heavy ev keeps things cool and...
TRANSCRIPT
1JULY 2020
Foodstuffs and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) have partnered up to build New
Zealand’s first electric powered refrigerated heavy duty truck.
From the tailgate to the engine and the fridge-freezer unit that sits on top, everything on the vehicle is powered by a battery.
It is the latest of several projects between Foodstuffs and EECA as they collaborate in the drive towards a carbon neutral New Zealand by 2050.
The full cost of the truck hasn’t been totalled yet, however, EECA funded $400,000 towards the project which also included two other ambient trucks with all three now on the road.
It followed Foodstuffs’ successful application to the Low Emission Vehicles Contestable Fund for co-funding support.
Foodstuffs NZ sustainability manager Mike Sammons says it’s “a huge feat of Kiwi ingenuity”.
“We couldn’t purchase a fully electric refrigerated truck, because it didn’t exist, so we had the idea to custom build one,” he says.
With carbon emissions from transport currently at 18% in New Zealand, Sammons is optimistic this new innovation will have a role to play in transport carbon reduction.
“We’re 100% committed to playing our part in creating more sustainable transport solutions, building a fully
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HEAVY EV KEEPS THINGS COOL AND GREEN
TOLL OPENS NEW FREIGHT HUBPAGE 8
DEALERS TALK FIELDAYSPAGE 10
MORE E-BUSES FOR AUCKLANDPAGE 13
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2 JULY 2020
MIKE SAMMONS
STEPHEN FAIRWEATHER
NEWSTALK
electric refrigeration truck is a massive leap towards a carbon-free future for New Zealand,” he says.
Sammons says data on the truck will be collected over the next 12 months “to really get an understanding of the potential for electric trucks as a viable alternative to the status quo”.
EECA transport portfolio manager Richard Briggs says they could see the potential immediately.
“Heavy vehicles make up less than 5% of the national fleet, but are responsible for 29% of land transport emissions, so decarbonising the heavy fleet as much as possible will have a huge, positive impact.”
EECA had previously co-funded Foodstuffs to deliver 61 fast charge stations and 28 electric delivery vans.
“Foodstuffs has developed a great track record in this space, proving the viability of electrification,” Briggs says.
With EECA’s backing, Foodstuffs pulled together some of the country’s brightest and best transport, electrical and refrigeration engineers to convert the standard Isuzu FVY, 24 tonne, 6-wheel diesel truck to be 100% electric powered.
The electric truck will operate from the Foodstuffs distribution centre in Grenada, Wellington, under the stewardship of Foodstuffs North Island Transport.
Fleet and safety manager Blair Inglis played a big role in driving the project forward.
“We knew from the start building a fully electric EV truck would be a challenge and we had our fair share of them along the way, including COVID-19, but we always knew if we could pull it off,
this innovation could set the direction for the future of commercial transport in New Zealand and that’s very exciting,” Inglis says.
After extensive testing and driver training, the electric truck recently set out on its first official delivery run to New World Miramar, a 60km round trip.
With a range of between 150 and 200km and capable of transporting 14 pallets of product at temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees centigrade, the truck completed its inaugural journey with ease.
Foodstuffs North Island Transport driver Bagish Bansal gave the truck its first official run and says he “really liked it”.
“The ride was smooth, it was really quiet in the cab and it’s great to know that you’re helping the environment while doing your job, that feels really good. I really hope this is the shape of things to come for my occupation,” Bansal says.
Automotive technology company SEA Electric carried out the EV conversion on the Isuzu truck featuring its SEA-Drive 180 power system.
SEA Electric NZ general manager Stephen Fairweather says the it’s the first heavy refrigerated truck that’s hit the road, however, a smaller EV refrigerated truck for Countdown home delivery was the first project.
He says the company has been now been involved in a number of EV projects from waste collection, home delivery, daily freight and elevated work platform trucks.
“This vehicle’s requirements is certainly the largest refrigeration unit we’ve tackled in New Zealand, although it has been done prior in Australia. With the correct auxiliary equipment it is manageable,” Fairweather says.
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3JULY 2020
NEWSTALK
“SEA Electric’s drive system is ideally suited to the metropolitan delivery model where this type of requirement comes into play. Being able to configure the SEA Drive system to customers usage, GVM and range requirements enables endless possibilities,” he says.
The company also worked closely with transport refrigeration specialist Thermo King and Fairweather says alignment between both parties is “critical” to getting the job done.
Earlier this year, New Zealand fishing company Sanford also unveiled an all-electric chilled van as part of its Auckland deliveries which was hailed as a New Zealand first.
CHARGING STATIONS AND SOLAR PANELFoodstuffs has installed 70 fast charging stations in partnership with ChargeNet NZ and EECA at New World, Pak’nSave and Four Square stores throughout the country.
“While we’re certainly not going to be offering a sharp deal on selling EVs at Pak’nSave any time soon, we’re delighted New Zealanders will be able to save money on discounted electric vehicles and that they are able to top them up while they are getting their groceries, wherever they are in the country – whether at a remote West Coast location or in the heart of Auckland,” Sammons says.
On top of this, the company is preparing to install New Zealand’s largest solar panel array on its North Island distribution centre roof near Auckland airport.
The 2915 solar panels, provided by Reid Technology, cover 6000 square metres and are going on the centre under construction at the Landing Business Park, due for completion in late 2020.
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4 JULY 2020
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CablePrice is opening a new Timaru branch to expand its Mercedes- Benz, Fuso and Freightliner sales, parts and service network.
CABLEPRICE TO OPEN TIMARU BRANCH FOR DAIMLER NETWORK
I t follows the deal with Daimler Trucks and Fuso New Zealand earlier this year with CablePrice
appointed as authorised South Island sales, parts and service dealer for the brands.
“It has always been our intention to expand our offering and support to the regions,” CablePrice New Zealand managing director Keisuke (Ken) Okuzumi says.
“This latest branch solidifies our commitment to our South Island customers, while providing reassurance for locally based customers.
“We see Timaru as an important hub and gateway to the South Island, with its large agricultural diversity, significant manufacturing operations and increasing commercial traffic,” he says.
“Our new Timaru site will service the wider south Canterbury region and offer customers full workshop support along with 24/7 mobile support, should the need arise.
“We have also been fortunate enough to secure the talents of some fantastic Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner experienced technicians, ensuring we offer the highest level of service.
“We have a strong relationship with customers in the area and are looking to taking this to the next level with this recent expansion,” Okuzumi says.
Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific aftersales and network operations director Greg Lovrich says customers will benefit from the Timaru site.
“The quality of the staff at this location is of the highest order and we know that our customers will appreciate their support.
“It is great to have the best products but to have them backed by the best people is critically important,” Lovrich says.
Fuso New Zealand chief executive Kurtis Andrews says Timaru is a key location in the Fuso dealer network.
“We’re delighted that CablePrice has secured a new site from which they will pro vide Fuso genuine parts and service and now also new truck sales.
“Fuso operators in South Canterbury, and those who operate up and down the South Island, can expect a high level of specialist service from this new Timaru dealership,” Andrews says.
Meanwhile, Okuzumi says the new site is on track to open soon after delays brought about by COVID-19.
“While we intended to have the site up and running earlier, due to restrictions relating to COVID-19, it was always paramount that our customer and staff safety came first.
“However, progress with the building fit-out is now well under way and we will be fully open later this month,” Okuzumi says.
5JULY 2020
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6 JULY 2020
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DESPITE COVID WE’RE TRUCKING ON
In fact, the numbers are quite surprising and would have seemed a long shot at the start of New Zealand’s
lockdown period.
However, it’s a good reflection of early confidence in certain sectors and shows everyone is working hard to get back on their feet and do what they can to help with the so-called economic recovery.
New and used commercial vehicle registrations over 3500kg GVM both reached similar levels on the same period as last year with a combined 605 units for the month compared to 615 the year prior.
Meanwhile, used light commercials had an even more dramatic recovery for the month of June, not just getting back to the same level as last year but rising 12% and used cars up 7%.
So out the window goes the theory from some corners which was hinting at the possibility of bargain prices if dealers were left with an abundance of stock to clear.
Although, in the year to date total new vehicle sales were down 29.1% in a month described as “steady but weaker” by the Motor Industry Association.
Overall, it seems the country is making good progress since the level 4 lockdown but there is a long way to go and it would be exasperating to have that all go to waste because of border bungles.
The latest ANZ-Roy Morgan NZ Consumer Confidence report is also reporting some good signs with an eight-point boost in consumer confidence for the month.
The survey also says the net proportion of households who think it’s a good time to buy a major household item lifted 20 points. Caution is still being urged with
figures still at recessionary levels which could point towards an initial sugar rush of spending.
“The bounce is encouraging, but with unemployment set to rise sharply we need to be realistic about how much spring is likely left,” ANZ says.
And despite all the challenges, innovation keeps moving on such as the roll out of Foodstuffs’ electric powered refrigerated truck.
It’s another good sign of what’s to come as business put these vehicles to the test and gain more understanding of the technology and design.
It’s a first step until such technology makes a sound business case and won’t be reliant upon government funding – although incentives should still play a big role here.
Nigel MoffietTRANSPORTTALK EDITOR
It was encouraging to see a strong bounce back in overall commercial vehicle imports and registrations for the month of June.
NIGEL MOFFIET TRANSPORTTALK EDITOR
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It included a live stream from Australia as Mercedes-Benz director Andrew Assimo travelled in the new truck from
Melbourne to Daylesford in Victoria.
Thought to be the first launch event of its kind for a commercial vehicle manufacturer in the region, the live stream replaced a more regular launch which had to be put on hold due to COVID-19.
However, Trucks and Trailers had a number of new Actros trucks on display and gave customers the chance to take it out on the road for a spin.
Damon Smith, Mercedes-Benz brand manager for Trucks & Trailers, says a number of the new vehicles have already been delivered to NZ customers and feedback on the MirrorCam system “has been very positive”.
Removing the mirror from the side of the door for two large camera screens inside the cabin has helped create more visibility and removed blind spots, Smith says.
It’s the first truck in Australia and New Zealand to feature cameras instead of side mirrors and also features a new multimedia
system with two high-resolution tablet-style screens.
GPS-assisted predictive powertrain control helps with fuel efficiency and a key safety feature includes Active Brake Assist 5 which can perform full emergency braking for vehicles and pedestrians.
A New Zealand launch event of the new mirrorless Actros was hosted by Trucks and Trailers at its South Auckland dealership on Saturday, July 4.
TRUCKS AND TRAILERS REVEALS NEW ACTROS IN NZ
8 JULY 2020
The 33,480 square metre facility, located on the corner of Savill Drive and James Fletcher Drive,
Otahuhu, was officially opened in April and employs more than 200 people.
It features a state-of-the-art freight forwarding intermodal terminal occupying part of a 17.2-hectare site with rail connectivity.
The building represents a $160 million investment by Toll and is located adjacent its major warehousing hub.
Logistics developer and investor Logos recently purchased the infill development site from Toll as part of a new joint venture with an unnamed institutional investor.
The acquisition included a partial sale and leaseback agreement due to settle in late 2020.
Toll now occupies 7.6 hectares of the site while Logos will re-develop the remaining 9.6 hectares into a logistics and intermodal estate with an estimated value of around NZ$250m across 66,000sqm of logistic facilities.
It’s all located within 4km of trunk routes SH1 and SH20, and adjacent to the eastern and southern main rail lines.
A dedicated rail line has been built to connect the site with the southern trunk line through a north/south junction just 400 metres to the east.
Auckland International Airport is 8km to the south west, and Ports of Auckland just 17km north. Both MetroPort in Onehunga and Inland Port in Wiri are nearby.
Toll Group’s new purpose-built freight hub in Otahuhu is now fully operational.
TOLL FREIGHT HUB SETS ‘GOLD STANDARD’
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NEWSTALK
9JULY 2020
The link to the rail network is a key strategic differentiator for the site, which is critical with the ongoing investment and focus on rail as a long-term sustainable solution for moving NZ’s freight.
The depot itself features raised docks for faster turnaround during the unloading and loading of trucks; finger docks, which give them the ability to load and unload a higher number of units at one time; and a lighter and brighter working space with improved ventilation.
Toll’s new property includes more than 30,00sqm of warehousing, around 3500sqm of offices, 22,730sqm of heavy-duty yard space, and 441 car parks for on-site staff and drivers.
