ISSUE 02 APRIL 06

DaimlerChrysler brings you over 100 years of engineering experience in three of the world’s most

trusted truck and van brands: Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Sterling. No matter what your

requirements are, DaimlerChrysler has a unique solution including financial and maintenance

packages. To find out how we can build a truck, provide a van – or a fleet of either – to satisfy all

your individual needs, call 0800 628 782 now.

One name. Three brands.Infinite solutions.

Issue 02

DriveLine Contributor

Jon Addison is one of New Zealand’s most experienced motoring,motorsport and road transport journalists, whose first vehicle testwas in 1967 – in a Hillman Hunter. He was the founding editor ofindustry-leading New Zealand Trucking magazine, a role he heldfor 15 years. In 2004, with Sandy Myhre, he drove a Mercedes-BenzVito 115 CDI van to a class win in the national Energywiseeconomy rally, averaging 6.72 litres/100km (42mpg)

NSTL & Mercedes-Benz –

a Relationship Built Over Time 2

Cartage Made Easy –

with Winstones & Freightliner 5

Blood anyone? –

NZ Blood Service chooses Mercedes-Benz 6

The Award for Versatility Goes to…

the New Mercedes-Benz Axor 7

A Man of Experience –

we talk to Chris Mackey 8

Welcome expansion –

Trucks & Trailers Auckland get bigger 9

Well Over 1Million km… and still working hard 10

110 years of Mercedes-Benz Success 11

Looking after the South Island –

Trucks South’s Graham Woods 12

Customer Trucks –

great looking trucks with interesting jobs 13

Air Travel made Safer –

NZ Aviation Security Service chooses Vito 18

Worldwide record sales for commercial vehicles 19

Fuel economy to the extreme –

Tulloch Transport 20

Meet the famous Jonesy –

A legend in the South 21

Your chance to get to know the DCNZ

Commercial Vehicle team 22

BP, Castrol and Mercedes-Benz – a great blend 23

What today’s plumber drives 24

We received so much positive feedback after the first issue ofDriveLine, we thought it would be tough to top it again! But onceyou've taken a look at what we've put together for this even biggersecond issue, I'm confident you'll be just as impressed. Whetheryou're in the transport and delivery business or one of the trades,there's a great deal of interest for you within these pages.

Sterling and Freightliner trucks as well as Mercedes-Benz trucksand vans are now common sights across the country - and moreand more of them are hitting the road every day of every week.Why? You'll find a very interesting article in this issue covering therecord sales we enjoyed in 2005, both here and internationally, andthe reasons driving this unprecedented sales boom.

Thanks for the great response to Driveline issue 1 and keep thatcorrespondence coming. Please feel free to contact us with yourviews on any subject raised and/or submit pictures and stories forfuture issues. In the meantime - enjoy the magazine!

Ian Walker

General Manager - Commercial VehiclesDaimlerChrysler New Zealand Limited

WelcomeBack…to the second edition of DriveLine.

One of John Davies' companies, Northern Southland Transport,has been buying Mercedes-Benz trucks for the past 40 years,making his association with the brand almost certainly longerthan anyone else’s in New Zealand.

Back in 1966, purchase of a Mercedes-Benz truck was a bravedecision. Although World War Two had ended 20 years earliersome stigma remained, and the power of the post-warWirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) was barely beginningto be felt outside the Continent.

The fact that the truck was a long-nosed 1418 ensured thedecision was a good one. The ruggedness and reliability ofthis model has since become legendary.

“It was a remarkable vehicle in its time,” John Davies says. “Ithad a real lead over everything else around at the time interms of the life of its engine, gearbox and diff. It was aheadof its time and it made carriers all over the country.”

There’s still a successor of the 1418’s in the Northern SouthlandTransport Queenstown depot – a 1984 2628 six-wheeler withan original Domett-Fruehauf alloy bathtub body. It doesn’tlook very different from the 1966 truck, yet remains capableof a profitable day’s work.

It’s quite clear that John Davies has made many smart businessdecisions in the 40 years since he signed up with Cable Pricesalesperson Trevor Hawkes for that first Mercedes-Benz truck.He’s now chairman of family-owned Trojan Holdings Ltd,which has extensive business interests throughout the SouthIsland.

These include transport-related operations Trans WestFreighters, Southland Bin Services and Queenstown Concrete,along with Northern Southland. Tourism enterprises includemajority interests in the Coronet Peak, The Remarkables andMt Hutt ski fields, together accounting for 40% of the NewZealand ski market, and majority holdings in The HermitageMt Cook and associated facilities, the Milford Track andRouteburn Guided Walks and even the Avis agency inQueenstown. Trojan Holdings also owns an extensivecommercial property portfolio, including all its transportdepots, landmark buildings in Queenstown and Wanaka andlarge warehouses in Christchurch.

Along with more than 155 trucks on the transport side, thegroup operates a huge range of plant - snow groomers, apassenger vessel on Milford Sound, barges and even ahelicopter, which replaced pack horses to freight food andfuel to the company’s tourist lodges.

Chairman John Davies (left) and General Manager Jason Ritchie (right)

The diverse enterprise is entirely family-owned and JohnDavies’ son Michael manages the operations and propertysides while his daughter Jacqui, whose background is in financeand accounting, is the Group Financial Controller.

Late in 2004 Jason Ritchie left Road Freighters, in Hastings,to become General Manager of the transport arm of thegroup, working from the Northern Southland TransportHoldings depot in Queenstown.

It all started with trucks. Trucks and hard work. In 1964 JohnDavies bought Wakatipu Transport, mostly for its then-vitalcarrying licences. “It had eight trucks, six of which went,” helaughs. “They were mostly petrol – mainly Austins, Bedfordsand a Commer.”

The work was mostly deliveries around Queenstown – concreteblocks for the beginning of the town’s construction boom, abit of livestock and a lot of coal. In those days the steamerEarnslaw, now a flash tourist boat, shipped coal from therailhead at Kingston, at the southern tip of Lake Wakatipu.John Davies and his drivers shoveled the coal into bags anddelivered it all over the Queenstown region, moving up to 40tonne a week at the peak of the season.

Although the Wakatipu Transport name dated back to thehorse and cart era, it didn’t hang around long in theentrepreneurial hands of its new owner.

Ironically it was the charismatic Trevor Hawkes who indirectlyled to John Davies owning Northern Southland. Before sellingtrucks for Cable Price he’d lived in New York where he workedpurchasing equipment for the New Zealand Government. Atone time he held the Thornycroft truck agency and he importedthe first Fletcher aircraft.

Lumsden Transport, Mossburn Transport, Te Anau Transportand Manapouri Haulage had merged to become NorthernSouthland Transport, and Trevor Hawkes suggested to thecompany that it also buy out John Davies’ Wakatipu Transport.As it turned out, the reverse eventually occurred.

As the interest of the original families and driver-shareholderswaned, he steadily acquired their shares and, as he puts it: “Iout-lived everyone.”

Where the 1418 Mercedes-Benz trucks had proved themselvesthroughout the 1960s, the bigger 1923 six-wheeler maintainedthe brand’s reputation through the 1970s. Undoubtedly the

toughest job Northern Southland put its 1923 trucks to workon was supplying cement and other building materials acrossthe Willmott Pass to Deep Cove, at the inland end of DoubtfulSound, for the construction of the West Arm Manapouri powerstation tailrace tunnel.

The pass was so tough that a set of tyres lasted just 8000 miles(12,800km) and on one climb the truck was in low-low gearfor an hour and 20 minutes. Not surprisingly, gearbox problemsdeveloped.

“Mercedes-Benz sent an engineer out from Germany toinvestigate and when he took the gearbox oil temperaturehe discovered that the oil was boiling,” John Davies recalls.“They fitted an oil cooler up front and after that we had nomore trouble.”

Over the years Northern Southland has had to adapt to anever-changing road transport environment. Barely a sack ofcoal comes into Queenstown these days!

Through the 1970s and into the ‘80s the work was largelyrural-based, centering on the cartage of fertiliser and livestock.However the removal of farm subsidies and the deregulationof the road transport industry in the 1980s conspired to changeall that.

While the company still carts and spreads fertiliser and movesstock, it was already diversifying into the growing wastedisposal industry, first in Invercargill and later in Queenstownand ultimately most of the centres between the two. Butgeneral freight cartage has steadily increased since deregulationand is now the mainstay of the operation.

