With a bulging 2012 calendar that takes it all over Australia and around the world, the Kelly Racing team has ensured its sponsor an adventure like no other.

The bar has undoubtedly been set high for the 2012 season, with Rick Kelly rising to sixth in the V8 Supercar Championships last year. Now with more experience and a few victories under their belts, brothers Rick and Todd Kelly are set to take the Clipsal 500 by storm this March.

Vice president of Mack Trucks Australia, Dean Bestwick, has nothing but praise for the team that is Kelly Racing. “We are pleased to provide our ongoing support to the Kelly Racing team in 2012, and very much look forward to the upcoming season – looks like it will be a big one!”

According to Nick Ryan, Kelly Racing general manager – marketing and sponsorship, “We’re obviously very proud to be associated with such an iconic brand like Mack Trucks. Driving a trusty Mack Trident all over the country with the Jack Daniel’s race cars on board is also a great feeling.”

Peter Jensen-Muir, new managing director of Cummins South Pacific.

Cummins South Pacific has announced that Dennis Quinn, managing director/ general manager has resigned, and will be leaving the company in mid-March. His replacement is Peter Jensen-Muir who has been with Cummins both in Australian and overseas roles for the past 23 years.

Gino Butera, executive managing director of Cummins Asia Pacific, said that under Dennis Quinn’s leadership Cummins South Pacific has seen significant growth in sales and earnings.

Quinn is moving on to join an ASX-listed company in the industrial sector. “Cummins is an excellent company with great people and products. I know it will continue to grow and enjoy success in the future,” he said.

Peter Jensen-Muir will move from his current role of director of business operations for Asia Pacific Distribution, having recently returned toAustraliaafter many years with Cummins overseas.

He has an extensive background in commercial, sales and general management roles across a diverse range of regions and countries including Asia Pacific, North and South East Asia, Australia,China, Latin America, North America, Europe, Middle East andAfrica.

He brings to the role a strong blend of knowledge and experience that spans a wide range of market and industry segments, including power generation, recreational marine, commercial marine, mining, rail, trucking, construction and industrial.

“Customers, staff, business partners and suppliers can be assured of a smooth transition,” Gino Butera said. “We remain focused on helping our customers succeed every day by providing the most dependable products and services in the market.”

ATA chief executive Stuart St Clair

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has taken a non-partisan stance in regards to the Australian Government’s Road Safety Remuneration Bill (RSRB), saying it will neither support nor oppose the legislation because it is not an industrial relations organisation.

“The ATA focuses on improving the safety, viability and professionalism of the trucking industry, and our members include both the TWU (Transport Workers Union) and employer associations,” said Stuart St Clair, chief executive of the ATA.

“We do not deal with industrial relations which is what the Government’s bill is clearly about,” he emphasised. “It includes all the usual provisions you would expect to see in an industrial relations bill, including the right of unions to enter businesses and inspect documents.”

He went on to sing the praises of the ATA’s TruckSafe safety accreditation program, which could be perceived as an implication from the ATA that if every truck operator in Australia was TruckSafe accredited there would be no need to introduce legislation such as that proposed by the RSRB.

“The ATA will keep its focus on measures that will improve the safety of the trucking industry, including the TruckSafe safety accreditation program,” St Clair continued. “Joining TruckSafe is the best way that trucking businesses can improve their safety and ensure they comply with the road transport laws. Independent statistics show that TruckSafe companies are twice as safe as non-accredited operators.

“For the industry’s customers, using TruckSafe businesses is a simple way to deal with their obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent breaches of the speed, fatigue, and mass, dimension and load restraint laws.

“Customers can get on with their core business, without worrying about the details of road transport law. The TruckSafe tick is all the detail they need.

“TruckSafe has even been recognised as an industry code of practice by the Victorian Government, which means that complying with the letter and spirit of the TruckSafe standards is legal evidence that a business has met its obligations.”

The Hadley 4-WAY is the only mirror assembly available in Australia that can be tilted electrically to the left, right, up and down. Complete with a control switch for the cab, the mirror is composed of a chrome shell body, with superior vibration control for better vision and longevity. It also comes with a self-regulating heater for fast uniform defrosting to help on those chilly mornings. These mirrors can be retrofitted to most west coast bracket systems, however specialized clamps are available for fitment to other bracket systems. Replacement components are available thus ensuring a long service life.

To order your complete mirror assembly or replacement parts please contact Powerdown on 02 4949 0000 or for more information please visit www.powerdown.com.au

Groeneveld board of management (L to R): Ron den Engelsen (Strategy & Business Development), Henk Groeneveld (President & CEO) and Sjaak van Boxtel (Finance & Administration).

The Netherlands based Groeneveld Group – a leading supplier of automatic lubrication and oil management systems – has reshaped its management structure with the aim of facilitating further global growth.

