Cummins Commentary July 2004
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Issue 14 – JULY 2004 10 3 Liz Martin, the drive behind the National Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice Springs, is Trucking Industry Woman of the Year. The biggest and most advanced egg production Cummins facility in MerCruiser Diesel Australia relies on has released new state-of-the-art electronic Quantum Cummins engines, the QSB and QSC, for generators for the recreational boating market. emergency power. 4 Cummins’ mightiest engine, the 3,500 hp QSK78, 7 has been on test in the biggest man-made hole in the world. 5 Martins Stock Haulage takes a lot of pride in the way it operates, and the service it provides customers. 6 12 Cummins parts interpreter,Warren Potent, is one of the world’s top marksmen. He’s on target for The Steiger tractor has always been about power.The more the Athens Olympics. horses, the better. Cummins has unleashed those horses. BGC Contracting has employed eight Cummins QSK19 engines in C510 8 24 Kenworths for heavyweight haulage at Koolyanobbing in Western Australia. Tony Bardenhagen has been in the logging game in Tasmania for more than 50 years. He relates some of his experiences. South Pacific News South Pacific 2 3 LizLiz MartinMartin thethe proudproud keeperkeeper Signatures cut it in Tassie currently working for the Mbantua Gallery, writing profiles on aboriginal artists, In business, Ron O’Connor is first and including their cultural heritage, dreaming of trucking’s heritage stories, and their conversion into foremost a hard-nosed operator.Astute, of trucking’s heritage too. His territory is southern Tasmania, contemporary modern art from traditional where he operates Aprin Logging, a woodwork ceremonial art. Cummins is a major sponsor of the Hall of company involved in the harvesting and Liz Martin...“It’s Among the wonderful array of exhibits at Fame along with Kenworth, Mack,Volvo and transport of timber. amazing to be the Hall of Fame is ‘Bertha’,Australia’s first Shell. Aprin harvests over 200,000 tonnes of rewarded for commercially successful roadtrain that was softwood and hardwood a year, while the something you Liz Martin was born in Katherine in the operated by the legendary Kurt Johannsen. truck fleet moves 500,000 to 600,000 love doing so Northern Territory in the 1950s. ‘Bertha’ was originally a 1942 US Army tonnes of logs. much.” Her great great grandfather worked as a Diamond T tank retrieval tractor and with a 200 hp Hercules engine was bigger and Originally from Taupo in New Zealand’s Tasmanian bullocky, her great grandfather worked with more powerful than anything ever seen on North Island, Ron O’Connor began Ron O’Connor is converting his Western bullocks and also for Cobb & Co coaches, Australian roads. Kurt developed self- working in Australia in 1981 as a logging Star fleet from Cat C15 to Cummins and her grandfather was a drover of note. Northern Territorian tracking trailers that are also on display harvester contracted to Australian Signature 580 power.The Signature 580s are logging veteran Liz Martin is popular Liz grew up on various cattle stations and with the Diamond T. Restoration of both proving to be more fuel efficient as well as Newsprint Mills at Albury, NSW. choice as National buffalo properties throughout the Territory having better retarding and pulling power. the truck and trailers was carried out by He began to realise there were bigger Trucking Industry and after completing her education at the Hall of Fame team. opportunities in the industry in Tasmania, keeps on Woman of the Year. boarding school in Queensland she became and set up there in 1987 in harvesting. Sponsored by Cummins, the Australian “We now have around 100 vehicles on a hairdresser and married a truckie. Today, he has a $7 million investment in Peter Kingston... Trucking Association award recognises Liz’s display, hundreds of photographs, With her (now ex-) husband she operated “The latest harvesting equipment as well as a fleet of work as president of the magnificent memorabilia, and the Wall of Fame which several successful transport businesses over Signatures are keeping on recognises the men and women who have 15 log trucks. National Road Transport Hall of Fame in the years and later became vice-president particularly good contributed not only to the industry but His truck fleet, which is changed out every Alice Springs. of the Northern Territory Road Transport engines.” An immaculate 1941 Ford truck propelled by a 32 hp V8 is testimony to also to the nation itself. two to two-and-a-half years, is currently Liz has devoted her life to ensuring that the Association. Brian and Kathleen Muskett’s time-honoured involvement in the undergoing a major transformation with historical significance of road transport is She also became president of the Road “The latest Signatures are Tasmanian logging industry. the conversion from Caterpillar C15 to particularly good engines,” duly recorded and promoted to the broader Transport Historical Society, the group Cummins Signature power. “We bought the community. She has been president of the says O’Connor’s operations responsible for the development of the Hall Volunteers Greg Livesay and Diane Ford in 1950. It The demands on the fleet are intense.The manager Peter Kingston.