“The extent of the change can be seen from the fact thatChristchurch has become the freight hub for the whole SouthIsland,” John Davies says. “We used to do a lot of cartage outof Invercargill, but now virtually everything comes throughChristchurch.” Northern Southland now operates a depot,warehouse and large truck workshop in Christchurch.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the dominance of Mercedes-Benz trucks in the fleet. Jason Ritchie says that 115 of thetrucks in the 155-strong fleet are Mercedes-Benz, 43 of themActros heavy-duty models. Some 16 of these work on livestockduring the season. Around 55% of the fleet is 1999 or newer.

The company operates 13 bulk sowers, all Mercedes-BenzAtegos, based in Lumsden, Mossburn, Te Anau and the West

Coast. They were recently fitted with GPS-based trackingsystems, which means the drivers no longer have to be ableto see their wheel marks to be able to spread accurately.

“Depending on the wind and terrain they can now spread upto 24 metres wide and the in-paddock time has reduced by30%,” says Jason Ritchie.

Australian-born but New Zealand-educated, he started hiscareer at CourierPost, moved to Australia where he spentseven years in New South Wales with Mayne Logistics, whichwas taken over by Toll Logistics, before he worked in SaudiArabia for two years. He returned to New Zealand for threeyears at Road Freighters before shifting to Queenstown.

The installation of GPS equipment in the spreaders – and newuniforms throughout the fleet – is a reflection of Jason Ritchie’sbrief to modernise the operation, but Mercedes-Benz truckslook certain to play their part in future.

“We’ve looked closely at our costs and in the 44 tonne fleet– trucks and trailers and tractor-semis – we believe theMercedes-Benz are slightly cheaper to run than the Japanesebrands in the fleet,” he explains. “This is taking into accountthe resale value at the end of the truck’s life with us.”

He says that other factors making Mercedes-Benz the “defaultbrand” include the long-term relationships with bothDaimlerChrysler and South Island representatives Trucks Southand SouthStar, plus the experience of the brand within theNorthern Southland workshops.

John Davies adds that in the Queenstown workshop BertChandler, who has been with the company for 27 years, is oneof the most experienced Mercedes-Benz mechanics in thecountry. His experience even includes training in Germany.

But John Davies says the main reason that Mercedes-Benz islikely to maintain its standing in the Northern Southland fleetis the product itself.

“They’ve had the odd model that has not been so good – noteverything is great,” he says. “But on the whole they are agood, reliable truck with good resale value. And parts pricesare lower than Japanese ones.

“Besides, the support for the trucks is probably better nowthan it’s ever been,” John Davies adds. “Particularly the drivertraining by Graham Woods (Trucks South product supportmanager).

“Our r&m costs are also well below average as a percentageof revenue,” he concludes.

Maximizing payloads and minimizing running costs are essentialin the ultra-competitive environment of bulk cartage in thegreater Auckland region, explains National Transport ManagerBrett Horrobin.

The choice of the Columbia 112 6x4 tippers and four-axletrailers seems to be paying off, too.

“It’s early days yet as the trucks still aren’t run in, but it lookspromising,” says Brett Horrobin. “Although December istraditionally our worst month for fuel economy, we werealready getting 2.08km/litre on the on-board computers, andinitial feedback from the drivers was that they were lookingeconomical.”

Although the Freightliners’ MBE4000 straight six 12.8 litreengines probably play their part in achieving good economy,he says the efficiency is unlikely to arise from one aspect ofthe trucks: “It’s the complete package.”

The North American-spec engines are rated at 450hp and1550ft/lb of torque, so offer excellent performance for theirwork hauling aggregates, mostly from the huge Winstone’sHunua quarry – one of the biggest in New Zealand – to sitesaround the greater Auckland area.

The reason the Winstone Aggregate trucks are at their thirstestin December is probably due to Auckland’s traffic woes, whichpeak in the lead-up to Christmas. And the traffic congestionwas among the reasons that Eaton Autoshift gearboxes werespec'd to back up the six cylinder diesel engines.

Another was an increased awareness of health and safetyrequirements. Even though drivers have hands-free equipmentfor their mobile phones and are accustomed to using R/Ts inthe cab, it still helps to have the automatically-shifted gearboxwhen a call is received in the thick of traffic.

“Winstones has a major focus on the health and safety of itsdrivers and other staff,” Brett Horrobin says. “For that reasonwe fitted the rigs with new elliptical tarps so the drivers don’thave to climb up on ladders to cover their loads.

“And we had slippery plastic liners fitted to the bodies so thatthey don’t have to be lifted so high to tip off on camberedground.”

The five Freightliner Columbia trucks and trailers are also allequipped with ABS anti-lock brakes for safety, especiallyvaluable in Auckland’s traffic conditions.

Winstone Aggregates single-shifts the familiar blue and whitebulk rigs, with one driver looking after each unit. The fleetnow includes 28 Auckland-based rigs, six in the Waikato, onein Napier, a pair in Otaki, two in Wellington, three inChristchurch and one in Whangarei.

Brett Horrobin, who started with the company in 1999 as itsfirst driver in the Waikato after a period as an owner-driver,manages the whole national fleet, and says the performanceof the first five Freightliners makes the brand leading acontender for future fleet replacements.

Low tare weight and low fuel consumption – those were the two attributes

Winstone Aggregates ranked at the top of its list before purchasing five new

Freightliner Columbia bulk tippers for its South Auckland-based operation.

The Low-down OnWinstone Freightliners

Sprinters’ Role InBlood Collection

They’ve gone to work for the mobile collection teams of theNew Zealand Blood Service, which collects, processes andmaintains the supply of blood and blood products to clinicsand hospitals throughout the country.

Until 1998 district health boards were responsible for bloodcollection, but that year the Government established the BloodService as a licensed crown entity to centralise the process.With whole blood having a shelf life of only 35 days, it’s anever-ending operation.

The New Zealand Blood Service operates 11 sites around NewZealand for the processing of whole blood, using vans towingtrailers for the actual blood collection from surroundingcommunities. It employs a total of around 450 people.

The vans can accommodate up to 11 blood collection staff,while the trailers, when fully loaded with blood, can reachthe maximum braked towing rating of 2000kg.

Until last year the mainstream van was the Ford Transit, butthe service’s Performance Improvement and ProcurementManager, Andrew Szymanik, says they lacked the power andtorque to do some aspects of the work: “They couldn’t pulla trailer over Arthur’s Pass, so had to take an alternativeroute,” he says.

The first requirement when it became time for replacementwas to find vans with sufficient power and torque to “be fitfor purpose.” The Sprinter 316 CDI vans have common raildirect injection diesel engines rated at 115kW (156hp) and330Nm of torque from 1400-2400rpm.

Although New Zealand Blood Service employs full-time driversfor the vans, Andrew Szymanik opted for optional automatictransmissions as much of the operation is around city streets.

All are 3550mm medium wheelbase, standard roof versions,and were fitted with seats, trimmed inside and equipped withair-conditioning and radios by Jackson Enterprises, in Auckland.At times the teams travel several hundred kilometers and canbe away for a week, so a comfortable traveling environmentwas considered essential.

“The feedback from the drivers is that compared with the oldvans it’s chalk and cheese,” says Andrew Szymanik.

Along with the power and comfort of the Mercedes-Benzvans, he says their safety and traction control are important.

The trailers in tow have four-wheel disc brakes with ABS anti-lock and the standard traction control can help when the vanshave to travel to outlying rural areas or park on grass, whichis often the case when the blood collection is at places likeschool halls.

While control over the temperature of the blood has to bemaintained, refrigeration isn’t necessary, the service relyingon polystyrene packs and dry ice.

There are now Sprinters operating in Auckland, the Waikato,the Manawatu, Christchurch and Dunedin, with a sixth dueto go into Wellington operating alongside one Mercedes-Benz Vito 111L automatic van.

In every medical drama on television there’s fake blood by the gallon, but

in real life few activities are as vital to the world of medicine than the supply

of suitable human blood – and now Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans are playing

a crucial role in delivering it.

First seen in New Zealand as a 4x4 fertiliser spreader, the Axoris available in Europe in a full range of on-highway versionswith gross combination weight ratings ranging up to 50 tonne.

DaimlerChrysler New Zealand will now able to draw from thisrange to meet the varying requirements of local truck operatorsThe mainstream Axor being sold here will be either a 6x4 or8x4 with the OM457LA straight-six 12.0 litre engine and aG240 16-speed gearbox,

Launched in Europe just last year, the Axor fits between thepremium Actros range and the Atego distribution models inthe Mercedes-Benz truck line-up.

