group.
Under the Sime Darby
Commercial Group umbrella is Motor Truck Distributors which distributes
Volvo heavy truck and bus,
as well as the Mack and
Renault heavy truck brands,
Hino Distributors which
distributes light, medium,
and heavy Hino trucks, UD
distributors which distributes UD medium and heavy
trucks, and Truck Stops
which is a national chain
of specialist heavy diesel
workshops
“Business is what I do,”
says Brown. “Operating models, systems, and
processes, we have more
than 450 staff in the four
businesses under the SIme
Darby Commercial Group
umbrella, so the scale of the
business is very similar to my
previous roles in industrial
and the energy sector.”
Prior to Sime Darby,
Brown’s most recently held
the role of general manager
LPG for Contact Energy,
and prior to that – as well as
working for industrial heavyweight, the BOC Group
– he has also consulted in
mergers and acquisitions,
and founded his own start
up mobile-phone based
marketing agency.
Brown may not describe
himself as driven, but given
that he relocated himself
10 |
Dieseltalk
and his family to Paris for
eight months in 2000 while
completing an MBA at the
International School of
Management, we get the
feeling he’s a man who gets
stuff done.
“I’m learning about trucks
and what makes them special,” he says. “The people
are great, the passion for the
industry, the passion for the
product and the customer
service is very evident in this
business – the people here
love what they do.”
“I do have mandate to
grow the group business,
and it's pretty exciting
because the truck market is
growing and there are great
opportunities, but you do
have to earn your place in
the market,” says Brown.
“We will focus on improving customer service
and the integration of sales
and service to make the
customer experience with
us more seamless.
“We will use technologies
such as the digital platform
and social media to allow
the customer to have more
control in how they engage
and interact with the business,” he says.
“As a business we need to
understand our customers
and what they want. Being
commercial operators they
want to manage costs and
efficiencies, so if we can
deliver improved costs and
efficiencies to our customers through the integration
of a vehicles systems and
telemetry with our current
IT systems, then we will
drive further growth in our
business.”
Brown says that Sime
Darby has also been acquisitive in the past, and there
may be opportunities within
the commercial sector for
further acquisitions to grow
the business.
“The New Zealand
economy does not grow
without ports, airports, and
road transportation and allied services,” says Brown.
“As a provider of road
transport vehicles and
services to keep them on
the road, we are inextricably
linked to the New Zealand
economy, and its an exciting environment to come
into now, with prospects for
even greater growth.”
Hino 50th
Birthday
Bash
H
ino hosted a
number of guests
at Auckland’s
Pullman Hotel for a
night of entertainment,
celebrating a big year
in New Zealand for the
brand, which has placed
15,000 units in service
since the first Hino’s were
introduced to the market
in 1964.
The dinner was attended by 120 customers, suppliers, staff and
friends of the Hino brand,
including special overseas guests from Hino
Japan and Australia.
NEWStalk
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Richard Edw
November 10
dieseltalk
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Managing ed
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November 3
November 4
New commercial
man for
FleetPartners
Finish the Waikato
expressway says
draft regional plan
FleetPartners has announced
a new business development
manager for its commercial
division.
The Waikato regional transport committee has signed off
the 2015-2045 draft regional
land transport plan and it will
be available to the public on
Friday for consultation and
submissions.
Hamish Buxton has taken
up the role, bringing with
him 10 years’ experience in
commercial finance, as well
as an excellent knowledge
of the industry.
Buxton’s selling career
began in agricultural machinery sales, and from there has
spent the last eight years in
the leasing industry.
Milk tanker gets new
lease of life
A second hand milk tanker has
gained a new lease of life as
a rural fire authority appliance thanks to local volunteer
firefighters.
The 13,000 litre-capacity
water tanker has joined the
Selwyn rural fire brigade
fleet of 19 vehicles, which
includes nine other water
tankers across the district.
Getting the purpose-built
tanker up and running was a
brigade-led project. The design and construction involved
local volunteer firefighters
including Steve Trigg, Quentin
Inkersell, John Trounson and
Mike Allen.
Under its recommendations, the highest priority is
the completion of the fourlane Waikato Expressway,
with a target finish date of
2019.
November 7
Turners name for
Dorchester?
The Turners name could
stretch beyond truck and
machinery auctions – with
Dorchester Pacific to consider
using it for its whole company
now it has succeeded in its
takeover bid for the country’s
biggest auction house and
vehicle retailer.
Turners is also considering a move into finance for
plant and equipment as
well. “The ability to fund
the sale of trucks, plant and
equipment can enhance
the price achieved,” says
Dorchester Pacific chief
executive Paul Byrnes.
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Civil contractors’
boss steps down
Civil Contractors New Zealand
(CCNZ) chief executive Jeremy Sole is stepping down on
December 19, after more than
five years at the helm.
He was previously the
chief executive of the New
Zealand Contractors’ Federation which was merged
with Roading New Zealand
last August to form CCNZ.
November 11
Industry consulted
on transport and
logistics training
Members of the transport
and logistics industry have
met with Aoraki Polytechnic
management to discuss plans
for new transport and logistics
qualifications set to commence next year.
The qualifications are
being developed in direct
response to feedback from
Canterbury businesses who
earlier this year identified
a skills shortage of suitably
qualified truck drivers due
to an aging workforce, and
a desire to lift the professional image of careers in
the transport industry.
Temuka Transport operations manager Garry Aitken
notes the region has the highest demand for drivers of any
in the country. NZ Bus achieves
highest ACC safety
rating
Infratil-owned NZ Bus has
attained the highest endorsement from the Accident
Compensation Corporation
for best practice and commitment to continuous improvement in workplace health and
safety.
The transport operator
has been working with the
ACC partnership programme and has recently
achieved Tertiary Level Accreditation for the second
year running.
NZ Bus chief executive
Zane Fulljames congratulates
his health and safety team as
well as all regional fleet and
operational managers across
all depots.
November 12
Huge half year for
Mainfreight
Strong domestic freight
volumes in New Zealand,
and increased sales in Asia,
Australia and the USA, will see
Mainfreight exceed full-year
sales of $2 billion in 2015.
Mainfreight group has
just reported sales and
earnings growth across all
its businesses in the first
half.
Earnings rose about 17% to
$33.7 million in the six months
ended September 30, the
company says. Sales rose 3.6%
to $987 million.
November 14
New truck wash
facility takes shape
in Hamilton
A purpose-built indoor
truckwash facility is rapidly
taking shape as part of a wider
truckstop development in the
heart of Hamilton’s transport
precinct, on the roundabout
at Avalon Drive and Crawford
Street, near the entrance to
the Kiwirail freight terminal.
The latest Clean Co
truckwash facility now
gives the group comprehensive coverage in the
freight 'golden triangle' by
adding to the existing sites
in Auckland and Tauranga,
and provides the Waikato region with the only
specialist site to wash the
commercial vehicle fleet.