Toll New Zealand executive general manager Jon Adams says it has been designed to meet the varying needs of customers’ logistics requirements.
“From full containers to individual parcels, the facility seamlessly handles different types and volumes of freight.
“Toll Tamaki provides a best in class logistics platform and has the capacity to handle operational growth and to serve existing and new customers over the next 20 years,” Adams says.
At the time of marketing the property for sale, commercial real estate firm CBRE called it “the most significant industrial investment and development opportunity available in the New Zealand market”.
CBRE industrial and logistics NZ national director Claus Brewer says the hi-tech intermodal freight facility sets the “gold standard in logistics”.
“It enables smooth and efficient cross-track handling of freight between different transport modes,” he says.
Separate roadways for trucks and other vehicles provides a complete drive-around capability and free flowing movement of different vehicles inside and outside the building.
It also includes new accessways built for both James Fletcher Drive and Savill Drive.
Brewer says there are many opportunities to add value and grow the site, including potential to reduce the size and configuration of the existing 14,415sqm stormwater pond.
“Toll has prepared a draft subdivision plan, undertaken geotechnical work and master planned the site infrastructure in contemplation of the future subdivision.
“The balance of the developable land equates to 74,832sqm and offers a significant opportunity for future development and further value-add.”
Logos head of Australia and New Zealand Darren Searle says: We are pleased to be further investing in New Zealand’s logistics sector through this new venture and alongside our existing tenant, Toll Group.”
“Logos first entered New Zealand in 2018 and we’re committed to working with our partners and the local industry to further strengthen the logistics and distribution offering in this market through the development of modern, quality logistics and intermodal facilities,” he says.
Logos’ Australian and New Zealand portfolio includes 46 assets and developments across New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland and Auckland, including seven completed projects for Toll Group, with a total development pipeline of NZ$1.8 billion.
WELLINGTON FREIGHT TERMINAL SOON TO OPENMeanwhile, Toll Group is also nearing completion of its Wellington freight hub with the team expected to move in on July 20.
The site covers 1.8ha with the building area set to cover 8400m2. It represents an investment of around $25m.
The Wellington facility is double the size of its existing site and also encompass both a freight forwarding and rail terminal and will provide operational growth along with safety improvements.
It’s hoped the upgrade will help secure new customers and provide opportunity to scale up.
JON ADAMS
DARREN SEARLE
CLAUS BREWER
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NEWSTALK
10 JULY 2020
The deals start as early as April and can run as late as September but Fieldays, slap-bang in the middle of the period
is the hook on which they’re based.
Ute sales peak in June as farmers and fleets upgrade and in recent years Fieldays has become a sort of unofficial New Zealand motor show, with cars mingling with the utes, light-duty trucks and vans.
But this year the COVID-19 pandemic scuppered Fieldays just as it halted business in general and sent the country into lockdown.
The organisers called off the Mystery Creek Fieldays and have replaced it with an Online Fieldays which runs from July 13 to 26, though few of the major vehicle distributors are supporting it.
However, most of the car companies have continued with Fieldays-oriented promotions, some pointing out that though they had a presence at Mystery Creek most Fieldays promotion sales were made at dealerships throughout New Zealand.
The cancellation of the physical show has certainly affected sales, but most distributors cite the slowdown caused by COVID as the greater factor.
For instance, Ford New Zealand says the cancellation of Fieldays has “no doubt had an impact on Ford and the industry, but it’s difficult to look at the event in isolation.
“For us, Fieldays is a great customer event in that every year Ford hosts thousands of people on our stand and we have a chat while introducing them to our latest line-up of vehicles,” says a Blue Oval spokesman.
“The event itself isn’t a direct selling event for Ford so there’s no sales pressure when people visit. We do have salespeople on hand should someone want to buy something on the day but for us the event has always been more about branding, showing off our latest vehicles and providing a great customer experience.”
But he says that combined with the overall lockdown and slowdown, there has certainly been an impact.
“This is normally a peak month for Ford and the industry. We did need to revise our June 2020 forecast lower than the year previous but we’re currently on track to perform better than expected.
“We continued with a couple of those specials with our current Transit Custom Sport and Ranger FX4 but we’ve had to postpone other promotions.”
Toyota New Zealand which has had a significant presence at Fieldays in recent years, says the absence of the event had minimal effect on its sales given some of the wider economic issues influenced by COVID-19.
Toyota says vehicle sales aren’t its key reason for attending Fieldays. “Our primary focus at Fieldays has been on brand-level
activity where visitors can experience the Toyota brand and get an insight into some of our product activity,” says a spokesperson. “So, relying on the event to drive sales hasn’t been a priority. “
Toyota is running a four month offer across new and used vehicles (that’s) “similar to what we would have in place in parallel to our Fieldays presence in previous years.”
Hyundai New Zealand which has been a partner of Fieldays since 2012, says it has “certainly missed the hype and excitement” the show brings.
It says Fieldays “enables us to show our continued support for the rural sector; invite many of our loyal customers along for some hospitality; and introduce the Hyundai brand to new customers.”
June is traditionally a large month for the new car industry, and Fieldays plays a part in that, says a Hyundai NZ spokesperson. “However, the cancellation of Fieldays is not what has had the greatest impact on our sales and business. Coronavirus has greatly affected the NZ economy and in turn the new car industry as a whole.”
Since June 11, Hyundai has been running Good as Gold Fieldays deals across new and near-new Hyundais. “We’ve tried to bring Fieldays to life a little at the dealerships with Fieldays point-of-sale, the salespeople donned their gumboots during our special VIP dates, and the ringing of the bell tradition continues (traditionally the bell is rung every time Hyundai makes a sale at Mystery Creek during Fieldays).
June is a big month for the New Zealand new vehicle industry with promotional pricing, special models and deals revolving around the New Zealand National Fieldays run at Mystery Creek on the outskirts of Hamilton.
HAS CANCELLING FIELDAYS AFFECTED SALES?
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NEWSTALK
11JULY 2020
Hyundai will be participating in the Online Fieldays and has a ‘virtual’ site where it will promote its Good as Gold deals.
“We’ll be providing Fieldays Online users with added value through partnership content, such as Hyundai Country Calendar: The Innovators series.
“Our ambassador Dr Tom will appear in a series on Fieldays TV talking about health and wellbeing in the rural sector, and we’ll be educating the sector on hydrogen as a fuel source.”
Mitsubishi New Zealand’s head of marketing, Reece Congdon, says he doesn’t know if any brand will know for sure how big the impact of Fieldays’ cancellation will have on sales or “how much of that impact
is down to a lack of consumer confidence.”
Congdon says Mitsubishi had advertising material for its Fieldays promotions completed well in advance of the COVID lockdown, “so we’ve been trading strongly since Level 3.
“Before lockdown we filmed the campaign for our Fieldays hero offer, Triton Black Edition. In addition, we also finished off campaigns for new Mirage, ASX Black Edition and our ASX ‘style up for less.’”
He says Fieldays is a crucial sales period for Mitsubishi NZ. “Having said that, Fieldays is more than just the event itself – it’s a full April to July sales period.
“As we were well prepared to pivot during lockdown, we’ve been able to launch our Fieldays promotions like normal and take full advantage of market demand.
“While by no measure is it ‘business as usual,’ we’ve been genuinely heartened by the results so far and expect to post strong results this quarter.”
Isuzu Utes which has run an off-road experience on a purpose-built track at Fieldays in recent years, says it will run a digital platform in the Online Fieldays and will run Fieldays-like local experiences at its dealerships.
“We’re currently running Good Bastard Fieldays offers including the run out of the current model D-Max.” A new model will debut later this year.
Nissan New Zealand’s managing director John Manley says it’s virtually impossible to quantify the effect that cancelling Fieldays had on sales, given the level of COVID disruption within the marketplace.
“That said, June has been more positive with dealers across the country reporting increased levels of inquiry.”
Manley says the automotive marketplace “took a hammering from COVID in both April and May and I believe Nissan would be no different to other distributors in that we have stock on the ground and a desire to get ourselves and dealers back to business.
“We’re running a marketing campaign offering a zero deposit, 1.9% finance rate with no payments for three months and this is driving very positive inquiry.”
Manley says the whole ‘Fieldays’ selling event is a misnomer and has been for some years.
“The original Fieldays was a tightly-defined four-day selling event linked exclusively to an actual presence at the National Fieldays
agricultural show held in Hamilton.
“The timing of the show was not to coincide with rain, mud and fog, but was essentially farmers’ downtime: dairy payments had been made, and there was no lambing, calving, sowing, harvesting...
“The original concept was for farm/agricultural products only with motor vehicles strictly limited to farm equipment and utes. It was some years before cars were permitted onsite.”
Manley says that originally, Fieldays visitors could secure a special Fieldays deal by actually purchasing the vehicle onsite. “This offer wasn’t available elsewhere and thus the ‘Fieldays deal’ was born.
“Over time the parameters were relaxed to the point that Fieldays deals went from late May through to August with the reality being that rather than Fieldays motor distributors were marketing, under the Fieldays banner, into the peak selling period for (predominantly) utes.”
Manley says the parameters were relaxed for several reasons such as online marketing and potential issues with distributor franchise agreements offering special arrangements to some dealers and not others.
Great Lake Motor Distributors which markets SsangYong and LDV says its June sales have been little affected either by the cancellation of Fieldays or by COVID-19.
“June is always our biggest month due to Fieldays, but this year, despite the absence of Fieldays, sales are strong too,” says general manager Andrew Bayliss.
“Surprisingly, we’re close to June 2019 numbers with both SsangYong and LDV. We’re flat out and on target for a really strong month for both brands.
“Perhaps it’s a result of pent-up demand after the lockdown, or with vans in particular, there’s strong demand perhaps as a result of the home-delivery market.
“With SsangYong, we have a new model Korando that’s going very well, but Rexton and Rhino continue to go well too.”
LDV has been running a Fieldays-oriented deal on the T60 ute, offering $3000 worth of free accessories, and both brands have been running finance promotions.
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NEWSTALK
12 JULY 2020
JUST ONE OF THE REASONS WE’VE BEEN #1 FOR 20 YEARS
KEEPING NEW ZEALAND ON THE ROAD WITH SERVICE OUTLETS IN 28 LOCATIONS
AROUND THE COUNTRY
ISZ16262 Brand Platform 2020_Press_Signs_DT_FP_R01.indd 1 17/06/20 1:57 PM
13JULY 2020
A full fleet of electric buses operated by Go Bus will provide an Auckland Airport service early in the first half of 2021.
E-BUSES FOR AUCKLAND AIRPORT LINK
The nine buses for the new Airport Link service will be built by Yutong with supply and support from JW
Group, Auckland Transport (AT) says.
The e-bus 374kWh battery pack provides the 380-400km range needed for this new service which has long daily operating hours (4am to 1am). Fast charging will be added to the Manukau Bus Station as part of a wider AT electric bus and infrastructure trial project.
“These new electric buses will improve transport connections and reliability between Manukau, Puhinui and Auckland Airport, including for workers accessing its employment precinct as well as the airport itself,” Auckland mayor Phil Goff says.
“They will also help reduce carbon emissions from Auckland’s transport network, helping us to achieve our climate change goals.”
AT integrated networks executive general manager Mark Lambert says trials AT have held in partnership Go Bus and other operators during the past two years means more electric bus routes will be rolled out across the wider Auckland region.
“Our trials have proven that these buses can operate for a full shift on a single charge, while providing an improved customer experience.”
The Airport Link route will travel from Manukau Bus Station to the newly upgraded Puhinui train to bus station interchange and on to Auckland Airport.
Ten-minute service frequency will ensure seamless transition between bus and train modes at Puhinui and Manukau Stations and travel time between Puhinui Station and the airport will only be 10-12
minutes when new priority bus lanes are installed as part of the Southwest Gateway programme, AT says.
The Airport Link will replace the southern section of the 380 Airporter bus route. At the same time, a new frequent bus route, the 38, will launch on the northern section of the previous 380 route between Onehunga and the airport district.
“We are really excited about the opportunity to lead the move to zero-emission buses in Auckland,” Go Bus chief executive Calum Haslop says.
“Having trialled two full battery electric buses over a 12-month period and completed thorough due diligence on a number of electric and hydrogen bus deployments worldwide, we are now ready to move to a zero-emission future.”