Marketed primarily as a fleet truck, the combination of thestraight-six engine and lower tare weights will broaden theappeal of the new Axor in New Zealand.

Its chassis is similar to that of the Actros, but a slightly smallercab helps lower tare weight by between 300kg and 400kgdepending on the detailed specification.

The 6x4 versions are rated at 26 tonne gross vehicle weight,with the 8x4s carrying a 32 tonne GVW.

While precise specifications for New Zealand have yet to befinalised, in Europe the cab is available in “day cab plus” orfull sleeper cab configurations. The “day cab plus” versionmaximizes load space, but a 180mm extension at the reargives occupants extra storage and a spacious drivingenvironment.

Under the cab is the Mercedes-Benz OM457LA engine, whichis available in ratings from 260kW (354hp). However themainstream rating will be 316kW (430hp), with maximumtorque of 1550ft/lb.

A feature of the six cylinder engine is the optional Turbobrake.Working in tandem with the standard exhaust brake, thisproduces a whopping 300kW of hold-back.

While the front-line gearbox behind the OM457LA engine isthe 16-speed G240, available with Telligent shift, the newMercedes-Benz G131 nine-speed gearbox is also available.

Both hub reduction and hypoid differentials are on offer forcertain models in most markets, while ASR traction control isan option.

Also available on certain models in Europe is the latestMercedes-Benz Telligent stability control system. Proven inthe company’s passenger car and Sprinter van ranges, whereit is called ESP (Electronic Stability Program), the system detectsany threat to stability, such as skidding, tailsliding, jack-knifingor imminent roll-over and adjusts braking and engine torqueto maintain the rig’s grip on the road. It detects these situationsat a very early stage and makes its corrections before thedriver is even aware that the problem has arisen.

Mercedes-Benz says the introduction of the optional stabilityprogram makes the new Axor an ideal truck for the cartageof hazardous freight, such as in fuel distribution.

While electronic braking is standard on the Actros, it’s anoption on the Axor, one of a range of differences that willenable local operators to achieve an ideal balance betweenprice, performance and specification, depending on which ofthe two big Mercedes-Benz trucks they opt for.

This approach has already led to the Axor picking up its firstinternational award. Readers of the Finnish magazine Ajolingavoted the Axor commercial vehicle of the year 2005. It emergedon top of a field of 19 trucks, buses and vans receiving votesin the magazine’s reader poll.

Sales Manager Chris Mackey

Although Chris now works with trucks, the most expensivevehicles he's been involved with were, in fact, cars. Afterleaving school at the age of 17 he started work for the TorinoMotors Group, where one of the brands along with Fiat andLancia was Ferrari.

He did get to drive some of the Italian super-cars, with price tagsso stratospheric that a deposit of $100,000 was expected withevery order. And he even managed to run out of fuel in one!

In an industry where depth of experience is considered a majorasset, Chris Mackey’s is about as deep as it gets, even thoughhe has concentrated on just two truck organisations. At TorinoMotors he started in spare parts, but soon graduated to atrainee manager role, where he was expected to learn theropes in every facet of the business.

This ultimately led him to the group’s truck division,Scandinavian Motors Ltd, where he worked for five years inthe marketing and sales sides of the industry with Scaniatrucks and coaches.

In a major upheaval in 1991 the Scania franchise was shiftedto CablePrice Corporation and Chris Mackey decided this wasan opportunity to learn the retail side of the industry, sellingused trucks and equipment with C&H Commercials. Thetraditional big “OE” interrupted this part of his career forthree years in the early 1990s, two of which he spent workingin an accounting department of London Underground.

Back in New Zealand he returned to marketing new trucks atC&H Commercials, from where he was head-hunted by Trucks& Trailers mid-way through 1996.

“Trucks & Trailers had been a Scania parts and service dealerbefore 1991, so I knew Don Wright,” he says. “While I’d beeninvolved with Scania off and on for ten years and liked theproduct, there were too many uncertainties around itsrepresentation on the New Zealand market.

“As well as that, Don offered me the opportunity to learnabout the North American style of truck as Trucks & Trailerswere then selling Freightliner as well as Mercedes-Benz,” headds. “The Mercedes was a European vertically-integratedtruck, but the Freightliner, as a component truck, meantlearning a whole new aspect of the industry.”

As the DaimlerChrysler operation developed, Trucks & Trailersfor a period specialized in Freightliner, but now markets allthree of the group’s brands – Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner andSterling.

“This gives us a huge advantage,” Chris Mackey says. “We canmeet the different requirements an operator might havewithin a fleet, whether it be for the European technology andsafety, or the low tare weight of the custom-built NorthAmerican ones.

“And it gives us some protection against foreign exchangefluctuations,” he adds.

At Trucks & Trailers Chris Mackey “grew into” his present roleas general manager, sales, where he now has a sales staffincluding four specialist new truck salesmen, a used truck rep,another who deals in both used trucks and vans, and a vansales specialist.

While he continues to enjoy maintaining contact with someof the customers with whom he has established career-longrelationships, his main work revolves around maintainingcommunication with DaimlerChrysler New Zealand, supportinghis sales staff and managing the larger fleet sales.

In fact he says the highlight of more than two decades in thetruck business is the friendships that have evolved. “Peoplebuy off people – it’s the relationships that make it worthwhile.”

Outside of trucks, Chris Mackey’s life revolves largely aroundhis family – he and his wife Robyn have a two-and-a-half-year-old boy and a 16-month-old girl.

And these days Ferrari sports cars don’t play any part in hislife. Instead, his passion is riding a mountain bike.

As General Manager Sales for Auckland-based Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Chris Mackey signs off on some high-value truck deals.

Chris Mackey – A DeepExperience In Trucks

LCV Sales Specialist Ken Jeynes

All sales and servicing of the Sprinter and Vito vans south ofthe Auckland Harbour Bridge is now being handled from thenew Trucks & Trailers facility in Manukau City.

Says Trucks & Trailers Sales Manager Chris Mackey: “Mercedes-Benz is a premium brand so this move is all about makingsure that everything reflects the quality of these vehicles,including sales, service and vehicle maintenance.”

Although the Sprinter middleweight vans and Vito light vansoccupy the showroom, owners of older MB100 and MB140vans will also be able to get their vehicles serviced in thecommercial vehicle specialist workshops.

In addition to the Trucks and Trailers workshop hours – from7.30am to 6.00pm on weekdays and 7.30am to noon onSaturdays, they can take advantage of the Mercedes-Benzaround-the-clock call-out service.

Dedicated light commercial bays have been established in theworkshops, equipped with the latest servicing tools and gearand manned by specifically trained technicians.

The Manukau City company has enlisted Englishman KenJeynes to take charge of the new van sales operation. In theUnited Kingdom he worked for a competitor for almost 20years and says he is relishing the opportunity to sell Mercedes-Benz vans, “They are such good vans – they don’t really haveany drawbacks.

“The new Sprinter is the best van of its size in the world andthe latest Vito drives like a car – I am going to enjoy sellingthem instead of trying to compete against them.”

The Sprinter and Vito vans are displayed right next to theheavy trucks at the Wiri Station Road headquarters of Trucks& Trailers, reflecting the emphasis the company places onmeeting the requirements of commercial operators.

“We have been associated with heavy trucks for many yearsand we have built an excellent reputation among the bigtransport companies,” explains Chris Mackey. “Many of themrun vans as well so they, and others, can enjoy the sameexperience now we have Mercedes-Benz vans as well as bigtrucks all under the one roof.

Mr Mackey believes there is significant potential for Mercedes-Benz vans to sell into both central and south Auckland.

“A few years ago Mercedes-Benz vans struggled on price, butnow prices have been re-aligned and they are much morecompetitive with the opposition,” he says. “And with pricesstarting at just $36,711 (plus GST) for a Vito 109 Compact, youcan see just how competitive we really are.

“We also have an advantage because Mercedes-Benz vans arebuilt with additional safety in mind and many companies aretaking that into account in accordance with their OSHresponsibilities. Mercedes-Benz Vito vans come standard withABS braking and an excellent electronic stability system thatassists the driver to maintain control in adverse road conditions– safety technology that is often not found on ordinary vans,making it the safest van in the medium van market.”

