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It was last August when Kianna Farms, a wheat and sheep farm in Burracoppin, Western Australia, was on the hunt for a new set of grain tippers. The business had two specific goals in mind – increasing tare weights and achieving higher payloads – and by investing in Bruce Rock Engineering (BRE) it went on to reap the rewards.

Kianna Farms owner, Jeremy Dean, and his wife, Anthea, first took over the home farm in 2021. It had already been operational by Anthea’s father since 1980 when he first purchased the farm himself. Since then, the whole operation has been fairly steady.

“We do crop and sheep work out here and hope that it rains,” Jeremy says.

Kianna Farms has been running a small fleet including two prime movers and one grain tipper combination to transport bulk agricultural products for quite some time. But when the need for another combination arose, Jeremy identified BRE as the most suitable candidate and pulled the trigger. The result is a 27.5m tri-axle pocket road train set which, boasting an impressive low tare weight, is maximising payload capacity without compromising strength or durability.

“I bought these grain tippers because BRE is a local company that isn’t far from us,” he says. “I like things that are Australian-made, and their trailers are made in Perth. That’s why I got them. We’re a local business and we like to support local companies.”

The road train’s standard specs include Fuwa K Hitch KT suspension and PAN 19 disc brake axles, Alcoa wheels, driver monitoring systems and Right Weigh scales which have been essential to the business’ objective of getting as much freight on board as possible.

“The Right Weigh scales are a big plus for us because we can maximise our weights while making sure that we’re doing the right thing,” Jeremy says.

Designed with the agricultural sector specifically in mind, BRE’s grain tippers offer superior payload efficiency, durability and ease of operation. The tipper bodies are manufactured with 3mm high-tensile Hardox steel which allows them to withstand the demands of harvest seasons while providing smooth unloading capabilities. Additionally, the trailers are manufactured with advanced designs which ensure structural integrity, optimal weight distribution and reduced maintenance needs.

Available in lengths from 9.1m to 10.5m and various suspension spreads to suit axle spacing requirements, the standard body height of each grain tipper is 2.0m. This allows for cubic capacities of 42 to 52 cubic metres.

Jeremy’s grain tipper combination has been deployed to transport grain, gypsum and lime from the farm to paddocks and CBH Group’s depot in Merredin. He has been extremely satisfied with its performance in these operations.

“The road train travels between Merredin and Perth and it’s been spot-on,” he says. “They’re really good trailers. I believe BRE has a pretty good product which is built really strong.”

Its on-road performance has been nothing short of spectacular.

“It handles fantastically on the road,” Jeremy says. “It doesn’t move side to side or sway, it just sits there. The dolly is a spring setup with disc brakes and I spec’d it like that for that reason. It makes the back trailer sit nice and straight, so it’s a really good setup.”

The increase in productivity and efficiency has been a major advantage for Kianna Farms. As Jeremy explains, the higher payload has allowed him to transport more grain in less trips.

“I’m averaging probably five to six tonnes more than my last set,” he says. “I know how much to fill the trailers with the Right Weigh scales, and I know how much I can maximise them.

“The productivity has been a big benefit for us. If we do eight loads a day, we get 45 tonnes extra over the other set. That’s basically one less load that we’d have to do each day.”

The grain tippers also excel in their tipping tasks by unloading all products thrown at them with ease.

“They’re great at unloading, especially with gypsum,” Jeremy says. “I carted a little bit gypsum at the start of the year and it came straight out which was fantastic. Gypsum can be a bit wet, but it slid out perfectly.

“So, the trailers are going really well. I haven’t experienced any product hang-up and they don’t sway or move when they’re up in the air either. They just lift straight up and the product comes out.”

BRE’s close proximity to Kianna Farms has also proved to be advantageous. For Jeremy, it meant that the order, delivery and aftersales support of the unit has been flawless.

“BRE has been great to work with,” he says. “They got back to me straight away when I first approached them, and that was something that stood out to me. I deal with Mitch Lang. He’s been fantastic.

“The quality of the product itself is no different. I’ve had no problems at all, I can’t fault it.”

The post Kianna Farms deploys BRE pocket road train appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

Daimler Truck and Toyota have finalised an agreement to merge their Japanese vehicle susidiaries, Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino Motors, after two years of negotiations.

The agreement is still subject to approvals from relevant boards, shareholders and authorities. If all goes to plan, the new holding company with more than 40,000 employees will begin operations in April 2026, aligning with the start of the Japanese fiscal year.

Further details on the scope and nature of the collaboration, including the name of the new holding company, are to be announced over the coming months.

A media statement announcing the merger said by integrating Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino Motors, the companies aim to improve business efficiency in areas such as development, procurement and production.

