bulldog vol 9

the mack magazine spring 2008BULLDOG

transportrock solid with the new breed granite

sargeant

THE NEW MACK MP8 powerFUl and FUel eFFicient

GILBERT’S BLAZES A TRAIL with the new breed Mack trident

2 BULLDOg magazine spring 2008 3

the all new super-liner.

Children point, men go strangely silent, the chrome plated supermodel of the highway has arrived.Dripping in chrome with an all new grille and lower, wider bonnet this sexy beast will effortlessly haul 130 tonnes GCM with up to 600Hp of grunt. It’s the definitive Mack Truck bred to turn heads and turn in healthy bottom lines. Visit macktrucks.com.au for more.

THE NEW BREED

turn bitumen into catwalk

spring 2008 54 BULLDOg magazine

WELCOMECONTENTSspring 2008

a WOrD FrOm aUstraLia’s tOp DOg

i know it’s been a while since you’ve had a copy of bulldog in your hands, but i hope you’ll agree it’s been worth the wait. welcome to our new look magazine!

in this issue we’ve put the spotlight on some of our customers who’ve put the new breed trucks to the test: sargeant transport, Jr stephens and gilbert truck and plant hire. i’m sure you will also enjoy reading these stories to get an insight into their day to day business operations - and to see the versatility of Mack trucks in different industry applications.

in a new regular feature paul Munro, Mack’s dedicated driver trainer, explains how to get peak performance from the mighty Mp8 engine. paul offers some great fuel-saving tips, which are so important today when fuel prices are having a huge impact on business operators nation-wide.

there’s more news from the home of Mack trucks in the Us. we feature a story on a texas-size highway project and you can also read about how the Us titan was modelled after our own australian titan.

Finally – not only has bulldog magazine had an overhaul, the Mack trucks website has too! as well as providing plenty of information on the new breed trucks down Under, you can also log on to find your closest Mack trucks dealer.

contact your local dealer now to enquire about taking a new breed model for a test drive. they are premium, Modern classics, Forged in steel.

Dean Bestwick national sales Manager Mack trucks australia

Bulldog – a magazine from mack trucks australia

Bulldog is a magazine for Mack customers, drivers and enthusiasts. Opinions expressed in articles may not necessarily be those of Mack Trucks. Neither the publication nor the company can be held responsible for factual errors within the magazine. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without prior permission from Mack Trucks Australia. Mack trucks is a trading division of Volvo Commercial Vehicles Australia

CONTENTS WELCOME

SEND THE DOG A BONEbulldog magazine keeps you up to date with information from australia and the Us – but, we also want to hear from you. please write in with your feedback and stories, which could be published in the dog bites letters page in the next edition. if you have pictures, please email high-resolution images, or post copies (no originals).

all correspondence should be addressed to:

06 Feature Story Gilbert’s of Coolumgilbert’s of coolum drove the first new breed Mack trident straight off the assembly line and into action. with three more on order, gilbert’s fleet of tridents will soon be taking the sunshine coast by storm.

08 Feature Story JR Stevens & Co interviewdaryll stephens of Jr stephens and co in blackstone, Queensland has 45 Macks in his fleet. daryll explains why he runs Macks exclusively and why he loves the new breed.

10 Product Feature MP8

13 COVER STORY Sargeant Transportsargeant transport has grown a very successful business in Victoria by focussing on providing top-quality service to a core group of clients.

18 Mack Sponsorshipswith Mack as their sleeve sponsor, the Manly sea eagles blew the Melbourne storm away in the biggest grand Final win in nrl history. the sea eagles ran in eight tries, with the Mack bulldog helping to ground every ball.