Along with their car-like driving characteristics and the fueleconomy provided by modern common rail diesel engines,the Sprinters and Vitos are real workers, with payload ratingstopping two tonne and cargo capacities of up to 13.4 cubicmetres.

Last year was the second-best yet for Mercedes-Benz vans, and a big part of the

push to go one better this year centres on the huge Auckland market, with heavy

truck specialists Trucks & Trailers opening a dedicated van operation.

One Better ForMercedes-Benz Vans

In the case of courier contractor Brian Paulus, taking the adviceof a customer to pay a premium for a new Mercedes-BenzSprinter van may not yet have made him a millionaire – butit’s resulted in his van becoming one.

The medium wheelbase, low roof Sprinter 313 CDi he boughtin June 2001 now has 1,075,000km on its odometer.

South African-born Brian Paulus had been running a ToyotaHiace for CourierPost when he applied for, and won, thecontract for an inter-city run requiring a larger van. His firstchoice was a Ford Transit, as CourierPost then had anarrangement that would have earned him a large discount.

“However one of my customers suggested that I look at theSprinter,” he recalls. “He conceded that it would cost moreup-front, because I wouldn’t be able to get a discount, but inthe long run I’d come out in front.”

The advice taken, despite a whopping 20% price premium forthe German van in those days, Brian Paulus has certainlyexperienced the long run.

He hops into the Sprinter cab around 4am every day and doesa run to Hamilton and back. At noon his driver, Fijian-bornRiaz Mohammed, takes the big Merc to Matamata, Taupo,Rotorua, Matamata, Hamilton and back to Auckland, finishingback at the Mt Wellington depot at around 10pm.

That run sees the Sprinter in at Trucks & Trailers for a serviceevery month – even though the van has a 22,500km serviceinterval.

“That’s another saving,” laughs Brian Paulus. “In some of theother vans around I’d be in every other Saturday for a service.”

In its long operating life the Sprinter has worn out a few ofits hard-working components – an injector, the water pumpand, at 790,000km, the clutch.

But Brian Paulus feels this is acceptable considering the workthe vehicle has done. “At that mileage I’m now taking thingsday by day, but it’s still coming up the Bombays at 110km/hwithout needing a gear change, and it’s not using any oil.”

Fuel consumption has proved to be “fantastic” and despitehard running, often relatively heavily loaded, tyre life hasaveraged 110,000km.

“In fact I’ve become a Sprinter fanatic now, and I’m replacingit with a new 313,” he adds.

This time though, increasing volumes of freight have calledfor a long wheelbase, high-roof version. “At the moment wesometimes have to leave a bit of non-urgent freight behindbecause the van is full.”

Before it goes on the road, he will be making a fewmodifications. He’s having carpet glued to the interior lining,partly to keep road noise to a minimum and partly forprotection from accidental contact with items of freight. He’salso fitting a solid bulkhead between the cab and loadcompartment to reduce the volume that has to be cooled bythe air-conditioning.

And the trusty old millionaire Sprinter? It seems Brian Paulusis reluctant to part with it – he’s considering keeping it as aback-up van, using it on some runs to keep the mileage downon the new one, or just using it as his personal run-around.After all, it’s still in good shape and looks as though there areplenty of kilometers left in it yet.

Sometimes in business the right bit of advice can make all the difference.

Good Advice in the Long Run

Although 2006 marks the double milestones of ten years ofVito production and the three-quarter million mark, there’salso a third milestone – it’s 110 years since founder Karl Benzpresented the “combination delivery vehicle” – the forerunnerof today’s vans.

There have been plenty of other milestones in the 110 yearssince 1896, too.

However it wasn’t until 1955 that Mercedes-Benz launchedthe modern van era with the unveiling of the L319 model atthat year’s IAA international commercial vehicle show.

Built on a separate ladder chassis and powered by a 43hpdiesel engine, the L319 had a gross weight rating of 3600kgand, despite an overall length of just 4800mm, couldaccommodate 8.6 cubic metres of freight. Around 140,000were built.

More than ten years later, in 1967, the Düsseldorfer, namedafter the city in which it was manufactured, was unveiled,remaining in production for almost 20 years with just underhalf a million built.

Meanwhile Mercedes-Benz had taken over rival Germancompany Hanomag, deriving from one of its designs thesmaller L206D and L306D vans.

These were supplanted in 1977 by a new front-engine, rear-wheel-drive modern monocoque-construction van called theBremer, being built in Bremen, and destined to remain inproduction for 18 years, during which 970,000 were made.The Bremer carried gross weight ratings of 2550kg to 3500kgand diesel engines from 65hp to 95hp.

In the early part of 1995 Mercedes-Benz introduced the firstSprinter, offering for the first time a modern specification thatincluded independent suspension and disc brakes with ABSanti-lock.

This ground-breaking design, with GVW ratings from 2550kgto 4600kg (and 6000kg from 2001) also offered powerfuldiesel engines, up to 156hp, and automatic as well as manualgearboxes. More than 1.3 million were eventually built.

Just a few months later in 1995 came the new Vito, takingMercedes-Benz into the compact van segment. For the firsttime in the industry, a van offering the handling and drivabilityof a passenger car became available.

With independent suspension all round, a wide track offeringsure roadholding as well as a large load floor, disc brakes withABS on all four wheels and a driver’s airbag, the new Vitooffered class-leading safety.

By the time Mercedes-Benz was ready to launch the presentVito in 2003, around 560,000 of the first generation vans hadbeen built.

The second-generation Vito offered two wheelbase lengths,three body lengths, two roof heights, GVWs of 2770kg and2940kg and a range of high-tech Euro 4 diesel engines makingup to 150hp.

Available with a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox,the Vito has an ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) and BAS(Brake Assist System) as well as ABS (Anti-lock Braking System),ASR (Anti Skid Ratio) and EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution).

With the 750,000-unit production mark reached this year,DaimlerChrysler New Zealand took on a new project, buildinga Land Transport New Zealand compliant 11-seat bus versionof the 109L, priced from just $55,800. Built through Van Xtrasin Auckland, it features a revolutionary new sliding rail systemand high-specification bucket seats.

The importance of vans in the Mercedes-Benz enterprise wasrecognised in 1995 with the establishment of a stand-alonevans business unit, which now employs 13,400 staff.

Just a decade after Mercedes-Benz launched a new era in light vans, the

industry-leading Vito has reached the milestone of 750,000 units built.

Van Double Milestone

Service Manager Graham Woods

It’s a role he has performed so well that now DaimlerChryslerNew Zealand considers him the South Island ambassador forthe two truck brands.

These days Graham is the Trucks South Product SupportManager, working throughout the Mainland, and his formersenior mechanic Graham “Chopper” Penson is the workshopmanager at Timaru.

As Product Support Manager, Graham represents Trucks South,which is the South Island sales agent for Mercedes-Benz andSterling trucks and the parts and service agent for SouthCanterbury.

But he also represents DaimlerChrysler, keeping in touch withparts and service agents Truck Specialists in Nelson, SouthStarin Christchurch, Dunedin Truck Services and Invercargill TruckServicing. At the same time he maintains close relationshipswith truck operators and also conducts driver training onevery new Mercedes-Benz Actros sold in the South Island. He’sone of just four New Zealand driver trainers who trained inAuckland under Anton Thomas, the manager of Mercedes-Benz driver training worldwide.

It’s all quite a change for a man who started straight out ofschool as an apprentice mechanic on Bedford trucks at TheFarmers, in Christchurch, in 1960.

Especially as he left the trucking industry in 1989 and wasonly lured back into it by Timaru Motors a decade later whenthe company started the Trucks South division to take on theMercedes-Benz and Sterling franchises.

“So much had happened in the ten years I’d been out of theindustry it took quite a lot of work to get back up to speed– then they threw computers at me,” Graham Woods explains.“It’s been an amazing learning curve.”

The pace of change in the industry has placed an enormousemphasis on training, and Graham says that one of the tenmechanics at Trucks South is now away on a course on averageevery three weeks. And, as most of the courses are in Auckland,it’s a huge business cost.

On the other hand, constantly improving reliability andlongevity of modern trucks, along with extended serviceintervals, means they tend to be in the workshops lessfrequently.

After his apprenticeship at The Farmers, Graham Woodsworked briefly as a driver-mechanic at Masonry Services, a

Christchurch ready-mix business, before taking up a job atDays Motors, a highly regarded bus and tour coach operatorat the time. There he was effectively building bus chassis.

