The Weekly Wrap - Friday March 26, 2021

News

26 Mar

WHAT THE …..!

Looking back at last week’s Wrap and I see that not only did I get the date wrong but also the bloody year! And I’d run out of Scotch so that wasn’t it. What’s more I must have looked at the heading a dozen times since. All these decades gone by and I’ve only just discovered I’m dyslexic. Or maybe new specs are in order. Rita is now appointed proof-reader.

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KERMIE’S TRUCK PIC OF THE WEEK

While I try to remain unbiased, this week I will be. There is only one photo that could possibly be published and that is Bruce Gunter’s shot of his rig and the Haulin the Hume trailer on its way to Melbourne to act as the mounting point for the return of Crawlin. Bruce took this pic at Jugiong. ONLY ONE MORE SLEEP!

CRAWLIN THE HUME TO CELEBRATE CHOCS AND SLASHA

Rick Chocs Hayman passed away on March 18. A memorial service is to be held at Mt Duneed Estate, Waurn Ponds on Wednesday 31st March. There is guaranteed to be a massive turnout for Chocs, given his involvement with HCVC, ATHS and many truckies in Victoria. I’ll bring you Chocs’ story after the memorail

Last year’s cancelled Crawlin the Hume was to celebrate and remember the life of the events co-founder, Roger Slasha Marchetti, who passed away on 17 Feb 2019. Little did anyone know that we would be celebrating and mourning two of the industry’s finest.

If you are looking down guys, I reckon you’ll be smiling, because it’s going to be a homage to you two - and it’s gonna be BIG!

VALE MICHAEL HAMMEL

Hercules Tippers are a common sight on Australian roads and have been since their inception in 1982. I’ve met many a tipper hauler who’ve had their Hercules for decades and would own nothing else.

Living for many years in the vicinity of the factory at Bayswater, barely a day would go by without passing one. It is with sadness that we heard of founder, Michael Hammel’s passing on March 19.

Very much a family man, Michael’s children Mark, dean and Alyce were heavily involved in the business, as was his cousin, Peter - with whom Michael opened the Brisbane operation in 1995 – and Peter’s children.

“The Hammel family are saddened by this tragic loss and thank everyone for their support and patience during this hard time.”

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ALL-NEW 700 SERIES FOR HINO AUSTRALIA

Hino Australia has released a sneak peek of its next-generation heavy-duty trucks.
An expanded range of all-new 700 Series models will be unveiled in June and vehicles will arrive in Hino dealerships nationwide from August.
“Like all Hino products, safety, drivability and comfort will be key features of the new 700 Series, and importantly, there will be an expanded range to suit more customer applications and operating requirements,” said Daniel Petrovski, Manager of Product Strategy for Hino Australia.
More details about the all-new 700 Series will be released closer to its launch in June.

I’m looking forward to having a drive of the 700 in early June in Sydney. My guess is that it will be a competitor for the recently released Fuso Shogun. Hino has provided no more pics apart from the above teaser photo, so I went and found another, albeit earlier model.

CONNECTED, AUTONOMOUS, SHARED, ELECTRIC

Together they carry the acronym CASE and Isuzu, Hino and Toyota are all on the CASE together. The businesses have agreed on a new partnership in commercial vehicles with Toyota sharing its CASE technology with the two truck manufacturers.

Specifically, the three companies plan to jointly work on the development of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), autonomous driving technologies and electronic platforms centred on the domain of small commercial-purpose trucks.

They also plan to link their connected technology platforms to build a platform for commercial vehicles that can help solve customers’ problems.

Electric is coming!

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PACCAR CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN OZ (From the ATA)

PACCAR Australia Managing Director Andrew Hadjikakou gives Treasurer Josh Frydenberg a tour of the Bayswater facility before a formal acknowledgement of the organisation's achievements — **PACCAR Australia Managing Director Andrew Hadjikakou gives Treasurer Josh Frydenberg a tour of the Bayswater facility before a formal acknowledgement of the organisation's achievements**

PACCAR Australia has today celebrated 50 years of manufacturing in Australia, supporting local jobs, industry productivity, and the Australian economy with truck production at its Bayswater plant in Melbourne.