20 International Story Williams Brothers

22 Slammin’ Hot! Brett Stevens Racing

24 Mack Around the World

Regulars

04 dog bites

12 peak performance with paul Munro

Julie Skerman Media and Communications Advisor

Mack Trucks PO Box 1997 Milton QLD 4064 Australia

telephone 07 3811 7012

or email [email protected]


NEW BREED MACK TRIDENT SPEARHEADS GILBERT’S ExPANSION

Operators love the Trident. When i take a demo model out they are really impressed, not only by the power, room, visibility and cab access, but by the mean, tough look of the new dog.

gilbert trUck & plant hire in coolUM on the sUnshine coast driVe away in the First new breed Mack trident in aUstralia

as the gLeaming neW truck rolled off the assembly line at the wacol plant in brisbane, adam gilbert, Managing director of gilbert’s was there to meet it. Frank Meehan, senior Vp of Mack trucks international, visiting from allentown, pennsylvania, handed the keys to adam himself.

adam was pleased and proud to welcome the trident into his fleet. “when i started on the sunshine coast four years ago all i had was a Mack r model. we’ve now got twelve tipper & dog combinations, plus earthmoving equipment up to 35 tonne. with heavy haulage becoming a core business, the Mack trident represents our next big step forward.”

Mack’s aftersales support was an important factor in adam’s decision to buy the new breed Mack trident, “Mack’s excellent service on the sunshine coast ensures that we have as little downtime as possible,” he said.

steve helms from Mack trucks brisbane wasn’t surprised by adam’s decision. “operators love the trident. when i take a demo model out they are really impressed, not only by the power, room, visibility and cab access, but by the mean, tough look of the new dog.”

the blokes at gilbert’s are now eagerly awaiting three more new breed Mack tridents.

FEATURE STORY the new breed FEATURE STORY the new breed

GRRRRRR! WOOF! WOOF!

8 BULLDOg magazine

FEATURE STORY the new breed FEATURE STORY the new breed

jR STEPHENS TRANSPORTING WASTE WITH THE TRIDENT

DARYLL STePhenS The inTeRvieW:

daryll stephens oF Jr stephens and co in blackstone, QUeensland, has 45 Macks in his Fleet. in this interView, he tells bUlldog why he rUns Macks exclUsiVely and why he loVes the new breed.

Bulldog: “you’ve recently bought three new breed Macks, a granite and two tridents. what is it that you like about them?”

Daryll: “probably the M-a-c-k on the front! but seriously, we’re in the waste haulage business and we’re looking to a future with increased emissions legislation. Mack caters for that view of the future.

we also like the look of the trucks, the performance, and the comfort of the cab. i’ve driven them, they’re very comfortable and the noise level compared with the old model is significantly quieter. Mack have listened to the customer and designed around customer input and they’ve come up with an article we’re very happy with.”

Bulldog: “you work for Veolia environmental services. what makes Mack a good choice in the waste field?”

Daryll: “we’re in recycling, transporting contaminated soils, building and demolition, waste and landfill. a lot of this material has to be removed daily as mandated by the epa, so reliability is absolutely critical to us. that’s where Mack shines, and not just in the product, but what the people at Mack do for

us to keep that level of service up. level of service for us is extremely important and Mack does that extremely well.

we’ve tried other makes, but we chose to go all-Mack years ago because Mack is a one-stop-shop that provides everything we need and does it well. we believe in the product and in Mack’s service, we’re very happy with it, so why change?”

Bulldog: “you prefer to use all-Mack running gear, why is that?”

Daryll: “when we spec a truck all-Mack it’s a better truck than if we use other brands. why use another manufacturer’s gearbox with a Mack engine? Mack designed the truck to have a Mack engine, a Mack gearbox and Mack running gear and it works best like that.

when we buy a Mack, we buy it from the bumper bar to the rear of the truck and this really pays off in long-term reliability.”

Bulldog: “so how do you see the future?”

Daryll: “we’ll be all-Mack into the future and we know Mack will back us up the way they always have.”