“There were no rear-engined chassis available, so we boughtBedford chassis, shifted the engines to the rear, turned thediffs over and so on – virtually built them from scratch,” herecalls.

In 1976 he moved to Timaru for an 18-month contract sortingout a fleet of 120 trucks taken on by Mt Cook Group, whichhad purchased five carriers. He’s been there ever since.

Now, along with solving problems arising anywhere in theSouth Island, he heads them off before they arise throughdriver training.

“Driver training is absolutely essential to get the best reliabilityand economy the modern truck is capable of,” he stresses.“For example, before training its drivers one company hadsix or seven expensive gearbox rebuilds in a year.

“I was in the owner’s office when a truck coming out of theworkshop 100 yards away went through five gear changesbefore it passed us. That convinced the owner to put his driversthrough training, and in the 18 months since there hasn’tbeen a gearbox problem,” Graham adds.

Soon after Graham Woods was appointed Service Manager at Trucks South

in Timaru, in 1999, he began to field calls from further and further afield

and almost before he knew it, was the South Island trouble-shooter for

Mercedes-Benz and Sterling trucks.

South Island Ambassador

Customer TrucksSpectacular Argosy Photo by Trevor McCallum

The custom-build philosophy of Southstar Freightliner enabled Christchurch-based operators Andrea and Vaughan Keefe to put this spectacular newFreightliner Argosy tractor unit to work.

The big 6x4 Argosy, with its 101-inch sleeper, pulls a five-axle B-train tipperrig on general freight and wood chip cartage for Mainfreight BulkDistribution.

Under the sharp-looking cab is a 620hp Cummins Signature diesel engine,backed up by an RTLO22918B Roadranger gearbox.

Driver Vaughan can be spotted anywhere between Christchurch and Nelsonand the rig, with its twin alloy air intakes, is hard to miss.

Sales Consultant: Trevor McCallum – SouthStar Freightliner

Versatile FreightlinerThe ability to cart timber, general freight or logs not only makes thisFreightliner a versatile rig, but also ensures it a maximum load factor.

The 90-inch Argosy eight-wheeler works for high-profile Taupo-basedcompany Total Transport and can be sighted anywhere in the North Island.

The Argosy is powered by a 520hp Cummins engine, which drives throughan 18-speed Roadranger gearbox.

Behind the big twin-steer Freightliner is a four-axle trailer built by KraftEngineering in Rotorua.

Sales Consultant: Wayne Jones – Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Recycling Mercedes-BenzThe increasing importance of the recycling industry can be seen with thissmart Mercedes-Benz Actros 2654 being put to work carting recycled metalin the lower North Island.

Pulling either a three-axle semi-trailer or a B-train, the big Merc also haulsgeneral freight for owner D. Reichenbach of Palmerston North.

Driven by Dennis, the new 6x4 Actros tractor unit has a Mercedes-BenzOM502 V8 diesel engine, rated at 540hp, under the cab. Backing it up isa Telligent shift 16-speed gearbox.

Sales Consultant: John O’Sullivan – Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Atego SpreaderHelping to fuel the country’s primary industry by spreading fertiliser is thisnew Mercedes-Benz Atego 1528AK/33 4x4.

The new spreader works throughout Otago from the Outram base ofHyslop Rural Transport Ltd.

With a live-drive power take-off, the truck’s Mercedes-Benz OM906LAengine is ideal for bulk fertiliser spreading and, with 280hp on tap has nodifficulty pulling its Automat trailer out to farms.

Behind the diesel engine is a G131 nine-speed gearbox.

Sales Consultant: Barry Sherer – Trucks South Ltd

Customer TrucksSlim-line Argosy Photo by Trevor McCallum

The slim-line 63-inch day cab of this new Freightliner Argosy makes it idealfor its application hauling livestock by ensuring maximum deck length.

Driven by John Mackley, the new rig carries the familiar colours of Southland-based Ryal Bush Transport all over New Zealand.

Beneath the slim-line cab is a 520hp Cummins Signature engine, bolted toan 18-speed RTLO20918B Roadranger gearbox.

The twin-steer Freightliner pulls a smart four-axle trailer built by JacksonEnterprises.

Sales Consultant: Trevor McCallum – SouthStar Freightliner

Sterling WorkerA combination weight rating of 75 tonne makes this new Sterling AT9500well-suited to its work hauling heavy equipment around the central NorthIsland.

Driven by Eugene Billet, the 6x4 tractor has been put into service byPalmerston North operator Millers Machinery.

Providing motive power to shift its heavy loads is a Caterpillar C15, ratedat 550hp and driving through an 18-speed RTLO20918B Roadranger gearbox.

The tractor unit pulls a MTE three rows of four-wide transporter trailer.

Sales Consultant: John O’Sullivan – Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Southern ActrosWith Christchurch now the freight hub of the South Island, there’s plentyof work for this new Mercedes-Benz Actros hauling freight between thecity and Queenstown.

Put to work by Steve Fraser, the 3254L/48 eight-wheeler is driven by RobbieFraser from their base in Timaru.

The truck contracts to Toll Translink on the run and pulls a four-axleFruehauf curtain-sided trailer.

Power comes from its Mercedes-Benz 540hp OM502LA engine, channeledto the diffs through a 16-speed G240 gearbox.

Sales Consultant: Barry Sherer – Trucks South Ltd

Axor SpreaderGore is home to this new Mercedes-Benz Axor fertiliser spreader, whichworks throughout the rolling farmlands of Southland.

The 1833AK/36 4x4 has been put into service by McNab Transport Co Ltdfor the work.

Powering the Axor is a 330hp version of the Mercedes-Benz OM926LAdiesel engine, which has a live-drive power take-off for the spreadingequipment.

The truck has a nine-speed G131 gearbox, and pulls an Automat trailerout to the farms.

Sales Consultant: Barry Sherer – Trucks South Ltd

Customer TrucksArgosy MuscleWith 620hp under its big cab, this new Freightliner Argosy has plenty ofmuscle for its work hauling freight throughout New Zealand.

The power comes from a Cummins Signature engine, and is channeledthrough a RTLO22918B Roadranger.

The 6x4 tractor unit, with its 110-inch raised roof cab, is driven by Blondiefor Taupo-based Coulter Carriers.

Behind the Argosy is a six-axle B-train, built by Roadmaster Trailers ofRotorua.

Sales Consultant: Wayne Jones – Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Stock Freightliner Photo by John O’Sullivan

Rissington, a few kilometers inland from Napier, is home to this new twin-steer Freightliner Argosy stock truck.

The superbly-presented rig is driven by Glen for owners Rissington BreedlineLtd and works throughout the country.

Powering the Argosy is a lusty 620hp version of the Cummins Signaturediesel engine, running through an 18-speed Fuller 20918B gearbox.

The 8x4 Freightliner pulls a four-axle trailer with a four-deck monocoquestock crate.

Sales Consultant: John O’Sullivan – Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Argosy Tanker Photo by Wayne Jones

This rare new 8x4 Freightliner Argosy tractor unit pulls a three-axle tankercarting milk anywhere in the North Island.

Owned by B. and S.L. Porter of Mount Maunganui, the heavy-duty tractorunit has a 90-inch sleeper cab.

Under the cab is a 620hp Cummins engine, driving through a RoadrangerRTLO22918A gearbox, which is fitted with Smartshift.

Sales Consultant: Wayne Jones – Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Southern Argosy Photo by Trevor McCallum

Carting milk products throughout Southland and Otago is the role for thisnew Freightliner Argosy 8x4 rigid truck.

The big American eight-wheeler is contracted to Wilsons Transport ofMilton by Murray and Cathy Scott.

Murray Scott drives the rig, and has 520 Cummins Signature horsepowerunder his command. The power is fed to the Dana Spicer DSH44P diffs byan 18-speed RTLO18918B Roadranger.

The 63-inch day cab Freightliner pulls a four-axle TMC curtainsider trailer.

Sales Consultant: Trevor McCallum – Southstar Freightliner

Hard Working MercHauling courier packages during the day and linehaul freight at night ensuresthat this hard working new Mercedes-Benz Actros eight-wheeler hardly evergets cold.

Working out of Mt Wellington for the CourierPost-DHL operation, the bigcurtainsider runs to Tauranga, Hamilton, back to Tauranga and home toAuckland each day on the courier run, then works on contract cartage at night.