A board of management has been established with Henk Groeneveld as president, Ron den Engelsen, manager of strategy and business development, and Sjaak van Boxtel, head of finance and administration.

In addition, Ron den Engelsen has been appointed managing director of Groeneveld Transport Efficiency, a company specialising in the development, manufacturing, marketing and sales of automatic lubrication systems, Oilmaster oil management systems and Greensight active safety systems.

Henk Groeneveld, in the position of managing director, will head Groeneveld’s IT division GreenCat which specialises in transport management systems and telematics solutions, with a strong position in Benelux, France and Germany.

“We have ambitious growth plans, both for product development and for further global growth,” Henk Groeneveld said. “With this new management structure, together with two dedicated management teams, we are well positioned to support our growth ambitions.”

Henk looks back on a successful 2011, the year in which Groeneveld celebrated its 40th anniversary and also realised significant growth in turnover and profit.  

Front-under run protection is now standard on almost every model in the Hino on-highway range.

Hino has significantly enhanced its safety reputation with the standard fitment of a front under-run protection system (FUPS) on all on-highway versions of its 500 and 700 series trucks.

The FUPS bar is incorporated into the truck’s standard bumper and is included in all 500 series and 700 Series on-highway trucks from late 2011 production.

FUPS is already part of an extensive safety package including dual driver airbags, ABS braking and vehicle stability control on wide cab versions of Hino’s new 300 series light- duty truck. However, with the standard inclusion of FUPS on its 500 and 700 series models, Hino claims to be the first manufacturer in Australia to offer a front under-run protection system across all three categories of trucks – light, medium and heavy-duty.

In the case of its medium and heavy-duty models, Hino’s FUPS is certified to both Australian Design Rule ADR 84 and European Safety Standard UN ECE-93.

According to Hino Australia product planning manager Daniel Petrovski, “The advanced crash structure of FUPS has been subjected to extensive testing by Hino engineers, including computer-aided design simulations and physical destructive testing at Hino’s safety centre in Japan.”

“Hino takes road safety very seriously, and we’re particularly committed to offering the best available safety features on our trucks when and where we can.”

CAPTION

Front-under run protection is now standard on almost every model in the Hino on-highway range.

Craig Mitchell (left) and Jon Italiano have formed a business partnership to build a network of new truckstops in the Pilbara.

Craig Mitchell, the former owner of Western Australian trucking firm Mitchell Corp, and business partner Jon Italiano are launching a network of roadhouses under the Outback Travel Centres (OTC) banner in the Pilbara region of northern WA.

“Frankly, there are some roadhouses in Western Australia where you wouldn’t be game to use the toilets, let alone buy a meal for yourself or your family,” Craig said. “As a former driver, and someone who employed more than 500 drivers, I have a fair idea of what will work in these locations.

“Oil companies have invested very little in full service truck stops in Western Australia over the past 25 years,” he continued. “They seem to be investing more in unmanned remote filling stations, which take revenue from and put additional pressure on the existing full service facilities and do nothing to improve services for long distance truck drivers or the travelling public.”

The first two Outback Travel Centres are existing properties being redeveloped in Newman and Carnarvon at a cost of more than $36 million. When completed they will offer full refuelling facilities, restaurants, convenience stores, WiFi access and quality rest rooms and shower facilities. The centres will also operate motel style accommodation, with 150 rooms being built at the Newman OTC.

The company is currently finalising negotiations to acquire land for two more OTC facilities in Karratha and Port Hedland.

The facilities and services offered by Outback Travel Centres have been modelled on the operations of the Pilot Flying J service stations across the United States. This company operates more than 550 travel centres or truckstops across North America, catering for professional truckers and other drivers.

“Those guys have refined their offering over 30 years,” Craig said. “They do a great job at catering for long distance drivers with quality, clean facilities and a broad food offering.”

The all-new 13 litre Cummins engine is undergoing durability testing in Australia.

It’s official: The land ‘Down Under’ is now the centre for global field testing of Cummins truck engines. This has been confirmed by the current testing in Australia of an all-new 13 litre engine for global markets, and an enhanced 15 litre ISX power plant due for North American release in 2013.

“Australian operating conditions challenge product reliability and durability like no other market,” said Sean McLean, general manager – automotive products for Cummins South Pacific.

“The combination of high gross weights, high average speeds, frequent engine brake use and extreme climatic conditions is the ideal formula for accelerated reliability and durability testing.”

The 2013 ISX currently being tested in Australia is based on the existing 15 litre engine sold in North America which uses a combination of EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) and SCR (selective catalytic reduction) to meet US EPA ‘10 emissions regulations.

Unlike the dual overhead cam ISX engine currently sold in Australia, the North American version has a single overhead camshaft and common rail fuel system known as XPI that as the acronym suggests delivers extremely high injection pressures.