Haslop says Go Bus is also rolling out electric buses in other New Zealand cities and will continue to work on hydrogen solutions as a complementary zero-emission option.
JW Group general manager Jo Crickett says more than 120,000 Yutong full electric buses have proven to be reliable, quiet and energy efficient throughout the world, and now in New Zealand through a robust AT trial.
PHIL GOFF
MARK LAMBERT
NEWSTALK
14 JULY 2020
Dutch EV firm Ebusco and Australian Bus Corporation (Precisions Buses, Bustech) are partnering to deliver and maintain electric buses in New Zealand and Australia.
COMPANIES AGREE TO BRING SPARK TO BUS FLEET
The pair will launch the Ebusco 3.0 carbon fibre bus, saving more than four tonnes, capable of 500km range, featuring a low, flat floor and optional panoramic roof.
The present model Ebusco 2 is a fully electric city bus with more than 350km range.
“The Australian Bus Corporation and Ebusco initially met at the BIC conference in Canberra, Australia,” Ebusco Asia Pacific strategic director Simon Pearce says.
“After an initial discussion between Dan Marks (Precision Buses and Bustech director and owner), Peter Bijvelds (Ebusco chief executive) and Michel Maanen (Ebusco chief commercial officer and chief operations officer) each party felt that they
could offer the other a unique skillset in addressing the needs of the Australasian market.
“We believe the Ebusco 3.0 will be a game changer and will significantly lower the total cost of ownership model in an extremely competitive environment, delivering significant benefits to customers,” Pearce says.
Ebusco has delivered more than 150 electric buses into fleets in Europe with a further 245 e-buses to be delivered in the next year.
Australian Bus Corporation, through Precision Buses and Bustech, provides design, engineering and manufacturing capability and capacity in Australia,
supported by a localised supply chain throughout Australia, spare parts warehousing, and a service, after sales and support network.
“Our collaboration with Ebusco supports our broader strategy of collaborating with technology partners who wish to expand into Australasia,” Australian Bus Corporation group managing director Christian Reynolds says.
The Ebusco 2.2 and Ebusco 3.0 will be made in Australia in a purpose-built high-tech facility.
Both companies are working with other technology and infrastructure partners to support multiple operations across Australia.
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NEWSTALK
15JULY 2020
Meanwhile, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ebusco to bolster the research and development.
UNSW president and vice-chancellor professor Ian Jacobs says the partnership reflects a commitment to a more sustainable future.
“This new collaboration with Ebusco will help make significant advances in areas such as renewable energy and manufacturing – both areas of research strength at UNSW,” Jacobs says.
“We are committed to taking action on climate change, and industry-university partnerships like this are key to making a positive global impact.”
Under the terms of the agreement, UNSW students and research experts will have the opportunity to work with Ebusco engineers on diverse subject areas, such as transport planning, energy storage and advanced and precision manufacturing.
Students will have access to scholarship programmes, industry placements and internships at Ebusco’s operations in the Netherlands, China and Australia.
Students and staff will also have opportunities to work directly with Ebusco engineers on the next generation of the company’s electric bus fleets.
Professor Ian Gibson, associate dean of industry and innovation at UNSW engineering, says the MoU presents an
unsurpassed opportunity to advance UNSW research across multiple engineering disciplines.
“This partnership draws on complementary expertise and we hope it will lead to new and more efficient ways of manufacturing electric vehicles in Australia. I am looking forward to seeing the translation of UNSW’s research into commercial outcomes,” Gibson says.
Pearce says the relationship with UNSW is a natural fit and the team was “blown away by the breadth and depth of knowledge at UNSW”.
“I have no doubt this partnership will help Ebusco continue to pioneer world leading technology and sustainable transport solutions.”
The NSW government announced late last year that it would replace Sydney’s ageing diesel bus fleet with electric vehicles. It is calling for expressions of interest for running trials of environmentally friendly zero emission buses.
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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE...
NEWSTALK
16 JULY 2020
NZ Post has held a ground-breaking ceremony for a new “super depot” to be built in Wellington.
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The Grenada-based facility is part of a 10-year plan to double processing capacity from 95 million parcels to
190m parcels.
The $170m investment programme includes a new processing centre in Wiri, Auckland, due to open in 2023, and an upgrade to the Southern Operations Centre in Christchurch in 2022.
The state-owned enterprise has recently received $280m in government funding, including a $150m two-tranche injection from the COVID Response and Recovery Fund and $130m from Budget 2020.
NZ Post plans to invest around $18 million in the latest global technology that will sort and scan parcels at a much faster rate.
The depot will have a 10,440 square metre processing floor – about the size of a rugby field. It will also incorporate a large solar power installation once battery technology becomes a viable option for the business.
NZ Post chief executive David Walsh says the new technology will help improve operations and let customers know where their parcel is at all times.
“We’re making this multi-million dollar investment to support New Zealand businesses – both growing new businesses as well as major ecommerce gains,” Walsh says.
“NZ Post is forecasting significant growth in the amount New Zealanders will buy online in the next decade – this was before the explosion in online shopping during the COVID-19 period.
“Last year online shopping in New Zealand grew 13% with almost 50% of adult New Zealanders now shopping online, and we are expecting this growth to continue.”
“We’re pleased to be able to invest confidently in our future, to meet the growth in online shopping,” he says.
Associate state-owned enterprises minister Shane Jones says the new depot “will provide NZ Post with the capacity to process parcels more quickly and efficiently”.
During the COVID lockdown period, NZ Post received over 3.5 million parcels in the first two weeks of alert level 3. It had been planning for this quantity of parcels in 2023.
“As an essential service, posties and couriers worked throughout the COVID-19
NZ POST TO BUILD ‘SUPER DEPOT’ IN WELLINGTON We’ll innovate and serve by:
• developing our physical and online channels to better meet our customers’ changing habits
• having simpler, better products and services that more readily satisfy our customers’ needs
• giving our customers options on when, where and how they get and use our products and services
• making it easy for our customers to know where their parcels are through services such as text notifications and mobile apps
• working in new and different ways, for example by integrating our mail and parcel-delivery services
• supporting our people through change, valuing their contribution and providing them with a stimulating and safe place to work
• lowering our impact on the environment.
We’ll lower costs by:
• using technology creatively to satisfy our customers’ needs
• being more efficient in our mail and parcel processing and delivery operations
• improving productivity throughout the business
• being a leaner organisation, through streamlining and integrating our support functions, eliminating role duplication, simplifying how we do things, and selling businesses that don’t fit with our strategy.
Throughout this period of change, we’ll continue to provide our customers with:
• nationwide access to world-class services
• delivery to 1.9 million delivery points
• a three-day standard mail service, and urgent next-day services through premium mail and courier services
• a presence in communities across the country
• a connection to the world through our mail and parcel relationships.
We’ll continue to apply our experience and expertise to the services that are at the core of our business – mail and logistics, and financial services – providing our customers and other stakeholders with an assurance of performance and value.
11NZ Post Annual Review 2014
The Group’s mail business, NEW ZEALAND POST, delivers just under 700 million items a year to around 1.94 million delivery points. It provides postal, parcel and bill payment services through a nationwide physical store network, processing more than 19 million financial transactions a year. It also offers paper-based and digital communication services to business clients, including document printing, mail processing and direct mail delivery.
Our international parcels and logistics capabilities connect Kiwis with the world, and the world with New Zealand. We have an extensive international supply chain through partnership, and through relationships with postal organisations worldwide, which is a significant source of parcels into EXPRESS COURIERS LIMITED (ECL), the Group’s primary domestic parcels and logistics business. It provides courier, warehousing and distribution services through the CourierPost, Pace and Contract Logistics brands. A wholly owned subsidiary, ECL connects with New Zealand Post’s transport capabilities to deliver more than 41 million courier parcels a year.
KIWIBANK provides a comprehensive suite of financial services, from personal loans and bank accounts to credit cards, business banking, international banking, wealth management and insurance. It’s the fifth largest bank in New Zealand, with over 850,000 customers, more than 270 access points, a nationwide ATM network and 11% main bank market share in personal markets. Kiwibank also includes:
• New Zealand Home Loans, a home loan and insurance provider with more than 70 offices nationwide
• the Kiwi Wealth KiwiSaver Scheme (formerly the Gareth Morgan KiwiSaver Scheme), which as at 30 June 2014 has over $1 billion in investment funds under management
• Kiwi Insurance, which provides Kiwibank’s Home Loan Insurance and Life & Living Insurance and has a financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) from A.M. Best Company.
Other Group businesses include:
• Converga, a wholly owned subsidiary that specialises in data processing and business process outsourcing for customers primarily in New Zealand and Australia
• Reachmedia, a 50% joint venture that’s one of New Zealand’s largest distributors of unaddressed mail, including catalogues and flyers. Reachmedia delivers more than 720 million physical items each year, and provides retailers with a variety of digital marketing solutions
• CouriersPlease, a courier business that operates in Australia. The Group has signalled its intention to sell this business in the next financial year.
In April 2014 the Group sold its subsidiary company Localist, an online directory service.
Focusing on valueThe Group’s mail and logistics and financial services businesses have a clear focus on value – going beyond the dollars and cents of success to exceed our customers’ and other stakeholders’ expectations in the way we develop, present and deliver products and services.
7NZ Post Annual Review 2014
CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE...
NEWSTALK
17JULY 2020
level 4 lockdown to deliver essential items to Kiwis, and they have continued to work through the resulting massive demand for e-commerce,” Jones says.
“New Zealanders will be aware of the issues that surrounded the ability of NZ Post to deal with the huge surge in parcel post during lockdown.
“This investment is good news for New Zealand businesses who are looking to grow their e-commerce presence or are already successful in this space, and for the customers who use those services,” he says.
The facility is due to open in 2022 and its construction will see around 350 jobs through main contractor Aspec Construction plus 60 sub-contractors.
Walsh says when it comes to mail demand, the number of letters being sent has been falling for many years but it’s still an important service for NZ Post.
“Delivering mail is a core part of what we do, it connects so many New Zealanders and it matters to them.
“However, we can’t solve the future of mail services on our own. The Government funding will allow us to continue to provide a nationwide mail network to around 2.5 million addresses across urban and rural New Zealand at current service levels, while we work closely with Government on a longer-term solution.
“On parcels and courier services, we know that online shopping will continue to grow – even with the uncertain economic times with COVID-19. We had been planning to
invest in that future with additional core infrastructure that will allow us to meet the needs of our customers and respond to more online buying and selling. We will now be able to invest and build with confidence,” he says.
NZ Post employs around 6500 people and says has lost “tens of millions of dollars of revenue” from the global pandemic.
“Like so many other New Zealanders and businesses we don’t know what the long-lasting impacts from COVID-19 will be.
“The equity injection provides NZ Post with improved financial resilience. We will continue to keep the purse strings tight as we manage our costs, expenditure and efficiencies,” Walsh says.
We’ll innovate and serve by:
• developing our physical and online channels to better meet our customers’ changing habits
• having simpler, better products and services that more readily satisfy our customers’ needs
• giving our customers options on when, where and how they get and use our products and services
• making it easy for our customers to know where their parcels are through services such as text notifications and mobile apps
• working in new and different ways, for example by integrating our mail and parcel-delivery services
• supporting our people through change, valuing their contribution and providing them with a stimulating and safe place to work
• lowering our impact on the environment.
We’ll lower costs by:
• using technology creatively to satisfy our customers’ needs
• being more efficient in our mail and parcel processing and delivery operations
• improving productivity throughout the business
• being a leaner organisation, through streamlining and integrating our support functions, eliminating role duplication, simplifying how we do things, and selling businesses that don’t fit with our strategy.
Throughout this period of change, we’ll continue to provide our customers with:
• nationwide access to world-class services
• delivery to 1.9 million delivery points
• a three-day standard mail service, and urgent next-day services through premium mail and courier services
• a presence in communities across the country
• a connection to the world through our mail and parcel relationships.
We’ll continue to apply our experience and expertise to the services that are at the core of our business – mail and logistics, and financial services – providing our customers and other stakeholders with an assurance of performance and value.
11NZ Post Annual Review 2014
Managing riskThe board and management are focused on refreshing our understanding of risks in our business. In particular we have recorded an improvement in our health and safety performance within our operations.
Progressing with confidenceWith the refreshed strategy now being implemented, we are responding appropriately to the market challenges and opportunities – a view that was confirmed in a strategic review undertaken by Goldman Sachs on behalf of our shareholders during the year.
