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PACCAR Parts’ TRP brand has opened a new truck and trailer parts store in Leongatha, Victoria.

The new store joins the ever-expanding TRP store network throughout Australia and New Zealand, now standing at 26 stores in the region and 365 outlets world-wide.

An opening ceremony was held on 3 February to commemorate the Gippsland Truck Centre owned and operated facility.

“We are always striving to find more ways to better support all of our customers and TRP Gippsland with its access to all major brands of truck parts will really compliment the South Gippsland region,” said Gippsland Truck Centre General Manager, Joe Harton.

“The support we have had from our customers has been really positive and we are truly grateful for all of there support.

“We look forward to improving our relationships with all of our existing customers and building new relationships in the region as we continue to support the transport industry across Gippsland; ensuring our customers have the best access to quality parts and in turn their trucks have maximum uptime.”

The TRP Gippsland store stocks well-known brand consumables for all major truck brands and TRP branded parts, which come with a minimum 12-month warranty.

In other news, TasPorts’ largest-ever infrastructure project has commenced.

The post TRP opens new Victoria site appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

The state of Eurocold’s Berrinba, Queensland, production facility makes one thing very clear – Eurocold is a business designed around teamwork. From engineering to assembly and quality control, collaboration is a daily discipline.

Over the past five-and-a-half years, Eurocold has built a production culture shaped by change, where the ability to adapt quickly and build with precision has become central to performance. This focus has been sharpened by a cold chain sector undergoing swift transformation.

“We are in a rapidly changing industry,” says Eurocold COO, Clayton Nel. “Refrigerated transport has seen a strong push towards higher thermal efficiency, smarter materials and improved build quality.

“Telematics and real-time visibility have become standard expectations. At the same time, demand is rising for faster delivery and more flexible last-mile solutions, driven by growth across grocery, meal delivery and pharmaceuticals.

“More freight is being moved within the cold chain, and a change in what consumers want is creating new refrigeration standards.”

Eurocold is supplying this growing customer base with ideal solutions through a great web of collaborative production.

“Eurocold engages business owners to make sure they can enter the industry meaningfully, with the tools and assistance that is right for them,” Clayton says. “We plan for our customers’ initial performance and their long-term growth. That’s what makes us unique.”

Eurocold operates as a completely knocked down (CKD) assembler, sourcing best-in-class components from specialist manufacturers around the world and bringing them together under one roof. Rather than relying on a single supply chain, the company selects premium truck chassis, high-performance refrigeration units, insulated bodies and fit-out accessories independently, allowing each vehicle to be built around the demands of its task.

Clayton describes the CKD model as fundamental to how quality is engineered into every truck. Local assembly provides tighter control over production, consistent build standards and the flexibility to tailor each vehicle to customer requirements.

“This gives Eurocold deep product knowledge, faster parts access and quicker repairs, which are just as important,” he says.

The approach sees chassis sourced from leading global manufacturers, refrigeration systems supplied by specialist providers and insulated bodies delivered from ISOKIT in Italy. Once assembled, completed vehicles are deployed across Eurocold’s depot network in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.

Headlining Eurocold’s extensive production network is its Berrinba assembly facility in Queensland. The 8,677-square-metre site’s operations are upheld by a team of 33 people and underpinned by distinct business mantras under Clayton’s purview.

“We share our manufacturing facility with our head office,” he explains. “Our team covers all of our key functions such as our supply chain, production, finance, sales and Queensland’s repair division.

“Our setup is already quite collaborative given we share a space, but this is further encouraged through our four values – ‘people are everything’, ‘in it together’, ‘stop waste’ and ‘enjoy the ride’.”

The Berrinba facility acts as Eurocold’s cultural lifeline by championing these values. The operational processes within it specifically promote cooperation and efficiency in two ways. Eurocold’s consolidation of operations, along with its support of employees to apply soft skills to their manufacturing tasks, act as points of difference.

“Eurocold’s teams work as one connected community,” Clayton says. “This creates a tighter feedback loop, faster decision-making and a more personal relationship with operators.

“Additionally, we find that most companies do not prioritise the integration of soft skills like planning, communication, time management and more when it comes to gaining efficiencies. Eurocold employs people with manufacturing and automotive backgrounds to apply these soft skills to its work. It’s critical for our productivity, which is all to benefit our customers.”

This approach is evident in Eurocold’s production scheduling. The company relies on highly skilled coordinators and their problem-solving abilities to keep its supply chain lean. In addition, the implementation of critical data tells Eurocold how much stock should be held to support customer demand.

“We hold 90 days’ worth of stock based on historical company data,” Clayton says. “This ensures we have the right amount of stock to provide to customers in case we experience delays with parts or material imports from Italy.

“We want to be able to provide a solution for customers immediately, and this kind of planning allows us to do just that.”

This initiative has even extended to structuring building processes to support a set of precision workflows and create a lean assembly line. The Berrinba site has full drive-through capabilities with four roller doors on both ends and a floor divided into four lanes – one lane reserved for container unloads and stock control, the middle two to handle production volume and the fourth to be what Clayton refers to as an ‘exotic lane’ which manufactures vehicles that don’t follow the same timeline or processes as Eurocold’s other builds.

“This structure keeps our manufacturing process moving,” he says. “Vehicles progress from one end of the facility to the other with each step of the building procedure.”

These processes are also supported by cross-functional training, another collaborative feature of the company.

“Every one of our team members can complete at least 80 per cent of any given build, regardless of what their primary role is in our team,” Clayton explains. “This is part of our onboarding plan to make everyone into a team player. It creates a culture of reliability, ownership and care among our facility.”

