A cool shot of Alexander Transport’s T904 alongside Kingy’s Western Star.
We’ll choose a pic to appear in our Facebook cover slot, and will publish some of the best pics in our upcoming print edition of Big Rigs where you now also have a chance to win a $500 Shell Coles Express Gift Card.
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The BP Cocklebiddy Roadhouse is located on the Nullarbor Plain in WA and is a popular stop among truckies.
Some drivers who stop there said they enjoyed the friendly staff, so I phoned the roadhouse and spoke to Jolina Gass.
I asked how many trucks would pull up there and she consulted with other staff about the question. “It would be at least 1000 weekly that pull up here,” she said.
I double checked with Jolina asking if she indeed did say 1000.
“Yes, and some weeks it would be many more,” she added.
Cocklebiddy is located 1157km east of Perth and 438km east of Norseman via the Great Eastern and Eyre highways.
Asked about the favourite food truckies ordered, Jolina said, “It would have to be toasties and steak sandwiches.
She added: “We have truckies’-only showers and toilets, which they like.”
Jolina hails from Germany and is one of 16 staff employed there. “Most of the roadhouses along the Nullarbor have overseas backpackers working there,” she said.
A sign at the roadhouse indicates that the population of Cocklebiddy is eight, but it also has 25 budgies, seven quails, one dog and more than a million kangaroos.
The roadhouse is open from 6am until 8pm daily.
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While a Mack Super-Liner with a Detroit Diesel Silver ‘92 powerplant is not your everyday truck and engine combination, it is one which has served Marcus Prillwitz well.
His #31 Hi-Tec Oils Racing truck has been a regular fixture on the Australian truck racing scene for over a decade.
At the final round of the 2025 Super Truck Racing Series, held at the Winton Raceway in Victoria, Marcus had the Mack wound up in search of some sharp lap times and race results.
It would be fair to say that the Mack is not a full-blown pedigree Bulldog, with the truck having been built out of a number of different components into a race unit.
In between a busy weekend of qualifying and racing Marcus gave a background to both the Mack and the overall truck racing scene.
“I have been racing it for 12 years; it is the only truck I have ever raced and it’s somewhat of a bitser – it was built out of spare parts,” Marcus said.
“It has Mack CH chassis rails and the Super-Liner cab was an offset left-hand drive cab off a Fijian garbage truck.
“I gutted it and got a Super-Liner bonnet made up for it. It has a DAF rear axle and a Meritor front axle which was originally in a Freightliner Argosy – and of course to see a Detroit in a Mack is pretty rare in Australia.”
Under the large square bonnet the Detroit powers the Mack down the track and having had many years’ experience with the Silver ‘92 derivative, it was an obvious choice for a powerplant when Marcus was piecing the Mack together.
“I owned a company called Victorian Diesel Servies, and I used to work on a lot of touring coaches back in the day when the Detroit Silver ‘92 was the most common engine.
“This 8-92 has a twin turbo and it’s also a bitser of all the go-fast Detroit stuff – that same motor in a boat would put out about 750-800 horsepower so that’s not a bad starting point. Once you source some bigger injectors and so forth, so we are up around the 1200-1300 horsepower mark.”
Marcus Prillwitz with his trusty Super-Liner.Originally the Detroit was coupled up to a Roadranger gearbox, but Marcus made the switch to an automated driveline a couple of years ago.
Running an auto ‘box puts the Mack on an equal footing with most other competitors and Marcus reckoned that the move had been a smart one.
“Over the years we have broken three crankshafts in the motor and we have just put the fourth one in it.
“I would like to think it was due to the Roadranger in it, there is a lot of shock going through it when you are racing with the Roadranger behind it compared with the auto.
“I don’t think it’s made it any faster, but it is certainly easier to drive! It was really good fun with the Roadranger, I miss that but on the flip side it’s probably a second or two quicker – there is a lot less to think about as you’re going around the track.”
The truck racing fraternity is a close, tight knit community with teams. While competitive out on the track, all help each other out once the racing stops, and Marcus reckons it’s a good way to go racing.
“My only other motorsport experience was I crewed on a sprint car and the guys in the pits on the teams wouldn’t talk to each other as it was so competitive,” he said.
“Super Trucks is definitely not like that, if it was, I wouldn’t be doing it. With [fellow competitor] Frank Tringali’s International, we built our motors together, that’s the sort of camaraderie we all have. When we are here at the track for the weekend everyone is all happy to help, it’s a great family environment and everyone gets along – the social aspect is priceless.”
