Australian Trucking Quarterly

In this Winter edition of Australian Trucking Quarterly, we road test the latest Euro-6 DAF FTT CF530 through the picturesque rolling country of North East Tasmania. Part of our test route took in the infamous Sideling hill climb, that’s been likened to the Transfagarasan Highway of Tasmania. Power and fuel economy were stand out features of the new CF-530.


We journey to western Queensland to meet Clark Harland or “Cackles” as he’s known around the traps. He’d told us earlier in the week he was heading deep into what’s now been dubbed the Devil’s Triangle, and asked us if we were game enough to tag along and check out his custom Western Star 6900.


In this technical topic issue, we look at ride height valves and explain how to check them. 


Then it’s down to Tassie for a run into the notorious Savage River country on the west coast. Simply uttering Savage River invokes visions of wild raging torrents of white-water cascading through steep rugged rocky mountainous terrain. Its vision was not too far from the truth as Howard Shanks discovered when we sent him on a Heavy Haulage run to the Savage River magnetite mine. 


We head to central Victoria to road test a T610SAR and quad-dog in a Tipping application with Cummins Integrated power coupled to an Eaton Ultrashift Plus, Howard Shanks puts it through its paces ... 


Finally, we check out an immaculately restored Scania LB80 and chat to the owner about the rebuild and how it was the back bone of the company for many years.