FACTS:Business started in the early 1950s by JR Stephens, Daryll’s father

All Mack fleet – 45 trucks

Business serves Queensland and NSW

Specialises in waste haulage

Employs 50 staff

We chose to go all-Mack years ago because Mack is a one-stop shop that provides everything we need and does it well.

spring 2008 9

10 BULLDOg magazine

THE MACK MP8 POWERfUL AND fUEL-EffICIENT

the Mp8 comes on strong and eases into a humped power curve for ease of operation and effortless cruising performance.

the Mp8 series draws on proven technology to boost power and run cleaner. the engine meets the strict emissions requirements of the adr80/02 compliance for 2008, and is eUro 4 compliant. with the Mp8 you’re more than ready for the next standards in 2011.

the Mp8 also features Mack’s V-Mac iV engine Management system. this is a completely electronic fuel system that provides precise and efficient engine control. Mack electronics deliver the technology you need, so you can improve your fuel efficiency while still boosting productivity.

the mp8 – mOre pOWer, Less FUeL.

With the price OF DieseL at an all-time high, fuel-efficiency is not just a ‘nice-to-have’ feature anymore, it’s a critical factor in engine design. the new Mack Mp8 is engineered to give all the power you expect from a bulldog, without biting your hand off at the pump.

the 13 litre (780 cubic inch) Mp8 offers torque levels from 1585 lb-ft to 1770lb-ft and peak horsepower ranges from 435hp to 500hp. engineered with all the torque, power and durability you have come to expect from the industry leader in integrated powertrains, the Mp8 has a broad range of horsepower ratings and exceptional low-end torque while remaining fuel-efficient and running cleaner.

Mack’s unique Variable geometry turbocharger (Vgt) delivers mind-bending mid-range response with a generous fuel sweet spot between 1450 rpM-1550 rpM. with a wider operating range with smooth linear power,

PRODUCT the Mack Mp8 PRODUCT the Mack Mp8

the new Mack Mp8 is engineered to giVe all the power yoU expect FroM a bUlldog, withoUt a VoracioUs thirst For FUel.

FACTS:The 13 litre (780 Cubic Inch) MP8 offers torque levels from 1585 lb-ft to 1770lb-ft

Mack’s unique Variable Geometry Turbocharger (VGT) delivers mind-bending mid-range response

The engine meets the strict emissions requirements of the ADR80/02 compliance for 2008

The MP8 also features Mack’s V-MAC IV Engine Management System

spring 2008 11


Sargeanttransportrock solid with the new breed mack granite

since 1990, sargeant transport has built a hugely successful trucking operation in Victoria. now they’re expanding their fleet with the new breed Mack granite.

in an exclusive interview, Jamie sargeant explains his many secrets to success, including zero tolerance for equipment that fails.

Matching the rig to the roUteFuel’s more expensive than ever, so getting an extra kilometre out of your tank has never been more important. in this first of a series of articles on fuel efficiency, mack’s Driver trainer, paul munro, looks at ways to go further on a tank of fuel.

Fuel is one of the largest variable costs in a fleet, and while you can’t control its price, you can use the litres you buy more efficiently. that said, fuel efficiency is a complex beast. lots of factors affect fuel consumption and it’s an issue that everyone in a trucking operation needs to think about, whether you’re in management, purchasing, servicing or out on the road.

today we’ll look at what you can do before you even get the truck rolling: choosing the right axle ratio, correctly matching your drive train and understanding torque and horsepower.

axle ratiochoosing an axle ratio to achieve peak performance around a certain engine rpM is crucial. it’s worth taking the time to specify transmission and axle ratios that are most efficient when the engine is operating in its most typical speed range over the road operating conditions. study your routes, work out the averages and pick the combination that works best for each route.

driVetrainin today’s low-emissions world, finding fuel economy improvements is getting harder all the time. this makes it important at the fleet level to look closely at your operational requirements and choose drivetrains that match your environment.

correctly matching the drivetrain is critical to maximising fuel economy and getting good startability and gradeability. by refining and comparing specifications, you can work out where your engine gives maximum efficiency. depending on engine fuel consumption characteristics, different engines need to operate at different rpMs to get the same output, so your drivers also need to know how to make their driving technique match the engine and the route.