Owned by Robin Williamson, it’s driven by Eru Campbell, who has a 460hpMercedes-Benz engine and 16-speed Telligent automatic gearbox at his disposal.

The Actros 3246L/48 pulls a four-axle curtainsider trailer, fitted with EBSelectronic braking.

Sales Consultant: Dave Sills – Trucks & Trailers Ltd

Cromwell SterlingBased in Cromwell, in the heart of Central Otago, this Sterling LT9500 Sterlingtractor unit features the latest HX chassis.

Operated by Summerland Express Freight Ltd, it pulls either a five-axle B-trainor a tri-axle semi-trailer, carting general freight anywhere in the South Island.

The Sterling’s powertrain features a Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine, rated at470hp, and driving through a Smartshift Eaton RTLO18918A gearbox.

Sales Consultant: Barry Sherer – Trucks South Ltd

So when it came time for the Aviation Security Service topurchase new vehicles for transporting staff between andaround the country’s large airports, both safety and technologyfigured highly in the decision making process.

The decision the service’s senior management team made wasto buy Mercedes-Benz Vito 111 nine-seater crew buses.

“When you’re putting staff into vehicles in a workingenvironment you have to take safety into account,” GrantMaconaghie, the Coordinator of Aviation Security Technologies,says.

“We found that the Vito offered better angles of visibilitythrough its windscreen and side glass areas and betterplacement of mirrors relative to the driver position than manyof its competitors.“Airports are busy places and, while theyare not by definition dangerous places to work they can, likemany other busy work places, be potentially dangerous if careis not taken, so drivers operating vehicles in such areas haveto be able to see what’s happening around them.”

The Vito has as standard safety features like ABS anti-lockbrakes, ESP electronic stability program and ASR anti-skid.

One of the key selling points for the Aviation Security Servicein deciding to purchase the Vito was the factory-fittedpassenger seats, with their integral lap and diagonal safetybelts, along with the ability to remove them easily whennecessary.

“We may, for example, need to deploy operational equipment,along with a team of officers to operate it, from one airportto another airport site in a hurry,” Grant Maconaghie explains.“With the Vito it’s a quick and easy job to remove seats andload the equipment, whereas in other vans this requires toolsand time.”

The safety of skilled staff was certainly one of the primarythings the service had in mind when assessing what vehicleswere suitable for roles at its Auckland and Wellington airportoperations where these Mercedes Vitos have been deployed.

The Aviation Security Service has officers deployed at eightairports nationwide. At some of the larger airports officersperform a wide variety of functions and are often requiredto perform these functions at multiple sites on an airport.

There are occasions where it’s more operationally efficientand effective to move staff in a single group rather than tohave a number of vehicles make multiple movements toachieve the same result. The Vito Minibus is ideal for this roleand allows other patrol vehicles to remain dedicated to otheroperational functions.

All Aviation Security Service operational vehicles are red incolour. The Mercedes-Benz factory was able to provide thecorrect colour red without difficulty and the vehicles havebeen fitted with specialist operational equipment by NautechElectronics of Auckland, which specialises in the fitting out ofspecialist and emergency vehicle.

Although safety was a major factor in choosing the Vitos, thecomfort of the driver and passengers also entered the equation,and the combination of the van’s wide body and factory seatsput it well ahead of competitor vans. “The local after-marketseats fitted in some vans on the market are just third-worldby comparison,” says Grant Maconaghie.

As well as being safe and comfortable, the Vito mini-busesare proving very economical, thanks to their 80kW commonrail diesel engines. The Aviation Security Service has historicallyoperated and still does operate a few petrol engined mini-buses, however initial data shows “The diesel Vito eats themin terms of economy.”

Dedication To SafetyWith the lives of thousands of air travelers on the line every day, the New

Zealand Aviation Security Service is dedicated to safety and uses some of

the world’s most modern and up to date technology to ensure it.

New commercial vehicle registrations were up a staggering43.5% on 2004 for DaimlerChrysler New Zealand, making itthe second-best year on record for the company.

Heavy trucks led the success with 241 registrations, making2005 the best year yet for DaimlerChrysler.

Worldwide, sales of DaimlerChrysler commercial vehiclestotaled a staggering 824,900 – up almost 16% on the 712,200new trucks, buses and vans sold during 2004.

The Board of Management member responsible for commercialvehicles, Andreas Renschler, says the record sales were“confirmation that our trucks, buses and vans areextraordinarily popular with customers all over the world.

“To take on the challenges in the years ahead we will berelying on initiatives for optimizing our operative processesand growth in new and existing markets, as well as on excitingnew products like the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.”

In New Zealand, DaimlerChrysler commercial vehicles generalmanager Ian Walker puts the success of his team and dealersdown to the huge product line-up, which ensures there is avehicle to suit all commercial applications.

Freightliner was the star on the heavy truck side, with salesup 30% from 2004, while Sterling managed a rise of 21% andMercedes-Benz 16%.

Despite the fact that large one-off sales to the camper vanmark distort the figures for vans, 2005 was the second-bestyear on record for Mercedes-Benz vans. Sales of Sprinter vansjumped 28% from 2004, while the new Vito range saw anamazing 115% rise.

The total of 532 commercial vehicles sold by DaimlerChrysleralso saw it pass a milestone by topping 3000 new trucks andvans on the road in the six years since the start of the new

millennium.An indication that the brand’s international growthis set to continue is a 31% increase in sales in Asia, where thegroup delivered 165,600 units.

North America was also a happy hunting ground forDaimlerChrysler with sales up 20% to 182,400. The FreightlinerLLC remained the leader in the Class 8 heavy-duty segmentof the United States market, increasing its share to anastonishing 36%.

Mercedes-Benz increased sales by 8%, to about 148,000 vehicles,in the European and Latin American markets. This was helpedby the launch of BlueTec diesel technology, which enables theActros, Axor and Atego trucks to meet Euro 5 emissionstandards, making them the most up-to-date on the market.Sales in the sophisticated core Western Europe market roseby 12%.

Debut of the new Fuso Canter in Europe and Fighter in Japanhelped the German-Japanese management team at Fuso sellaround 178,900 trucks and buses.

Worldwide sales of Mercedes-Benz, Setra and Orion buses andcoaches topped 36,200, up 10% from 2004.

And the Mercedes-Benz Vans business unit registered a 2.5%increase with 267,200 units sold.

The Sprinter, in its last year before the launch of a new modelthis year, achieved record production of 167,000 units, including28,100 sold under Mercedes-Benz, Dodge and Freightlinername plates in North America.

Growing demand in the region has led DaimlerChrysler todedicate its Charleston, South Carolina, facility to assemblyof the next-generation Dodge Sprinter vans.

New Zealand has shared in world-wide record sales for DaimlerChrysler

commercial vehicles during 2005.

New Zealand SharesIn Sales Success

Tulloch Transport's Group Sales and Marketing Manager ChrisGauci, who worked for ten years in Sydney in the truck enginemarketing group of Caterpillar Inc before joining Tulloch'shas significantly reduced his company's monthly fuel bill withthe purchase of Cat C12 powered Sterling trucks.

Part of his role at Caterpillar Inc was development of the CatC12 racing truck engine, during the course of which he metTulloch Transport owner – and racing driver – Inky Tulloch. Healso met Inky’s daughter Jodi. They married, and Chris Gaucimoved to Christchurch to join the family firm, initially as GroupFleet Manager.

One of his first jobs was to investigate the efficiency of the200-odd trucks in the fleet, which had become dominated by400hp Japanese line haul units.

“I’d spent years promoting the C15 and C12 to end users andnow I was one,” he laughs. “I had to start practising what I’dbeen preaching.”

Although he knew the Caterpillar diesel engines would offerexcellent fuel economy, they were available in a number ofdifferent truck brands, and his first surprise came when hediscussed whole-of-life operating costs with truck leasingcompanies.

“They know their costs very accurately and I expected themto be close across the brands, but surprisingly the range wasup to 5 cents per kilometre – and the Sterling was best of thebunch,” he says.

Tulloch Transport now has 18 Sterling tractor units, two withC15 Caterpillars and the rest with C12s rated at 430hp and1650ft/lb. One of these rigs features on the new Sterlingwebsite.

The C15 engines were spec'd when there was a real expectationof a 50 tonne gross weight limit in the near future, but sincethat prospect has receded Chris Cauci has opted for the smallerengines and drivelines, saving half a tonne of tare weightwhile still offering better performance than the Japanesetrucks in the diverse fleet.