“With this, they expect to significantly enhance the competitiveness of Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturers and strengthen the foundation of the automotive industry in Japan and Asia.”

Daimler Truck Australia Pacific President and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, has welcomed the news of the agreement being finalised.

“Fuso has an incredible Australian line-up of advanced diesel and electric trucks, as well as the popular Rosa bus, that are safe, efficient and economical,” Whitehead said.

“The new structure will ensure Fuso is able to continue to offer such fantastic products to local customers well into the future.

“Fuso has been getting the job done for Australians since 1971 and this new development means it will continue to do so for many years to come. We are excited to see what Fuso can achieve with this new structure and congratulate Karl Deppen on his appointment as CEO of the new holding company.”

Satoshi Ogiso, CEO, Hino, said the collaboration is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

“In addition to the business synergies, the synergistic effects arising from the meeting and blending of different cultures and environments are immeasurable,” he said.

“I am confident that we will become a strong and resilient team that empathises with each other and contributes to society under the same shared aspirations. As a new commercial vehicle company rooted in Japan, we will work together to create an ever better future.”

In the latest truck sales numbers released by the Truck Industry Council, Hino and Fuso are the second and third most popular brands in Australia in 2025, with 1649 and 1371 year-to-date (YTD) deliveries, respectively.

That gave Hino a 9.3 per cent YTD market share with Fuso on 7.7 per cent.

Perennial leading seller Isuzu has 5028 YTD sales, which equates to a 28.4 per cent market share.

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This week, a very large power transformer will be transported from Wilson Transformer Company in Glen Waverley, Melbourne, to Tocumwal on the Victorian/New South Wales border.

Being transported on an oversized vehicle approximately 69.5 metres long and 4.5 metres wide, it will set off at 10pm Thursday June 12 and is due to arrive at Tocumwal on Saturday June 14.

“This is a complex operation and for everyone’s safety, stay well clear when the load is in transit and when parked,” said Transport Victoria.

“If you need to travel during the time the transport is on the road, plan ahead or seek an alternate route to avoid delays.”

The move will be guided by a large contingent of escort vehicles and co-pilots, with the oversize load travelling at an average speed of 60km/h. At times, when travelling over bridges or around corners, speeds may need to slow to around 5km/hr.

To make way for the move, there will be a short-term road closure on Main Road, Lower Plenty to accommodate the vehicle travelling on the wrong side of the road.

Transport Victoria has asked those travelling in the area to plan their journeys in advance and allow extra time.

“The transport operation will be travelling at significantly reduced speeds,” Transport Victoria said.

“There will be opportunities to pass the load under supervision in some locations.

“If you see the pilot or escort vehicle with an ‘Oversize Load Ahead’ sign and yellow flashing lights, slow down and move as far to the left as you can and prepare to stop if instructed.

“Only overtake when signalled to do so. Do not overtake the pilot or escort vehicle behind the load and get stuck in between. This makes it hard for everyone to do their job safely and you’re putting yourself and others at risk.”

Upon arriving at Tocumwal, the load will continue its journey through NSW.

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Need For Feed volunteers were at it again over the Kings Birthday long weekend, delivering a whopping 2000 bales of donated hay to 86 drought affected farming families.

The crew loaded up 40 trucks last Thursday and Friday before making their way to South Australia.

Their convoy included five road trains and B-triples, and six B-doubles, with a 53 trailers full of feed.

Truckies travelled from four states – Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and parts of South Australia, picking up fodder from depots in Cobram in Victoria and Jindera in NSW.

The South Australian government’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions covered transport costs for the run and Need For Feed thanked them for working together to help make the run happen.

Many hay runners gathered at the Deni Ute Muster site, then travelled through Moulamein, Balranald, Mildura, Barmera, Morgan, arriving in Gladstone in South Australia, before splitting up to deliver across the state.

Included in this run was 200 tonnes of hay for the Fleurieu Peninsula, where a Drought Breakers dinner was held to raise money for Need For Feed.

Need For Feed has been supporting farmers in times of need since 2006 and its founder Graham Cockerell was a guest speaker for the Drought Breakers event, which raised almost $60,000 for the organisation.

It’s been a very busy time for Need For Feed volunteers, who completed two hay runs in two weekends. The week before the Kings Birthday run into South Australia, Need For Feed travelled into New South Wales, to assist farmers impacted by the Mid North Coast floods – making stops from Taree through to Kempsey.

Graham and his trusty 2007 Western Star have been involved in countless hay runs since Need For Feed began. And this time was no different, with Graham pulling a B-double filled with fodder across South Australia.

Graham’s Western Star. Image: Need For Feed

He explained that Need For Feed delivers hay straight to farms, with the amount each farmer/farming family receives based on their needs. “Some got a whole trailer load and some got a third, it was all based on their stock numbers,” Graham said.

