In just over two weeks from now, PowerTorque will be heading down to the Australian Trucking Association’s Technical and Maintenance Conference with one idea in mind – let’s get technically educated.

Held at the Kangan Institute in Melbourne, the conference will feature a host of industry experts speaking on topics across the technical and maintenance areas of truck technology.

For many, myself included, this will be an extremely educational experience, and a chance to get up to date and more knowledgable on what goes on not only inside a truck, but in all aspects.

Truck productivity and emissions standards will be at the top of the agenda on the Tuesday, October 22. With changes to truck width and mass limits over the past 12 months, there’s plenty to get your head around with how to make your vehicles as productive as they can be.

The ATA wants to see the federal government support maximum innovation in alternative truck fuels, looking at removing the barriers to the use of low or zero carbon vehicles and providing more incentives for trucking operators to make the switch.

If you do work in or are interested in learning more about the mechanics of your trucks, you can only also learn all about braking assistance technology for trucks and trailers, or driveline lubrication from Ross Walker from Castrol.

The next day, Shane Pendergast from Air Brake Systems will deliver a talk on electronic braking systems. As one of the industry’s leading experts on the topic, it’s sure to be educational. You can hear more from Shane in the upcoming November/December edition of PowerTorque, where he spoke on the same topic at the LRTAV Conference.

You can find the full program here if you’re interested in attending – we’ll be there with bells on.

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Unlike any other new truck maker entering the market in Australia from Asia, FAW has chosen not to enter the market at the light duty end and work its way up the weight-scale, but instead bring in the top heavy duty prime mover as the first market entrant.

FAW have an agenda of getting rid of the Chinese truck stereotype that persists in Australia, explains Managing Director of FAW Oceania Clinton Zhou.

“FAW is the biggest vehicle group in China,” he says.

“FAW in China represents something more than just vehicles. It was the first manufacturer in China, so their social responsibility is actually more than just making the product. They actually have the responsibility to lead in pretty much every aspect of the industry.

“Everyone knows it would be easier to bring in a light duty truck. It has the least regulation and so on, but by coming in at the top end, we think it represents how good we are, as a company, to produce the finished product.”

Clinton points to the logistics companies in Australia as one of the brand’s targets, looking at those with logistical fleets.

“We’ve already been here for two, three years, but we’re still new,” says Clinton.

“We’re learning some new stuff every day. We have had six vehicles come through, just to do the testing.”

The first trucks brought to market will be aimed at single trailer and B-double work. In China, the GCM is limited to 49 tonnes on a single semi. However, they are actually designed to handle up to 90 tonnes.

Currently, the team are going through the process to get the first trucks rated at 72 tonnes GCM. When the higher powered J7 arrives, the expectation is that this will be rated at 90 tonnes GCM.

“We’re going to find the right sweet spot for the configurations and the chassis design,” says Clinton.

Practical realities

The three evaluation trucks on the road in Australia now are helping the team sort out customer specification issues. This sees them looking at preferences around mirrors, steps built into fuel tanks, plus bits as specific as what colour yellow the handrails need to be.

The FAW team is investigating getting bull-bars fitted in the factory in China. The plan is for FAW to offer options to buyers all the way from a plain cab chassis to a fully built up truck with options fitted in China.

In terms of distribution, the FAW strategy aims to copy most of the major manufacturers in having fewer truck dealers but with multiple locations. The plan would be to then move out to other locations that are smaller and into more regional ones. The target would be 16 to 20 outlets.

One thing the FAW organisation does know is that its biggest plus for potential clients is that it has a price advantage. If the brand does understand that one of the keys to success in the Australian truck market is service levels, then this, coupled with the right price, can win sales.

For more stories like ‘Top Heavy Duty Prime Mover’ – see below

The transition across to zero carbon road transport is going to throw up a number of issues along the way, and one aspect is likely to be around the trucking industry living with the rebound effect.

The effects of decarbonisation of the trucking industry are going to ripple through the entire supply chain and radically change the way the freight industry works. The changes are not going be the simple transfer of the energy used to drive the vehicles changing from diesel to electricity, hydrogen or hydrogenated vegetable oil, the effects will run on.

Hadi Ghaderi, Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Swinburne Business School presented his thinking around these issues at the Victorian Transport Association’s Alternative Fuel Summit. He’s an associate professor of  logistics and supply chain management at Swinburne Business School.

Hadi works in the field of supply chain optimisation, as well as being part of projects in the field of supply chain digitalisation and decarbonisation for a range of industry and government clients, particularly those related to freight transport.

Hadi describes decarbonisation as the most complex challenge the freight industry is facing. He has been concentrating on some of the lesser known implications of the large uptake of zero emission vehicles.

“The rebound effect is a phenomenon that actually came originally from the energy market, but it has very important implications for freight transport,” said Hadi.

“In order to solve the net zero problem, we need joint collaborative work between both the freight and energy industries. In the last five to 10 years we have been seeing great results in the development of zero emission technologies.

“These technologies provide significant benefits to address our sustainability challenge. At the same time, we have seen a significant reduction in the cost of battery electric vehicles and other technologies as well. We’re also seeing an increase in internal combustion energy prices due to supply chain shortages and other challenges.

“It’s quite clear that the total cost of ownership of low and zero emission vehicles is reducing significantly. In some European countries, depending on the cost of energy, we have already seen that electric vans and light duty vehicles are cheaper to operate when compared to internal combustion powered ones.”

This situation brings great opportunities but also challenges and complexities as well. One of those is the rebound effect, in which consumption increases as a result of actions which increase efficiency and reduce consumer costs. The analogy here is the buyer of a new electric car which costs less to run than the petrol car will tend to drive more kilometres each week.

“What does this mean for the freight sector?” asked Hadi.

“Over the last 40 to 50 years the Australian freight task has grown by almost four times. And when we look at this in comparison to the growth in freight rates, we have seen the cost of freight has reduced over the last five decades. This is due to a reduction in transport costs, and an increase in freight activities.

“It’s quite clear if the total costs decrease, you can drive more and you can have an expanded distribution network. We now face 77 per cent projected growth in road freight between 2020 and 2050. Increased efficiency is a contributor to this growth in transport transport activity.

“This is one of the direct effects, higher efficiency, lower costs moving freight, which is not a bad thing necessarily, but it does bring challenges to infrastructure and other aspects of the network.”

For more stories like ‘Living With the Rebound Effect’ – see below

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is reminding everyone who works with trucks to practice safety both on and off the road for National Safe Work Month.

There are more than 556,000 workers currently employed in Australia’s road industry, be that behind the wheel, in the workshop or behind a desk. This is a total representation of 5.3 per cent of the nation’s workforce.

NHVR acting CEO Ray Hassall says the month offers an opportunity to reflect on how to stick to your organisation or business’ best working practices.

“The majority of transport and logistics companies are safety-focused, using tools such as training programs, hazard and risk reporting, and policies and procedures to ensure a safe and healthy work environment,” he says.

“The NHVR is here to help industry with education and resources to meet their specific heavy vehicle safety requirements and comply with the Heavy Vehicle National Law.

“Having effective policies or procedures such as a Safety Management System for example helps companies manage their Workplace Health and Safety risks to prioritise everyone’s safety and wellbeing.”

If a safety breach has been identified, the NHVR can issue transport companies an improvement notice to correct flaws within their policies and procedures.

“The pressure placed on drivers can cause unsafe risk-taking behaviours, which may result in deteriorating driver health, near misses, vehicle collisions and road fatalities,” Hassall says.

“No one should feel unsafe at work and the Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line is available to report safety issues such as driver fatigue, business practices and mechanical safety.”

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