And the Caterpillar engines have achieved the expected fuelsavings and in some cases have exceeded expectations.

“We put a 400hp Japanese truck on the Christchurch to Pictonrun, then put a Sterling on the same run with the same driverand the same loads,” Chris Gauci says. “The Japanese truckaveraged 1.9km/litre and the Sterling did 2.54km/litre.

“Across the fleet we can probably round it up to 2km/litreagainst 2.5km/litre and at today’s diesel prices that’s savingtens of thousands of dollars on the monthly fuel bill.”

The savings have to be taken in the context of double-shiftedtrucks covering as much as 480,000km a year, and the factthat the Sterlings are speed-limited to 94km/h.

And the savings don’t stop at the diesel pump. The enginesare covered by the Cat Extra program (which Chris Gaucihelped develop for Australasia) so service intervals are basedon fuel use. The economy of the C12 engines effectively savesone-and-a-half services each year.

Newer Sterlings in the fleet have been equipped with 18-speed Autoshift Eaton gearboxes, but so far these have notshown any fuel economy improvement. Chris Gauci says therewas initially a slight increase in fuel use with the autos, butsolving of a software issue now has the autos and manualson a par. He still, however, expects to see gains throughreduced driveline repair and maintenance in the longer term.

Tulloch Sterlings AreFuel MisersA unique connection with Caterpillar

has led to South Island based Tulloch

Transport saving “tens of thousands of

dollars” each month on its fuel bill.

A unique connection with Caterpillar

has led to South Island based Tulloch

Transport saving “tens of thousands of

dollars” each month on its fuel bill .

Ian Jones ( Photograph courtesy of NZ Trucking)

But not just any driver: Ian “Jonesy” Jones has worked out ofthe Rai Valley on and off for 30 years, becoming somethingof a legend in the district.

Until last year his mount had been a Freightliner FL112, whichhad proved to be a reliable worker servicing remote airstripsaround the Marlborough Sounds with loads of fertiliser andcarting live mussels into Nelson.

Jonesy figured another Freightliner would be an idealreplacement, so Neil Reid told him to go and see TrevorMcCallum at SouthStar Freightliner and order the truck withthe best specification for the work.

“Jonesy knew exactly what he wanted,” says TNL Rai Valleymanager Carl “Teapot” Harris. “He knew the right wheelbase,the seats, even the blue trim that he wanted.”

The result: A brand new C120 six-wheeler that went to workaround the Sounds last September. It has a 475hp ISX Cumminsunder the bonnet, backed up by an RTLO18918 Roadrangerand big Meritor 46-160 diffs.

Probably the most unusual aspect of the new truck is itsChalmers rubber rear suspension – exactly what the old FL112had under its rear end.

“It’s proved to be an ideal suspension for our work,” explainsCarl Harris. “It’s as good as a six-rod for traction off-road, it’srugged and it doesn’t require any maintenance.”

Pulling its four-axle TMC trailer up to airstrips, some as far asfour hours away from the depot, with a full 28-tonne load,is a good test for any truck, but the Freightliner appears tothrive on the work.

In fact, the new C120 is the third of the American trucks Jonesyhas had on the run. Before the 370hp FL112, which did sixyears of arduous work without complaint, he ran an old FLC– one of the first factory-supported Freightliners in NewZealand.

The trailer has a claim to fame as well, being the 300th unitsupplied by Christchurch builder TMC to TNL.

Most spectacular part of Jonesy’s work, however, is the musselcartage. The valuable shellfish are loaded by a crane in one-tonne bags, straight from the mussel harvester into the truck.

A full load into Sealords at Nelson is 25 bags, each containingabout 1.8 cubic metres of mouth-watering mussels.

For this work the truck and trailer decks are finished in aspecial paint coating and have to be sterilized after every

load. All run-off has to be contained in holding tanks anddisposed of properly.

The truck and trailer have to undergo MAF accreditation everyyear, MAF paperwork has to be kept in the cab and Jonesy issubject to be stopped at any time by MAF officers as well asthe usual “mod squad” and regular police officers.

But TNL has been doing this work for more than 20 years, andit has all become part of the every-day routine.

Carl Harris recalls that through much of 2005 he also organiseda load down to Christchurch for Jonesy so he could check onprogress and make sure all the details of his new C120 werecoming along correctly.

“Jonesy knew he wanted another Freightliner, just with a bitmore luxury and a bit more power,” says Carl Harris. “NeilReid gave him carte blanche, so he had to keep checking itwas exactly how he wanted it.”

Jonesy’s FreightlinerWhen the Managing Director of Nelson’s TNL Group, Neil Reid decided

it was time to replace a truck at the Rai Valley depot, he sent one of

his drivers to Christchurch to spec the new rig.

The DCNZ Commercial Vehicle Team

The small size of the DaimlerChrysler commercialvehicles operation makes it especially vital that staffwork as a team to ensure optimum service to itsdealers, says DaimlerChrysler New Zealand ChiefExecutive Officer Ernie Ward.

“With a small unit it’s important that each person supports therest, and I’m pleased with the way our commercial team has cometogether under Ian Walker’s leadership,” he explains.

“It’s quite obvious that the commercial crew care about theircustomers,” he adds. “This arises from a focus on the needs ofthe customers and results in a real commitment to meeting thoseneeds.”

At the same time, working as a team can make the job moreenjoyable for each member.

“Our ambition is to become one of the country’s top 20 mostdesirable places to work,” Ernie Ward says.

If that ambition is achieved the result will be a happier team,which will offer an even more effective service to dealers andtheir customers.

Ian WalkerGeneral Manager Ian Walker started his working lifeservicing Ford Cargo trucks in the British Midlands,and has been around commercial vehicles ever since.

He’s a relatively recent “import” into New Zealand, having comefrom the United Kingdom to take up his present role atDaimlerChrysler in late 2004. However he loves the New Zealandlifestyle and looks sure to stay.

From servicing trucks he moved into selling them, becomingcommercial sales manager of Britain’s largest independentcommercial sales group, Lex Commercials. He went on to becomearea business manager for the UK’s largest van producer, LDV,before moving to Mercedes-Benz.

Before moving to Auckland he was dealer sales operations managerof the light commercials division of DaimlerChrysler UK, based atits head office in Milton Keynes.

Dave BallantyneNational Sales Manager, heavy commercial vehicles,Dave Ballantyne is the longest serving member ofthe team, having started with DaimlerChrysler’s

predecessor German Motor Distributors 12 years ago as a productsales co-ordinator. Prior to this his career began as a diesel mechanic.

He was always interested in a sales support role, and was productsales manager before being promoted to his present role.

Brian CarrNational Sales Manager, light commercial vehicles,Brian Carr joined DaimlerChrysler four years agoafter working for London Electricity, in the United

Kingdom, during his “OE”.

Previously he worked for more than seven years for the GiltrapMotor Group, both as a sales cadet and coordinator for the Audiand Volkswagen service programme.

Helen MillerAs Sales and Operation Analyst for commercialvehicles, Helen Miller looks after vehicle logistics,reporting, shipping and local content orders.

She has been with DaimlerChrysler for two years and waspreviously heavy commercials sales administrator.

Paul de JongCommercial Vehicle Sales and Product Co-ordinatorPaul de Jong supports dealers and is responsiblefor ordering, monitoring and vehicle specification

of all three brands of trucks and vans.

He has worked for the team for just over two years and washeavy commercial sales administrator and coordinator beforetaking on his present role.

Paul McKenzieAs Commercial Vehicle Marketing Co-ordinator,Paul McKenzie is responsible for marketing, marketplanning, advertising, the website, magazines,

shows, vehicle launches and dealer marketing activitiets.

He has been part of the team for three-and-a-half years, andhas a Bachelor of Management degree in marketing and strategicleadership from Waikato University.

Naomi Koetsier BakkerCommercial Vehicles Sales and Fleet Administrator,Naomi Koetsier Bakker, was appointed nine monthsago making her the newest member of the team.

Naomi’s responsibilities include sales support to the NationalSales Manager and the processing of all DCNZ’s fleet units.

Operated by Brandz Distributors Ltd under contract to Castrolowner BP Oil, the new 3232L/48 Actros sets new standards inthe delivery of bulk oil products.

Bulk quantities of oil are delivered by road tanker while theMercedes-Benz eight-wheeler delivers medium-sized quantities,carried in drums or 1000 litre “cubes” and pumped into holdingtanks at the customer’s premises or sites, which include ships,barges and commercial premises.