Continued on page 12
Keep up with heavy transport and equipment news
Dieseltalk
| 11
NEWSTalk
Continued from page 11
The facility will incorporate
a large dual-lane automated
wash shed, with the addition of staff to provide a
hand wash of the driver’s cab
– ‘the expensive end’ – an
in-ground steam cleaning pit
for underbody access and a
2-storey reception and administration office, according
to the owner/developer of the
facility, Greg McQuaid.
More money for
dealers in MTF
results
Motor Trade Finance’s dealer
shareholders and originators
have had a good year – with
an 11.8% rise in commissions
and other incomes from the
firm.
According to the car,
truck and motorcycle
financiers, its annual report,
released this morning, says
commission paid to shareholder originators – mostly
dealers – increased by 8%
to $31.6m. Total amounts
paid to MTF originators,
including commission,
fees and payment waiver,
increased 11.8% to $50.0m.
November 14
Fifth good year in
a row for Colonial
Motor Co.
The distributor and retailer
of DAF and Kenworth trucks,
CMC, has had another very
good year, with a trading
profit after tax of $18.221m,
up 31% on the previous year.
“We have now had
five years of strong profit
growth each year,” says
Colonial Motor Company
chair, Jim Gibbons.
“In 2013 our profit grew
17% over the prior year; in
2012 it grew 42%, in 2011 35%;
a total of 197% since 2010.
Trading profit after tax is a
measure of our core trading
performance, the cumulative
monthly results from our trading activities."
Bridges briefing
released
Incoming minister of transport Simon Bridges has been
briefed on the work programme for his new department – with the details released this week to the public.
The briefing identifies
how decisions the Minister of Transport will make
could impact on the development of the transport
system over the longer
term.
Boost for Southpac
Trucks and CMC
tractor dealerships
Colonial Motor Company has
made large-scale improvements to its Southpac Trucks
headquarters – and to its
agricultural dealerships in the
South Island.
“Southpac Trucks has
had material growth over
the last four years,” says
CMC chairman Jim Gibbons. “Facility expansion
began three years ago
when we purchased the
large adjacent Hobill Avenue site, then built a new
truck workshop on it. Now
we are expanding the parts
facilities on the site and
next will upgrade the sales
and administration areas.
“The end result will be a
large integrated facility with a
sales frontage on Wiri Station
Road and a service entrance
on Hobill Avenue. Southpac
with its two strong heavy
truck brands, Kenworth and
DAF, has been a successful
part of Colonial Motor Company for 20 years, making a
significant contribution to the
overall CMC result.”
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12 |
Dieseltalk
November 17
Producing qualified
heavy truck drivers
In a bid to ease the shortage
of qualified drivers for the
transport industry, Christchurch-based Mainline Driving
School has teamed up with
the Christchurch Polytechnic
Institute of Technology (CPIT)
to offer a national certificate
in goods service (heavy vehicle driver) qualification.
The partnership between
Mainline and CPIT takes the
truck-driving students from
a passenger vehicle licence
(Class 1) to a Class 5 heavy
vehicle licence in around
six months. They also receive dangerous goods and
forklift endorsements, and
an occupational safety and
health certificate.
Students receive their
practical training in working trucks from companies
such as Cool runnings, Road
Metals, Container Transport
Services, and TNL.
November 18
Tunnel work won’t
interrupt buses
The six-month long earthquake-strengthening work on
the Hataitai bus tunnel started
today. but for bus users it
should be business as usual
most of the time says Wellington City Council.
Council’s transport and
urban development committee chair Andy Foster
says the work to strengthen
the tunnel portals and
adjacent retaining walls
has been planned in a way
that will allow the tunnel to
continue to be used safely.
Minimise risk or
face the fines says
WorkSafe
Farmers who don’t manage
and minimise risks for workers in uncontrolled settings
around heavy vehicles will
face hefty penalties if an incident or deaths happens, says
WorkSafe.
A Southland farmer
has been fined $52,000
and been ordered to pay
reparation of $100,000
over the August 2013 death
of a worker, while clearing
scrub on his farm.
The employee died when
he was crushed between
an excavator and some tree
stumps at the Orepuki farm
run by Frederick McCullough. Ageing truck drivers
‘a bit scary’
The increasing age of truck
drivers and the lack of
younger recruits is becoming
“a bit scary” say members of
the industry.
One driver says the
industry needs more skilled
young workers as many
drivers are starting to reach
retirement age and beyond.
The Road Transport Association’s upper South Island
area executive John Bond told
the Timaru Herald that most
truck drivers were now aged
between 50 and 70.
Government flags
response to forestry
review
The government's initial
response to the independent forestry safety review has
been released, and it agrees
with the review’s recommendation for the establishment
of a new forestry leaders action group (FLAG).
The minister for workplace relations and safety
Michael Woodhouse says
government intends to
provide more detailed
responses to the health and
safety regulatory recommendations of the forestry
sector early in 2015.
November 19
More rail, more
air freight, fewer
trucks say transport
partners
In releasing three planning
documents to accommodate
the next 30 years of freight
growth in Greater Christchurch, the nine transport
statement partners say more
freight needs to go on on rail,
more capacity needs to be
Continued on page 13
newstalk
Continued from page 12
build into air freight and more
freight needs to be moved on
fewer trucks.
The Greater Christchurch transport statement
partners include: NZ Transport Agency, KiwiRail, Lyttelton Port of Christchurch,
Christchurch International
Airport, Christchurch City
Council, Selwyn and Waimakariri District Councils, Environment Canterbury and
the Canterbury Earthquake
Recovery Authority.
Big Chill puts the
freeze on fuel burn
Perishable transport operator
Big Chill has put the freeze
on fuel burn and enhanced
both its driver safety and
risk management through
it’s participation in the EECA
heavy vehicle fuel efficiency
programme.
With more than 150
trucks on the road, targeting fuel burn improvement
is a huge benefit to the
business.
According to chief executive officer Michael Roberts,
Big Chill partnered with
EECA right at the start of the
programme implementation
throughout the company
more than three years ago,
because of both the financial
and intellectual support the
agency was able to provide
to get the company up and
running.
Bouyant farming
conditions see
record high tractor
sales
Good farming conditions have
boosted farm incomes to such
an extent that tractor sales
are expected to reach record
highs this year, in spite of the
dramatic fall in milk prices.
BusinessDesk reports
that sales of tractors of at
least 40 horsepower – the
most common measure
for frame tractors – have
reached 2536 units in the
first nine months of this
year, and are expected to
reach the same number sold
in 2005 of 3515, which will
be the highest number since
the Tractor and Machinery
Association (TAMA) began
gathering the data in 1990.
It is estimated that 60% of
farm tractor sales nationally are
related to the dairy industry.
November 20
Go Wellington fined
$22,000 for safety
failures
The failure by public transport
operator Go Wellington to act
quickly to prevent harm in a
place of work, has resulted in
the company being ordered
to pay a fine of $22,000, and
reparation totalling $3500
amongst seven identfiable victims for the emotional harm
caused.
Police say the prosecution highlights the duty of
care that all public transport providers have to
ensure passenger safety
and carry out timely and
effective maintenance.