The New Zealand Post Group has an excellent track record of performance, strong and trusted brands in the marketplace, capable people who are committed to our new direction, and new business opportunities that suit our experience and expertise. It may take some time to reinvent ourselves, but we must stay in the game if we’re to continue to be relevant in our markets and ultimately have a financially sustainable future.
Hon Sir Michael Cullen, KNZM Chairman New Zealand Post Group
Brian Roche Chief Executive Officer
New Zealand Post Group
5NZ Post Annual Review 2014
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE...
NEWSTALK
18 JULY 2020
The $380.6 million Apprenticeship Boost programme is part of a wider government
initiative to keep apprentices in jobs and support employers to invest in new ones as part of the COVID-19 economic rebuild.
The funding will be targeted towards industry skill needs where demand is expected to grow, however, all apprenticeships (including those outside the targeted areas) will be eligible for fees support.
Examples of training programmes include:
• NZ Certificate (NZC) in Commercial Road
Transport (Heavy Vehicle Operator)
(Level 3).
• NZC in Passenger Service (Level 3) with strands in school bus, urban bus, and long distance bus.
• NZA in Automotive engineering – light vehicle.
• NZ Diploma in Engineering - Mechanical (Level 6).
• NZC in Forestry Operations (Level 3).
• NZA in Civil Infrastructure Trades.
It’s expected to reach around 18,000 employers and up to 36,000 apprentices per year, with funding of up to $12,000 per apprentice in their first 12 months of training, and up to $6000 in their second 12 months from August 2020 and up to April 2022.
The scheme builds on the $320m Targeted
Training and Apprenticeships Fund (TTAF) announced in June which will pay costs of between $2500 and $6500 per year for learners of all ages to undertake vocational education and training.
Education minister Chris Hipkins says the investment aims to give businesses more confidence in taking on apprentices and this will be essential for fast-tracked infrastructure projects.
“Apprentices are significant investments for firms, particularly in the early years of their training, and can be the first to be laid off when companies have to tighten their belts.
“Without support of this kind after the Global Financial Crisis, apprentices were
The automotive, transport and logistics industry is set to benefit from a new government scheme providing businesses with up to $16,000 to help pay the cost of each apprentice for the first two years.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTS APPRENTICESHIPS
CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE...
NEWSTALK
19JULY 2020
CRAIG POMARE
CARMEL SEPULONI
JANET LANE
CHRIS HIPKINS
let go and when the economy picked up, New Zealand struggled with huge skills shortages and had to pay more to find skilled people from overseas.
Social development minister Carmel Sepuloni will oversee the administration of the scheme as part of a “cross government response”.
“MSD has shown through its administration of the Government’s wage subsidy that it’s well placed to support businesses in a timely and effective manner to help keep kiwis working,” Sepuloni says.
Employers of apprentices will also have targeted financial support available from three other schemes which includes:
• Extending the existing MSD Mana in Mahi scheme ($30.3 million) for at risk people into long-term sustainable work.
• A new regional apprenticeship scheme which will invest in new apprenticeships in regional New Zealand and particularly support displaced workers and Maori and Pacific peoples into jobs.
• $19 million to support the seven existing Group Training Schemes to continue to employ around 1700 apprentices and trainees and provide related services to host businesses.
TRANSPORT INDUSTRY BACKS THE SCHEMEIndustry training organisation MITO is applauding the funding and says it’s an “unprecedented” move.
Chief executive Janet Lane says the Government is showing significant goodwill to businesses that take on apprentices.
“Apprenticeship Boost is another substantial Budget 2020 initiative that recognises the contribution and commitment that employers dedicate to training their workforces through on-the-job training.
“Having Apprenticeship Boost alongside the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund to financially support businesses who train apprentices is unprecedented, and significant to New Zealand’s post COVID-19 recovery,” Lane says.
Motor Trade Association chief executive Craig Pomare says he is “delighted” with the funding.
“The workplace classroom is critical for our sector and it’s great to see that recognised and supported. Training the next generation of technicians will take priority with this initiative. A great outcome for everyone,” he says.
John McDonald, general manager of agricultural machinery supplier Landpower, says having a consistent number of apprentices is vital. The company employs 23 apprentices across New Zealand.
“Apprenticeship Boost, along with the removal of training fees, is a significant helping hand.
“It gives us confidence to keep our current apprentices and provides us with a greater appetite to bring on more apprentices to build upon our pipeline of skilled technicians,” McDonald says.
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE...
NEWSTALK
20 JULY 2020
Transport technology company EROAD has released a new logbook app designed to help drivers and fleet managers comply with rules and fatigue management.
EROAD RELEASES NEW LOGBOOK APP - NEW EHUBO COMING SOON
The Day Logbook program is NZTA approved and compatible on both Android or iOS devices and supports
drivers to keep on top of their work and rest hours.
The product was unveiled to customers and media at an event at EROAD’s Albany office on Wednesday.
It’s an update on the company’s first logbook released in 2014 and allows drivers to log into the app for their daily work schedule and log out at the end of the day.
It provides notifications and sound alerts and allows drivers to present log sheets for roadside checks and compliance.
For fleet managers, the app provides cloud-based administration of driver logs, records for fleet management and a record of any violations.
EROAD product manager Sarah Paulin says the new logbook is a significant step-change from the previous version.
“The first version of logbook released in 2014, used the compliance regulations and software available at that time.
“We have listened to our customers and have taken on board driver feedback, on how to improve and simplify the look and ease of use in this new app. The previous version had a very busy screen and this new version uses a ‘traffic light’ system that is much easier to use.
“The new EROAD Day Logbook uses new technology, with the new reimagined app for drivers and a cloud-based administration platform, EROAD provides the tools to simplify fatigue management,” Paulin says.
“The app enables drivers to capture work and rest hours via smartphone or tablet. It uses alerts and traffic light indicators to help drivers to comply with the logbook rules and regulations and ensures a high level of compliance.
“EROAD Day Logbook has moved to exception reporting for violations, as this is now a more customisable reporting function, which makes it easier for fleet managers to coach and provide education to drivers,” she says.
EROAD chief executive Steven Newman
says the Day Logbook was designed “with the driver in mind because we wanted to make it really easy for them to use”.
“Only a few clicks or swipes are needed for proactive time management, and this is supported by automated alerts,” he says.
NEW EHUBO TO ARRIVENewman also announced the company would be releasing a new version of its Ehubo device before the end of year.
More details will follow, but it’s being described as a next generation unit featuring driver-facing smart cameras and driver fatigue detection capability.
STEVEN NEWMAN
NEWSTALK
21JULY 2020
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23JULY 2020
THE TWO NEW ZEALANDS FOLLOWING COVID-19
Throughout the lockdown and post-lockdown periods I have appeared a number of times on Radio New
Zealand advocating for our industry and the infrastructure and regulatory environment required to make it easier for road transport operators to do their job.
I thoroughly enjoy dealing with Radio New Zealand; we are indeed lucky to have a public broadcaster of such a high standard. A few weeks ago, I joined Kathryn Ryan’s excellent Nine-to-Noon programme to discuss the Government’s recently announced Targeted Training and Apprentices Fund (TTAF) and what businesses need from government to get back on their feet.
As an industry with a driver shortage, this initiative is of great interest to us. We are in the process of setting up an industry traineeship to provide a long-term solution to our driver shortage and it is good to see the Government understanding the importance of educational achievement across all industries. We will continue discussions with the Education and Employment Ministers as we work to increase the attractiveness of a career in trucking with the appropriate qualifications.
Regarding the economic impact of COVID-19, there was a point that Kathryn made as part of the discussion that has resonated with me ever since:
“There are two New Zealands at the moment,” she said. “There are a lot of public servants in secure incomes, fortunately, for now, and then our private sector is being torn to shreds by this. The public service needs to step up and get the speed going. The question is can it be liberated to do its part of the job?”
Never a truer word was said. For all the announcements made by Government ministers that are meant to assist businesses stay afloat, retain and hire staff, and provide employment to those who may lose their jobs, none of it will count if the civil service can’t get its foot to the floor and get programmes like the TTAF underway and delivering results.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE HERE. I note that first quarter GDP figures recently released showed only a 1.6% drop, predictions are that the second quarter, which covered most of the time we were in lockdown, could be as bad as 15-20%.
Government and industries now need to be focusing on recovery and that means working together to provide the right regulatory environment, infrastructure projects, and workforce opportunities to stimulate increased economic activity for years to come.
What road transport operators require is progress on meaningful initiatives that will alleviate some of the industry’s long-term challenges and give it the best chance to further contribute to our economic recovery.
I am particularly thinking here of things like increased access to training through the proposed traineeship scheme, the streamlining of the driver licence system and the development of a new operator rating system (ORS). The traineeship scheme is in its early days but a new licence system and ORS have been in the pipeline for years and yet, are still some way off.
My plea to government is to get its foot to the floor, get these things out the door and help us drive our economy forward. We cannot afford two New Zealands right now.
WEBINAR TO UNDERSTAND CAUSE OF MAJOR ACCIDENTSSafety is a major concern for road transport operators. As an industry we have put a huge amount of time and effort into improving our safety record over the last few years and in many areas good progress has been made.
Assisting our drivers and operators to develop the skills and management systems to help them avoid accidents will always be critical to our industry. The reality is that there are still too many people who don’t make it home to their families at the end of the day’s work.
Later this month I am co-hosting a webinar with Kelly McLuckie from Success Formula and Adam Gibson from Australia’s National Truck Accident Research Centre to go through the findings from a recently released report into the cause of major heavy vehicle accidents in Australia.
We will look into the recent tragic increase in truck driver fatalities across the Tasman and the role that factors such as distraction and fatigue have to play. There is a lot of relevant information we can gain from the Australian analysis and we are confident that transport companies and all those in and around the transport industry can take away some learnings that we can apply to the industry here.
The webinar will take place at 11am on July 22 and registration is available at https://nti-au.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tDV4EA5STMODkHzX04GZ6A. I look forward to engaging with members of our industry on this important issue.
Nick Leggett is the Road Transport Forum chief executive. He has had a distinguished career in local government, serving two terms as mayor of Porirua City from 2010, and was the youngest mayor in New Zealand, first elected to council in 1998 aged 19. NICK LEGGETT
24 JULY 2020
Essential workers, especially delivery drivers, are finding themselves in a tough situation amid the pandemic. Not only have large-scale panic buying habits pushed them to the economy frontline, but also the nation’s fragile transport system has made it difficult to get to destinations on time.
CHRISTOPHER CHISMAN-DUFFY IS THE DIRECTOR AT WEBFLEET SOLUTIONS.
PEOPLETALK
W ith experts predicting social distancing to last for another six to 12 months, businesses
must brace themselves for another period of heightened workload. It is essential they keep their number one asset - their people - in good hands, especially during a pandemic.
So, what can they do to ensure drivers stay safe, arrive on time, while keeping customers happy?
DIGITISE THE ROUTEAs workload increases, it is vital that businesses have an updated, agile system to distribute jobs with high accuracy and efficiency. While manual route-planning can get most of the job done, the process of collecting data, segregating tasks and searching locations is time consuming and prone to human error.
Moreover, the work quality is highly dependent on the employee who handles it, which can lose consistency over time.
Increasingly, businesses are moving from home-grown planning tools to digitised solutions. As a software-as-a-solution, digitised solutions process millions of data probes and hundreds and thousands of messages. This data is then used to flag traffic events, pinpoint faster routes and generate highly accurate ETAs.
A digitised solution simplifies the way businesses manage vehicles and drivers on the road, while allowing people to focus on core business activities. Think of a smartphone map or a GPS software, but with the extra benefit of personalised, real-time route planning solutions.
IMPROVE DRIVER BEHAVIOURTracking driver behaviour on the road is difficult, let alone improving them. After all, drivers’ objectives are simple and clear - complete each job as quickly as possible. This can mean safety is sometimes less of a priority.
It is down to the employer to make sure employees are safe before they get started on any job. ‘Gamification’ is a great way to achieve this.
Similar to a reward and recognition programme, gamification incentivises employees who practice safe, responsible driving, whether it is reducing speed at a turn or braking less aggressively. At the end of the day, the top performing drivers may even receive a small bonus.