The new truck sets new standards in two main areas – thesafety of its operator and avoidance of cross-contaminationamong the different oils being delivered.

Brandz Managing Director Allan Wade says the truck replacedone of five operating in the lubricants fleet, some of whichwere up to 12-years-old. Smaller units concentrate on around-town deliveries, leaving the Mercedes-Benz to work largelyin the top half of the North Island but occasionally may berequired to go further afield.

There’s a large range of oils, including specialised lubricants,engine oils, cutting oils and hydraulic oils, so considerablecare had to be taken to avoid cross-contamination by fittingdedicated pumps and delivery lines.

BP Oil Transport Manager Ken Russell says the design of theolder units meant drivers often had to climb over drums orcubes to access a particular product. “It was an accident waitingto happen.”

Brandz and BP collaborated on the design of the new vehicle,shifting its diesel tank to the rear of the deck to free spaceon the chassis for hose reels and improved access to the load.

The new Mercedes-Benz has four separate pumps, hydraulicallydriven from the engine power take-off, supported by portablepumps for different oil grade deliveries. Because the differentoils have varying specific gravities, separate electronic meteringis included with each bulk delivery system.

The pumps’ supply hoses are fitted with delivery guns, camlocksor dry-break fittings, depending on the customer’s facilities.

While design of the loading and delivery system was largelyin-house with support from Tanker Engineering and MFIEngineering, selection of the truck under it was governed byBP’s international heavy vehicle specification, and Allan Wadesays the Mercedes-Benz “ticked all the boxes.

“We looked at a range of European and Japanese eight-wheelers available and it’s fair to say that there weren’t anybad ones,” he says. “We ended up with a big spread-sheet,but a number of trucks were eliminated because they didn’toffer all the desired features like ABS brakes as standard.

“One of the other things we took into account was the back-up and parts support, We require nationwide service, 24-7, sothe service agents and the support behind them are vital.”

Among the features that Mercedes-Benz offered were excellentaccess to the cab with three points of contact, supportive seatswith integrated seat belts, electronic braking system, a driver’sairbag, a cab that had been tested to meet European crashstandard ECE R29 and excellent wide angled mirrors.

Because the work never requires towing a trailer, BrandzDistributors was able to specify a 320hp engine, backed upby a Telligent automatic gearshift. The truck has disc brakesall round with a Telligent EBS brake system which incorporatesABS (anti-lock system) and ASR (traction control).

Although Brandz operates eight fuel tankers and five oildistribution units, the new day cab Actros is the first Mercedes-Benz in the fleet.

However Ken Russell says the truck, with its specialised oildelivery systems, has attracted considerable interest in theindustry and “looks likely to be copied, which is a goodindication of its success.”

A new Mercedes-Benz twin-steer truck based in South Auckland may

not look too different from many other curtainsiders, but behind its

smart Castrol livery it’s one of a kind.

It’s The Good Oil

Vitos For A High-tech Image

“There were a lot of plumbers in the Wellington area, so Ifelt it was necessary to establish a point of difference,” heexplains. “We decided to look for something more modernthan the image of the traditional plumber.”

In keeping with the company name, one of his first moveswas to create a high-tech web site for the new company,although even that is already due for modernizing.

And now Virtual Plumbing has embarked on a fleetreplacement programme that sees Mercedes-Benz Vito vanstaking to the roads in its colours.

“We’ve gone for the Vitos in part for their presence on theroad,” Vincent Cookson says. “And we’ve certainly had a lotof comments about them.”

But the high-profile image was only one factor that saw VirtualPlumbing put three Vito vans to work during 2005 and twomore early this year. The company had been running Toyotavans, replacing them every three years with around 60,000kmon their odometers.

“The old Toyotas went and went and held their value, butwhen they brought out the new model we decided to lookfurther afield,” says Vincent Cookson. “We liked the look ofthe Mercedes-Benz and the price difference surprised us. Infact, taken over three years the Vitos’ longer service intervalsmean they actually work out cheaper.”

“Then there was the safety side – the stability control is abonus,” he adds. The vans are fitted with roof racks for cartinglengths of pipe, which can result in a relatively high centre ofgravity. Plus features like ABS anti-lock braking, ESP electronichandling control and ASR anti-skid control are standardequipment on the Vito van making it the safest van in themedium van market. The clincher was the Vito’s wider body,

which is large enough for standard 2400mm by 1200mmbuilding sheets to be carted flat on the floor without ridingup on the wheel arches.

“We have to cart quite a lot of copper sheeting, which requiresquite careful handling,” Vincent Cookson explains. “You can’tbend it or it gets little ‘moons’ in it, which spoil the appearance.Carrying it flat on the floor prevents this.”

With a staff of 12, Virtual Plumbing has established an enviablerecord in both commercial and domestic plumbing. Itscommercial credits include plumbing of the WellingtonConvention Centre, including the Michael Fowler Centre andthe Old Town Hall, for Wellington City Council and the Ministryof Economic Development premises in Bowen Street.

On the domestic side the company specializes in bathroomremodeling and renovation, offering a service it describes ascomplete “from conception to completion.”

An increasing proportion of Virtual Plumbing’s work is likelyto centre around installation of sprinkler systems, which cancost as little as $1000 in a new home. The company is a licenseddesigner and installer of sprinkler systems and Vincent Cooksonsays the fire brigades and insurance companies are beginningto push them hard.

“And so they should,” he says. “They should be installed asa matter of course in every new home – after all, they savelives.”

Whichever direction Virtual Plumbing takes in the near future,Mercedes-Benz Vito vans will be presenting its image on theroad. Vincent Cookson says their image, popularity with thedrivers and low running costs will enable him to extend hisreplacement programme to four years and 80,000km.

When Wellington craftsman plumber Vincent Cookson established his own

business he named it Virtual Plumbing to create an image that was up-to-

the-minute and “a bit different”.

Dealer and Service NetworkTrucks Sales/Service/Parts

Trucks & Trailers Ltd (Auck) MB/S/F Ph: 09 262 2465Trucks & Trailers Ltd (P.Nth) MB/S/F Ph: 06 356 8589SouthStar Freightliner (Chch) F Ph: 03 359 7913Trucks South Ltd (Timaru) MB/S Ph: 03 687 4133

Trucks Service/Parts – MB/S/F

Keith Andrews Trucks (Wang) Ph: 09 430 3900Truck City (Auck) Ph: 09 274 6523Tidd Ross Todd (Ham) Ph: 07 849 4839Tidd Ross Todd (Mt Mang) Ph: 07 574 0471Jim Young Motors (Napier) Ph: 06 836 6126W.R. Phillips (New Plym) Ph: 06 759 2051Highway Trucks Ltd (P.Nth) Ph: 06 358 8702Wilmac Transport Services (Wgtn) Ph: 04 237 4433Truck Specialists Nelson Ph: 03 544 6090Dunedin Truck Services Ph: 03 479 0150Invercargill Truck Servicing Ph: 03 215 9566

Light Commercial Vans Sales/Service/Parts

Keith Andrews Trucks (Wang) Ph: 09 430 3900Giltrap North Shore (Auck) Ph: 09 443 3808Trucks & Trailers Ltd (Auck) Ph: 09 262 2465Ingham Sears (Tauranga) Ph: 07 572 8260Ingham Booth Autohaus (Ham) Ph: 07 838 1317Trucks & Trailers Ltd (P.Nth) Ph: 06 356 8589Kirk Motors Lower Hutt Ph: 04 566 3903Houston Motors (Nelson) Ph: 03 548 8204Armstrong Prestige Chch Ph: 03 343 2468Armstrong Prestige Dunedin Ph: 03 470 3030

Light Commercial Vans Service/Parts – MB

Keri Keri Autohaus Ph: 09 407 8646Truck City (Auck) Ph: 09 274 6523G B Motors (Roto) Ph: 07 348 7598Tocker Automotive (Taupo) Ph: 07 378 9714Main Street Autos (Hast) Ph: 06 878 5472W.R. Phillips (New Plym) Ph: 06 759 2051Truck Specialists Nelson Ph: 03 544 6090SouthStar Freightliner (Chch) Ph: 03 359 7913Hansens Auto Services (Qstown) Ph: 03 442 9702Dunedin Truck Services Ph: 03 479 0150Invercargill Truck Servicing Ph: 03 215 9566