If these videos prove anything at all, then they clearly indicate, there is nothing like a V8 truck. That sound is unmistakeable and loved by so many in the industry. Read more
Why Don’t We Build More Rest Areas?
We have heard a series of promises in this election campaign about road transport related spending, but the question is, when money becomes available, why don’t we build more rest areas? Read more
Designers Use Ingenuity and PBS Smarts
This video shows the kind of improvements in productivity possible when vehicle designers use ingenuity and PBS smarts to develop on road solutions which take an operation to a whole new level. Read more
Is This a Real BBABB sextuple?
You can watch this video of a road train in a Lindsay’s facility, but the question which comes to mind must be, is this a real BBABB sextuple? Or is it just someone messing about in a truck yard? Read more
Road Train Platoon in Action
This video is an opportunity to see a road train platoon in action in the Pilbara. The trucks belong to Mineral Resources (MRL)which is claiming a world-first success with a road train platoon hauling a cumulative 900 tonnes of iron ore.
The trials were announced last year and seem to have quickly borne fruit with a successful platoon hauling product on the company’s haul roads.
The company claims it will only need to have a driver in the first road train when the system is up and running. However, it is clear from the video that the process is not far enough down the development process to not have a driver sitting in the cabins of the second and third in line, there is still a driver in the driver’s seat, they just aren’t holding the steering wheel.
According to the Australian Mining website, MRL has partnered with autonomy specialist Hexagon on the project, integrating Hexagon’s drive-by-wire technology with an autonomous management system to orchestrate vehicle movement.
MRL mining services chief executive Mike Grey is quoted by the website as having said automating a road train platoon of this size had never been achieved before and he was delighted his company was leading the world with this ground-breaking innovation.
“It’s been an exciting journey over the past year and we’ve now achieved a world-first platoon of three autonomous road trains, which is a game changer for us,” said Grey. “It’s an extremely proud moment to see our autonomous project grow from desktop concept to iron ore reality so quickly.”
The project has been undertaken in partnership with Hexagon, with a view to ‘live’ introduction to enable pit-to-port capabilities at Mineral Resources’ Ashburton hub project.
The autonomous road trains are planned to be used in platoons of four, with a driver occupying the front vehicle. They will not be travelling on public roads.
“As we get ready for the Ashburton Hub Iron Ore Project and look to unlock stranded tonnes of iron ore, our autonomous road trains will be the vital link between the pit and the port,” said Grey, when talking to Australian mining. “As the first of its kind in the world, it opens up new opportunities for us, as we can trial the technology ourselves before offering it to our Tier 1 customers.”
Autonomous Trucks Are Back
After a couple of years out of the limelight, as the discussion about trucks of the future has revolved around batteries, electric power, fuel cells, hydrogen etc gained momentum, autonomous trucks are back on the agenda. Read more
Perception Versus Reality
This video illustrates the ongoing issues for the road transport industry and freight transport generally, it’s a matter of perception versus reality. Read more
SEQH are A-double Pioneers in Queensland
South East Queensland Hauliers, better known as SEQH are A-double Pioneers in Queensland and have built a reputation for reliability and achievement in the import/export freight arena. The operation has been at the forefront in developing and implementing PBS A-double combinations in the Sunshine state. Read more
Have We Lost Some Great Trucking Traditions?
Watching the third video in a series featuring a young man growing up into the trucking industry in Western Queensland, begs the question, have we lost some great trucking traditions? Read more
Searching For Even More Fuel Economy
In the early days of the development of the new DAF XG and XF models, and searching for even more fuel economy, they built a working prototype of a truck with a protruding nose, which wouldn’t have looked out of place on the front of a Japanese Bullet train.