The benefits of this are twofold. Not only can businesses constantly monitor and improve safety driving procedures, but also drivers can feel motivated and entertained while they are on the road. After all, an employee who feels appreciated by the business will only work to improve.
GREEN THE FLEET COVID-19 has slashed market activities on a large scale, but the transport and delivery industry remains prosperous. While essential workers are highly valued and relied on by the wider public, businesses are scratching their heads about how they can cut costs on fuel consumption.
One way to do this is by implementing eco-driving. While we are yet to welcome the era of electric vehicles, businesses can stay ahead of the game by adopting a digitised system designated to monitor fuel consumption.
A system like this can work on every vehicle and trip, and alert humans when a vehicle shows signs of malfunction. This evaluation can be used to further improve driving behaviour and fuel usage.
Overtime, businesses will find themselves saving costs on fuel and keeping up with vehicle system replacements. The external benefits of carbon footprint reduction also helps to build a positive company image.
WHY DIGITISE ? By implementing the latest in fleet management technology, such as those provided by Webfleet Solutions, businesses can leverage the culture of reward and recognition, and revolutionise the way in which their vehicles are driven.
With better awareness and the right tools in place, employers can work to protect vehicles from unnecessary wear and tear and high fuel consumption, save costs and improve driver health and safety.
INTELLIGENT FLEET MANAGEMENT IN COVID-19
25JULY 2020
Chris Carr is the fourth generation to run Carr & Haslam Transport, which was founded in 1862.The company specialises in the transport of vehicles and provides freight services throughout New Zealand. CHRIS CARR
PEOPLETALK
Fresh on the heels of the Government’s increase in Road User Charges, we have another organisation attempting to charge trucks for road use.
But this story is different.
They have no authority to tax, and there are no roads, just yard space.
This is about the underperforming (by their admission, not mine) Port of Lyttelton (PoL), who have, for years, treated the movement of vehicles across their wharf with contempt. The cargo discharge areas are just a moving patch of dirt, shunted to the end of the wharf, unsealed, and thoroughly unsuitable.
Port of Lyttelton has had some serious issues, not of their making. The Christchurch earthquakes, the first on September 4, 2010, and followed by two in 2011, damaged the port as well as the city.
Ten years on, rebuilding is not complete, and this, combined with some additional expenditure for needed and previously deferred expansion, has meant that the port is still incomplete and the rebuilding is still in progress.
Recently PoL signed up for the same VBS system (Australian owned) that is used in Ports of Auckland and Napier. They also use a Container Depot Management system for their empty depot in Christchurch. The premise of these systems for us transport operators is that it reduces truck waiting time, and makes trucks and Ports/depots more efficient. After many years of use in Auckland we know it certainly benefits the port, and the benefit to the road operator is debateable, but is accepted. The container depot operating system has only benefitted the container depots.
For Port of Lyttelton, the VBS system comes at a cost, and this cost is charged to the
trucking operator on the basis that they get improvements. That is, that there is a tangible gain, of a debateable quantum. However, the transport operators and their customers have accepted that there is a need for a VBS system, and it has been implemented.
From July 1, PoL have decided to use an internal vehicle management programme (named Venus) to assist them manage vehicles shipped through the port. This is essentially a cargo management system, and has been in use in Auckland for some years. This was needed because PoL have essentially held a very hands-off position on vehicle imports, as they have not considered them of much importance.
Suddenly though, as they discover how far short of meeting MPI, Customs and security requirements they have been, they have purchased the right to use the Venus system, and it has to be paid for.
They seem to believe it to be like the VBS, in that they expect the road carriers to pay them for it. They are also seeking payment from other parties in the process, and may even be attempting to “triple dip” in this cost recovery.
Venus has no similarity to the VBS at all. There is no gain for road carriers. All of the benefits of using the system are all for the port, and that allows them to update their internal management systems. There is no external benefit to road carriers. Simply, they have failed in the past to have suitable systems, and have updated their processes.
And that is where the Road User Charges arguments begin.
I was told that we should be paying for the infrastructure of the port, because we pay road user charges for using the roads (incidentally PoL is owned by Christchurch City Council which receives RUC money
from government, so, in effect they already benefit from road user charges).
Apparently internal roadways that are essential for access, and are designed for forklift loadings are suddenly not adequate for trucks. Also, apparently, we are benefitting immensely from their roads, and we should be paying for them.
Their argument was that the roads are solely there for trucks to service ships, and that we should pay for roads, loading areas and storage. Something like charging a courier for delivering your parcel, because they drove into your yard, and stopped while they delivered.
This ‘coincidentally’ appears to be linked to the Venus system, for which they want us to pay an appearance fee per vehicle. This fee would add somewhere between $5 to $10 per vehicle shipped across the port for no gain except to PoL’s bottom line. It is effectively a tax on vehicles sold in the South Island.
Somewhere in there they’ve lost the fact that their customers (the shipping lines) pay them for providing the necessary infrastructure to load and unload vessels, and that their scheduled charges contain a separate item for the charge of servicing the vessel, per item of cargo discharge. There is also a separate charge based on the vessel size and duration in port for the wharf structure itself.
Typically a vessel call would benefit them in the area of $50,000 to $100,000.
When asked what benefit we would receive from the Venus system they were not able to advise of any. Nothing.
And that brings us to July 1 when the system was introduced.
Not wanting to incur any additional costs for services not received, I advised verbally (after two written advices) that we couldn’t
WE WON’T ACCEPT A TAX ON SOUTH ISLAND VEHICLE SHIPMENTS
Continued on following page...
26 JULY 2020
PEOPLETALK
BORDER ISSUES A RISK
I was hoping to write in this month’s column about subjects other than COVID-19 except for a few congratulatory
comments.
I was also hoping to be able to make positive noises about the pending trans-Tasman bubble and how that might ease some of the economic pain we are facing. Further, I would have liked to have been able to congratulate the Government and officials on a job well done.
Instead, I find myself regularly doing a face palm, muttering damn and becoming increasingly bemused as I read daily the unfolding cockups over managing our borders to control the inadvertent importation of COVID-19.
I am not alone, the discontent among New Zealanders at large is readily apparent.
It ought not to be that hard to protect our borders. Costly maybe, but not hard. We deserve better.
Protecting our borders is not that difficult, it just requires application of risk assessment principles to guide and inform policies. Having rid New Zealand domestically of COVID-19 our only risk is the border. That simple statement implies one thing, and only one thing. Protect our border with all necessary steps to lock in our hard-earned gains at ridding our country of COVID-19.
While the cost of testing and accommodating people returning to New Zealand might be high, it is several magnitudes of order cheaper to undertake than having New Zealand go into lockdown again.
Up to this point in time, I thought this Government was the right Government to have during the pandemic to manage the health of New Zealanders. I have no doubt that it is the
wrong Government to manage our economy back to health, it appears clueless in that regard. Pile on the debt seems to be their only strategy.
Now I am having doubts about their ability to manage the health outcomes. The Minister of Health’s willingness to throw officials under the bus by blaming them in totality for the border blunders shows just how much this Government is becoming increasingly out of touch with the mood in New Zealand.
Delivering border controls may be an operational matter and the Director-general of Health may have apologised for the blunders, but the Minister remains accountable for the policy decisions and ensuring those decisions are in fact operationalised.
The coalition Government is showing all the signs that is it tired, is running out of ideas and there remains a chasm of ideology between the coalition partners.
NZ First’s withdrawal of support for light rail, albeit for reasons that I don’t agree with, is nevertheless the right outcome. Light rail from central Auckland to the airport is in my view ludicrous. Why resort to old and tired 19th century technology for the 21st century outcomes. Wellington’s metro rail (lack of) reliability continues to demonstrate this.
On the flip side, it is pleasing to see the Government has supported free vocational training and also provided grants to employers for each apprenticeship taken on. With an ageing workforce in our sector getting new skills in at the front end remains a priority.
Proposed changes to the Import Health Standard (IHS) have been a little confusing, the rationale for some of the changes was not apparent of the discussion document. However, MPI has responded to our questions
which has been useful in forming our submission. Once we have sent our submission in it will be posted to the MIA website.
Looking forward we are commissioning some work to develop a two page ‘cheat sheet’ which describes the value of the new vehicle sector to New Zealand’s economy.
It has been some time since any work has been done which provides a clear description of the size and economic contribution to New Zealand’s economy arising from the importation of vehicles into our country. Having a clear set of economic indicators will help us in discussions with officials and politicians.
I would like to end this month’s column by mentioning the continued press releases by manufacturers on the electrification of new vehicle models, technology improvements in batteries and continued fuel cell developments for both light and heavy vehicles.
It remains my view that this technology will find its way to our shores plenty fast enough without the need for regulatory intervention. Or put another way, regulatory invention will not see it come any faster, it will just impose unnecessary and unreasonable costs on consumers.
Disclaimer: These are my views, not necessarily the views of the MIA.
CRAWFORD’S CASECRAWFORD’S CASE
BY DAVID CRAWFORD | CEO MOTOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
pay for their own management systems.
I was told that our port access would be
cancelled, and that we would have to get
someone else to pick up vehicles from them.
From a port which has recently been in the
news for allegations of bullying tactics, I
guess I should have expected that response.
Here we have a port, attempting to apply an unjustified charge, to
an unwilling party who receives no benefit from that charge, threatening the operation of a truckie, from a dominant monopoly position.
We will continue our discussions, but in a time of considerable financial pressure we do not intend to bow down to bully tactics, which unfairly seek to recover “business as usual” costs incurred in the course of someone else’s business.
The real concern is that this might be a
“thin end of the wedge” approach to
test the waters before other ports apply
the same charging methods to charge us
all more. And in this, us is you, because
transport costs inevitably find their way
through to the end user.
On your behalf we will resist these costs.
Continued from previous page...
CRAWFORD’S CASECRAWFORD’S CASE
27JULY 2020
Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz
Your first choice in truck & equipment finance
UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.
NEW HEAVY TRUCKS : Over 23,001kg
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE
% OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
ISUZU 28 23 21.7 17.3 113 172
SCANIA 19 27 -29.6 11.7 118 79
DAF 19 14 35.7 11.7 56 119
KENWORTH 18 20 -10 11.1 83 144
VOLVO 14 13 7.7 8.6 154 172
MERCEDES-BENZ 11 17 -35.3 6.8 60 78
IVECO 11 8 37.5 6.8 38 24
HINO 8 20 -60 4.9 63 120
FUSO 8 16 -50 4.9 63 114
UD TRUCKS 7 9 -22.2 4.3 46 70
OTHER 19 28 -32.1 11.7 120 197
TOTAL 162 195 -16.9 100.0 914 1289
NEW MEDIUM TRUCKS : 9,000 - 23,000kg
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % Change % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
ISUZU 37 26 42.3 50.7 151 212
HINO 18 23 -21.7 24.7 92 129
FUSO 10 11 -9.1 13.7 55 95
IVECO 4 2 100.0 5.5 25 24
MERCEDES-BENZ 2 2 0.0 2.7 13 10
OTHER 2 14 -85.7 2.7 48 96
TOTAL 73 78 -6.4 100.0 384 566
NEW LIGHT TRUCKS : 3,500 - 9,000kg
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
FUSO 39 42 -7.1 21.1 165 207
ISUZU 38 40 -5.0 20.5 178 221
FIAT 30 13 130.8 16.2 113 129
MERCEDES-BENZ 18 13 38.5 9.7 74 95
HINO 14 16 -12.5 7.6 81 124
IVECO 12 12 0.0 6.5 32 78
CHEVROLET 9 1 800.0 4.9 21 17
OTHER 25 25 0.0 13.5 164 148
TOTAL 185 162 14.2 100.0 828 1019
NEW BUSES : OVER 3,500KG
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % Change % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
SCANIA 7 0 0.0 41.2 25 3
ISUZU 4 2 100.0 23.5 11 20
FUSO 4 0 0.0 23.5 13 14
FORD 1 7 -85.7 5.9 22 45
OTHER 1 8 -87.5 5.9 35 124
TOTAL 17 17 0.0 100.0 104 206
If you’re looking to purchase a new truck or equipment
talk to UDC
STATSTALKNew Vehicles
New and used commercial vehicle registrations were buoyant in June, both reaching similar levels on the
same period last year.
Total registrations of new trucks and buses over 3500kg GVM sits at 437 units for June. This is down 3.3% compared to the same period the year before which saw 452 registrations of new commercials.