As part of the celebrations, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Kevin Hogan, ATA Chair David Smith and ATA CEO Andrew McKellar toured the facility before a formal recognition of the role PACCAR has played in the trucking industry during the last 50 years.

“During the past 50 years, PACCAR has manufactured 70,000 trucks in this plant. We are extremely proud of this achievement and honoured that the Treasurer and his colleagues have joined us to show their support for our industry,” Managing Director of PACCAR Australia, Andrew Hadjikakou said.

The celebrations saw the Treasurer hand over the keys of the 70,000th Kenworth manufactured at the plant to Brown and Hurley, a multi-generational Australian-owned family dealership who celebrate 75 years in business this year.

Mr Hadjikakou said there were many exciting things on the horizon for PACCAR, including the completion of a $40 million factory expansion and a $15 million investment in 2021 for local research and development, software integration and engineering to produce new products in the Bayswater factory.

“Our factory expansion is set to double our manufacturing capacity and will position the organisation for the next 50 years of manufacturing on this site,” he said.

READ MORE

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NEW VICTORIAN CHARGE ON ZERO AND LIGHT EMISSION VEHICLES

The Victorian Government has kicked off the reform on how we pay for roads. A new charge is proposed for zero and low emission light vehicles, including light commercial vehicles.

Fuel excise effectively funds the construction and maintenance of our roads, with the Federal Government currently charging light vehicles 42.7 cents per litre (“cpl”) and heavy vehicles 25.8 cpl. This equates to a light vehicle paying approximately $4.20 per 100 kilometres and a heavy vehicle over $10.00 per 100 kilometres.

Electric and hydrogen vehicles do not pay these charges. Under the Victorian proposal, a new zero and low emission vehicle (ZLEV) charge will apply from 1 July 2021 to Victorian registered ZLEVs at a rate of:

· 2.5 cents per kilometre on public roads or $2.50 per 100 kilometres for ZLEV that are electric vehicle or hydrogen vehicles; or

· 2 cents per kilometre on public roads or $2 per 100kms for ZLEV that are plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

The rate will be indexed in line with the Consumer Price Index and, critically, the new charges will not apply to heavy vehicles. A person who uses an ZLEV is required to be registered and submit ongoing returns to the Victorian Government. The move is seen by the Victorian Government as addressing the inequity in road funding contribution between ZLEVs and liquid fuel using vehicles, however, it has been met by fierce criticism by those looking for the Government to encourage use of ZLEVs.

This is the first step in an overhaul of Australia’s road tax scheme, which will could ultimately see the Federal Government removing fuel excise and implementing a broad based mass distance charge. With the Federal Government currently weighing up its options, the move by the Victorian Government is the first move to fill the revenue gap.

IN OTHER NEWS FROM THE ATA

· Trucking operators from across the country are coming together to help flood-affected farmers in NSW, with the 'Need for Feed' organisation delivering much needed hay. The volunteer drivers are already on their way to Taree, Telegraph Point and Kempsey, and a much bigger hay run is being organised for the Easter period. Read more

· The NHVR has released its draft Heavy Vehicle Safety Strategy and are calling for feedback from industry, with the submission period open until Friday 30 April. Find out more

· The Australian Taxation Office is running a series of webinars for small businesses, assisting owners on a range of topics from Single Touch Payroll and small business viability, through to recording expenses and how to improve cash flow. View the full list of webinars

· Women & Leadership Australia are offering development scholarships for female leaders in the transport and logistics sector. The initiative is providing women with grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 to allow participation in one of three leadership development courses designed for emerging through to senior leaders. Find out more or register your interest by 31 March.

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