With new trucks taking to the track in 2025, and the addition of new circuits such as Queensland’s Morgan Park to the calendar, the Super Truck racing scene is in a good place.
For long-term competitors such as Marcus, the Super Truck Racing Series is still a good thing to be a part of.
“Going to Morgan Park for the first time last year was really good, it is a great circuit to drive with the uphill and downhill aspects, and I really did enjoy that.
“The racing fraternity is opening its arms up to the truck racing again – we are under new management, so to speak, with a new committee and some fresh ideas.
“In the past we were probably a bit notorious for a bit of ‘crash and bash’ but that has been tidied up a bit and that’s good for the racing and also for our sponsors and exposure. Crashing and bashing about is not race craft, and there’s no fun trying to load your racetrack back up with a forklift.
“A good meeting is one where you can drive it back up onto the trailer – and a great one is when you go home with a trophy also. The series is starting to become recognised again and it’s a great time to become involved with it.”
The first round kicks off at Mallala in South Australia across the Anzac Day weekend in April, with Morgan Park and Winton again locked in for rounds in 2026.
For more information about the 2026 championship, check out the website at truckracing.com.au.
• Big Rigs would also like to acknowledge the recent passing of long-time truck racing competitor Barry Butwell, who passed away in January.
Barry Butwell 2023 Australian Super Truck Champion.Often racing at the front of the pack, Barry took out the championship in 2023, earning the right to display the #1 on the doors of the Butwell Racing Team’s red Mack Super-Liner.
Big Rigs extends its condolences to all Barry’s family and friends in the race paddock.
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Most operators understand fines.
Many understand prosecutions.
Very few fully appreciate the impact of a Supervisory Intervention Order (SIO) until one lands on their desk.
And right now, I am seeing more of them than ever.
Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), SIOs were designed as a compliance tool for persistent and repeat offenders.
In practice, they are becoming a routine add-on to prosecutions including permit and dimension offences with conditions that can cost thousands of dollars to implement.
A Supervisory Intervention Order is a court-imposed compliance regime made under section 600 of the HVNL.
It allows a court, at sentencing, to place a business under active regulatory supervision for up to two years.
In plain terms, it means:
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is given power to monitor, audit, demand reports, require training, and impose structural reforms on how your business operates.
SIOs exist for one reason:
To force systemic change where a regulator believes “business as usual” is unsafe.
They are typically sought where:
• There is a serious risk breach
• The regulator alleges systemic failure
• There are repeat issues
• Management systems are weak
• Permit, loading, fatigue or dimension breaches suggest poor controls
Traditionally, SIOs were reserved for more serious offences.
Increasingly, I am seeing them sought in permit and dimension matters.
Cases involving over-width, over-length, or permit non-compliance are now being treated as “systems failures”, not isolated mistakes.
That changes everything.
What used to be a fine and a warning can now become two years of regulatory supervision.
A recent matter illustrates just how far these orders can go.
In that case, the court imposed extensive compliance conditions, including mandatory reporting, staff disclosure, compulsory training, fleet registers, subcontractor controls, and installation of monitoring systems.
The Order required, among other things:
• Full disclosure of all staff and contractors
• Ongoing reporting to the NHVR
• Mandatory training in mass, dimension and loading
• Evidence of attendance and competency
• Fleet and vehicle registers
• Accreditation requirements
• Installation of dimension monitoring systems
• Pre-departure and in-route checking regimes
• External training providers
• Compliance audits
• Record-keeping systems
• Notification obligations for operational changes
All flowing from a single offence.
Operators often focus on the fine. The real cost of an SIO is operational.
Typical hidden costs include:
• External consultants
• Training providers
• Audit firms
• New IT systems
• Monitoring equipment
• Staff time
• Compliance managers
• Legal oversight
• Reporting administration
• Lost productivity
Over a 12–24 month period, it is not uncommon for compliance costs to exceed the original fine several times over.
SIOs matter because they change the power balance.
Once imposed:
• The NHVR gains ongoing visibility into your business
• Non-compliance becomes a fresh offence
• Minor breaches can trigger further prosecution
Another emerging issue is how these orders are obtained.
In many cases, they are presented as “reasonable”, “standard” or “rehabilitative”.
SIOs are discretionary. They are not automatic.
Courts must be satisfied they are:
• Necessary
• Proportionate
• Linked to the offending
• Capable of improving safety outcomes
• Not oppressive
That requires proper submissions, evidence, and negotiation. If you do nothing, the regulator’s draft order usually becomes the court’s order.
If your company is facing prosecution, permit issues, or regulatory scrutiny, get advice early.