A total of 2230 new trucks and buses have hit the road in the year-to-date compared to 3078 for the same period the previous year.
TOTAL COMMERCIAL VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS CLIMB BACK FROM COVID LOWS
Continued on following page...
28 JULY 2020
Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz
Your first choice in truck & equipment finance
UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.
NEW LIGHT COMMERCIAL MAKES : Under 3,500kg
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE
MARKET SHARE YTD’20 YTD’19
TOYOTA 920 973 -5.4 22.4 3694 4622
FORD 714 1148 -37.8 17.4 3668 5710
HOLDEN 484 682 -29.0 11.8 1784 2699
MITSUBISHI 390 530 -26.4 9.5 1778 3054
ISUZU 270 286 -5.6 6.6 1019 1650
NISSAN 251 364 -31.0 6.1 1077 1992
MAZDA 170 199 -14.6 4.1 823 1202
MERCEDES-BENZ 148 86 72.1 3.6 494 520
LDV 122 154 -20.8 3.0 357 737
VOLKSWAGEN 101 164 -38.4 2.5 450 641
OTHER 533 617 -13.6 13.0 2610 3834
TOTAL 4103 5203 -21.1 100.0 17754 26661
NEW TRUCKS & BUSES MAKES : Over 3,500kg
MAKE JUN’20 JUN’19 % CHANGE MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
ISUZU 107 91 17.6 24.5 453 625
FUSO 61 69 -11.6 14.0 296 430
HINO 40 59 -32.2 9.2 236 373
MERCEDES-BENZ 31 34 -8.8 7.1 166 195
FIAT 30 13 130.8 6.9 133 129
IVECO 27 23 17.4 6.2 134 135
SCANIA 26 27 -3.7 5.9 153 93
DAF 20 14 42.9 4.6 62 126
KENWORTH 18 20 -10.0 4.1 83 144
VOLVO 14 13 7.7 3.2 155 180
OTHER 63 89 -29.2 14.4 359 648
TOTAL 437 452 -3.3 100.0 2230 3078
If you’re looking to purchase a new truck or equipment
talk to UDC
STATSTALKNew Vehicles
Isuzu is market leader for the month with 107 new units registered and a 24.5% market share. It was up 17.6% compared to the 91 units registered in the same period the year prior.
Fuso is in second spot for the month, down 11.6% with 61 units registered and a 14% market share. Hino is third, down 32.2% with 40 registered (9.2%).
Mercedes-Benz follows, down 8.8% with 31 registered, Fiat up 130.8% (30), Iveco up 17.4% (27), Scania down 3.7% (26), DAF up 42.9% (20), Kenworth down 10% (18) and Volvo up 7.7% (14).
Total registrations of used trucks and buses over 3500kg GVM sits at 168 for June. This is up 3.1% compared to the same period last year.
Isuzu NZ general manager Dave Ballantyne says it’s a good result and there is still some catch up going on following the lockdown period and that had an effect in the month of June.
A total of 771 used trucks have hit the road in the year-to-date compared to 1103 in the same period last year.
Hino is market leader for used trucks in June with 39 units registered and a 23.2% market share. This is up 25.8% compared to the 31 registered in the same period last year.
Isuzu is second, up 5.4% with 39 units registered and a 23.25 market share. Toyota is third, up 15.2% with 38 registered (22.6%).
Mitsubishi follows, down 25% with 15 units registered, Nissan down 42.9% (8), Mazda up 40% (7), Ford up (3), Kenworth unchanged (3), Mitsubishi Fuso up (3) and Fiat down 60% (2).
The new heavy vehicle segment over 23,000kg GVM was down 16.9% year-on-year with a total of 162 units registered in June. This compares to 195 in the same period the previous year.
In the year-to date, the segment has registered a total of 914 units compared to 1289 for the same period last year.
Isuzu leads the segment for the month, up 21.7% with 28 units and a 17.3% market share.
Scania and DAF share second spot each registering 19 (11.7%).
Scania is down 29.6% year-on-year while DAF is up 35.7%. Kenworth is third, down 10% with 18 (11.1%).
Continued from previous page...
29JULY 2020
Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz
Your first choice in truck & equipment finance
UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.
USED HEAVY TRUCKS : Over 23,001kg
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
KENWORTH 3 3 0.0 42.9 8 13
TADANO 1 0.0 14.3 1 1
MACK 1 0.0 14.3 2 1
OTHER 2 7 -71.4 28.6 36 68
TOTAL 7 10 -30.0 100.0 47 83
USED MEDIUM TRUCKS : 9,000 - 23,000kg
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
ISUZU 5 4 25.0 55.6 12 20
HINO 1 2 -50.0 11.1 6 17
OTHER 3 4 -25.0 33.3 21 30
TOTAL 9 10 -10.0 100.0 39 67
USED LIGHT TRUCKS : 3,500 - 9,000kg
MAKE JUINE’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
TOYOTA 38 32 18.8 25.3 186 227
HINO 37 29 27.6 24.7 125 189
ISUZU 34 33 3.0 22.7 153 206
MITSUBISHI 15 18 -16.7 10.0 62 105
MAZDA 7 5 40.0 4.7 26 27
NISSAN 7 14 -50.0 4.7 45 97
FORD 3 1 200.0 2.0 6 5
OTHER 9 8 12.5 6.0 58 62
TOTAL 150 140 7.1 100.0 661 918
USED TRUCKS & BUSES MAKES : Over 3,500kg
MAKE JUN’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
HINO 39 31 25.8 23.2 136 221
ISUZU 39 37 5.4 23.2 169 230
TOYOTA 38 33 15.2 22.6 186 231
MITSUBISHI 15 20 -25.0 8.9 68 117
NISSAN 8 14 -42.9 4.8 51 105
MAZDA 7 5 40.0 4.2 26 27
FORD 3 1 200.0 1.8 12 24
KENWORTH 3 3 0.0 1.8 8 13
MITSUBISHI FUSO 3 2 50.0 1.8 13 21
FIAT 2 5 -60.0 1.2 21 18
OTHER 11 12 -8.3 6.5 81 96
TOTAL 168 163 3.1 100.0 771 1103
USED BUSES : Over 3,500kg
MAKE JUNE’20 JUNE’19 % CHANGE % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
SCANIA 1 0 0.0 50.0 3
OTHER 1 3 -66.7 50.0 21 35
TOTAL 2 3 -33.3 100.0 24 35
If you’re looking to purchase a new truck or equipment
talk to UDC
STATSTALKNew Vehicles
Volvo follows, up 7.7% with 14 units registered, Mercedes-Benz down 35.3% (11), Iveco up 37.5% (11), Hino down 60% (8), Fuso down 50% (8) and UD Trucks down 22.2% (7).
The new medium truck segment between 9000kg and 23,000kg GVM was down 6.4% year-on-year with 73 units registered in June compared to 78 in the same period last year.
Isuzu takes top spot in the segment for the month, up 42.3% with 37 units registered and a 50.7% market share.
Hino is second, down 21.7% with 18 units registered and a 24.7% market share. Fuso is third, down 9.1% with 10 registered (13.7%).
Iveco follows, up 100% with four units and Mercedes-Benz unchanged with two.
The new light commercial segment between 3500kg and 9000kg GVM featuring trucks, vans and buses was up 14.2% year-on-year with 185 units registered, compared with 162 in the same period the year before.
Fuso leads the segment, down 7.1% with 39 units registered and a 21.1% market share.
Isuzu is second, down 5% with 38 units registered and a 20.5% share. Fiat is third, up 130.8% with 30 registered (16.2%).
Mercedes-Benz follows, up 38.5% with 18 units, Hino down 12.5% (14), Iveco unchanged (12) and Chevrolet up 800% (9).
Continued from previous page...
30 JULY 2020
USED LIGHT COMMERCIAL MAKES : UNDER 3,500KG
MAKE JUN’20 JUN’19 MOVEMENT % CHANGE MARKET SHARE YTD’20 YTD’19
TOYOTA 447 392 14.0 46.6 1925 2548
NISSAN 230 213 8.0 24.0 1065 1277
MAZDA 54 36 Up 1 50.0 5.6 198 257
ISUZU 41 42 Down 2 -2.4 4.3 190 256
HINO 39 31 25.8 4.1 136 221
FORD 30 28 Up 1 7.1 3.1 151 244
MITSUBISHI 27 31 Down 1 -12.9 2.8 114 176
CHEVROLET 12 11 Up 1 9.1 1.3 56 88
HOLDEN 12 10 Up 1 20.0 1.3 67 92
FIAT 11 13 Down 2 -15.4 1.1 102 98
OTHER 57 50 14.0 5.9 277 326
TOTAL 960 857 12.0 100.0 4281 5583
USED TRACTOR REGISTRATIONS
MAKE JUN’20 JUN’19 % CHANGE % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
JOHN DEERE 42 44 -4.5 32.1 208 274
MASSEY FERGUSON 18 10 80.0 13.7 86 94
CASE IH 15 15 0.0 11.5 50 87
DEUTZ-FAHR 13 7 85.7 9.9 35 42
CLAAS 13 7 85.7 9.9 34 30
FENDT 7 4 75.0 5.3 29 31
NEW HOLLAND 6 8 -25.0 4.6 56 96
TRACTOR 5 7 -28.6 3.8 25 50
KUBOTA 4 19 -78.9 3.1 47 78
JCB 3 1 200.0 2.3 6 23
OTHER 5 11 -54.5 3.8 64 67TOTAL 131 133 -1.5 100.0 640 872
STATSTALKNew Vehicles
Registrations for new commercials (under 3500kg) were down 21.1% year-on-year with 4103 units registered in June compared to 5203 last year.
In the year-to-date, there have been 17,754 registrations in this segment compared to 26,661 for the same period last year.
Toyota takes the top spot, down 5.4% with 920 units registered and a 22.4% market share.
Ford is second, down 37.8% with 714 units registered and a 17.4% share. Holden is third, down 29% with 484 (11.8%).
Mitsubishi follows, down 26.4% with 390 units, Isuzu down 5.6% (270), Nissan down 31% (251), Mazda down 14.6% (170), Mercedes-Benz up 72.1% (148), LDV down 20.8% (122) and Volkswagen down 38.4% (101).
Overall registrations in June (including passenger cars) was down 17.5% (2438 units) year-on-year with 11,514 vehicles.
Pure electric vehicle continued their modest rate of monthly registrations at 131 units for June, with 54 PHEVs and 590 hybrid vehicles sold for the month.
The market overall to the end of June is down 29.1% (22,060 units) on the first six months of 2019.
Meanwhile, the top three models for the month of June were the Ford Ranger (641 units), followed by the Toyota Hilux (595) and Holden Colorado third (482).
Motor Industry Association chief executive David Crawford says the month of June reflects a steady but weaker market compared to 2019. Sales of both passenger and commercial vehicles were down, confirmation the market is tightening its belt in a recession.
“Year to date the market is down 29.1% in a year that is heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The first six months of the year has been a year of two quarters. The first quarter saw the sales of 32,833 new vehicles while the April to June quarter has seen just 20,866 new registrations, a reduction of 11,967 units for the quarter,” Crawford says.
The used heavy truck segment over 23,000kg GVM was down 30% with a total of seven units registered.
This includes Kenworth with three registrations and Tadano and Mack with one each.
Used medium trucks between 9000kg and 23,000kg GVM were down 10% with nine units registered. This includes Isuzu with five registrations and Hino with one.
Used light commercials between 3500kg and 9000kg GVM were up 12% year-on-year with 960 units registered in June compared to 857 units in the same period last year.
Toyota leads, up 14% with 447 units and a 46.6% market share.
Nissan is second, up 8% with 230 units (24% share). Mazda is
third, up 50% with 54 (5.6%).
Isuzu follows, down 2.4% with 41 units, Hino up 25.8% (39), Ford up 7.1% (30), Mitsubishi down 12.9% (27), Chevrolet up 9.1% (12), Holden up 20% (12) and Fiat down 15.4% (11).
The new tractor segment was down 1.5% year-on-year with 131 units registered in June compared to 133 in the same period last year.
John Deere leads, down 4.5% with 42 units registered and a 32.1% share.
Massey Ferguson is second, up 80% with 18 registered and a 13.7% share. Case IH is third, unchanged with 15 units (11.5%).
Deutz-Fahr and Class follow both up 85.7% with 13 units each, Fendt up 75% (7), New Holland down 25% (6), Tractor down 28.6% (5), Kubota down 78.9% (4), and JCB up with three units.