November 20
Transport equipment
prices fall 0.6%
In the September 2014
quarter, transport equipment
prices fell 0.6% says Statistics
New Zealand.
However, four of six asset groups measured by the
capital goods price index
(CGPI) rose.
November 21
Trolley bus project
recognised as award
finalist
An electrical fault protection
project that enhances safety
for workers and the public
near trolley bus overhead
wires has seen Wellington
Cable Car Limited (WCCL) join
the finalists in the IPENZ New
Zealand engineering excellence awards (NZEE).
NZEE judges described
the WCCL trolley bus
overhead protection (TBOP)
project as “an example of
New Zealand engineering at
its best.”
WCCL operates and maintains 80km of Wellington’s
trolley bus overhead electrical
network on behalf of Greater
Wellington regional council. November 26
One Christmas
parcel delivered
every 2.6 seconds
To cope with an in-bound
freight increase of 25%, DHL
Express has hired an additional 10 couriers to cope with the
demand to deliver Christmas
parcels.
DHL Express anticipates
it will deliver 22.6 parcels
per minute over the Christmas period all over New
Zealand, an increase from
seven parcels per minute in
2012, and 17.8 last year.
That’s one delivery every
2.6 seconds says DHL Express.
November 27
Diesel fleet downsize
raises THL profits
Tourism Holdings Limited (THL), the biggest diesel
campervan rental company
in Australia and New Zealand,
says its annual profit may rise
as much as 44% on increased
sales and lower costs.
THL is downsizing its
fleet, after buying its local
rivals United Campervans
and KEA Campers in 2011
to reduce total campervan numbers and improve
margins.
November 28
World’s largest
vibration truck in
Christchurch
A University of Canterbury
engineer, who has used the
world’s largest vibration truck
(TRex) for seismic analysis on
the land occupied by Lyttelton
port of Christchurch, is a finalist in the young New Zealand
‘engineer of the year’ awards.
Dr Brendon Bradley is a
research leader in earthquake engineering, including the analysis of earthquake-induced ground
motions during the 2010
and 2011 earthquakes.
Bradley has tested soil conditions beneath Christchurch
and their influence on the
earthquakes with the specialist
TRex vibration truck.
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For all your needs call: Mike 027 492 9611 or Alex 027 436 6719
BULK AND AGENCY ENQUIRIES WELCOMED
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Dieseltalk
| 13
New truck numbers
down in November
A
lthough the new truck
market (all weights
over 3500kg GVM) still
remains hugely up for the
year, the market saw a slight
drop of 2.4% year-on-year,
with 441 registrations for
November 2014 as opposed
new HeavY trucks over 23,001kg
November 2014
NOV
'14
HINO
34
KENWORTH
25
FREIGHTLINER
21
MITSUBISHI FUSO 21
UD TRUCKS
20
VOLVO
19
ISUZU
14
DAF
12
SCANIA
9
MAN
5
OTHER
18
TOTAL
198
MAKE
NOV
'13
30
10
13
9
10
14
11
21
13
1
27
159
%
% of
YTD YTD
Change Market '14
'13
13.3
17.2
269
164
150.0
12.6
170
117
61.5
10.6
144
93
133.3
10.6
199
84
100.0
10.1
124
67
35.7
9.6
242
201
27.3
7.1
227
174
-42.9
6.1
169
196
-30.8
4.5
134
154
400.0
2.5
147
33
-33.3
9.1
296
344
24.5
100.0
2121 1627
new Medium trucks 9001-23,000kg
November 2014
MAKE
MITSUBISHI FUSO
HINO
UD TRUCKS
ISUZU
MAN
IVECO
OTHER
TOTAL
NOV NOV %
% of
YTD
'14
'13
Change Market '14
19
12
58.3
25.7
203
16
9
77.8
21.6
215
12
16
-25.0
16.2
119
9
10
-10.0
12.2
220
7
36
-80.6
9.5
87
5
6
-16.7
6.8
47
6
8
-25.0
8.1
71
74
97
-23.7
100.0
962
YTD
'13
125
157
102
182
45
36
78
725
nEW LIGHT TRUCKS 3500-9000KG
November 2014
NOV
'14
MERCEDES-BENZ 41
ISUZU
37
MITSUBISHI FUSO 35
VOLKSWAGEN
21
FIAT
20
HINO
8
OTHER
7
TOTAL
169
MAKE
NOV %
% of
YTD
YTD
'13
Change Market '14
'13
32
28.1
24.3
234
172
21
76.2
21.9
363
314
26
34.6
20.7
207
204
72
-70.8
12.4
82
127
27
-25.9
11.8
177
143
11
-27.3
4.7
192
143
7
0.0
4.1
145
138
196 -13.8
100.0 1400 1241
to 452 new trucks registered
in November 2013.
The culprit for the
decreased number appears
to be camper van sales in
the new light truck segment, Volkswagen saw
its year on year numbers
decrease from 72 to 21,
and Fiat decreased from
27 to 20.
Registrations of
new heavy trucks (over
23,001kg GVM) were
up 24% to 198 units for
November 2014, but new
medium trucks (9001
-23,001kg GVM) were
down 23% to 74 units last
month as were new light
trucks (3500-9000kg
GVM) down 13% to 169
units registered.
DAF, Scania, and MAN
saw a drop in year on year
heavy truck registrations
for November 2014, but
Hino lead the charge,
followed by Kenilworth,
Freightliner, Fuso, UD
Trucks, Volvo, and Isuzu
trucks all enjoying year on
year increases.
In the new medium
truck segment Fuso and
Hino enjoyed year on year
increases, but UD trucks,
Isuzu, MAN, and Iveco
saw decreased year on
year numbers for November.
In the new light truck
segment MercedesBenz, Isuzu, and Fuso
Vehicle Inspection NZ
all enjoyed year on year
increases, but Volkswagen,
Hino, and Fiat saw year on
year decreases
Mitsubishi Fuso had a
very strong month delivering 75 trucks and one bus
says Fuso national sales
manager Mike Davidson,
with numbers of those new
Fuso registrations evenly
Mike Davidson
spread across the heavy,
medium, and light truck categories, just as it was for the
truck distributor in October.
Davidson commented
that the success of the
Fuso run-out programme
earlier in 2014 means that
the new trucks are now
coming through the system
from the oversubscribed
body builders, and that it
continues to be a difficult
challenge for the industry
to overcome. But he says
there is still no sign of the
market slowing down.
“The market is going
Continued on page 15
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14 |
Dieseltalk
esting to get the final year
figures to do a year on year
comparison of the market,
there may have been a few
customers moving from
the heavy segment to the
medium segment, it will be
interesting to see the final
results and do a comparison,” he says.
Continued from page 14
from strength to strength,
and current customer
inquiry to dealers continues
to be strong, normally you
would expect a slowdown
in December, but this seems
not to be the case, and decisions are not being delayed
until January next year,” says
Davidson.
