The management team behind PacLease has been quietly dedicated to consistently growing its footprint since its introduction to our shores here in Australia seven years ago.
From a single person it has grown to become the market-leading truck rental and leasing business that we see today with 26 locations at dealerships across the country each providing a personalised, local service.
PacLease is a commercial truck leasing company that provides customised full-service lease, rental and contract maintenance services.
Think of it as a team of highly qualified technicians and business professionals who also happen to have keys to premium quality Kenworth and DAF trucks that are in demand by drivers.
Long-term arrangements are similar to traditional operating leases where the vehicle finance and contract maintenance factors are included for the term of the agreement.
When short-term transport solutions are required for situations such as seasonal spikes in harvests and agricultural markets, while transitioning into a newly acquired contract or making the most of a business opportunity when it presents itself, or to simply keep the wheels turning when the inevitable accident or breakdown occurs, PacLease provides flexible rental options in both prime movers and/or heavy rigid configurations trucks drawing on its extensive fleet of DAF models and Kenworth trucks.
K200 and T610SAR models along with the CF and XF DAF models provide PacLease with an exceptionally versatile product range that offers flexible solutions for smart transport operators in today’s highly competitive marketplace. Demand during grain harvest seasons is particularly busy for rental vehicles as transport operators take on the challenge of moving millions of tonnes of grain during a relatively short time, often under pressure from unfavourable weather conditions.
PacLease also has the capability to provide prime movers for high Gross Combination Mass (GCM) mining applications as well as for general freight linehaul situations. “Harvest time is always big for us,” says Lindsay Smith, PacLease Laverton Branch Manager in Victoria.
“We have spec’d up a lot of our equipment with PTO hydraulics to suit the needs of grain trailer operators. We do have specialised equipment to a point with some trucks with PTO hydraulics or dangerous goods fit-ups for hauling fuel, and we now have a number of prime movers fitted with cranes servicing construction industry.”
Dana driveline components are specified in the Kenworth trucks in the PacLease fleet which currently numbers around 140 of the iconic brand.
“We have found Dana understanding and friendly to work with, and using the Dana axle, driveline and brake assemblies has greatly improved the utilisation of our rental fleet by reducing down time due to extended oil drain intervals, and fewer repairs and less maintenance over the life of the vehicle,” Lindsay explains.
“Overall Dana’s support for these products has been unmatched.”
The innovative development of the Australian designed and locally manufactured full time oil pump for the Dana D46-170 (20.9 tonnes GAWR) tandem drive axles has played a major role in improving the lubrication systems of the Dana axle assemblies with the resultant reliability and reduced maintenance requirements impressing customers such as PacLease.
“Since the full time pump was released in 2019, the improvements made to the lubrication systems have given us a great amount of confidence for our rental fleet when we may not know where the trucks are going to be all the time,” says Lindsay.
“Full service fleets are a little bit different because they are obviously tailored for certain contracts and applications. The oil pump system has improved the longevity of the diff assemblies and it’s allowed us to move ahead to extended oil drain intervals as well, which helps when it comes to maintenance costs. I had the fleet managers go back and check the records and we haven’t had any failures with items such as power dividers or thrust washers or even noticed any premature wear in the vehicles since the introduction of the full time pump.”
Dana also supplies the SUPER DUTY (SPICER Series) SD 300 service-free main drive shaft assemblies.
As the name says, these require no maintenance and make yet another contribution to reducing servicing costs. The insistence by PacLease Laverton upon Dana components isn’t just in relation to the driveline.
The lightweight DANA SPICER E-1462I (6.6-tonne GAWR) single-steer front axles are specified for their durability and reliability.
Dana ADB22X disc brakes are chosen over drum brakes which are more commonly specified on Kenworth trucks in Australia.
Fitted to the front and rear axles, the inherent advantages of the Dana disc brake systems include their self-adjusting capabilities which allows for longer service intervals and provides an improved brake response and feel for the driver which is more akin to driving a passenger car.
Down time is minimised due to the Dana disc brake assemblies having no grease points which again contributes to longer service intervals, and disc pad changes require less time to perform than required for conventional shoe and drum set ups and it is also easier to visibly check the pads for any contamination or wear.
The fitment of the Dana disc brakes also provides the ability to utilise the Dana Spicer pre-set bearing hubs which feature precision machined spacers and specially-toleranced roller bearings.
It eliminates the need to adjust wheel end play and avoids premature failures due to improper installation and incorrect bearing pre-load adjustments.
Dana has a strong presence in Australia and operates from a purpose-built facility in Keysborough located on the outskirts of Melbourne where the assembly takes place of drive and steer axles, and drive and steering shafts for domestic truck manufacturers and the aftermarket.
The organisation’s global customer base includes almost every major vehicle manufacturer in the automotive, commercial vehicle and off-highway markets.
“A lot of the bonuses for our business revolve around the product support provided to us by Dana, their ability to work with us in achieving our goals of decreasing maintenance costs and downtime for our customers, which we achieve through increased service intervals,” says Lindsay.
“We have a lot of faith in their product fitted to our trucks due to their proven durability in our applications and for a rental fleet that confidence is very important.”
Of the more than 284 units currently in the PacLease fleet, 140 are Kenworths and all are running Dana products.
“When you have those sorts of numbers you need a product you can trust,” says Lindsay.
“Additionally, Dana gives us the capability to minimise and extend servicing and it really does help when you’re managing that volume of vehicles as well.”