Graham, who is based in Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria, was at Need For Feed’s fodder depot in Cobram when he chatted to Big Rigs this afternoon after a mammoth weekend effort.

As trucks rolled into South Australia across the weekend, volunteers were pleased to see the skies opening up too. “It started raining at lunchtime on Saturday and even today there was still some light rain. It was bucketing down on Saturday night too – the farmers definitely weren’t complaining about the rain. The western side of the state missed out though,” said Graham.

He and his crew of trucks arrived at farms across the state to a hero’s welcome.

“Many of the farmers we delivered to were close to tears,” Graham said.

Drought affected farmers Keith and Miriam with their kids, from Inman Valley, SA, were among the families to receive donated hay. Image: Need For Feed

For Inman Valley farmer Keith Ashby and his family, the sight of a truck full of hay came as a huge surprise when it arrived at the gate of his property.

Keith had applied to Need For Feed for fodder to feed his 750 cattle but when he filled out the form, he inadvertently put down the incorrect phone number.

“I had tried to call him but couldn’t get hold of him. When I rocked up there on Monday, his wife Miriam came out and her mouth nearly fell open,” said Graham.

Struggling to feed his herd, Keith began offloading some of his cattle last year – dropping herd numbers by 250 cattle.

Communities also came together to acknowledge the incredible efforts of Need For Feed volunteers.

Near Monash, there was a special shout-out to the truckies involved. Local Joy Stoeckel shared a photo of the sign that greeted truckies as they travelled through the town of Jamestown.

She says the sign was made by her nephew Don Heward using an old door and some paint.

“Don called me and said, I’d love to do something to thank the truckies – so we put an old door on the back of the ute and painted it up, then put it up on his tractor. Then the girls from the shops added some flags.”

They stood by the side of the road and waved to the truckies as they approached. “We stood there and waved to every one of the truckies as they came through,” Joy said.

“We didn’t have a lot of time to do up the old door but were so pleased with the tooting of horns and flashing of headlights as truckies acknowledged the sign on their way through.

“Where we parked the tractor, you can see in the photo just how dry the soil is.”

With this major hay run now complete, Need For Feed will look to its next two runs next month.

The team plans to head to south-west Victoria on the second weekend of July, and will then return to South Australia on the last weekend of July, this time focusing on the western side of the state.

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What is it with Victorians (of which I am proudly one)? Put on a rugby league match at the MCG and 100,000 mad AFL fans will turn up to watch this ‘foreign’ game.

I went to a country footy Grand Final last year where Yackandandah had a team playing in every division (five of them) and thousands upon thousands turned out to watch.

Not so surprising you may say, given they were playing in every division? Yackandandah has a population of 2008. How does a town of that size field five footy teams, much less attract multiple thousands to the finals? They won every division, by the way, which would have to be some kind of record.

The point I’m trying to make here is that we Vics would come out in droves to watch a paint drying competition. And truck shows are no different. I’ve been going to Alexandra on the King’s Birthday weekend for over 20 years and I can guarantee the temperature won’t make it past 12 degrees.

There will occasionally be a bit of drizzle as well, although over the years it has usually been light and short-lived.

This year, however, the forecast said 10-20 mm of rain and a 4-degree maximum – two excellent reasons to stay in bed.

Showgoers brave the weather. Image: Graham Harsant

When I arrived at 11am, the weather gods were true to their word on both fronts – and 12,000 odd truck fans had their middle fingers pointed at the sky as they walked around (mostly without umbrellas) to admire the 300 or so trucks lined up the main street and beyond.

Alexandra is a phenomenon. Where else in the world would a small country town, miles from anywhere, put on a truck show in winter and meet with such success. Good on ‘em and good on those ‘crazy Mexicans’ for either turning up with their trucks – or coming to view them.

One such was Ray Bedggood from just up the road at Mansfield, who arrived with something different – a Raybilt – which is a 5/8th scale Peterbilt, built on a Hino chassis and powered by a Detroit 6V71, driving through a 9-speed Road Ranger.

Ray Bedggood and his ‘Raybilt’. Image: Graham Harsant

“The cabin and a few bits and pieces came from Nashville in America. A hot rodder, Bob Sheffin, originally from Ferntree Gully moved there 36 years ago and started producing these as turnkey or in a kit.

I went over there in 2019, drove down to Nashville, met old Bob and bought the kit. It took just over four years part-time to put together.

“The Hino was a 1984, 8 tonner and I used the chassis, the diff and front axle. I bought a Denning coach just to get that Detroit engine. The air cleaners were originally just cosmetic and only there for show, but I found air cleaner elements that fitted in there, made spigots up to centralise them and made a manifold up – as you do – so the motor now breathes through them. It also has a Jake Brake on the motor and straight pipes, so she does make a bit of noise.”

