SGGS has taken delivery of 15 new Kenworth prime movers and 10 B-triples from Vawdrey.
The significant delivery happened across two sites this week in Melbourne.
With the first 15 units of an order of 30 in total set to be deployed without delay into the carrier’s expanding long haul fleet.
Each truck is PBS-rated.
There are eight Kenworth T610SARs in the order and 22 K220 Big Cab prime movers with a 2.8-metre sleeper.
The remaining units in the order are anticipated for delivery from the factory later in July.
“We need these additional vehicles to cope with demand which is high at the moment,” said SGGS Victorian Branch Manager Dannii Spiteri.
“Some of these vehicles can be on the road for up to six weeks before they return, so we try and do everything we can to make them as comfortable as is possible for the drivers,” she said.
“The majority of our work is express long haul which requires a two-up team to do a two-day transit all over the country.”
Some of the new Kenworths will carry general freight to Perth and from there will continue to Port Hedland before heading on to Darwin.
From Darwin they can travel across to Brisbane and then eventually from Brisbane to Melbourne via Sydney.
“There’s nowhere we don’t go,” said Spiteri.
“Wherever a truck can go we are.”
Powered by a Euro 5 Cummins 600hp X15 engine, all trucks are 110-tonne roadtrain rated.
They feature Eaton Endurant XD Pro transmissions and Meritor running gear.
“These will be the last of the Euro 5s SGGS will accept before the new mandate for Euro 6 comes into force 1st November,” said Nick Gesovski, Kenworth DAF Sales Consultant.
“Compared to the previous vehicles these are all fitted with a Bendix Wingman Fusion Safety System,” he said.
“Every unit in the order comes with Auto Emergency Braking System, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control — the whole suite of systems in the Bendix package.”
A four-camera system has been installed by GPS Tech, a GPS tracking and installation specialist based in Brooklyn, in addition to a driver facing Guardian system from Seeing Machines.
Last August, SGGS took an order of ten Kenworth K200s. They were also handled by Kenworth DAF dealership in Derrimut where 66 of the carrier’s Kenworths have been sourced since 2020.
The business commenced trading in 2013.
Fast approaching 100 prime movers in the fleet again, SGGS leans heavily on the Kenworth dealer network.
This includes Gilbert & Roach in Sydney, Brown and Hurley in Queensland, CMV in Adelaide, CJD in Perth and Kenworth’s company owned dealership in Melbourne.
In March SGGS were set up with a PACCAR Parts Fleet Services account (PPFS).
PPFS gives SGGS a national account with all Kenworth dealers.
“With a PPFS account, SGGS can have all their parts and servicing controlled via one central system across every dealer in the country,” said Gesovski.
“That’s no doubt an advantage for an outfit with trucks covering the entire continent.
“Many of our major fleet customers use this program and reap the benefits.”
All the trucks are equipped with PACCAR Connect.
A tool designed to minimise downtime it provides live diagnostics that drivers can access while providing real-time transparency for fleet management.
PACCAR Connect offers GPS tracking and alerts can be prompted for driver behaviour incidents like harsh braking and over-speeding.
Because the vehicles are financed with PACCAR Financial SGGS is getting PACCAR Connect free for the first five years.
The latest K220s are fitted with a 30-litre fridge and full storage cupboard space for additional driver convenience.
Signage on the new prime movers and the entire SGGS fleet is provided by YBI in Bendigo.
Spiteri said the delivery would optimise the scale and scope of its interstate offering for customers.
“Demand has been ongoing especially in Western Australia which is going through the roof,” she said.
“It’s been the biggest winter period for a couple of years.”
“It’s hard to pinpoint what is driving that. There has definitely been a bounce back.
“Christmas time was the quietest we’ve had and I’ve heard that from others in the industry.
“We breezed through Christmas unlike previous years.”
SGGS’ freight profile presently involves transporting car components, food products, dangerous goods and even spare parts for PACCAR.
“For us it’s about offering customers what they need. Moving to the bigger combinations improves productivity,” said Spiteri.
“It was a huge step for us to go down the road of PBS. Customer-wise that’s what they want. Our competitors are doing it and nowadays if you don’t offer it they don’t really want to look at you.
“This gives us the opportunity to lock in work with different carriers.”
Before SGGS receives the equipment, every unit is ready for work, logged into the system, approved for its designated freight corridor.
“With Vawdrey we have a similar arrangement as we do with Nick,” said Spiteri.
“He will always provide me the VIN numbers before we’ve even picked the vehicles up and I can have them added to our system for PBS,” she said.
“When they drive out of the dealership they are all approved and ready to go.
“We do the same thing with our trailers from Vawdrey so they can operate straight onto our network.”
As an SGGS truck does a minimum of 350,000 kilometres a year, the oldest Kenworths in the fleet are little more than three years old.
Those units more immediately will be taken from set runs such as Sydney to Perth and replaced with these new additions.
“You’re always going to have more reliability out of new vehicles rather than something that has done a million kilometres,” said Gesovski.
Spiteri acknowledged the extra mile Gesovski and his team were prepared to go for SGGS — after hours, on weekends to resolve any issues.
“We are very grateful for that relationship,” she told Prime Mover.
“Things can go wrong and Nick and his team are always very quick to help us in any way.
“Obviously having that relationship helps our situation immensely.”
SGGS Director Rajbeer Khangura, according to Spiteri, likes to mix things up having put together the requirements for the huge Kenworth order.
“As a leader he’s very hands on in his approach to the business, very committed and always across the brief,” she said.
“Raj is also the most humble person I’ve met.”
Some preferences from elite drivers for a bonneted truck were behind the prevalence of Kenworth T610SARs represented in the order.
“The 610SAR is luxurious. It feels like being in a big car,” said Spiteri.
“That’s what I can liken it too after driving one.”
She added, “Everyone wants to be in a Kenworth.
“They are a better-looking truck.”