The care in Eurocold’s Berrinba operations is further maintained by the presence of other soft skills utilised such as communication and motivation. Leaders at the site foster high-quality work and efficiency by assisting employees in taking responsibility for their output.

“Eurocold’s integrated structure promotes a work culture where team members at all levels are encouraged to contribute and take ownership of their areas,” Clayton says. “This approach builds pride and accountability, improves communication and accelerates problem-solving. It ultimately ensures customers receive better service because everyone is invested in the outcome.”

The efficiency achieved through this integration of skills to create a lean supply chain majorly contributes to Eurocold’s extremely quick turnaround times of between 14 to 21 days for scheduled builds. Although the state of Eurocold’s Berrinba facility and its manufacturing output is in phenomenal shape, Clayton is excited to improve it.

“The future of the Berrinba facility revolves around the development of more confidence and collaboration,” he says. “This will allow us to become a more cohesive team.

“While we are proud of our success to date, we are constantly reviewing our performance and striving for improvement.”

The post Eurocold helms efficient production in Queensland appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

Crane operators will no longer have to obtain as many consent requests from road managers with the introduction of three new notices to cut access red tape in South Australia.

Eligible crane operators will no longer require a permit to access road networks outlined in the South Australia Class 1 2-Axle up to 28t Articulated Steering Crane Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2026 (No.1), South Australia Class 1 4-Axle to 6-Axle All Terrain Mobile Crane Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2026 (No.1) and South Australia Class 1 6-Axle to 9-Axle Crane Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2026 (No.1).

The development of these access reforms contributes to the South Australian government’s request to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to transition heavy vehicle access permits to notices.

South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport (SA DIT) Chief Executive, Jon Whelan, said the notices will deliver significant productivity benefits for the crane industry.

“The new notices enable safer, more efficient crane movements across the state by making it easier for eligible heavy vehicles to access key networks,” Whelan said.

“This will mean a more streamlined process for operators, with fewer road managers consent requests than before.”

NHVR Director Service Delivery Steve Miller said the new notices had been developed in consultation with SA DIT and industry to help improve cross-border access and reduce the administrative burden associated with the permit application process.

“The new notices will make it easier for crane operators from other participating states and territories who are accustomed to operating under notices to access these networks in South Australia,” Miller said.

Miller said the new notices provides access certainty for crane operators.

“Through these notices, we have worked with the South Australian government and industry to ensure the appropriate safety controls are in place so crane operators, particularly mobile cranes, can be ready to attend work sites on short notice.

“By cutting repeat permits, we are working with local and state road managers to grow reliable road networks that will keep the industry moving and drive Australia’s economy.”

Operators are reminded to review the Specified Road Manager Network Requirements, contained within the Operator’s Guide for each notice and the Heavy Vehicle – Road Operations Access Map (HV-ROAM), ahead of travel.

For more information, including access conditions and details on the approved routes, operators are strongly encouraged to review the accompanying Operator’s Guides and networks:

South Australia Class 1 2-Axle up to 28t Articulated Steering Crane Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2026 (No.1)

South Australia Class 1 4-Axle to 6-Axle All Terrain Mobile Crane Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2026 (No.1)

South Australia Class 1 6-Axle to 9-Axle Crane Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2026 (No.1)

The post Red tape slashed for crane operators in South Australia appeared first on Big Rigs.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has partnered with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to launch a blitz focusing on Oversize Overmass (OSOM) movements in Queensland.

Called Operation Kindle, the blitz is aimed at addressing OSOM permit breaches in the state’s southeast.

According to the regulator, this follows recent non-compliant rates of 43 per cent.

The NHVR says Operation Kindle will combine roadside inspections with education to reinforce permit conditions, vehicle standards and safe load management for OSOM movements over the next several weeks in areas including the Port of Brisbane and Burpengary.

NHVR Director Northern Region Kelli Ready said multiple operations conducted throughout 2025 identified mechanical, dimension and loading breaches as the primary contributors to non-compliance.

“High levels of non-compliance in an area involving complex heavy load movements are concerning, particularly when these combinations can reach mass limits of up to 150 tonnes and lengths of 19 metres, meaning even the slightest miscalculation can have serious consequences,” Ready said.

“Operators must clearly understand their permit requirements and curfew conditions, which exist to protect road users, infrastructure and the industry.

“We don’t want operators taking unnecessary risks, which is why Operation Kindle has been established to strengthen our coordinated efforts alongside the QPS and ensure OSOM permit conditions, including curfews, routes and mass limits, are being met.”

QPS Road Policing Group Inspector Gareth Bosley said OSOM loads presented an increased risk on Queensland’s roads and urged all drivers to prioritise public safety.

“While it’s essential that enforcement agencies manage these risks, it’s also up to operators and drivers to ensure they’re undertaking these movements safely and in accordance with their permit conditions,” he said.

“This includes ensuring loads are secure, vehicles are in good mechanical condition, and the loading of vehicles does not compromise the driver’s ability to safely control it on our road networks.”

Ready also reminded industry of the importance of prioritising daily checks and regular maintenance.

“Both the NHVR and QPS are committed to ensuring safer roads across Queensland, and we will continue to work with industry to achieve this,” she said.

“While we know most operators do the right thing, those who cut corners must be held to account- roadworthiness of heavy vehicles is paramount, and when mechanical systems aren’t up to standard, mistakes can be deadly.

“Officers will be working to educate drivers on the importance of mechanical inspections, permit conditions and loading requirements, to ensure they fully understand their responsibilities for road safety.”

The post OSOM compliance blitz kicks off in Queensland appeared first on Big Rigs.

A ripper shot of MFT Haulage’s ‘Buckshot Ranger’ T909, snapped at harvest in Garah, NSW.

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 – Jarrath Farrawell appeared first on Big Rigs.