“Traditionally our second
half of the year has always
been stronger than the first
half, but in 2014 that might
be turned on its head. I
think we will see a strong
start to 2015 and then a
possible gradual slow down
from the middle of the year
onwards,” he says.
Davidson says that new
Fuso truck arrivals will continue in the same vein for
December and January.
“There a continuous flow
of metal across the water to
keep us busy,” he concludes.
Isuzu Truck sales and
marketing manager Michael Doeg says November registrations showed a
light month for the company’s heavy truck model
(23,000kg+ GVM), the Giga
series, with only eight units
registered.
The medium Isuzu S Series Truck recorded 16 registrations and the light Isuzu
N Series truck recorded 40
registrations.
“We have consistently
performed well in the light
and medium truck segment
with a product portfolio
that meets many requirements, and we also have
a consistent marketing
programme to further drive
inquiry,” he says.
“Both the N series and the
S Series are good consistent
performers,” says Doeg.
Michael Doeg
However, Doeg
says Isuzu Truck has
seen a number of
slower sales months
for the Giga heavy
truck series due to
both constraints on
local bodybuilding
as well as shipping
delays which means
that stock from the
factory has not arrived to meet local
demand.
“We can expect
some more arrivals
of Giga in December
and late January,”
says Doeg
“The market for
2014 has surprised
us with the sales
volumes we have
seen, but I would
be surprised if the
December numbers
will be as big as
those in November,”
he says.
“December is normally a tough month
with the statutory
holidays in the middle of it, as well as
the fact that often
truck bodybuilders
do close down for a
summer break, so its
hard to predict what
the final outcome will
be until the figures
arrive,” says Doeg.
“It will be inter-
If you’re looking
to purchase a new
truck or equipment
talk to UDC
NEW TRUCK makes All weights over
3500kg – November 2014
MAKE
MITSUBISHI FUSO
ISUZU
HINO
MERCEDES-BENZ
UD TRUCKS
KENWORTH
FREIGHTLINER
VOLKSWAGEN
FIAT
VOLVO
OTHER
TOTAL
NOV
'14
75
60
58
51
32
25
22
21
20
19
58
441
NOV
'13
47
42
50
47
26
10
13
72
27
14
104
452
%
Change
59.6
42.9
16.0
8.5
23.1
150.0
69.2
-70.8
-25.9
35.7
-44.2
-2.4
% of
YTD'14 YTD'13
Market
17.0
609
413
13.6
810
670
13.2
676
464
11.6
342
279
7.3
244
169
5.7
170
117
5.0
146
93
4.8
82
127
4.5
177
143
4.3
244
204
13.2
983
914
100.0 4483
3593
NEW Buses over 3500Kg – November 2014
MAKE
ISUZU
VOLVO
MERCEDES-BENZ
SCANIA
FACTORY BUILT
OTHER
TOTAL
NOV
'14
4
4
2
2
1
2
15
NOV
'13
3
1
7
1
1
26
39
%
% of
Change Market
33.3
26.7
300.0
26.7
-71.4
13.3
100.0
13.3
0.0
6.7
-92.3
13.3
-61.5
100.0
YTD
'14
21
13
38
38
26
148
284
YTD
'13
9
7
18
12
31
212
289
NEW Light commercial makes
under 3500kg – November 2014
NOV NOV %
% of
'14
'13
Change Market
TOYOTA
723
789
-8.4
23.2
FORD
629
528
19.1
20.2
HOLDEN
335
267
25.5
10.8
NISSAN
212
169
25.4
6.8
ISUZU
156
118
32.2
5.0
MITSUBISHI
154
148
4.1
4.9
VOLKSWAGEN
125
188
-33.5
4.0
MAZDA
90
99
-9.1
2.9
MERCEDES-BENZ 89
100
-11.0
2.9
MITSUBISHI FUSO 76
58
31.0
2.4
OTHER
524
471
11.3
16.8
TOTAL
3113 2935 6.1
100.0
MAKE
YTD'14
YTD'13
7870
6320
2978
2324
1985
2129
1259
1362
659
657
6376
33919
6938
5090
2485
2635
1437
1916
1318
1190
507
475
4465
28456
Your first choice in
truck & equipment finance
Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz
UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.
Dieseltalk
| 15
Used trucks up but
tractors down
U
sed imported heavy, medium, and light trucks all saw
year-on-year increases for November as did used
light commercial vehicles, but used imported tractors saw a more than 20% decline.
In the overall used truck market (all weights over
3500kg) the market saw a 7% year-on-year increase, while
the light commercial market (all weights under 3500kg)
had a greater year-on-year increase of 16%.
Registrations of used imported light commercial vehicles
USED HeavY trucks over 23,001kg
– November 2014
NOV
'14
IVECO
5
ISUZU
2
KENWORTH 2
LIEBHERR
2
MITSUBISHI 1
OTHER
1
TOTAL
13
MAKE
NOV
'13
0
0
0
0
0
9
9
%
Change
-88.9
44.4
% of
Market
38.5
15.4
15.4
15.4
7.7
7.7
100.0
YTD
'14
5
9
8
5
5
62
94
YTD
'13
2
1
1
60
64
USED Medium trucks 9001-23,000kg
– November 2014
MAKE
HINO
ISUZU
DAF
OTHER
TOTAL
NOV
'14
3
3
2
2
10
NOV
'13
1
1
3
3
8
%
Change
200.0
200.0
-33.3
-33.3
25.0
% of
YTD
Market '14
30.0
23
30.0
17
20.0
12
20.0
54
100.0
106
YTD
'13
20
11
16
58
105
USED LIGHT TRUCKS 3500-9000KG
– November 2014
MAKE
TOYOTA
ISUZU
HINO
NISSAN
MITSUBISHI
FORD
OTHER
TOTAL
NOV
'14
28
23
14
10
6
3
14
98
NOV %
'13
Change
31
-9.7
23
0.0
6
133.3
14
-28.6
5
20.0
2
50.0
15
-6.7
96
2.1
% of
YTD YTD
Market '14
'13
28.6
287
260
23.5
258
187
14.3
104
93
10.2
118
104
6.1
96
58
3.1
15
13
14.3
128
109
100.0
1006 824
Vehicle Inspection NZ
are nearly 1700 units ahead of the same period last year.
Used imported heavy trucks saw a significant bounce
back last month from the previous corresponding period,
which may be a reflection that customers for new vehicles
in this market segment are no longer able to endure the
length of delivery which can be 6 to 8 months, and instead
are opting for secondhand units that can be delivered to
work more quickly.
In the used imported heavy truck (over 23,000kg GVM)
category Iveco saw 5 registrations, up from none last year,
Isuzu recorded two, as did Kenworth, and Leibherr, while
Mitsubishi Fuso saw one registration in this category. Overall 13 trucks were registered for the month, a 44% increase
year on year.
Year-to-date used imported heavy trucks have recorded
94 registrations as opposed to 64 in the previous corresponding period.
Used imported
medium trucks
(9001-23,000kg
GVM) also had a
better year-on-year
increase of 25%. Hino
and Isuzu saw three
registrations each,
and DAF scored two.
