Wettenhalls’ 100th Scania proves progress is rarely accidental

After more than 100 years in transport, Wettenhalls continues to refine the formula that matters most to modern fleet operators: safer trucks, lower fuel burn, measurable uptime, and a total operating economy that makes the accountant quietly nod in approval.

There is something deeply reassuring about a transport company that has survived a full century without the assistance of buzzwords, lifestyle branding or marketing departments describing trucks as “mobility solutions”.

Founded in 1925 in Colac, Victoria, servicing the dairy industry, Wettenhalls has steadily evolved into a national logistics operation running approximately 200 trucks and trailers across refrigerated freight, bulk haulage, construction logistics, recycling and retail distribution.

That sort of longevity tends to focus the mind wonderfully on what actually works.

Now, exactly 100 years after the business first began moving freight for Victorian dairy producers, Wettenhalls has taken delivery of its 100th Scania truck, part of a 15-vehicle intake arriving in early 2026.

This is not the sort of milestone celebrated with commemorative mugs and speeches about heritage.

It is simply the natural outcome of repeatedly buying equipment that does the job properly.

The 100th unit is a Scania V8 rated at 590 horsepower, specified for A-double and B-double duties across interstate and intrastate routes, hauling general freight, refrigerated loads and specialised logistics.

Which, translated into plain English, means it will spend most of its life working very hard.

A relationship built on measurable performance

Marcus Prato, Head of Fleet for Wettenhalls, oversees truck and trailer procurement across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, while also supporting workshop operations in Altona, Geelong and Colac.

Over the past decade the fleet has gradually gravitated toward Scania, a process driven less by brand loyalty and more by cold, slightly unforgiving operational mathematics.

The current intake includes a mix of six-cylinder 13-litre Super models alongside the familiar V8 prime movers that continue to enjoy something approaching cult status among drivers who appreciate engines that feel engineered rather than merely assembled.

“We’re buying Scania because they’re a good truck,” Marcus explains, in the refreshingly uncomplicated manner typical of people responsible for large capital expenditure decisions.

“If you look at a Scania today, it ticks the boxes for many reasons. Safety, Euro 6 emissions, driver comfort, fuel consumption, aftersales support locations that suit our business, and our relationship with Scania.”

Wettenhalls’ first Scania entered service around 2015, an R 560 V8 supplied by Scania Victoria’s Jarrod Heggarty. Since then, the proportion of Scanias within the fleet has steadily increased to just under half of total assets.

Which suggests something is clearly working.

Data, fuel economy and the quiet science of saving money

Modern fleet management increasingly resembles applied mathematics with diesel receipts attached.

Wettenhalls utilises the Scania Fleet Monitoring programme to track fuel consumption, driver behaviour and utilisation patterns, supported by third-party telematics and five-camera in-cab monitoring systems.

While this may sound faintly Orwellian, the reality is that measurable data tends to improve both safety outcomes and operating costs.

“Jordan Ieraci and Phillip Mayfield are very good at identifying anomalies or opportunities for improvement,” Marcus says.

“We benchmark fuel performance wherever possible. On comparable routes, the new Scania Super 13-litre engines are producing very strong results, and the 2800 Nm torque figure is ahead of some competing brands we operate.”

Drivers, quite understandably, appreciate strong torque characteristics and predictable drivability, particularly when alternating between highway linehaul work and metropolitan stop-start delivery cycles.

Because consistency, unlike marketing claims, can actually be measured.

Safety technology that does more than look impressive in brochures

The latest V8 units are equipped with Blind Spot Sensors operating on both sides of the cab, a feature that becomes particularly valuable in dense urban traffic where cyclists, pedestrians and passenger vehicles appear with surprising enthusiasm.

Driver familiarisation programmes assist operators transitioning to digital dashboards and evolving control interfaces, while the Scania Drivers Guide app provides vehicle-specific reference material including switch functions, symbol libraries and operating instructions.

A development that eliminates the traditional practice of searching gloveboxes for dog-eared manuals that have somehow absorbed coffee, diesel and three generations of handwritten notes.

Equipment matched to the task rather than the brochure

The new V8 590 hp prime movers will haul Lucar Cargo Van refrigerated pantechs operating at up to 85 tonnes gross combination mass, moving frozen and perishable freight across key distribution routes.

Meanwhile the G 560 Super models will operate as singles or doubles depending on operational requirements.

“Utilisation will be high,” Marcus says.

“The key to operational efficiency is optimising the fleet wherever possible. These trucks will be working hard from day one.”

Specialised logistics divisions are also expanding, bringing increasing requirements for Environmental, Social and Governance reporting, Euro 6 emissions compliance and advanced safety systems.

Features that now appear on most tender documents, usually in bold type.

“We are seeing those requirements in nearly every request for quotation now,” Marcus explains.

“We’re comfortable with that because well over two thirds of our fleet is already Euro 6 compliant. Pretty much all our Scanias are Euro 6.”

Fuel efficiency that survives contact with reality

Scania National Fleet Sales Manager Phillip Mayfield says Wettenhalls has seen measurable operational benefits from the transition toward the brand’s latest generation driveline technology.

“The fuel burn improvements have impressed the customer’s team from the beginning,” Phillip says.

“Our Fleet Monitoring service gives fleet managers clear visibility of driver and vehicle performance, allowing real-world operating cost savings to be demonstrated.”

Scania’s 13-litre Super engine range has exceeded the company’s original 8 percent fuel efficiency improvement target since its Australian introduction in 2022, reinforcing the increasingly straightforward commercial logic behind the platform.

Combined with Euro 6 emissions compliance and a comprehensive suite of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, the trucks align with both regulatory expectations and the practical realities of modern freight transport.

A century built on practical decisions

Transport companies rarely reach their hundredth year by chasing fashionable ideas.

They get there by repeatedly choosing equipment that starts in the morning, performs consistently throughout the day and does not require philosophical reflection every time the fuel bill arrives.

Wettenhalls’ 100th Scania is not simply a number on a fleet list.

It represents a steady refinement of priorities toward efficiency, safety, reliability and total operating economy.

Because while horsepower figures still look impressive in sales literature, it is fuel consumption, uptime and driver confidence that ultimately determine whether a truck earns its place in a working fleet.

And after a century in the business, Wettenhalls appears to have developed a fairly reliable method of telling the difference.