Continued from previous page...
USED TRACTOR REGISTRATIONS
MAKE JUN’20 JUN’19 % CHANGE % OF MARKET YTD’20 YTD’19
JOHN DEERE 16 10 60.0 28.1 56 15
MASSEY FERGUSON 8 4 100.0 14.0 38 25
NEW HOLLAND 4 7 -42.9 7.0 31 12
FORD 3 2 50.0 5.3 13 11
CLAAS 3 0.0 5.3 9 2
CASE 3 2 50.0 5.3 18 10
OTHER 20 22 -9.1 35.1 125 127
TOTAL 57 47 21.3 100.0 290 202
31JULY 2020
Teletrac Navman is launching a new custom-built electronic distance recorder for trailers, following NZ Transport Agency approval.
The device was designed with practical input from Kiwi transport operators and uses new technology
developed in New Zealand.
The device is part of Teletrac Navman’s electronic road user charges (RUC) system, and will automate RUC licence payment and display, and calculate off-road rebates for heavy trailers independently of prime movers.
It is a self-contained, sealed device that generates power directly from the wheel’s rotation. There are no wires and no interference with the trailer ABS, EBS or other systems.
Operators can self-install the device and use it as part of their Teletrac Navman RUC management solution.
“In the development of this solution, we spoke with our transport operator customers to get feedback on exactly what they needed – and this solution is a result,” Asia Pacific vice-president and managing director Ian Daniel says.
“Automated RUC management is a very popular technology. Our customers wanted something they could easily install themselves, that was self-contained and self-powered, and had
a large clear screen. This device ticks all the boxes for a busy operator.
“Feedback from customers is that electronic RUC saves them hours of admin time and even brings in a steady flow of rebates for off-road travel. With the upcoming increases in road user charges, every kilometre left unclaimed represents even more lost value to a business.
“Staying on top of regular rebates also assists a business with its cashflow,” Daniel says.
TELETRAC NAVMAN LAUNCHES ELECTRONIC DISTANCE RECORDER
IAN DANIEL
32 JULY 2020
The higher power Tector 7 engine is available on ML160 and ML180 variants and produces 320 hp (239
kW) at 2500rpm and 1100 Nm of torque at 1250 rpm, from the 6-cylinder, 6.7 litre unit. This increases power and torque by 40 hp and 100 Nm over the standard engine.
The latest addition meets the Euro6 measure using Iveco’s HI-SCR technology –
a single after-treatment system featuring passive DPF (diesel particulate filter).
The HI-SCR system provides many benefits compared to EGR and SCR equivalents, including reduced fuel consumption and reduced tare weight.
It also uses fewer components for increased simplicity and does not require driver regeneration, providing reduced vehicle downtime.
The ZF Eurotronic 12-Speed automated manual transmission option is available across the range including on ML120 models.
This brings the number of transmission choices available in the range to four. The other three choices are the ZF 6-speed automated, 9-speed manual and the Allison 5-speed full automatic.
Iveco has added a new engine, horsepower and transmission option to its medium duty Euro6 Eurocargo range.
IVECO ADDS EXTRA POWER TO EUROCARGO
CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE...
SHOWROOMNew Vehicle Industry and Product News
33JULY 2020
Iveco New Zealand dealer principal Jason Keddie says the new specifications would increase the appeal of the Euro6 Eurocargo models and open up some new applications for the range with 32 tonne GCM available.
“The availability of a 320 hp/1100 Nm engine option, combined with the 12-speed Eurotronic AMT, provides a
great package for operators wanting to tow a trailer.”
The added output and spread of gears, delivers improved gradeability performance and makes the Eurocargo ideal for operators engaged in a range of metropolitan and regional work, he says.
“For general freight and more specialised applications, such as car carrying, container or construction where operators may need to transport extra vehicles, cargo or small to medium machines, there’s now a Eurocargo to suit,” Keddie says.
Prior to making the new specification options available in New Zealand, Iveco Australia conducted local trials over a two-year period during which time four vehicles covered 400,000 plus kilometres over a range of operating conditions.
The latest specification options can be selected at the time of ordering and are now available from the Iveco dealer network.
The availability
of a 320 hp/1100
Nm engine option,
combined with the
12-speed Eurotronic
AMT, provides a
great package for
operators wanting
to tow a trailer.
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE...
SHOWROOMNew Vehicle Industry and Product News
34 JULY 2020
The Express is due to land in September with the 1.6-litre six-speed manual transmission model
priced at $47,990 and the 2.0-litre six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission priced at $52,990.
The new van comes with manual and auto options and provides 5.2m3 capacity and up to 1150kg payload and follows the popular L300 which sold 38,806 units from 1980 to 2015.
It’s also the first product for Mitsubishi customers manufactured in France by Alliance partner Renault.
MMNZ marketing and corporate affairs head Reece Congdon says the company is “thrilled to be adding the Express to our line-up, and to be able to provide a compelling new option for light commercial operators”.
“This highly specced van is a different proposition and a worthy successor to our popular L300 model.
“We strongly believe that operators looking for function and flexibility, at exceptional value, will welcome the opportunity to get the Express van working for their bottom line.
“Backed by our 50-strong dealer network and factory-trained technicians, we expect interest to be high,” Congdon says.
“For customers looking for function and flexibility, dual sliding doors and a number of accessories ensure easy configuration of the Express van for different business requirements.
“We believe these practical features – along with a strong value proposition – will attract transport operators and delivery drivers back to Mitsubishi,” he says.
The van is built to support busy delivery drivers and also includes a rear bumper with an integrated step for easy loading and unloading.
It’s accessible through the dual sliding side doors and full-width rear barn doors (glazed with 85 and 160-degree stops).
Measuring 1268mm between the wheel housings, the Express comfortably accommodates standard-width NZ pallets or GIB sheet.
To ensure load stability and security, the cargo area features 16 in-built cargo rings – three floor-mounted and five side-
Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand (MMNZ) is adding to its commercial line-up with the first new van offering in seven years.
MITSUBISHI NZ TO RELEASE EXPRESS DELIVERY VAN
We believe these
practical features
– along with
a strong value
proposition – will
attract transport
operators
and delivery
drivers back to
Mitsubishi
CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE...
SHOWROOMNew Vehicle Industry and Product News
35JULY 2020
mounted on both sides. Each model has a bulkhead complete with load through flap to extend the load length. The passenger under-seat storage compartment flap can also be opened to load objects through it and up to the dash.
The manual model tares at 1810kg, offering a 1150kg max payload and 2000kg braked towing capacity. The auto weighs in at 1869kg with a max payload of 1116kg and 1715kg braked towing capacity. Both models have a 3098mm wheelbase.
It will be available in white solid, red solid, black metallic and silver metallic.
Interior trim is a hard-wearing black fabric and 16-inch steel wheels are standard, and a full-size spare is stored under the cargo floor.
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSIONCustomers have two engine and transmission options to choose from.
There’s the 1.6L twin-turbo diesel engine, paired with an efficient six-
speed manual transmission, delivering 103kW/340Nm max power and torque; or the 2.0L single-turbo diesel with a slick six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission (6DCT), which delivers up to 125kW/380Nm.
Both models are front wheel drive with Extended Grip – a traction-control mode activated by the driver to assist in low-grip conditions.
CAB The Express has three seats up front, with added comfort for the driver thanks to manual height and lumbar adjustment, as well as height and reach steering wheel adjustment.
The audio unit is enabled for Bluetooth and USB connection, offering hands-free telephone and music streaming.
The driver can gain easy access to equipment, utilising the open storage on top of the dash, while both variants include an integrated smartphone cradle.
SAFETY Standard features include cruise control with speed limiter, stop and start (with manual off switch), and hill start assist. Also standard are reversing sensor, anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC), electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), and a dead angle (wide view) vision with mirror in the passenger sunvisor.
The Express features five airbags: driver and passenger front and curtain airbags, and a driver thorax airbag. The passenger under-seat storage box can be opened to load objects through it and up to the dash.
To assist drivers to load and unload safely, both models have a rearview camera. They also have dusk-sensing auto headlights and rain-sensing windscreen wipers.
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE...
SHOWROOMNew Vehicle Industry and Product News
36 JULY 2020
Sales manager Ross Prevette says Shelby NZ will offer the entire line-up of Shelby F-150 trucks, including the
all-new supercharged 4×4 Super Snake Sport.
The new Shelby Super Snake Sport has a 575kW 5.0-litre V8 and replaces the legendary SVT Lightning.
It will accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in 3.45 seconds and go from 0 to 160km/h and back to 0 in 8.3 seconds.As well as the ultra-fast Sport truck, company director Malcolm Sankey says other models to be introduced locally include the Shelby F-150 4 x 4 Off Road model, the F-150 Super Snake Street Truck and the F-150 Raptor. All are based on Ford’s F-150 Supercrew cab which can seat up to five adults.
All Shelby NZ vehicles are Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA) certified where applicable and carry a Shelby NZ three-year/60,000km warranty.
The first batch of New Zealand-built right-hand drive Shelby F-150 trucks has been pre-sold, but orders for future builds are being taken now.
SHOWROOMNew Vehicle Industry and Product News
Matamata-based Shelby New Zealand will be building and selling right-hand drive F-150s based on Ford USA’s pick-up platform.
PLENTY OF BITE IN SHELBY SUPER SNAKE
37JULY 2020
HYUNDAI APPOINTS MARTIN ZEILINGER TO LEAD FUEL CELL TRUCKS AND BUSES Hyundai Motor Group has appointed Martin Zeilinger as executive vice-president and head of its commercial vehicle (CV) development unit.
Zeilinger brings 30 years’ experience on commercial vehicle development with a focus on autonomous driving and eco-friendly technologies.
He is now tasked with all R&D capabilities for Hyundai commercial vehicles while also spearheading development of commercial vehicles such as fuel cell trucks and buses.
Zeilinger, who started on July 1, says he is “very proud joining Hyundai Motor Group on the way to global growth with new technologies”.
“The commercial vehicle industry has big environmental and economic challenges but also has big chances for efficient and clean transportation with the relevant new technologies and vehicles.
“I am looking forward to bring my experience in a new business environment,” Zeilinger says.
Prior to joining Hyundai, he worked at Daimler AG and has experience developing autonomous and electrified trucks.
SPECIALIST JOB BOARD TARGETS DEALERSHIPSA new job board specifically designed to meet the needs of the Australian and New Zealand dealership industry is being launched.
Dealershipjobs.co.nz is a speciality job and careers site which caters exclusively to the retail and wholesale dealership sector.
Servicing dealerships of all sizes in both regional and metropolitan locations, the new job matching technology will make it easier for employers to connect with job seekers who have relevant experience working in automotive, truck, bus, earthmoving, farm machinery, material handling, access equipment, marine, motorcycle, caravan and other dealerships.
Co-founder Tony Flynn says the concept was born after observing “a significant need among both employers and job seekers working within the industry who were frustrated by the time being wasted on traditional generalist job boards”.
Ports of Auckland has installed the world’s largest soil-based vertical garden on its new car-handling building on the city waterfront.
Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson says the vertical garden “is one of several design features of the new building that will improve the look of the port and better integrate it into the central city”.
“As it grows, the vertical garden will help turn what could be a boring, functional building into a local landmark which increases bio-diversity and greens the central city.
“Another great feature of the garden is that its production is a collaboration between Ports of Auckland and a number of fantastic local businesses and organisations,” Gibson says.
The soil-based vertical garden system was invented by New Zealand
company Hanging Gardens with components manufactured in New Zealand as part of a Department of Corrections prisoner rehabilitation programme.
The garden has been planted with 75% New Zealand native plants with around 40 species used, all chosen because they require less water and fewer nutrients. Around 3800 plants have been used in the installation, pre-grown in felt pockets by the team at Pukekohe-based Joy Plants.
TESLA SEMI HELPS VEHICLE DELIVERIES The electric Tesla Semi truck has been photographed delivering Model 3 and Model Y cars as the company ramped up its sprint to close its second quarter and first half of 2020 on a high note.
The Semi was spotted at California’s Rocklin supercharger, appearing to be linked to two 150kWh supercharger stalls which indicates Tesla’s battery tech has improved as it was seen three years ago attached to four or five supercharger stalls at once.
More on Tesla’s tech is expected to be announced at its Battery Day on September 15.
