Freightliner Coronado FL114 in the Tall Timbers Words and photography by Howard Shanks The stunning looks of this Freightliner Coronado FL114 are not the only feature impressing driver Tim Knight as Howard Shanks discovered on a run into the rugged tall timber country of North East Tasmania. Sure enough, right on time, a silhouette of…
The Gangstar – Custom Western Star 4900 Story and Photography by Howard Shanks For well over a decade and half Western Star’s custom show winning 4900FX’s dominated major Australian truck shows, inspiring dreams and driving sales to an enviable market share. These prestigious rigs were the inspiration of, the marketing head at the time, Pat…
Scania’s R730 on the Long Run Words and Photography by Howard Shanks In the north of Western Australia, Iron Ore mining is the backbone of the region’s economy. In recent times the fall of Iron Ore’s price to below $60 a ton has many smaller mining operations questioning their on-going viability. Trimming operating costs to…
Double the Reward Maxitrans has delivered four innovative PBS A-double combinations to growing Victorian transport company, Porthaul. A collaborative effort by two of its brands, Freighter and Hamelex White, the combinations maximise payload while their modular design means they can be used for a variety of purposes. Like many companies involved in trucking, Porthaul started…
The New Breed – First Super Quad hits the road in Western Australia Pilbara. It’s the first of the new breed of road trains to hit the Pilbara and it’s the longest road registered road train in the world with a gross mass of 196 tonne, it delivers an impressive 140 tonne payload as Howard…
Townsville based Daryn Ward is enjoying more than just the goods looks of his new T409SAR, he’s also enjoying a 7.5-tonne payload increase thanks to Kenworth’s new Electronic Brake Safety System (EBSS) as Howard Shanks discovered. The thumping of the massive jaw crusher at the Townsville quarry was muffled by the flurry of wheel loaders…
Here in the darkness, on the side of the Flinders Highway roughly 620 kilometers west of Townsville we’d arranged to meet Clark Harland or “Cackles” as he’s known around the traps. He’d told us earlier in the week he was heading deep into what’s now been dubbed the Devil’s Triangle, and asked us if we…
Catch of the day – Western Star 4800FXB Words and photography by Howard Shanks. Based on the picturesque Tasmanian North Coast, G&D Transport relies on old-fashioned values, the adoption of new technologies and proven reliability of Western Trucks and Detroit engines to stay ahead of the pack. From their Devonport depot, G&D Transport run a…
Yellow Express Heavy Haulage from the 1960s Throughout the late forties and on through the sixties, with depots scattered over the length and breadth of the country, Yellow Express trucks hauled parcel freight, interstate general loads and were specialists in heavy haulage. Yellow Express were one of the most dynamic emerging transport companies in Australia…
“The blood red sun beat down and baked the red clay ground. Dust kicked up around the John Deere wheels. There’s no trace of rain in sight …” Pertinent words from Merle Haggard’s song, ‘In My Next Life’, are a common sight around the country. Yet, in North East Tasmania the massive irrigators have once…