Overall, 10 trucks
were registered in this category for the month, a 25% increase year-on-year.
Year-to-date used imported medium trucks have recorded 1 more registration than the corresponding period
last year being 106 units.
While used light trucks (3500-9000kg GVM) only saw a
2% increase year on year, this segment is by far the biggest
seller with 98 units registered, up 2 from November 2013.
Toyota led the used import light truck segment with 28
registrations, followed by Isuzu on 23, Hino on 14, Nissan
on 10, Fuso on 6, and Ford won 3 registrations.
Year-to-date used imported light trucks have seen the
biggest improvement in numbers registered of 1006, as opposed to 824 in the previous corresponding period.
Continued on page 17
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16 |
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If you’re looking
to purchase a new
truck or equipment
talk to UDC
Continued from page 16
Light commercials keep flooding in
Used imported light commercials keep flooding across
the wharves into the local market, and this is reflected by the
15.8% increase in year-on-year registrations for November.
There were 719 vehicles
registered in November
2014 as opposed to 621 in
the previous corresponding
period.
Not surprisingly, Toyota
is the leading used imported
light commercial brand with
381 registrations, followed by
Nissan on 133, Mazda on 35, Isuzu on 33, and Ford on 22.
Year-to-date used imported light commercials have
grown from 5532 registrations as at November 2013 to 7223
as at November 2014.
Tractors down for the month, up for the year
While new and used tractor registrations were down for
the month of November - sales are still buoyant no doubt
due to the strength in the farming economy.
Overall new tractor registrations are 2047 units as opposed to 1917 for the previous corresponding period.
John Deere, New Holland, Kubota, and Massey Ferguson
all experienced year on year gains in new Tractor registrations, but CASE IH, Deutz-Fahr, Fendt, and Tractor all saw
Used TRUCK makes All weights
over 3500kg – November 2014
MAKE
ISUZU
TOYOTA
HINO
NISSAN
IVECO
MITSUBISHI
DAF
FORD
OTHER
TOTAL
NOV
'14
28
28
17
12
8
7
4
3
14
121
NOV
'13
24
31
9
14
5
4
2
24
113
%
% of
Change Market
16.7
-9.7
88.9
-14.3
40.0
0.0
50.0
-41.7
7.1
23.1
23.1
14.0
9.9
6.6
5.8
3.3
2.5
11.6
100.0
YTD
'14
284
287
144
130
18
104
20
13
206
1206
YTD
'13
199
260
130
110
10
60
24
13
187
993
USED Light commercial makes
under 3500kg – November 2014
NOV
MAKE
'14
TOYOTA
381
NISSAN
133
MAZDA
35
ISUZU
33
FORD
22
HINO
19
CHEVROLET 15
MITSUBISHI 12
FIAT
11
OTHER
58
TOTAL
719
NOV
'13
271
130
43
35
23
9
20
15
33
42
621
%
Change
40.6
2.3
-18.6
-5.7
-4.3
111.1
-25.0
-20.0
-66.7
38.1
15.8
% of
Market
53.0
18.5
4.9
4.6
3.1
2.6
2.1
1.7
1.5
8.1
100.0
YTD
'14
3594
1468
361
356
281
154
165
221
67
556
7223
YTD
'13
2537
1264
285
232
286
134
123
117
71
483
5532
moderate declines
The registration figures however, do not give an accurate tally
of total new tractor sales as many
are not registered for the road.
In November BusinessDesk
reported that sales of tractors of at least 40 horsepower
– the most common measure for farming tractors – have
reached 2536 units in the first nine months of 2014, and
are expected to reach the same number sold in 2005
of 3515, which will be the highest number yet since the
Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) began gathering the data in 1990.
It is estimated that 60% of farm tractor sales nationally
are related to the dairy industry.
At the time TAMA president Ian Massicks said the dairy
payout of $8.40 per kilogram of milk solids and the good
growing conditions negating the need for buying extra stock
feed, meant that farmers had more cash this year to buy
farming equipment such as tractors.
TAMA expected that the lower forecast payout of $5.30
per kilogram of milk solids to dairy farmers may only
reduce 2015 tractor sales by around 15% from this year’s
highs.
“Even at that level, it is still a reasonable payout,” says
Massicks. “There is no doubting this year’s has been an
exceptional payout. It’s still going to be a very healthy tractor
market next year.”
New tractor registrations
– November 2014
NOV
'14
JOHN DEERE
57
NEW HOLLAND 18
MASSEY FERGUSON 16
CASE IH
12
KUBOTA
11
DEUTZ-FAHR
10
FENDT
10
CASE
9
TRACTOR
9
OTHER
21
TOTAL
173
MAKE
NOV
'13
44
17
13
15
7
14
14
9
11
37
181
%
Change
29.5
5.9
23.1
-20.0
57.1
-28.6
-28.6
0.0
-18.2
-43.2
-4.4
% of
YTD
YTD
Market '14
'13
32.9
722
602
10.4
220
267
9.2
174
145
6.9
147
151
6.4
125
86
5.8
119
85
5.8
112
83
5.2
69
103
5.2
135
153
12.1
224
242
100.0 2047 1917
USED tractor registrations
– November 2014
MAKE
JOHN DEERE
MASSEY FERGUSON
TRACTOR
NEW HOLLAND
CASE
FORD
DEUTZ-FAHR
OTHER
TOTAL
NOV
'14
19
7
7
6
4
4
3
23
73
NOV
'13
32
17
4
5
6
5
1
24
94
%
Change
-40.6
-58.8
75.0
20.0
-33.3
-20.0
200.0
-4.2
-22.3
% of
YTD
Market '14
26.0
133
9.6
113
9.6
49
8.2
82
5.5
34
5.5
38
4.1
33
31.5
251
100.0 733
YTD
'13
132
106
68
56
33
45
13
227
680
Dieseltalk
| 17
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TrainingTalk
Training: our way out of
the driver shortage
T
his is not the first time the transport industry has faced driver
shortages and I am sure it won’t
be the last.
In the early 2000’s I attended a
presentation held at National Road
Carriers about what could be done
to relieve the driver shortage at that
time, which was projected to increase
to an estimated 6000 drivers short within five years.
That time has come and
passed, and there were
driver shortages, although
we never quite got to the
projected figures. Two of
the key reasons being:
• Driving made the skills
shortage list so we had
an influx from overseas, and
• There were incentives to attract
people from the reasonably large
unemployment list into the transport industry.
Both of these played a part in minimising the industries driver shortages.
The industry possibly got a little
blasé about the driver shortage, as it
didn’t seem to be getting any greater,
and people went about their daily life
of moving freight.
However, no news seems to have
indicated good news to the powers
that be, so lo and behold driving skills
were dropped off the skills shortage
list, and now we seem to be right back
where we were over 10 years ago.
The last RTF conference was told
the shortage of drivers is projected to
grow to 10,000 in the next few years.
So the obvious point is raised – get
driving skills back on the skills shortage
list, and yes I am sure this will happen
in due course, but what else can we
do, and should be doing in the meantime?