To personalise the truck, Ray called it a ‘Raybilt’ and had the grill laser cut with ‘RB’ lettering. To complement this the door cards also bear the RB initials. The interior was fitted out by Ray’s nephew, Christopher, and he has done an amazing job.

The rear bunk has a full width seat which folds down to create a decent bed. “Cosy, but comfortable,” said Ray’s wife, Faye, who experienced sleeping in it for the first time.

Unfortunately a kangaroo interrupted the couple’s trip to Alexandra, damaging the bumper, cracking the fibreglass and breaking off the headlights so Ray will be adding to the four years he took to build this little beast of a truck.

Rick Batten’s family had tow trucks but he hankered for the big gear and has been behind the wheel for some 15 years. Starting out carting grain, Rick now works for Lorenzs Pastoral out of Numurkah hauling cattle.

Rick Batten with his Lorenzs Pastoral, Rollin’ Stainless tricked up Legend SAR. Image: Graham Harsant

“I love what I’m doing. It is a different side to trucking because you have live animals and have to learn their characteristics,” Rick explained.

“You have to take your time and make sure they’re going to arrive safely. There’s live freight up above your head on the truck and your centre of balance does shift while driving, so you have to be able to adjust to the road. You can’t daydream in this job, you have to be switched on all the time.

“Owners, Zac and Lauren Jackson are great people to work for and have built up a successful business carting for some big buyers.  We get the loads ready back at our depot where we have facilities that hold from a few hundred, up to a couple of thousand head of cattle. We make them up into road train loads and l shift them up into Queensland. I’m running road trains from the border straight up.”

Rick is doing the trips in style, sitting behind the wheel of a Legend SAR, which with trailers is worth in the region of $1.6 million. A white truck, it has been extensively tricked up by Rollin’ Stainless at Shepparton.

“It has customised air tanks, strapless wraps and a polished walkway. Our road train guards are handmade with our brand on them. We had custom signage made because it is number 509 build, so we had that put on it. There are so many fine details that they are unbelievable. We have just picked up three 610 SARs and there isn’t another 610 on the road like them. Rollin’ Stainless do a great job.

“Zac and Lauren spend the money to make it comfy and safe for us. There’s plenty of room with all the creature comforts. The trucks have it all. There are heaters, air-conditioners, microwaves, TV, beds of course and fridges – everything that we need to be on the road. They have thought about it and they have done it.”

Peter Morris’ superb C509 was runner-up. Image: Graham Harsant

And that is a good thing because Rick is on the road for around 300 days a year, leaving behind wife of 19 years, Rebecca, daughter Charlie, 9 and son, Tom, 5.

“If I was home every night she would have got rid of me by now. I think it takes a strong bond for it to work for an interstate truck driver.”

There can only be one Rig of the Show and that accolade went to Jeremy Inverno with his dad’s truck, a 2024 Kenworth Legend SAR. “Dad may own it but I’m the one who keeps it clean,” quipped Jeremy.

Congratulations to Jeremy and all the other division winners, to the organisers for putting on yet another great show, and to the thousands of crazy Victorians who ‘stuck it up’ the lousy weather. The rain finally stopped around 1pm.

Category winners

Best tilt tray: 2005 Kenworth 401, Dale White of Member’s Transport.

Best tow truck: 2024 Kenworth SAR, Ben Bell, Inside Heavy Towing.

Best specialised: 2018 Kenworth SAR, Teagan Rogers.

Best log truck: 2022 Kenworth T909, Stuart Maloney.

Best vintage: 1963 Commer knocker, Andrew Dorling.

Best tipper: 2024 Kenworth SAR legend, Dan Whitaker.

Best Mack: 2022 Mack, James Payerderass

Best Peterbilt: 2000 Peterbilt 37, Ryan Morgan.

Best Western Star: 1994 Western Star 4964F, Declan Nitts.

Best European: 2023 Volvo FH, Dan Russo.

Best of the rest: 1999 International S line, Ben Evans.

Best Kenworth: 2023 Kenworth T909, Andrew Dorling.

Best under 12 months: 2024 Kenworth T909, Hayden Flow, HBE Transport.

Best local truck: 2015 Kenworth T409, Bruce Stewart.

Best fleet: Southern Sons Transport.

People’s choice award: 2022 Kenworth T909, Michael McDonald – Fred’s Transport.

Runner-up: 2024 Kenworth C509, Peter Morris, Morris Transport.

Truck of the show: 2024 Kenworth SAR Legend, Jeremy Inverno, D&G Inverno from Dalmore.

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