The difference between a fine and two years of supervision is often decided long before sentencing.
Belinda Hughes at Hughes Law specialises in HVNL defence, regulatory strategy, and compliance design. Email her at belinda@hugheslaw.com.au.
Important notice
This article provides general guidance only and is not intended to cover every circumstance or provide specific legal advice. Each case turns on its own facts and operators should seek independent legal advice.
The post Why these orders are the regulator’s new weapon appeared first on Big Rigs.
Truckies are being warned of lengthy detours off the Kamilaroi Highway at Curlewis, NSW, next week due to the replacement of a level crossing and rail line.
Transport for NSW said the highway will be closed from 6pm on Tuesday, February 10, until 4am on Wednesday, February 11.
The closure will be in place for all traffic between the Gap Road/Kamilaroi Highway intersection at Werris Creek and the Oxley/Kamilaroi Highway roundabout east of Gunnedah.
All highway through-traffic will be redirected via Tamworth. Detours in place via the Oxley and New England highways will add up to 50 minutes to travel times.
Graphic: TfNSWLocal access to Curlewis from Gunnedah will be via Wandoobah and Prestons roads. Emergency services will also use this route.
Access to Curlewis from Quirindi will be via the Kamilaroi Highway and Seachs Way.
Watermark Road, Curlewis (unsealed), will remain open to essential traffic only.
All freight vehicles must detour via New England and Oxley highways.
Drivers are advised to plan their trip and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.
The post Kamilaroi Hwy to close at Curlewis, detour adds 50 minutes appeared first on Big Rigs.
A Gorski tipper with JOST axles fitted.
Image: JOST Australia.
Last year JOST Australia announced its planned entry into the local axles and suspension market – a momentous move to expand the company’s value proposition for Australia’s road transport operators.
It is currently trialling new axle equipment in local field tests with trusted collaborator and trailer manufacturer, Gorski Engineering.
“We’ve enjoyed a fruitful partnership with JOST for more than two decades and were delighted when they approached us to trial their axles,” says Gorski Engineering General Manager, Paul Baker. “We’ve been using a variety of JOST parts for the last 25 years and really appreciated the opportunity to field test a new set of equipment.”
JOST’s new axles are rated to 10.4 tonnes and are available in both drum and disc options. They can also be fitted in overslung and underslung positions, meaning their springs can sit either on top of or below the trailer’s axle beam. Additionally, the axles come in either 285mm or 335mm diameters providing flexibility to suit various vehicle designs. These various axle types are also Road-Friendly Suspension (RFS) certified.
Gorski Engineering is specifically trialling JOST’s RFS-certified Overslung Drum 285 PCD axle on a tri-axle tipper for Melbourne-based plumbing service provider, Mellerick Plumbing and Drainage.
“Justin Mellerick purchased his first tipper from us in 2008 – he’s Gorski through and through,” Paul says. “This newest tipper is a very common type within Melbourne’s northern suburbs due to the tighter roads and spaces in that area. Mellerick needed a trailer he could manoeuvre with ease. He delivers aggregate material to small residential housing sites and works in tight spots that are often only wide enough to fit one car.”
JOST’s RFS-certified Overslung Drum 285 PCD axle is an ideal component for these requirements due to a lift-axle design which allows for extreme manoeuvrability.
The third axle stays in the air when the trailer is operating with empty or low tare weights, reducing the tipper’s drag and turn. Being much nimbler and more flexible as a result allows it to better navigate tight spaces.
When the trailer’s tare weight increases to a certain point, the third axle will drop to provide essential stability and weight distribution, contributing to the trailer’s smooth handling. The equipment’s RFS-certification also ensures less impact on the road surface due to the implementation of shock absorbers, hangers and other parts.
While Paul says that Mellerick Plumbing and Drainage has enjoyed the mechanical characteristics of JOST’s axles, Gorski has also found the components to be aesthetically pleasing and easy to fit.
“These components are certainly well-constructed,” Paul says. “They look very good to the eye, but are also extremely user-friendly from a manufacturing standpoint. The equipment comes pre-assembled with shockers and hangers and we just attach them onto the trailers as complete units.”
JOST also fitted its axles with telematics devices so that they can provide live data, which can then reveal if any improvements are needed. For Paul, JOST’s commitment to proper development ensures high quality.
“When JOST brings something to the market, you can guarantee it’s been carefully tested and proven to work,” he says. “JOST is a multinational brand with global support and a massive parts network. They don’t make impulsive decisions or mistakes during the design process, and they certainly don’t bring sub-optimal products to customers. JOST is becoming a one-stop shop by developing these axles. We are extremely interested in partnering and growing with companies such as JOST.”