Understanding torQUe and horsepowerin simple terms, fuel is burnt to produce torque (the twisting force of the crankshaft) and, consequently, horsepower is produced. we use these forces to overcome everything that is trying to stop the vehicle, including gradients, air resistance (speed and air drag), rolling resistance (tyres/pressure, weight), accessory losses (cooling fan, engine parasitics) and drivetrain losses.

torque occurs at lower rpMs and determines your vehicle’s ability to pull, climb hills and accelerate. torque determines how much horsepower is available, because horsepower = torque x rpM divided by 5252.

horsepower is a measure of work over time, so it increases as the rpMs rise to high idle. horsepower gives you speed, but as the rpMs increase the torque decreases. to get peak performance and maximum torque at low rpMs, you have to choose gears carefully and control your acceleration so you are always operating in the rpM ‘sweetspot’.

every engine has a ‘sweetspot’ where it delivers its best fuel economy. in our next edition, we’ll look at how you can find that spot in your engine.

Paul Munro is Mack Truck’s Driver Trainer.

PEAK PERfORMANCE

WITH PAUL MUNRO

nOTeS:Fuel is burnt to produce torque (the twisting force of the crankshaft) and, consequently, horsepower is produced.

Horsepower = torque X RPM divided by 5252

Horsepower gives you speed, but as the RPMs increase, the torque decreases.

To get peak performance and maximum torque at low RPMs, you have to choose gears carefully and control your acceleration.

PEAK PERFORMANCE with paUl MUnro COVER STORY sargeant transport


On tUesDay 10th of June, Jamie sargeant, owner of sargeant transport, took delivery of the first new breed Mack granite in australia. dean bestwick, national sales Manager for Mack trucks, drove the new granite to the sargeant transport ballarat depot himself to present the keys.

we took the opportunity to ask Jamie a few questions about how the business has grown, the role that Mack has played in it and what they see as the keys to the success of sargeant transport.

Jamie described the metamorphosis of the company over the last two decades: “when we started in 1990 we were locally-based, but we grew pretty quickly from a fleet of 12 trucks into an interstate operation with just under 100 trucks and trailers, with depots in every state except perth. then in 1999, we made a strategic decision to concentrate on

sargeant transport’s clients are a who’s who of the australian food industry and include names such as Mccain Foods, Murray goulburn, Mars confectionery and pFd Food services. with customers like these, it’s no surprise to find that the business is weighted 70 – 30 towards refrigerated transport. Jamie says that in the refrigerated transport business, fleet reliability is the foundation to business success.

“it all comes back to meeting time slots – delivering the right product at the right temperature, at the right time. that means reliability is fundamental. having clean and presentable trucks is also certainly part of the package we deliver to our clients. we have a strict preventative maintenance programme. although we are largely running in Victoria only, we still run some big kilometres because a lot of our trucks run 24 hours a day.”

we also spoke to Jamie’s fleet manager, peter bone, about how he maintains reliability: “product support and backup is essential. Mack is a good strong product, the trucks are easy to work on and the aftersales support is excellent. Mack is still the best brand that we deal with as a company.”

“Maintenance is important not only in terms of our ability to deliver reliably, but from the longer term fleet management angle as well. when we buy trucks we assess three cost factors: the cost to buy the truck, the cost to run the truck and cost to sell it. we usually turn trucks over between year two and year three to get the optimum trade-in at the end, so they have to be in top condition so we have a good saleable position.”

next we asked Jamie what he saw in the future for sargeant transport: “we anticipate that our growth over

“ …In 1999, we made a strategic decision to concentrate on regional distribution in victoria…”

the next 12 months will be predominantly out of the same customer base. we are acquiring an increased share of our customers’ distribution business and, as they are growing, we are increasing market share with them. our strategic plan is simply to focus on strong local growth within the Victoria and riverina region; we’re not interested in getting into interstate long haul again.”

when we asked Jamie what he thought was the key to the success of his company, he described an approach that is quite different to that taken by many competitors: “our skill is in our delivery precision and ability to service customers, so we concentrate on that. we don’t advertise – rather, we specifically target the businesses we want to deal with that are a good strategic fit with our operation. that means choosing customers that have the right freight balance and volumes at certain times of the year.”

sargeant transport employs over 100 staff who work across the workshop, the tyre business, administration and driving trucks.