Since our unemployment figures
are now somewhat lower, and we have
largely tapped that barrel, what other
options are available?
Probably one of the best ideas I
have seen growing lately to assist
driver shortages is the 'Women in Road
Transport' campaign, and I think, par-
18 |
Dieseltalk
don the pun, that it has real legs.
Although this is possibly suited only
to companies that have the diversity
in operations which open them up to
tapping into this pool, having more
new people enter the industry is the
desired outcome.
However, there is still a time delay
from someone entering the industry
little over four years ago who continuously used temporary drivers ‘because
they just needed someone with a
licence, now.’
However the damage bill was excessive and it wasn’t until one of those
drivers tried to make the vehicle fit
under a low bridge causing in excess
of $100,000 worth of damage to the
vehicle alone. Did they
take action and ensure that
Commercial Road Skills general manager
the driver not only had a
Tony Newth is an EECA accredited HVPA as
licence but also the neceswell as an NZTA approved course provider
sary skills?
and senior SAFEDNZ instructor. He will be
So one of the answers,
commenting on transport issues monthly
I believe, is to ensure you
for DIESELtalk. Email: [email protected]
have adequately trained
drivers not just licensed
drivers.
to being able to drive the ‘big rigs’
Also ensure that you have ongoing
which is largely based on the gradudevelopment programmes in place to
ated licensing system – now don’t get
retain the drivers you have and up-skill
me wrong, I agree with a graduated
them so they will stay with you and
system, the issue as I see it is a general
ultimately grow with your company.
lack of understanding of the imporIt is far cheaper and more productance of training in the road transport
tive to retain the staff you have, than
Learning trailer
control at a Volvo
facility in Europe.
industry.
I have seen it repeatedly happen
where a company’s requirement is ‘I
just need someone with a licence!’
Which of course harks back to the
driver shortage issue, however someone with just a licence is probably
going to do more damage for your
company than good.
I recall working with a customer a
it is to replace them, especially in the
current transport industry environment.
Having good training systems and
pathways in place will also attract more
drivers, and ensure that new drivers get
up to speed as quickly as possible, and
with the right skills.
If it works for the likes of McDonalds and Google, don’t you think it
could work for you?
employmenttalk
Diesel mechanics in short supply
I
t seems almost impossible that Christmas is just
around the corner yet
again. In the recruitment
industry the pace has been
demanding, particularly so
for our niche which is motor
industry recruitment.
The challenges this year
came thick and fast with
skills shortages impacting virtually every sector
of industry. It is one thing
being busy, but delivering
on a promise of achievement in a candidate-tight
market is another.
In the later stages of
2014, regardless of whether you were a recruiter
or an employer, securing
top end talent became an
expensive exercise. It didn’t
seem to matter what role
companies were searching
for, reports of a universal
shortage of ‘quality candidates’ became common.
It needs to be noted
that the catch phrase here
is quality of candidate not
quantity of applicants, for
it seems there are plenty of
applicants with no relevant
experience prepared to try
their luck for just about any
role.
It takes a lot of resource
to secure the top 5% candidates now, and committed recruiters are pushed
increasingly towards higher
investment in resourcing
tools. This will come as no
surprise to the experienced
industry. Unlike previous
years, many employers had
already stepped up training
even prior to the removal of
skills from the Immigration
NZ skills lists.
To increase training,
in our opinion, requires a
much more complex review
of the employer’s ability to
Russell Phillips is New Zealand’s most
experienced automotive recruiter, and has
operated a specialist recruitment company
since 1991. He reports for DIESELtalk on the
employment market monthly.
www.automotiveemployment.co.nz
hiring managers. The biggest labour market challenge for 2014 is finding
diesel mechanics and automotive technicians. These
were last year removed from
the essential skills lists on
the recommendation of the
Ministry of Business Innova
We acknowledge the
actions of MBIE were well
meaning but the decision
in our opinion was flawed,
we warned the changes
would cause a problem for
train and attract the required
number of apprentices.
Complicating the employer’s ability to supplement
skills shortages is not the
answer. For those who read
the following DIESELTalk
article in November ‘Trades
and Technical Vacancies
Increase’ this article quoted
MBIE reports on trade and
technical shortages. We
highlight that Automotive
Employment NZ already
expressed concerns to
MBIE earlier this year that
removing technicians from
the essential skills lists
would add to skills shortages not solve the training
issue. Without the scenario
being resolved these skills
will become even harder
to locate in 2015. We have
also expressed to MBIE that
in our opinion, skills shortages have the potential to
contribute to accidents.
Employers struggling to
locate skills could well be
forced to compromise on
the level of technical skills
they hire and this could lead
to potentially dangerous
repair errors. This is particularly true of the smaller
repairers who use price as
the principal means to attract custom. The problem
becomes clear when you
consider they also have to
pay premium rates to attract
trade skills above the rates
paid by franchise sites. The
upside to this issue is that
with the increase in vehicle
sales, those employers that
can secure the technical
skills will be positioned to
charge a premium.
Foot no longer flat to the floor
T
he latest ANZ Truckometer
says both the heavy traffic
and the light truck index fell
in November.
The bank has re-weighted the
Truckometer indexes in light of the
newly revised GDP data released by
Statistics NZ. Under the old weighting regime the November fall in
both both would have been a bit
larger.
The ANZ heavy traffic index fell
2.9% in November, and the light
traffic index fell 1.4%.
Seasonally adjusted traffic flows
fell on every one of the 11 roads in
the heavy traffic index in November
and on 7 of the 10 roads in the light
traffic index.
“The relative weakness in November after two good months is
a reminder that the New Zealand
economy cannot sustainably grown
at 1% per quarter,” says the ANZ.
“We suspect strength in September and October reflected a fast
start to the dairy production season
and possibly a post-election return
to normality - both very welcome
factors but neither particularly sustainable as growth drivers.
“The global outlook is clouded,
and represents the main risk to
the New Zealand economy. But
for now, New Zealand is enjoying
a period of string growth with no
inflation problem,” says the ANZ.
Dieseltalk
| 19
risktalk
Understand before you sign
A
greements between transport
operators, contractors and their
principals have always played a
part in defining the insurance obligations of the parties. However, recently the detail and
additional conditions set down for
signature have increased and become
more complicated. This can leave not
only the contractor unsure of their
responsibilities, but in many instances the principal or
transport company for
whom they drive.
A lack of understanding of the wording applied can be dangerous.
This can certainly be
true of parties and their
advisers when it comes to specifying
insurance requirements in contracts.
A recent example to cross our desks
saw a professional indemnity cover set
down in a standard owner driver agreement. When queried, the intent was of
course that the driver arrange cover to
a specific level of public liability. Many agreements now not only
stipulate that the contractor will hold
specific vehicle and liability cover up
to defined limits, but also require the
‘other party’ to the agreement be protected by noting their respective rights
and interests.
Such a clause can increase the
exposure to the insurer and therefore
require an increase in the premium
paid by the contractor.
