Two new truck battery enterprises, ATA approval of new government regulation, efficient container handling, a community fundraiser and a rugby league star, are all part of the half a dozen positive news stories for the trucking industry this week.
Closing Loopholes Welcomed
The closing loopholes bill will deliver fairer contracts for all trucking businesses, reckons the Chair of the Australian Trucking Association. David Smith, who was commenting on the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023, which the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke, introduced into Parliament.
David said the bill and future regulations would enable the Fair Work Commission to issue two new orders. Road transport minimum standards orders would apply to owner drivers and similar small trucking businesses. Road transport industry contractual chain orders could apply to the whole contract chain.
“One of the ATA’s objectives in our discussions with the Government was to avoid a repeat of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal’s decision to set minimum rates for owner drivers that were too high for the industry to pay,” said David. “The result was that prime contractors and industry customers chose to move their freight in other ways.
“Under this bill, the commission would be required to avoid unreasonable adverse impacts on sustainable competition and compliance costs. The commission would also be required to have regard to the commercial realities of the road transport industry and that owner drivers have chosen to be contractors not employees.”
Cummins, Daimler, Paccar Battery Joint Venture
Accelera by Cummins, the zero-emissions business unit of Cummins, Daimler Trucks North America and Paccar are partnering to accelerate and localise battery production and the battery supply chain in the United States. The planned joint venture will manufacture battery cells for electric trucks and industrial applications. Total investment is expected to be in the range of US$2-3 billion for the 21-gigawatt hour (GWh) factory.
Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck and PACCAR will each own 30 per cent of, and jointly control, the joint venture, which will initially focus on the lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery technology family for battery-electric trucks.
The LFP battery cells produced by the joint venture will be able to offer several advantages compared to other battery chemistries, including lower cost, longer life, and enhanced safety, without the need for nickel and cobalt raw materials. Accelera by Cummins, Daimler Truck and Paccar expect to see growing demand for battery technology throughout this decade.
Container Tracking for Efficiency
The automated tracking of empty freight containers can improve turnaround times by more than 30 per cent. A collaborative Victorian project, using data supplied by Transport Certification Australia (TCA), has demonstrated that empty container parks with high levels of automation are significantly more efficient than those that use paper forms to track vehicles.
The trial, commissioned by the Department of Transport and Planning Victoria, studied automation levels at empty container parks in Victoria, aiming to better understand the benefits of paperless and contactless truck arrivals.
Keeping, carrying, matching and exchanging paper forms at gatehouses can be a major cause for delays and loss of efficiency. The study found that empty container parks with medium and high automation levels can experience 20 to 32 per cent faster truck turnaround times compared to those with low automation levels.
As part of the study’s outcomes, Freight Victoria has developed new performance indicators for truck turnaround times, which will help provide greater visibility of the performance of the supply chain.
Followmont and the Convoy for Kids
Followmont Transport announced its continued support for the Brisbane Convoy for Kids, a local not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising funds for children’s charities. The trucking operator will once again provide the Trailer of Hope for the upcoming 2023 Brisbane Convoy for Kids, reaffirming its commitment to this worthy cause.
The initiative invites individuals, families, and businesses to contribute between $20 and $2,000, allowing their names or logos to adorn the Trailer of Hope B Double set, turning it into a traveling billboard of community support.
“Our team wholeheartedly embraces this event, with a large number of our drivers and staff participating in the Convoy itself, the trailers are yet another way we can make a meaningful difference in our community,” said Mark Tobin, Managing Director of Followmont Transport. “Last year, it once again became the highest fundraising tool for the event, so we are pleased to play our part in making a difference.”
NHVR and the NRL
Rugby league legend Sam Thaiday has partnered with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to spread an important safety message as part of its ‘We All Need Space’ campaign. The 304-game Broncos champion, known for his tough and uncompromising stance on the field, said it was important for motorists to show the same relentlessness when it comes to road safety.
“So many of us get behind the wheel of a car every day; to get to work, do school drop offs and for me, back in the day, head to training,” said Sam. “But unfortunately, we often forget to stop and think more deeply about our behaviour behind the wheel. In rugby league, especially as a second rower, I always aimed to give my opponents as little space as possible and break down their defence.
“While the opposition may not need space on the field, trucks sure do on our roads!”
New Battery Production Plant
Scania has opened a new, purpose-built battery assembly plant in Södertälje, Sweden, which will take battery cells produced jointly by Scania and Northvolt in northern Sweden and assemble them into modules and then into battery packs, to be transferred to the truck assembly line, located within the same production precinct.
“At Scania, we have made it our purpose to drive the shift towards a sustainable transport system,” said Christian Levin, President and CEO Scania and TratonN Group. “With the battery assembly plant in operation, we have one of the key enablers in place to accelerate the shift to electrification.
“Scania is targeting 50 per cent of its vehicle sales to be battery-powered by 2030. Further ahead, up to 100 per cent of vehicles can run on electricity. The shift to electrified solutions is the biggest transformation in the history of transport, and 2023 is the year when it truly takes off.”
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