Product support and backup is essential. Mack is still the best brand that we deal with as a company.

Darren Cowan, dealer Principal at CMV Laverton (left) with Jamie Sargeant, receiving the keys and a handshake from Dean Bestwick, National Sales Manager Mack Trucks. Opposite: A Sargeant Transport driver checks out the new model Mack.

regional distribution in Victoria, so we sold our interstate operations to scotts refrigerated Freightways and established a new local fleet. this was when we bought our first bulk lot of Macks – all Fleet liners.”

“since then we’ve expanded the fleet to more than 100, of which 30 are Macks. we still operate mainly in Victoria and, by concentrating on local operations in this way, we’ve been able to grow our existing customer base and add a crane truck business. it’s through this local approach that we are able to provide the best level of service to our customers.”

and what an impressive service level it is. sargeant transport has a diFot (delivery in Full, on time) score that averages at over 99%. when we ask Jamie how they achieve this phenomenal rating he is quick to answer: “absolutely zero tolerance on equipment that fails.”

nOTeS:Business started in 1990 by Jamie Sargeant

Sargeant Transport DIFOT score averages over 99%

Operates mainly in Victoria

Serves Australian food industry

Employs over 100 staff

COVER STORY sargeant transport COVER STORY sargeant transport


Our skill is in our delivery precision and ability to service customers, so we concentrate on that.

all businesses, no matter how successful, have to face and overcome continual challenges to stay on top. sargeant transport is no exception, as Jamie described: “our main challenge is the availability of quality staff. the skills shortage is a particularly critical issue for regionally-based businesses because you have a smaller pool to draw on. that said, we have over 100 staff across the workshop, drivers, administration and the tyre business. we tend to do better with truck drivers than with the administrative positions, possibly because we do a lot of training through the workshop and with our drivers.”

“another challenge we face is in reducing our carbon footprint. we’ve taken a number of steps to reduce our environmental impact, such as trialling lng in trucks, and some low-profile energy-efficient tyres. we also do our own water recycling at the workshop now and we are about to install a fully-automated truck wash facility, which will be the only one in regional Victoria.”

and now for something you mightn’t know about Jamie sargeant: he holds the fastest V8 supercar driver land speed record, set in 2005 at lake gardiner in outback south australia. the speed was 313.03km/h and the record still stands.

it comes as no surprise that Jamie hasn’t had much time for V8 supercars since he set that record – the rapid expansion of sargeant transport has been keeping him busy. but there are consolations, in the shape of the new breed Mack granite and a recently ordered trident b-double unit. Jamie’s most recent Mack purchases are a continuation of the successful association of Mack and sargeant transport that goes back nearly twenty years. Mack australia is looking forward to being part of Jamie’s business for the next twenty.

COVER STORY sargeant transport


Mack trUcks was the oFFicial sleeVe sponsor oF the Manly sea eagles when they annihilated the MelboUrne storM in the re-Match oF the decade: the 2008 nrl rUgby leagUe grand Final.

after going down 34-8 to the Melbourne storm in last year’s grand final, the sea eagles were keen to prevent Melbourne winning back-to-back premierships. this year, with Mack as their sponsor, things were different.

grand finals are often grinding slug-a-thons between two evenly-matched sides, but this game was a one-sided affair that saw the eagles soaring victorious after 80 minutes with the biggest win in grand final history, a monumental 40-0.

it’s estimated that seven million people were watching as Manly, with the mighty Mack bulldog prominently displayed on their sleeves, took the game to the storm. Manly played to win from the start, leading 8-0 at half-time, while the second half was a 32 point try-fest that erased the memories of last year’s defeat.

it was a particularly special day for Manly stalwart steve Menzies, who scored a try in his 349th and final game.

down at the Manly pier, jubilant fans celebrated long into the night in the happy knowledge that the next day was a public holiday. it was clear to everyone who watched the game that with the Mack bulldog as their prime mover, the sea eagles are completely unstoppable.