It is generally one way traffic in this
respect, with the cost to comply with
these additional conditions under ‘Insurance and Indemnity’ sections carried
by the contracting transport operator.
That’s assuming the contractor has actually had the additional requirements
outlined to them or has carefully read
the document themselves.
It is reasonably common in commercial contracts for one party to
indemnify the other for liability arising
out of performance. In most instances
not suitable to our environment.
In many instances the requirements
set down to New Zealand contractors
are not relevant due to differing market
conditions and statutes. Requirements
to arrange cover in line with Australian Workers Compensation are often
referenced (where in New Zealand ACC
applies).
It is also common to see requirements to provide full cover for product carried by truckers,
Eamon O’Connor is a director of O’Connor Warren
rather than the Carriage
Insurance Brokers, which specialises in transport
of Goods Act 1979 (COG)
and logistics insurance. He will be sharing his
applying with its recently
expertise on risk management and insurance
amended $2000 per unit
matters in DIESELtalk. He can be contacted at:
limit.
[email protected]
Performance bonds
in standard contracts are
there needs to be an element of
increasing. Recent examples sighted
negligence on the contractors part,
have asked owner drivers for a $10,000
following an incident for their policy to
bond to be paid. The contract outlines
respond.
that the ‘company’ (principal) reserves For this the contractor can arrange
the right to deduct part of the bond
the necessary level of liability insurbased on what it may consider reasonance to protect their interests up to the
able grounds. There are however no
specific limit set down.
specific parameters set out around
We have seen examples of comwhen, or in what instances, it may demercial agreements taking the next
duct from the bond.
step and confirming the contractor
With increased directive for contracmust arrange insurance to a certain
tors to commit to signing new or uplimit whilst providing indemnity even
graded contracts, it is time to be wary.
when they are not negligent nor liable
Ensure you carefully read and ununder law. This shows that the conderstand what you are signing. Refer
tract drafters clearly have a limited
the ‘Insurance and Indemnity’ clauses
knowledge of insurance matters.
to your lawyer or insurance broker on
A lot of issues arise from principal
every occasion. That way you could be
companies domiciled in Australia that
saved from agreeing to the impossible
pass their New Zealand colleagues
as well as better understanding the
standard agreements that are simply
insurance obligations defined.
Gates launches new website
G
ates Australia has
unveiled its revamped website for
diesel trade parts users in
New Zealand and Australia.
It says the newly revised
www.GatesAustralia.com.
au portal offers easier access to hose and belt products, tips, and resources for
an improved user experience.
Highlights of the new
20 |
Dieseltalk
website include more than
800 product pages with
up-to-date specifications,
images, and data.
There are also more
than 400 assets in the
catalogues and resources
library, including case
studies, engineering applications, technical bulletins, manuals, white papers
and more.
Resources and solutions
on the website are organised by industry type (automotive, fleet and heavy
duty, industrial, mining, oil
and gas) and also by product type (industrial hose,
hydraulic hose, industrial
belts, automotive parts).
Product search and parts
lookup features are on
the homepage for instant
access to Gates solutions,
as well as a Gates authorised distributor search
tool. Gates says the new
customer-focused site
has been launched to help
customers find solutions to
meet their business challenges.
testedtalk
Luxurious workhorses
DIESELtalk editor Robert Barry spent a back-to-back fortnight test driving the Isuzu MU-X
SUV and LS-T 4x4 double cab utility – here are his impressions.
I
suzu Ute first introduced
its luxury specification
seven-seat MU-X SUV to
the New Zealand market just
in time for the National Fieldays, and the one-size-fits
all variant is available from
dealerships for $65,990.
Just when you thought
the market for the traditional body-on-frame ladder chassis 4x4 wagon
was going to die off,
Isuzu Ute (and joint venture development partner GM) came up with a
D-Max (Colorado) based
7-seat wagon that gives
the ageing Toyota Prado,
Mitsubishi Challenger,
and Ssangyong Rexton
some much needed
competition.
Come late 2015 there
will also be the Rangerderived all-singing,
all-dancing, Ford Everest 7-seat 4x4 wagon
to contend with, but for
now the MU-X sits slightly
above the Rexton, and Challenger in retail price but well
below the Prado.
There is still a market for
an old-school towing vehicle such as the MU-X and a
3000kg (braked) towing capacity is not to be dismissed
lightly by the private buyer
or a business owner looking
for a dual-purpose vehicle
for work and leisure.
Fold all the rear seats
down and the MU-X turns
from people mover into a
massive station wagon that
will swallow more than
enough boxes to move half
a townhouse - we know, as
we’ve done it!
The body shape may be
shared with the Holden Colorado 7, but the MU-X has a
different nose and tail lamp
treatment, and there is the
robust Isuzu truck-derived
130kW/380Nm 3-litre fourcylinder turbo diesel engine
under the hood which is
mated to a five-speed automatic transmission.
The Colorado 7 might
have a more powerful 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel
unit (147kW/500Nm) and
a six-speed transmission,
but the MU-X has a different suspension tune than
the Colorado, and is much
better off for it, with a softer
and more compliant ride
both on-road and off-road.
I also found the cabin of
the Isuzu was a lot quieter
than the Holden particularly
at open road speeds, the
MU-X engine may not have
the same outright grunt as
the VM Motori-sourced unit
under the bonnet of the
Colorado 7 but its a lot less
noisy on acceleration.
We were informed by
Isuzu Ute that MU-X is an
acroynym for Multi Utility Xtreme, which might at first
seem a bit absurd but once
you’ve spent some time
behind the wheel you soon
appreciate the finer points of
this vehicle.
For a start it’s got a huge
amount of standard equipment, including leather
upholstery, satellite navigation, bluetooth telephony,
powered adjustment for the
drivers seat, privacy glass,
reversing camera, climatecontrolled air conditioning,
CD/DVD entertainment
system with drop-down
10-inch screen for rear pas-
sengers, chromed power
exterior mirrors, aluminium
side steps, 17-inch alloy
wheels, and matte silver roof
rails.
The MU-X shares much
of its dashboard architecture and design with its
Holden cousin but the quality and finish of the Isuzu
looks and feels a cut above
the GM product.
My four-wheel-driving in
the MU-X has been limited
to extricating myself from
a boggy paddock known as
the Mystery Creek car park,
and driving across the rocks
and sand of Faulkner Bay for
the photos seen here, but
this wagon has some serious
off-road capability.
You can shift on the
fly from two-wheel-drive
to high ratio four-wheeldrive at driving speeds up
to 100km/h, but engaging
low ratio four-wheel-drive
requires the vehicle to be
stationery and the gearbox
in neutral position for the
system to engage.
Activating low range automatically disengages the
traction control system (for
obvious reasons, sometimes
you need a bit of wheel spin
to actually get traction on
low friction surfaces). The
MU-X has approach and
departure angles of 30.1
and 25.1 degrees respectively, and with its generous axle articulation, it
will tackle most off-road
situations with ease.