“We Hall of Fame for 12 consecutive years. of Fame. Bourke polish a B model Mack. was my first trucks run 22-plus hours a day, stopping seem to be able to keep them “Winning the award is tremendous,” says Apart from her work at the Hall of Fame, logging truck and only for greasing, fuelling and driver changes. at the one level of Liz.“I see it as an acknowledgement for the Liz is also a freelance journalist. She is Another highlight is the 8x8 AEC that was I had it for six built in London in the early 1930s. It’s easy to sense that emotion doesn’t performance while the Cats drop off regularly.” many people who work tirelessly as part of years,” says Brian, Around 100 vehicles plus hundreds Acknowledged as Australia’s first motorised figure in Ron O’Connor’s truck purchasing The fuel efficiency and emphatic performance of the my team. who celebrated of photos and memorabilia are on roadtrain, it arrived here in 1934. It was decisions.“Trucks are a means of moving Signature 580s - both uphill and down - are other his 75th birthday “It is amazing to be rewarded for display at the Hall of Fame. one of three such vehicles built in wood,” he says with a shrug of the shoulders. decisive factors. in April.“I towed something you love doing so much. Road anticipation of World War II and the rigours “The Signatures are averaging 1.7 a pole jinker with transport is certainly my passion. “We’re self-funded and get tremendous of desert warfare. One went to Russia, one km/litre versus 1.4 km/litre for the Cats, it and carted 13 “When we started the Hall of Fame in support from the industry,” Liz points out. to Africa and the other to Australia where and the Signatures are at least a gear- to 14 tons of logs 1992 we thought it would be a Sunday “Everything we do is in a voluntary it has been fully restored and is on display and-a-half better coming down the hills at a time. afternoon hobby, but it has grown beyond capacity. No one is in a paid position.” at the Hall of Fame. on the engine brake,” Peter points out. “A number of Brian Muskett with his first logging truck - our dreams. Photos accompanying this article courtesy of Lex Ballantyne. “All up we have a very good rig now. years later a 1941 Ford. John Lindsley at work on restoration. The Western Stars (Constellation someone told me FX4800 models) stand up very well to they’d found it abandoned in a paddock, so I recovered it and restored it the bush work,” he adds. with genuine parts.” The service support provided by The engine in the truck is one of Ford’s legendary ‘flathead’ V8s with side- Cummins and Western Star is, of course, operating valves. It was the automotive industry’s first affordable, mass vital in an operation which demands produced V8 - an icon that was a Ford constant for 22 years (1932-54). New Fleetguard muffler eases truck noise high productivity. Today, Brian Muskett and family head up a logging operation, BR and KF Nelson descent.The testing was carried Cummins’ new Hobart facility on the Muskett & Sons, that is one of the biggest in Tasmania.The business is problem in Tasmania out by a consultant to the Department of Midlands Highway is close to based at New Norfolk in the Derwent Valley, about 30 km from Hobart. Infrastructure, Energy & Resources. Ron O’Connor... emotion doesn’t figure in his truck O’Connor’s Bridgewater headquarters, Brian’s daughter Helen and sons Robert, Geoffrey and Kevin are all purchasing decisions. and the level of technical expertise The Kenworth was tested first with the directors of the business, while grandsons Nicholas and Matthew are John Whatley...“We John Whatley, who runs a fleet of 22 provided by Rob Criggie’s Cummins had to do something... original muffler, and then with the new involved as machine operators. logging trucks from Orford on Tasmania’s Above all, the ability of a supplier to team is well regarded. there was talk of Fleetguard unit. “We operate around 48 pieces of equipment and have 40 Cummins curfews, of us not east coast, decided to take the initiative provide the right warranty and service “I go to bed at night knowing my trucks are going to “The result was a 6.6 dBA reduction in engines,” Brian points out.“We run log trucks, cable loggers, excavators, being able to use our before government action forced the hand support package is the key to doing noise level with the engine brake work and knowing they are coming home,” says Ron engine brakes in of operators.