MACK, THE SEA EAGLESAND THE BIGGEST NRL GRAND fINAL WIN Of ALL TIME

MACK sponsorships MACK sponsorships

Mack Sponsorships.

20 BULLDOg magazine

In addition to highways, the company has built seven high-tech bridges in Texas, Louisiana and North Carolina.

They helped us put together numerous grant packages that allowed us to minimize our environmental footprint.

iF yOU think that everything is bigger in texas, you could be right. take highways. the katy Freeway in houston has the highest daily truck volumes of any roadway in the state. built in the 1960s for daily traffic of 79,200 vehicles, today it carries nearly three times that amount and remains jammed for 11 hours a day.

now the freeway, also known as interstate 10, is expanding, thanks to williams brothers construction co. of houston and the partners who support the firm.

williams brothers is no stranger to highway construction on a grand scale. the company has completed more than 350 projects with a total value of $2 billion, making it one of the largest highway contractors in the United states as well as the biggest in texas.

in addition to highways, the company has built seven high-tech bridges in texas, louisiana and north carolina, including cable-stayed, precast and steel truss spans.

the katy Freeway project, valued at $2.2 billion with $1.4 billion in construction costs alone, is the firm’s biggest to date. of the nine contracts to rebuild the highway, williams brothers has won six, worth $1.3 billion.

“it’s the speed and volume of construction that make it a signature project,” said robert lanham, vice president of williams brothers. “this is being done day and night, seven days a week. of our 2,600 employees, half of them are out there on the job.”

and who helps the big get bigger? Mack trucks, inc., which, in addition to providing williams brothers with its entire fleet of 400 vocational vehicles (including 40 new 2008 ultra low sulfur diesel trucks from Vanguard truck center in houston), is helping the company secure state grant money to replace much of that fleet.

“when we got into the texas emission reduction program, Mack said we could be eligible for a lot of state grant money,” lanham said. “they helped us put together numerous grant packages that enabled us to minimize our environmental footprint. we’ve been able to replace a lot of our trucks. Mack provided the technical expertise to do the calculations to put the grant requests together. that’s a big deal these days as these major metropolitan areas struggle with air-quality issues.”

WILLIAMS BROTHERS KATY FReeWAY AT A GLAnCe:

The Katy Freeway (Interstate 10) extends 40 miles from the central business district of Houston west to the Brazos River.

Constructed from 1960 to 1968, it was designed to carry 79,200 vehicles per day and to have a pavement life of 20 years before major reconstruction would be required.

Now, 40 years later, the freeway carries more than 219,000 vehicles a day. Congestion clogs the road for 11 hours each day, including weekends.

The program involves the complete reconstruction of approximately 23 miles of the freeway from its intersection with Interstate 610 to the city of Katy and two miles of Interstate 610 including the I-10/I-610 interchange.

Construction will nearly double the road width to 410 feet and create nine lanes in each direction. Work began in June 2003 and is scheduled to end in early 2009.

BeFORe

AFTeR

INTERNATIONAL STORY williaMs brothers INTERNATIONAL STORY williaMs brothers

That’s a lot of dog...