After receiving positive feedback from Mellerick Plumbing and Drainage on JOST’s axles, Gorski Engineering has also worked to fit this new equipment on another fleet’s trailer. The high quality of these products helps maintain the trailer builder’s own reputation in the market according to Paul.
“We’re extremely focused on our brand’s legacy,” he says. “We don’t want our first transactions with customers to be the only ones. We want dealings with clients to be generational and life-long. Using equipment from manufacturers like JOST helps us stay ahead. It allows us to build trailers that are reliable which keeps our customers coming back.”
Fast fact
For more than 45 years, equipment specialist, JOST Australia, has served the commercial road transport industry with heavy vehicle components including fifth wheels and hydraulic systems. The company’s product portfolio is supported by an expansive spare parts network which is further bolstered by JOST’s global supply chain.
The post Gorski trials JOST Australia axles appeared first on Trailer Magazine.
Australia’s first commercially available driven powered trailer system has officially launched, delivering fuel savings of up to 50 per cent on diesel, said its South Australian makers.
The VE Motion Powered Trailer System electrifies the trailer rather than the prime mover, delivering propulsion assist, regenerative braking and onboard power for trailer-based systems.
VE Motion said the result is significantly lower diesel use, improved vehicle performance and reduced emissions, while continuing to operate with the trucks fleets already own.
“They deliver real fuel savings, of up to 50 per cent on diesel, more power and better efficiency, without forcing operators to replace fleets or change how they work,” said VE Motion co-founder and CEO Dean Panos.
“That is why we built VE Motion, to make that solution work for Australian conditions.”
The system, which was first revealed to industry at TruckShowX in 2024, has been engineered, integrated and brought to market in South Australia, with the powered trailer systems built and assembled in Murray Bridge.
VE Motion co-founder and CEO Dean Panos said the idea for the system came from a simple observation that diesel remains the most expensive and highest-emission fuel in Australia’s energy mix, yet it still powers almost all heavy transport.
“From our background in power generation, it was clear that electrification makes sense for heavy transport from an operating cost perspective,” Panos said.
“The problem is that full-electric trucks come with very high capital costs, added mass, range limitations and operational disruption. That is why uptake has been almost non-existent.”
Panos said powered trailers offered a practical alternative.
VE Motion designs and builds heavy duty trailers as well as electrified systems, giving the team firsthand experience into what freight operators need on the road.
“Our motivation was to rewrite the value equation for the transport industry,” said Panos, who co-founded VE Motion with Stephen Bussenschutt.
“We did not want hype or theory. We wanted to build something useful – equipment that cuts fuel use, reduces emissions and improves performance, without adding headaches. The industry does not want disruption. It wants gear that works.”
The VE Motion Powered Trailer System is now commercially available and has been demonstrated operating on South Australian roads as part of a heavy vehicle combination.
Unlike full-electric vehicles, the system operates as a plug-in hybrid. It provides electric propulsion and energy recovery when conditions allow, and can operate in diesel only mode when required, ensuring vehicles are never stranded by range or charging constraints.
“All of the system integration, control architecture, development and testing has been done here in South Australia,” Panos said.
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The emergence of Ausway Transport is immensely meaningful, with roots far beyond Australian shores. What has become one of the most reputable transport companies in Australia today first began stirring on the other side of the world more than half of a century ago.
It was in 1962 when Gurdev Sooch founded a farming and transport operation within northern India’s Punjab region. He then commenced operations in the rapidly modernising town of Bombay, which later become Mumbai, the most populated city in the nation. Gurdev had just served in the Indian Army as a tank commander and the decisions he made in the years following caused a flow-on effect which continues 64 years later to this day.
After migrating to Australia in the 1970s, the Sooch family set its sight on transport once again. In 2003, Gurdev’s son, Bill, followed in his father’s footsteps by establishing Ausway Transport in Melbourne, Victoria, an organisation that is now a major freight logistics company predominantly servicing the eastern seaboard and beyond.
“We have grown considerably from the one truck my family began with in 2003,” says Ausway Transport Managing Director and third generation of the family, Bobby Sooch. “We now have close to 140 semi-trailer combinations and we operate out of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. We specialise in general freight and refrigerated products, as well as a lot of parcel freight for Australia Post, DHL, Mainfreight, StarTrack and FedEx.”
Ausway Transport has been growing at a steady pace each year. In 2022, for example, it began heavily investing in refrigerated trailers with several new Vawdrey 34-pallet FRP B-double vans. This area of the business remains a key priority to this day due to its ample growth opportunities.
