Steve Brooks

Truck and dog combo shines for Hino

Every now and then a new truck comes along with the ability to surprise and impress in equal measure, and we’ve found just such a truck in Hino’s revitalised range of 700-series heavy-duty models. In fact, so surprising and so impressive was a truck and dog combination recently put through its paces that we’re now thinking Hino may actually have the best Japanese heavy-duty truck in the business
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Market boom amid the COVID gloom

MARKET ANALYSIS: 2021 was a year of massive contrasts for the Australian truck industry. Yet despite all the undeniable hassles and hardships, truck sales defied the dramas with near-record results recorded by those brands able to make the most of difficult conditions. Typically, Isuzu and Kenworth ruled their respective roosts but they weren’t the only players to kick goals in a rough game
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The Hino 700 rigid is a class act

TEST DRIVE: After an impressive static display mid-way through 2021, we expected plenty from a first drive of Hino’s new 700-series trucks, and we certainly weren’t disappointed by an FR 6x2 rigid model put through its paces in everything from heavy metro traffic to fast freeways. Sure, with so much new technology on board, there were a few quirks but all up, Hino appears to have done its homework well. Very well!
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Stirring times for enduring Eaton

There was a time when arguably the most common component in heavy-duty trucks was the Roadranger gearbox. But then came automation and with trailblazing technology now driving the tempo like never before, Eaton will late next year launch an entirely new automated shifter called the Endurant XD 18-speeder
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Kenworth and the Cameron connection

Among the annals of Kenworth’s Australian history, there is no greater contributor to the brand’s foundation than the late Ed Cameron. But what drove this enterprising Victorian truck operator to seek something better and in the process create the platform for such a stellar future? Perhaps the best answer is to be found in a 1984 interview long after Ed’s retirement, revealing the resolve of a man who truly believed in ‘havin’ a go’
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Breathin easier in the Bronx – Volvo VNR electric

A major beverage distributor has become the first fleet on the US East Coast to take delivery of an electric heavy-duty truck. In a powerful affirmation for the future of electric trucks, the delivery of a Volvo VNR Electric is being hailed as a vital first step in addressing poor air quality in an area with some of America’s highest rates of asthma in children
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Mettle on Metal – Volvo Australia

In normal times, the last year or two probably would have been something quite special for Volvo in Australia. A time of high achievement driven by strong sales and the optimism of smart new trucks. But ‘normal’ went into limbo as Covid led the charge to crash Volvo’s party. Still, there’s determination, there’s experience, and there are new models – all the things the Swedish maker is relying on to get back to its own ‘normal’.
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