The Williams Brothers Men at Work

TACKLES TExAS-SIZE HIGHWAy PROjECT

spring 2008 21


at the aUstraLian Drag racing natiOnaLs event in september, the Mack trucks top doorslammer debuted as part of the brett stevens racing team with rookie driver todd waddell taking the number 11 position in his first ever race, stopping the clocks at 6.31 seconds.

the brett stevens racing ‘perfect 10’ team fielded a total of 10 professional group one cars and bikes at the event and had qualified in first and second positions in several brackets, before rain forced a postponement.

after the race, waddell said, “i am quite happy with my debut for Mack trucks and the brett stevens racing team as well as running my first 240mph hour pass. as a team not everything went to plan with the top doorslammers this weekend, but personally i have given myself a good platform to build on for the next championship round back in my home town of perth.”

brett stevens racing is one of the most successful drag racing teams in history. since 1992, the team has been hugely successful, winning numerous national championships in every bracket in which they compete. the team has also holds many world, national and track records.

with Mack’s grunt behind it, our money is on the ‘perfect 10’ when the championship resumes.

THE MACK TRUCKS TOP DOORSLAMMER

MACK sponsorships MACK sponsorships

the teaM has been hUgely sUccessFUl, winning nUMeroUs national chaMpionships in eVery bracket in which they coMpete. SLAMMIN’

HOT!

I am quite happy with my debut for Mack Trucks and the Brett Stevens Racing team as well as running my first 240 mph hour pass.

is that an MP8 poking

through the bonnet?


DRIvING ECONOMICALLy – jUST HOW EffECTIvE IS IT?

LIGHTS ON THE HILL – A TRIBUTE TO THE EMERGENCy SERvICES AND TO THE TRUCKIES WHO ARE NO LONGER WITH US

One aspect OF mODern LiFe that we are forced to accept is the road toll. all too often this is just a statistic we hear on the news after a long weekend, but for the people of the emergency services and the families of truck drivers, it’s a grim reality.

Until now there has been no recognition of the people who devote their lives to supporting the drivers who keep everything moving. to remedy this, a plaque to the emergency services workers was unveiled at the lights on the hill trucking Memorial at lake apex park, gatton on saturday 11 october 2008.

constructed by the lights on the hill non-profit organisation, and sponsored by Mack trucks, the memorial serves a dual purpose: it remembers those drivers who have lost their lives at the wheel and honours the members of the emergency services who attend all road accidents.

Unveiling the plaque, kathy white, the founder of lights on the hill, said “the emergency services people do an amazing job in extremely difficult

conditions. this plaque honours the members of the ses, fire brigade, ambulance and emergency helicopter services, the police, nurses and doctors who all help save lives.”

the plaque is a fitting addition to a memorial that remembers the truck drivers who are no longer with us. as kathy white put it. we only have the standard of living we do because every hour of the day and night around australia a truck driver is delivering. without these men and women on the roads we would have nothing, and without the emergency services out there backing them up 365 days and nights of every year we would indeed have problems with all sorts of things.”

if you would like to know more about the memorial, contact kathy White or sharon andrews on 07 5465 7634. you can also visit their website at www.lightsonthehill.com or send an email to [email protected]

mack trUcks inc. has UnDergOne a major re-structure, designed to improve the company’s competitiveness and to position it for long-term industry leadership.

the re-structure saw the company move its administrative headquarters and most support functions from allentown in pennsylvania, to greensboro, north carolina. some production facilities were also re-located to reduce logistics costs.

MACK US HEADqUARTERS MOvES TO GREENSBORO neWS FROM The UniTeD STATeS

neWS FROM AUSTRALiA

neWS FROM AUSTRALiA

MACK aroUnd the world MACK aroUnd the world

can yOUr Driving styLe really make that much difference to your fuel consumption? Mack’s trainer driver paul Munro and ‘truckin’ life’s’ david Meredith took a new breed Mack trident on an ‘econorun’ to see what they could find out.

paul and david took a b-double set on a round trip from sydney to kempsey, each driver taking one leg of the journey.

starting at the same time and following the same route. david didn’t push for top speed, “i just tried to keep to the speed limit without over-revving, but paul used his economy meter, managed his gear changes carefully and tried to predict road and traffic conditions.”

the result was startling. david completed the trip in 6.5 hours and used 277 litres of fuel. paul took half an hour more, but used only 239 litres, a saving of 13%.

paul noted that “saving fuel at the cost of time may not always be the most economical choice, but it’s clearly possible to drive a lot more efficiently. you could spend millions of dollars trying to engineer a 10% fuel saving, or you could just train your drivers.”

check out the full story in the October/ november issue of truck & trailer – out now.