“This was a major development which required a fair bit of equipment from Vawdrey,” Bobby explains. “We’re still running these units as part of Ausway Transport, but we’ll be separating them into two divisions – refrigerated and general freight – in the near future.”
Ausway Transport has also been expanding its fleet of A-double, B-double and B-triple curtainsider trailers significantly. This began three years ago and continued in recent times with a new delivery from Vawdrey.
“We took delivery of six B-doubles and one Performance-Based Standards (PBS) B-triple from Vawdrey last year,” Bobby explains. “We have another two PBS B-triples coming next month as part of the same order.
“We love how the latest B-triple has been performing. We’ve been running it in shuttles to Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, and it executes its freight task effortlessly.”
Bobby says the new high productivity Vawdrey B-triples will be critical to the operation of the fleet’s new Perth corridor.
“Our customers are growing with additional legs, and we’re trying to provide better flexibility by covering more areas than just the eastern seaboard,” he says. “Our expanding B-triple fleet and Perth corridor will cater to this demand.”
The new B-triples are made up of three double drop deck trailers with 12, 12 and 22 pallet spaces respectively. Each body is fitted with mezzanine floor units for maximised capacity and protection of freight in transit.
“The journey with B-triples has been both successful and interesting,” Bobby says. “We’re looking to grow our fleet with triples and PBS more in the future, and Vawdrey will play a big part in that.”
Vawdrey has long been the premier trailer builder of choice for Bobby’s bloodline. More than 75 per cent of Ausway Transport’s fleet has been manufactured by the OEM since the Sooch’s arrival into Australia – a choice made due to the extreme quality of the product.
“Vawdrey trailers were always my grandfather’s favourite,” Bobby explains. “He liked their design as well as the attention to detail put into them.”
The engineering of Vawdrey’s Titeliner model in particular is one that stands out to Ausway Transport. Bobby praises the trailer’s flexible roof design which ensures additional support to run into the roof, as well as the mezzanine decks which evenly distribute weight across the chassis and prevent issues with cracking and therefore unnecessary repair costs.
“The trailers are presented really well, and they do stand out,” he says. “Moreover, the B-triples have allowed us to move more freight with less trucks which helps with emissions and being more efficient as a transporter.”
For Ausway Transport, collaborating with Vawdrey has become critical to maintaining the overall strategy and values set up by Gurdev and Bill many years ago.
“Vawdrey is a really important part of our team,” Bobby says. “They are very valuable to us because of the support they are able to provide both before and after the sale.
“We’ve been dealing with Vawdrey for the last 15 years, and we won’t be moving. We have a very tight-knit relationship with Vawdrey, and that’s what matters most to us.”
As Managing Director of Ausway Transport, Bobby foresees the business establishing a remote presence throughout several other states in Australia in the near future. Plans over the next five to 10 years will also include investing in additional company depots and more fleet equipment in a bid to grow both the refrigerated and general freight sides of the business, while expanding Ausway Transport’s offering to the likes of cross-docking services and more.
As trailer manufacturing and technology continues to advance, Bobby looks forward to allying with Vawdrey further across more projects and trailer deliveries.
“We have a lot of meetings with Vawdrey throughout every year,” he says. “We’re very open with them about our plans and what we’re hoping to achieve in our builds, and they’re really helpful with showing us what we can do differently to get there.
“When it comes to trailers, it’s not the product that sells itself. It’s the service that is provided afterwards. That’s why Vawdrey works really well for us. Everyone there does their best to perform to our needs.”
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Enjoying an incredible sunset at Galore, NSW while transporting a load of gypsum.
We’ll choose a pic to appear in our Facebook cover slot, and will publish some of the best pics in our upcoming print edition of Big Rigs where you now also have a chance to win a $500 Shell Coles Express Gift Card.
The post #PicOfTheDay – Dylan King-Gee appeared first on Big Rigs.
Wymap Transport has appointed TRUCK TECH as its national heavy vehicle fleet maintenance partner.
The partnership supports Wymap’s time-critical operations with safety-first maintenance which are focused on uptime, compliance and reliability.
This is backed up TRUCK TECH’s workshop network and mobile field service capability.
TRUCK TECH founder and CEO, Barry Saad, was pleased to announce the partnership.
“Safety, compliance and uptime are non-negotiable, and we’re proud to support Wymap’s operations as they continue to grow,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to keeping their fleet safe, compliant and reliable.”
In other news, Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia has come onboard as an official association partner for MegaTrans 2026.
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