Trucks

Vale Bob Shand 

The co-founder of the company which introduced the Western Star brand of trucks to Australia has sadly died this week. Bob Shand, along with his partner, Kit Bleakly, played an instrumental role in establishing Canadian truck brand, here in Australia in 1983. Together they introduced the North American brand to Australia from their facility in Wacol, Queensland, where the brand still operates some 30 years later The features of the trucks built at the company’s base in Kelowna, British Columbia, were of rugged heavy vehicles designed to handle the tough conditions working in the forests of Canada. These attributes made them good candidates to handle our equally tough trucking conditions.
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Tri, Tri and Tri Again

It is one of the many things in which Australia leads the world, the tri-drive. Our remote areas, and their public roads have a large population of tri-drive prime movers, in world terms. Here is the latest first to hit the road, this time in the Pilbara. Fusion Contracting is now running this  214 tonne GCM rated Scania with twin steer and tri-drive pulling a quad axle super quad carting Iron Ore. With a payload of 150 tonnes being delivered to the Port Hedland, Utah Point facilities.
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All New Stralis Launched

Iveco have launched the next generation of the Stralis model with a new drive line and more powerful electronics, claiming fuel savings of over ten per cent. The New Stralis XP follows the Stralis Hi-Way,
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New Boss at Penske

Penske Commercial Vehicles, distributor of the Western Star, MAN and Dennis Eagle commercial vehicles in Australia and New Zealand, have announced the appointment of a new Managing Director. Kevin Dennis, after two years with Penske Power Systems in Australia as its Director for On Highway business, has been moved to the position of Managing Director of PCV.
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Trade Skills Centre Opening

A new Trade Skills Centre has been opened in Glenala State High School, based in the Archerfield, Richlands, Wacol area where much of the trucking industry is based, to the West of Brisbane. The TSC is a federally funded initiative through the Trade Training Centres in Schools Project and will, with the help of the Heavy Vehicle Industry Association, be the venue for the delivery of the Certificate 2 in Automotive Vocational Preparation (heavy vehicle stream) and Certificate 2 in Logistics to Year 11 and 12 students from July 2016.
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Turbo Compounding Explained?

Does anyone know exactly how turbo compounding works in a truck engine? It seems to be one of those technologies which appear and disappear without truck buyers actually working out how the thing works. This video doesn’t tell us anything except it will save US truck buyers fuel. Over the years both Scania and Volvo have introduced and then un-introduced turbo compounding on their truck engines. The current DD 15 from Detroit does have an element of turbo compounding but, as to how it works, the answer is unclear.
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Ravaglioli Commercial Vehicle Wireless Mobile Column Lifts

Top Mechanics Face-Off

The world’s biggest competition for workshop personnel is about to take place in Sweden. First held in 1957, the finals of VISTA (Volvo International Service Training Award), held on May 31 to June 1
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Ravaglioli Commercial Vehicle Wireless Mobile Column Lifts

Extended Intervals on ISXe5

Cummins has announced extended oil drain intervals for the 15 litre ISXe5 engine. The new interval announced brings it up to 60,000 km between oil drains. According to Cummins,on normal-duty applications, where fuel consumption is above 1.5 km/litre, ISXe5 customers will be able to extend oil drain intervals to 60,000 km using, recently released, Valvoline Premium Blue 8100 oil. Alternatively, oil drain intervals can be extended to 50,000 km using any 15W40 oil brand meeting CES 20081. Read More