Key Priorities in a Vehicle Purchase

Key Priorities in a Vehicle Purchase

Versatility and practicality are key priorities in a vehicle purchase. As Diesel News’ Paul Matthei discovered during a recent test, Hino’s 300 Series Crew Auto fitted with a Kyokuto Slide Tray body has these qualities in spades.
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Breaking New Ground

Breaking New Ground

Mercedes-Benz is breaking new ground in releasing the company’s new-generation models refresh. The launch of these rigid trucks follows on from the successful launch of the prime mover models last year. The trucks have just emerged from a similar process to the one the company used in developing the prime mover range. A number of evaluation trucks were put into different fleets around the country. In all, 35 customers tried 20 trucks, covering over 1.8 million kilometres.
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Keep an Eye on Things

Keep an Eye on Things

Responsibility and liability are important in any trucking business, operators need to keep an eye on things. One operator in Queensland has developed an innovative way of keeping an eye on things in the fleet and talks to Diesel News about the system used.
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Top of the Horsepower Tree

Top of the Horsepower Tree

Not that long ago most (if not all) of Europe’s truck makers were still vying to climb to the top of the horsepower tree, reckons Diesel News’ European Correspondent, Brian Weatherley. Today it’s another story altogether. I’d say the first truck maker to publicly take its foot off the power pedal was Mercedes.
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A Finger On The Pulse Of Trucking

A Finger On The Pulse Of Trucking

Looking at truck sales figures is a way of keeping a finger on the pulse of trucking. The figures put out by the Truck Industry Council every month give us a broad brush picture, with truck sales broken
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Build More Flat Floor Cabovers

Frankly, I’m surprised more manufacturers don’t do it. ‘Do what?’ I hear you ask Down Under. Build more flat-floor cabovers, that’s what. Given the fact that every night hundreds of thousands of European long-haul drivers are bedding down for the night in a truck (and I reckon 99.99 per cent of them will be doing it in a cabover prime mover) you’d think that all of Europe’s truck makers would be keen to make their cabs as easy to move around in as possible.
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Looking into the Future

Scania are looking into the future with a newly appointed Managing Director. Roger McCarthy has handed the tiller to Mikael Jansson as the local MD of the Swedish truck brand. “I think Scania is in a very good position,” says Mikael. “Globally, the company is running at an all-time high in terms of revenue. The current range we have here in Australia is performing well and the volumes are increasing. The new-generation trucks launched in Europe are being well received by their customers.
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New Scania’s Australia Launch Early Next Year

Just over 18 months will have passed since its global launch when the new Scania’s Australia launches in mid-March next year. This represents quite a quick turnaround, from initial unveiling to Australian model launch, for a European truck manufacturer. The Mercedes Benz Actros new generation was available for five years in Europe before its appearance here.
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Fuel Hauling in the Northern Territory

John Fraser has been running a business fuel hauling in the Northern Territory for over a decade. His transport operation has been working for IOR Petroleum for 12 years, starting with one truck and then going to two trailers. The operation currently run two trucks and has another undergoing restoration. There are two trucks on fuel full time, plus one subcontractor. The trucks include a 700hp Volvo rigid with three trailers, and a Kenworth K200 tri-axle prime mover pulling three trailers.
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Improved DAF Cabin

Diesel News’ Europe Correspondent Brian Weatherley reports on the improved DAF Cabin on the latest Euro 6 XF and CF, launched in the European market. For DAF’s engineers at Eindhoven in The Netherlands, the watchword is with evolution, not revolution and their latest CF and XF proves it.  New CF and XF gain a face-lifted interior along with an updated night control panel by the bed plus an upgraded instrument and dashboard layout. But what are they like on the road? The answer, to use the pommie habit of emphasis through understatement, is rather good. We tried out the new models in Holland and while it’s not a country famed for its contours we did manage to find the odd hill on our test route which included motorways and local roads. With the new 450hp rating on the MX-11 likely to appeal to European fleet operators, we first tried a CF 450FT ‘lightweight’ 4×2 prime mover hitched to a tri-axle tank trailer running at around 32-tonnes, somewhat below the normal 40 tonne EU limit, but enough to get a feel for it working.
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