Semi sightings have been reported by the Tesla community online which also has photos of Tesla delivery centres filling up.
It’s possible the Semi’s updated Megacharger setup could reveal the Class 8 truck has been installed with a more efficient battery unit, Teslarati reports in a story about chief executive Elon Musk rallying staff towards a “break even” goal.
DRIVER SERVICE HELPS STEER BUSINESSES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTIONDriver Guide Hire (DGH) is helping transport companies juggle demanding tasks brought about by COVID-19.
DGH is a job-based driver hire service that supplies commercial drivers on a job-by-job basis – for fixed terms, seasonal assignments or ad hoc, helping clients to save time and money.“During such unpredictable times, hiring permanent members of staff may no longer be viable,” DGH founding director Bodhi Vette says.
“Our business offers companies the option to hire skilled drivers one job at a time, offering full flexibility and an alternative way to source drivers based on workload and demand.”
Established in 2012, DGH is a family-owned and operated New Zealand company facilitating the truck and transport industries, as well as other sectors in the New Zealand driver space.It has close to 1000 drivers signed up and available for hire throughout the country.
NEWS IN BRIEF
PORTS OF AUCKLAND INSTALLS VERTICAL GARDEN
38 JULY 2020
MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR WWW.TRANSPORTTALK.CO.NZ – VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 12 | JULY 2019
NZ’S NEWS SOURCE FOR ROAD TRANSPORT, LOGISTICS & HEAVY EQUIPMENT INDUSTRIES
More needs to be done to get drugged drivers off the roads and this includes tougher roadside drug testing polices, the Road Transport Forum (RTF) says. It comes following the establish-ment of a NZ standard for oral test-ing in March this year.Ministry of Transport data shows drugged drivers were responsible for
159 deaths on the roads over the last two years.The RTF has submitted on the Ministry of Transport’s Enhanced Drug Impaired Driver Testing discus-sion document and is calling on a fresh approach to tackle the problem. RTF chief executive Nick Leggett says the Government needs to change its “single-minded road safety focus, which is tunnel vision on speed and getting vehicles off the road”. “The number of people be-ing killed by drug impaired drivers is higher than by drivers above the
INSIDEINSIDETackling safety and regulation p3Truck training boost
p6 Christchurch welcomes E-buses p11Protecting lone workers p19 3 6
TR Group enters Australia
Continued on page 4
Let’s tackle drugged drivers, RTF says
Continued on page 5
TR Group is making its entry into Australia with the acquisition of Melbourne-based trailer rental company Semi-Skel Hire.It comes after many years of inves-tigating the market across the Tasman and fits with TR’s ambitions to provide world-class service in renting and leasing trucks and trailers.TR was founded in 1992 and now has a team of 180 people and a fleet of 5500 rental and lease vehicles in New Zealand.
The group provides cus-tomers with a complete fleet management ser-vice and provides
Want an automated solution to help schedule your fleet maintenance?Come and see EROAD at Civil Contractors Conference for a closer look at our telematic solution for a safer, more efficient and productive fleet.
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MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR WWW.TRANSPORTTALK.CO.NZ – VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 1 | AUGUST 2019
NZ’S NEWS SOURCE FOR ROAD TRANSPORT, LOGISTICS & HEAVY EQUIPMENT INDUSTRIES
Hamilton-based CAL Isuzu
is expanding its footprint
with the recent acquisition
of heavy vehicle servicing company
New Zealand Trucks and its branches
in Auckland and Hamilton.
New Zealand Trucks was based
in Christchurch and was owned by
former NZX-listed Hellaby Holdings
Limited before it was sold in 2016,
alongside AB Equipment, to private eq-
uity fund Maui Capital for $81 million.
The new deal will see CAL taking
over the Hamilton site in Earthmover
Cresent and the south Auckland,
Wiri site in Edsel Way.
The acquisition will see over 35
staff join the CAL team and brings its
numbers to around 200 people.
The two additional sites adds
around 15,000 square metres and
sees the company grow to two sites
in Hamilton, three in Auckland plus
sites in Tauranga and Whangarei.
CAL Isuzu owner and managing
director Ashok Parbhu says he’s very
pleased with the deal which was car-
ried out in just a couple of months.
The acquisitions are all about
INSIDEINSIDE
Fuso NZ welcomes sales manager p4
Log prices crash
p5
CablePrice signs deal p8
Skills training shakeup p13
48
Scania
scales up NZ
operations
Continued on page 4
CAL Isuzu takes
over NZ Trucks
Continued on page 3
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Scania is making its largest ever
investment in New Zealand fol-
lowing more than two decades
of distribution by third party Cable
Price.
Scania New Zealand, now a
wholly-owned subsidiary business,
kicked off on January 1, 2019.
It’s now responsible for the impor-
tation, distribution and sales of new
Scania heavy trucks and buses, as well
as parts and business services.
It’s being led by managing direc-
tor Mattias Lundholm, who has more
than 20 years’ experience with the
Swedish trucking heavyweight.
Scania's local headquarters are
in Penrose, Auckland, and a satel-
lite site in Wellington is now open
MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR WWW.TRANSPORTTALK.CO.NZ – VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 2 | SEPTEMEBR 2019
THE NEWS SOURCE FOR TRANSPORT, LOGISTICS & HEAVY EQUIPMENT
I t’s the end of an era for almost 100 years of Gough Group family own-ership and it’s “sad to see the end”,
chairman Keith Sutton says. The New Zealand-based heavy equipment company is being sold to Malaysian firm Sime Darby for NZ$211 million.Gough Group has the local Cater-
pillar dealerships with service territory
in New Zealand and interests in the transport and materials handling business in New Zealand and Aus-tralia.
Founded by Edger Gough, Harry Hamer and Tracy Gough as Gough, Gough & Hamer Limited in 1929, the company initially dealt in electrical goods.
It secured the Caterpillar fran-chise in 1932 and soon became the world sales leader for non-United States Caterpillar dealers and is one of the oldest dealerships of Caterpil-lar equipment outside of the US.
INSIDEINSIDERTF tackles mental health pg 6
Transdev enters NZ bus sector pg 8
Ruakura gears up for freight pg 11
Northland rail’s $94.8m boost pg 19
68
AdvanceQuip set for Iveco sales
Continued on page 4
NZ’s Gough Group to end
Continued on page 3
Truck and machinery distributor AdvanceQuip has appointed Noel Macdonald to the role of
Iveco sales manager for the south.Macdonald will be responsible
for Iveco truck and van sales in the Otago and Southland regions, having moved from the Manawatu where he was selling the Fuso range of trucks.
Now based in the central location of Alexandra, he will be readily acces-
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FLEETS INVITED TO VIRTUAL SAFETY EXHIBITIONRoad safety charity Brake is inviting fleet operators and suppliers to participate in a virtual exhibition as part of its Global Fleet Champions initiative.
The event is launching on August 1 and showcases projects, products and partnerships that improve road safety and help reduce collisions caused by and involving at-work drivers.It aims to raise awareness and reduce incidents involving at-work drivers and vehicles and help to improve the safety of those driving for work.
Brake NZ director Caroline Perry says the exhibition provides a creative platform to share ideas on best practice in fleet safety.
It’s also a fantastic opportunity for fleet operators to find out more about products and services that can help them manage road risk, and to network with relevant organisations. We encourage fleet operators of any size, and suppliers, to join in,” she says.
Anyone interested in attending the exhibition can find out more at globalfleetchampions.org and register online.Brake is seeking exhibitors for the event. Any fleet suppliers or operators interested in exhibiting can email [email protected] or call +64 (0)21 407 953.Exhibitors will also be helping Brake to continue its work making roads safer and providing free support to families affected by crashes during this time when COVID-19 has significantly impacted fundraising.
SWIRE BULK TO SERVE NZ MARKET WITH NEW VESSELSSwire Bulk’s new vessel MV Singan has completed a full load of export logs for China after its maiden arrival at Port Taranaki.
It’s the first of 10 new vessels for the company (the dry bulk division of Singapore-based China Navigation Company) which are being built in Japan.
Over the past 12 months, more than 70 Swire Bulk vessels have made close to 250 port visits in New Zealand, primarily serving the export forestry market.Similar style newbuilds within the fleet are log fitted to ensure capability when serving the New Zealand market.
“The vessel is designed for optimal speed and consumption at 12.5 knots in the laden condition,” Swire Bulk general manager Rob Aarvold says.
“The eco-efficiency additions of the rudder bulb, wake fin and pre-swirl will improve vessel hull efficiency.
“Having these log-fitted newbuildings on water would strengthen Swire Bulk’s position in the log market.
“We are one of the world’s largest handysize logger fleets, and we have the flexibility, supply and consistent technical standards to perform and deliver freight contracts safely, reliably and professionally,” he says. The MV Singan also called at Gisborne and Marsden Point before completing a full load of export logs for China..
NEWS IN BRIEF
or phone Deborah Baxteron 027 530 5016
39JULY 2020
The australian commercial vehicle market made a remarkable bounce back in June, recording the highest ever monthly sales of trucks and vans.
A RECORD MONTH FOR AUSSIE COMMERCIALS
History shows that truck sales peak in June every year due to the tax benefits that exist at the end of
each financial year, nevertheless this years figures have surprised many in the industry.
The Truck Industry Council (TIC), owner and compiler of the official T-Mark market sales database, has called the June result “something quite special”.
The record monthly sales saw a total of 4620 heavy trucks and vans above 3500kg GVM in June, eclipsing the previous best monthly result in June 2018, when 4231 trucks were delivered.
However, the result was driven entirely by the light duty truck and van segment.
The result included 1134 heavy duty trucks sold in June, down 20.9% on the market peak of 1433 units in June 2018 and down 12% (154 trucks) over the same month last year.
Medium duty truck sales of 897 vehicles were also down in June 2020 compared to their market peak of 1073 sales set back in 2008 (down 16.4%).
It was the small end of the heavy vehicle market that saw a June surge in sales spurred by the federal government’s instant asset write-off of $150,000.
The June 2020 tally for light duty trucks was 1583 units, surpassing the previous monthly record of 1304 set in June 2018, up 21.4%.
The light duty van segment was the star performer in June with 1006 units delivered, beating the previous best result in June last year with 714 van sales, up 40.9%.
Overall, the heavy-duty market did see a continued slowing of sales, down 23%, when compared to last year’s second quarter sales. This includes 2699 sales for April to June 2020, down on the second quarter 2019 by 807 trucks.
The medium duty segment is fairing a little better, up 12.7% year-on-year with 897 units delivered in June.
However, the overall April to June period is down with 1829 mediums delivered in quarter two 2020, compared to 2125 for the same period in 2019, down 13.9%.
The light duty truck segment (between 3500 kg and 8000 kg GVM) is holding up well and the June result was “better than expected”.
A total of 1583 light duty trucks were sold in June, up 24.3% compared to the same period last year.
However, the 2020 quarter two result was only slightly up on the second quarter 2019 result with 3188 sales verses 3112 sales last year, up 2.4%.
It was the June 2020 light duty van sales (between 3500 kg and 8000 kg GVM) which was “the shining star for the month”.
This segment was well up over June 2019 results with 1006 units delivered for the month, up 40.9% (292 vans) year-on-year and setting a new monthly sales record for vans in Australia.
The segment posted a total of 1827 sales for the months of April to June, falling just one van sale short of the
2019 quarter two result of 1828 sales.
At the half way point of the year, the van tally does not look quite so good, with 3009 van sales posted year-to-date, down on the January to June result of 2019 by 5.2%.
Truck Industry Council chief executive Tony McMullan says despite the declining truck market year-to-date the rise of the light duty truck and van sales in encouraging.
“We are now gaining a real insight into just how COVID-19 has impacted heavy vehicle sales in 2020, with the heavy duty segment hit very hard.
“The record, or near record, sales in both light duty segments appears to be a clear indication of the effectiveness of the federal government’s instant asset write-off incentive of $150,000, coupled with the financial year end.
“While the result has been of notable benefit for smaller trucks, it is clear that financial stimulus is required at the heavy end of the truck market.
“The Truck Industry Council has been calling upon government to increase the instant asset write-off to $450,000 for heavy vehicle specific purchases, such action would stimulate sales in the heavy and medium duty truck sectors.
“Further, it must be remembered that July, August and September truck sales are historically low, as the new financial year begins.
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