“The reworked ISX engine using a combination of EGR and SCR is a potential solution for the next round of emissions law inAustralia– ADR80-04 – which is likely to come into effect in 2016 or 2017,” McLean continued. “Depending on test results, this engine could well be released in Australia before the introduction of ADR80-04.”

On the other hand, the 13 litre engine is a completely new design using SCR for emissions reduction. It is the product of a 50/50 joint venture between Cummins and Chinese company Dongfeng and will be built in China. 

Two 13 litre units rated at 525 hp with peak torque of 1850 lb ft are currently undergoing local testing hauling B-double combinations.

“The global testing being conducted inAustraliais recognition of Cummins South Pacific’s engineering capability,” Sean added. “The technology available today for data monitoring also means it is easier for global testing to be carried out effectively in remote locations such as outback Australia.”

(L to R) Daimler Trucks boss Andreas Renschler, Daimler chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche and Bodo Uebber, head of Daimler Financial Services.

Flying in the face of current economic woes beseiging much of Europe and other parts of the world, Daimler AG has announced a record net profit for 2011 of €6.0 billion, eclipsing its 2010 result by €1.3 billion.  

“In 2011 Daimler Group achieved the best-ever results in its 125 year history for unit sales, revenue, EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) and net profit,’ stated Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG.

“In total, we made the anniversary year also into a year of success for Daimler. This performance shows that with its strong portfolio of cars, trucks, vans, buses and financial services, the Group is strategically very well positioned. We are now putting all our efforts into continuing this success and achieving our targeted rates of return on a sustained basis as of the year 2013,” emphasised Zetsche.

The excellent earnings for the year 2011 primarily reflect the very good situation of unit sales in the divisions. In 2011, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks and Mercedes-Benz Vans significantly increased their unit sales compared with the prior year in the major regions. Daimler Financial Services profited in particular from the lower cost of risk.

Special factors connected with the natural disaster in Japan resulted in total charges for the Group of €80 million. Insurance compensation has been taken into consideration in calculating this figure. Charges were also recognised from the impairment of Daimler’s equity interests in Renault (€110 million) and Kamaz (€32 million).

Daimler sold a total of 2.1 million vehicles in 2011, surpassing the prior-year figure by 11 percent, and each of its automotive divisions contributed to the increase. Group revenue rose by nine percent to €106.5 billion; adjusted for exchange-rate effects, this denotes a rise of 10 percent.

The net liquidity of the company’s industrial business amounted to €12 billion at December 31, 2011, up from €11.9 billion in 2010.

The generally positive business development led to an increase in the number of people employed worldwide to 271,370 as of December 31. This was 11,270 more than at the end of 2010. In Germany, the number of employees increased to 167,684, up from 164,026 in 2010.

Due to Daimler’s success in 2011, the Board of Management and the General Works Council have agreed that the workforce’s performance will again be rewarded with a high performance participation bonus. In Germany, each eligible employee of Daimler AG will receive an amount of €4100 at the end of April 2012.

Focusing on the storage and local distribution of perishable foodstuffs, Freezex operates a 20-strong truck fleet from its MarsdenPark (westernSydney) cold storage facility. With the help of sub-contractors and an affiliate network, the company delivers over 500 pallets of products to more than 80 destinations daily.

According to the company’s co-manager Ben Howard-Bath, the acquisition of a semi-automated GK 400 prime mover was essentially a trial of the single-drive prime mover configuration. Yet even at this early stage it’s shaping up as the prime mover of choice for the business in the future.

“Comfort, cost and manoeuvrability are the big things for us,” Ben commented. “Lower registration costs when compared to a tandem drive prime mover, and fewer tyres to wear out. And the manoeuvrability of that truck is awesome; you can get into really tight driveways because it basically ‘turns on a dime’.

“This first truck has been a trial for our business, and it’s really paid off.”

Ben and his brother Luke co-manage the Freezex business, and their typical hands-on approach saw Ben get behind the wheel of the UD for its test period. Accordingly, one of the stand-out features of the prime mover is the nine-speed semi-automated (ESCOT II) transmission.

“The creature comforts are great,” he enthused. “In particular, I appreciate the semi-automated transmission because it just makes the job that much easier. It also broadens the field when we are looking to put on new drivers.

“We haul dairy products over to the northern beaches and there are quite a few hills on the way. It makes a massive difference to the comfort of your day when you don’t have to push the clutch in at every change.”

While this particular unit is the first new UD to join the Freezex fleet, the company commenced a fleet renewal program four years ago and says the rewards have been flowing ever since.

“We have moved away from running old gear with the associated big repair bills and it has transformed our business,” Ben explained. “It’s certainly put paid to regular mechanical breakdowns and down time.”