Built tough not rough
The same can be said
for the D-Max LS-T 4x4
automatic double cab
utility. It too shares the
mountain-goat ability
of the MU-X, as well as
much of its luxury specification for the retail ask of
$60,990.
With more and more 4x4
utes doing double duty as
work and family vehicles,
more and more brands such
as Ford, Holden, Mazda,
Toyota and all are adding an
upmarket specification to
their range, and Isuzu Ute is
no exception.
The LS-T builds on the
already comprehensive spec
of the LS 4x4, adding leather
upholstery, powered driver’s
seat, touch screen navigation and audio, surround
sound audio, and reversing
camera. It shares the same
alloy wheels as the MU-X
as well as the silver capped
power exterior mirrors and
aluminium side steps.
Despite having a proper
leaf-sprung rear-axle rather
Continued on page 22
Dieseltalk
| 21
testedtalk
It’s what’s on the inside
that counts
T
o maintain optimum
performance modern
diesel engines require a constant supply of
carefully filtered engine oil.
Poorly filtered lubricant can
increase premature wear,
or result in the worst case
scenario of a breakdown and
engine damage says MannFilter.
There are significant differences in the quality and
performance of compact
spin-on filters with metal
housings currently available
in the market says Mannfilter. From the outside, the
‘can’ looks quite similar.
‘Only a high-quality spin-on
filter provides optimum
protection against engine
wear. Viewed from the outside, the efficiency of the
various spin-on filters can
be indistinguishable.
Simply constructed spinon oil filters are made up
of the following parts: the
screw cap with external seal,
a filter housing containing a filter element and an
element guide. This holds
the filter element in the right
position. Many high-quality
spin-on oil filters have additional components which
enhance engine protection.
Mann-Filter says it equips
its spin-on oil filters with
specially moulded, highly
elastic anti-drain membranes, ensuring that the oil
remains in the filter, even
with an inclined mounting
position, when the engine
is switched off. The engine
oil immediately lubricates
the engine components
on re-start. In this way the
units are protected against
engine wear of which 40%
can occur on startup. The oil
is affected by gravity as soon
as the engine is no longer
running and the oil ceases
to circulate. Without an antidrain valve, it would slowly
seep out of the filter and the
oil channels and return to
the sump.
The key part of the spinon oil filter is the filter element. This carries out the
cleaning which is the principle task of the filter. In order
to function thoroughly and
efficiently, the element
contains a high-quality filter
medium. Mann-Filter says
the optimum pleat geometry of its medium provides
the largest possible surface
area. In contrast, it says that
some inferior filter media
do not even cover one third
of this area.
With regard to optimum
filtration and long service
life, the material quality
of the medium is just as
important. The pores of
the filter media must be
extremely fine and able to
retain large quantities of
contaminant.
Mann-Filter says it uses
fully synthetic or synthetic
fibre reinforced cellulose
media which filters oil efficiently at high temperatures.
With conventional filter
media there is the risk that
the additives reduce the
flexibility and strength of the
material.
It is also important that
the filter element has high
mechanical strength.
Mann-Filter says it
achieves this through stable
end caps and a support pipe
in the centre, providing the
Luxurious workhorses
Continued from page 21
than the coil-sprung set
up of the MU-X, the D-Max
LS-T surprised us with
the quality of its ride and
handling on-road and offroad. Once again, just like
the MU-X, the D-Max has
a more compliant suspension tune than the Holden
22 |
Dieseltalk
Colorado and a much
quieter interior.
While the D-Max LS-T
can accommodate only
five-passengers, the wellside body has a payload of
1000kg, and it has a towing capacity of 3500kg.
Approach and departure
angles are similar to the
MU-X, the LS-T has an approach angle of 30 degrees
and a departure angle of
22.7 degrees so it, too, is
necessary strength to the
element, even at high differential pressures which occur
during a cold start in winter.
Special embossing also
ensures that the pleat
spacing remains stable and
strong. It prevents so-called
‘bunching’ in which the
pleats consolidate into a
block and reduce filtration performance. It is also
crucial that the filter element
stays exactly in position,
even when subjected to
vibration.
To fix the element in
place, Mann-Filter has installed a flat spring element
guide. This supports the
element axially, but also radially, maintaining a reliable
seal at the interface with
the screw cap. Unfiltered
oil – such as in a bypass –
will not flow past the filter
element.
a veritable mountaingoat off-road.
Both of these
Isuzu Ute models offer
plenty of specification,
safety features, amenity and on and off road
capability, the choice
of the two will simply
come down to the
type of luxury workhorse
that best suits the buyers'
wants and needs.
Unique mobile billboard
A
n Australian driver
has taken a unique
approach to promoting the positive aspects of
the road transport industry.
As well as creating the
truckright.com.au website, road safety advocate
and professional driver Rod
Hannifey has turned his Bdouble truck and trailer unit
into a mobile billboard.
On the highways, the
B-double alerts road users
to the importance of the
road transport industry
to Australia’s wealth and
prosperity.
To educate fellow motorists, the back of the trailer
features the ‘Truckies’ Top
10 Tips’ for sharing the road,
with one tip being promoted
each month, these tips and
other safety information
can be found on Hannifey’s
www.truckright.com.au
website.
Aside from hauling freight
from Dubbo to Brisbane,
Melbourne and beyond,
the truck regularly attends
industry events and Hannifey often has industry
stakeholders share the cabin
ing the good work of the
transport industry,” says
Hannifey.
“The industry seems to
get a lot of bad press, so I
wanted to put something
out there in front of the
public that was positive.”
2016.
“There’s been strong
interest from sponsors to
get involved with the next
vehicle – it’s very encouraging,” says Hannifey.
“As a full-time driver I do
200,000 kilometres a year,
during working hours.
“We had all these trucks
on our roads promoting
all manner of goods, from
vineyards to dog food, but
not one truck was promot-
With the Truck Right
programme having made
a definite impact in the last
five years, plans are now
afoot for a replacement
package to be launched in
I have seven children and
then I have to balance this
with the Truck Right work
– it can really be challenging, but the cause is very
worthwhile.”
Isringhausen leads the
way in the application of
modern technology to
driver’s seating.
ISRI has a full range of
every application.
Note: Seat fabric may
vary from what is shown.
Armrests and head
restraints are optional
accessories.
ISRI 6860/870 NTS
ISRI 6800/337 PRO
ISRI 6860/880 NTS
Automatic Self Levelling
NTS Air Suspension Seat
Integrated Head Restraint
Integrated 3-Point Seat Belt
Automatic Self Levelling
Air Suspension Seat
Integrated 3-Point Seat Belt
Head Restraint Included
Automatic Self Levelling
NTS Air Suspension Seat
Geemac Trading (NZ) Limited.
Phone (09) 630 1856 or Fax (09) 630 1855
email: [email protected]
www.geemac.co.nz
Dieseltalk
TD19793
driver’s seats to suit
| 23
We’re all Torque.
All 588Nm of it!
CONTACT US TODAY AND
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0800 75 65 60 to discuss your business’ needs. Contact us before the 31st Dec
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