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TAKE OUR FUEL ECONOMY TEST

‚ Hino’s next generation hybrids‚ UD – the automatic choice

consolidating its business in this way will create efficiencies that will ensure better service and production for Mack truck’s customers in the Usa.

this restructure will not affect production of Mack trucks in australia. Mack’s manufacturing facility in brisbane is part of the largest heavy duty truck production facility in australia, that produces Mack trucks specifically designed and engineered for the australian market.

26 BULLDOg magazine

TITANTHE AUSSIE-DESIGNED TRUCK THAT RULES THE EARTH

in ancient greek mythology, the titans were the sons of Uranus (heaven) and gaea (earth). these blokes stomped about like they owned the place, which of course, they did.

so why the history lesson? we all know titan is a name Mack australia has used for more than a decade to denote its biggest, toughest truck… and now, Mack Usa has called its new prime mover titan. in this article we hear from david Mckenna, Usa marketing manager for Mack powertrain products, who spoke on Us radio with steve sturgess, executive editor of heavy duty trucking magazine about the aussie influence on the american titan.

Steve: “so david, give me some background on the new titan.”

David: “well steve, what we’ve done is worked with our people in australia of all places. we sell a lot of trucks there, maybe people in the Usa don’t know that, but for the longest time, if we couldn’t supply something they needed they’d just build it themselves. they have a manufacturing facility and they’re a very industrious group down there and because it’s a smaller market they’re a little more nimble than us.”

“they’ve developed this fantastic truck by modifying some existing systems. they really went to town, adapting the cab and the cooling system and basically building their own truck. this really gave us a leg up in the Usa to get started with our own titan.”

Steve: “well in australia of course they run some really high gross weights and this is a truck that’s targeted at the sort of heavy haul routes that are common down there. do you see that as something owner-operators in the Us will adopt?”

David: “i think it opens up some new opportunities. if an owner-operator wants it, with the titan we can give them a 23,000 lb steer and a rear-end of up to 110,000 lb. i know people were waxing eloquently about how the old super-liner would look really good with a big sleeper on it, so, we were listening.”

Steve: “and how does the titan’s new Mp10 engine compare with the super-liner e9 V8 engine?”

David: “the Mp10 16-litre engine is just under 1,000 cubic inches, but bear in mind that we’re producing 605hp out of an engine that has 2 fewer cylinders than the e9, is 99.9% cleaner than that engine and has better fuel economy.”

Steve: “that’s pretty remarkable.”

David: “well, we think so. basically, we see the titan as the successor to the super-liner. it’s a great looking truck with great power, a bigger engine and more horsepower.”

To find out more about the Aussie-designed Mack Titan, call your local dealer or go to www.macktrucks.com.au

MACK aroUnd the world

neWS FROM AUSTRALiA

To locate your Mack Trucks dealer -

log on to the new-look Mack Trucks website:

www.mack.com.au/Dealers

IMMEDIATE DELIvERy ONTHE ALL NEW GRANITE.

Engine: Mack MP8 435, 465 and 500Hp.Transmission: Mack or Eaton application specific.Front axle: Rated up to 9.1 tonnes. Rear axle: Rated up to 24 tonnes of ground loading.Options: Sleepers up to 52 inch mid and high rise, ABS and Traction control.GVM: Up to 24 tonnes.GCM: Up to 90 tonnes.

*Dimensions may change due to application and sleeper options.

2.88m*

2.45m

Visit macktrucks.com.au

From tipper and dog work to heavy construction or prime mover applications, the New Breed Granite is built to take it on. And right now your Mack Trucks Dealer has them ready for immediate delivery across the network. For pricing and to discuss your application needs, contact your local dealer.

READy TO ROCK

Wheel base length is optional and can be changed to suit specific applications.

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