The fusion of camera and radar technology employed on the Active Brake Assist 5 function, a feature of the new Western Star 49X, detects distance and speed to moving and stationary objects in its path.
What this does is help determine if braking is necessary.
Working down as low as 8km/h, it’s the only system on the market capable of doing so at that speed.
Robert Land, National Manager Land Transport is certainly partial to it.
“I always like new tech that comes out,” he says. “It’s always evolving and that’s a good thing. I’ve found the radar on the truck picks up stuff on its approach really well.”
Active Brake Assist 5, in which the driver initially receives a simultaneous visual dash alert and pulsating warning tone before it escalates to a warning with partial braking and eventually engages in full braking and solid warning tone, should there be no subsequent input from the driver, is one of a host of cutting-edge features that make the new X-Series the most technologically advanced Western Star truck platform yet.
“Any new tech nowadays is a massive help,” adds Robert who has overseen the introduction of two new units from the Western Star X-Series both 49Xs. The first of which entered operations in propitious circumstances.
It coincided with a 40th anniversary celebration the company held over Easter at its home base in Toowoomba where 200 guests connected to the family, business associates, key suppliers and customers were in attendance.
Local dealership Pengelly Trucks & Trailers had the vehicle, painted especially for the occasion, ready in time for the event.
“We had it painted red, white and blue in the same colour scheme as our first two Western Stars back in 1994,” says Robert.
“The truck was very much a tribute for both the business and Scott Pengelly, given those inaugural Western Stars in our business were also two of the first trucks he sold.”
Robert’s father Barry, Director of Land Transport, was only aware of a new truck purchase.
After all he was paying for it. But his sons had kept the details secret.
The throwback heritage design made for a nice surprise. The second Western Star 49X arrived in late July. It too was delivered by Pengelly’s in Toowoomba.
Drivers have so far raved in their appraisal of the vehicles.
They’re particularly pleased with the roomy 72-inch cabin — it being the biggest on offer in the market at present.
“There’s plenty of space and comfort is very much a premium for an interstate roadtrain driver,” says Robert.
“They ride beautifully with the longer wheelbase as well. The drivers realistically haven’t had anything to complain about. To be honest, it’s all been praise.”
Drivers are unlikely to fault the field of vision with the surface area 28 per cent larger than the previous Western Star product, making it one of the largest windshields in its class. It comes with 24-inch wiper blades that cross over the centre glass for 37 per cent improved wiper zone.
Pulling roadtrains all over Australia, these Western Stars have no fixed route. They are hauling, in the main part, general freight across three trailers depending on the consignment which changes by the day.
Payload on these combinations runs to 66 tonnes. The new trucks are powered by the latest Detroit DD16 600hp engine.
Land Transport has opted for a manual transmission in each truck.
“The new Detroit driveline seems to be great so far. We haven’t had any dramas,” says Robert.
“Our fuel burn figures are a little bit better at the moment. The truck is still very new. It’s dependent on the loads of course. The varied loads we roll with makes it hard for us to get constant fuel numbers. But for what we’re doing the numbers are pretty good in comparison to the legacy model.”
Land Transport runs 24 Western Stars in a fleet that currently features 110 prime movers and 320 trailers in total. Operations are augmented by an additional 74 rigid trucks.
All up there’s some 600 bits of registered equipment. Western Star remains one of the company’s preferred partners for spearheading long haul multi-combination units.
As a primary contractor, Land Transport secures and looks after its own freight consignments which include contracts with global businesses that are ongoing.
“Our freight is varied. We move machinery, seed, chemicals, food. Whatever we can get put on the back of a trailer — we will take it,” explains Robert. “We go where the money takes us.”
Put another way, they will traipse all over the country in every type of condition. The tougher the truck the better.
They also move vehicles including all the new Western Star X-Series trucks for the Penske Australia aligned dealerships.
“Western Star is a quality truck,” says Robert. “They haven’t done us wrong since the brand first entered into our business in 1994. We’ve stuck with it since then.”
These new Western Stars will, at a minimum, be pushed to an estimated 250,000 kilometres on a typical annual duty cycle.
“Most times we’re keeping trucks to 1.2 million to 1.5 million kilometres,” adds Robert. “That’s usually when we will start to consider trading them in.”
Barry and Raewyn Land “took the plunge” back in 1984 when they purchased their first truck, a Ford Louisville LMT. The Toowoomba head office is in the same location four decades later.
The company now has 13 depots spread nationwide and it employs approximately 290 staff. It’s a family affair. Barry is the Company Director.
Robert’s brothers Nathan and Ben both work at Land Transport. Nathan manages the Toowoomba depots while Ben manages the one in Melbourne.
The key drivers of growth for the business over the last decade can be attributed primarily to the service it provides according to Robert.
“Being consistent keeps the business rolling through,” he says.
“Especially for our current crop of customers. When we grow, they grow as well, which is always a good thing.”
Because they need flexibility on their trailers to mix and match the loads, Land Transport uses several different trailer builders.
Vawdrey, Freighter, O’Phee and Tuff Trailers are among the key suppliers. Revenue diversification was embedded into the model very early on.
“The business kicked off carting machinery and then bringing whatever we could back home,” says Robert.
“It’s evolved since then. With the varied freight model it limits our vulnerability say, should the construction industry become dicey at a certain time we’re fortunate enough that another area will pick up. It might pelt down with rain so next thing we’re busy with is the chemicals we transport. We’ve always got different sectors to lean back on to keep us busy.”
The business has maintained a cluster of depots across northern NSW, a stronghold in terms of moving its regional freight.
“That’s because a lot of transport companies haven’t wanted to extend lead times on the freight task,” says Robert.
“They prefer to get to Melbourne in two days whereas if it takes us three sometimes, well that’s fine. But along the way we’re picking up and dropping off freight through all those regional towns anyway at our own depots and eventually we end up in Melbourne at some point or Adelaide.”
Naturally, Land Transport has got freight coming back out of those regional areas, too.
“If we rip off half a load somewhere there will always be another half a load to whack straight back on it to keep you going where you’re headed to,” says Robert.
“One thing we’ve always liked, again working in the regionals, sometimes you’ve got to use on-forwarders as well and that might be a mum and dad outfits running one rigid on a 100-kilometre radius around Dubbo or somewhere and we’ll get them, on some occasions, to take it to the final destination on our behalf. A lot of those smaller companies have grown as we’ve grown.”
In that way Land Transport helps smaller independent businesses stay afloat on the same business model of which it, too, is reliant.
“That’s one of the things we’re proud of,” says Robert. “Again, when the town prospers, we prosper at the same time.”