Krueger’s Special K
- From the March 2011 issue.
In February, Wimmera Container Line (WCL) took delivery of the first PBS-approved vehicle to traverse the vast region north of the Great Dividing Range. And the new B-double with a GVM of 77 tonnes is bearing a familiar logo – Krueger’s distinctive ‘K’.
While a conventional 3-axle B-double cannot exceed a payload of 68 tonnes, Krueger’s PBS-approved quad-axle model can cart 77 tonnes – due to an additional, steerable axle.
“Courtesy of the new combination, we can cart two 28 tonne containers at once, but only in a permitted region around the company’s terminal in Horsham, Victoria,” says WCL’s operations manager Kelly Cahill. “And as we weren’t capable of carting two freight containers on a conventional B-double before, the new vehicle has virtually increased our productivity over night.”
According to the Performance Based Standards (PBS) scheme, Krueger’s custom-built combination measures 24.85 metres. “Level 2 standards allow a length of 30m, but for our needs, this particular span is ideal as we intend to cart 20 foot containers only,” Kelly says.
In 1994, Rodney and Jenny Clarke recognised the opportunity to transfer container freight in the vast northwest of Victoria and established WCL to connect the region’s road and rail network. To date, WCL has become a successful intermodal freight business, owned and operated by the Clarke family. Located in Horsham, WCL has managed to combine the scale efficiencies of rail transport with the door-to-door service of road transport.
“The main product we cart is grain for the export market,” Kelly explains. “The company coordinates a highly flexible intermodal service based on 17 years of experience. We pick up containers from the local packing facilities and transport the freight to our rail terminal in Horsham. Then we transfer the freight onto a train and cart it to Melbourne.”
WCL’s fleet is comprised of 45 trailers - including flat tops, traditional skels and tipping skels, sideloaders, bulk tippers, tautliner, and water tankers - and has been compiled to transport grain, but also fertiliser, gypsum, gravel and general freight.
The new Krueger B-double is the company’s first PBS-approved vehicle. “In the past, all 28 tonnes containers were carted on single trucks,” says Kelly. “But we think that the solution is inefficient. The new trailer can cart two containers at once, therefore cutting back on labour cost, fuel cost, tyre cost etc. In addition, it’s an advantage for both the environment and the local road network, because it will reduce road traffic and carbon emission.”
Krueger’s B-double features a state-of-the-art Electronic Braking System (EBS) and has just been delivered. “It’s our first Krueger, but we’d like to see more of them in the field, providing a distinct payload advantage to the company,” Kelly says. “Why? Because the mere data is imposing.”
Yet the PBS-application has been a complex process. “We had to buy a new prime mover, a Kenworth T609, to meet the requirements of PBS,” Kelly says. “There are numerous criteria to be met, and many local authorities who are involved. In fact, there has been quite a lot of trouble finding tyre specifications etc., and we had to install an IAP computer system linked to Vic Roads.”
Nonetheless, the payload advantage has compensated the tedious application process. “We’ve been thinking about PBS for at least 12 months; and finally placed the order prior to Christmas. And we do not regret it.
“Of course I’d like a lot of red tape to be taken out of the process, but when you launch an innovative scheme like PBS, you can’t foresee all possibilities.”
Irrespective of the PBS approval, Krueger has won over WCL by providing a quality product. “In this day and age, a trailer has to be tough and light,” Kelly explains. “The finish has to be good, and it has to be strong and sturdy, because a 28 tonne container is quite massive. At the end of the day, the price is not as important as the quality.
“We are a grounded, customer related company, so we are trying to be as innovative as possible, offering flexible solutions and payload advantages. And history has already proven the company right, I think. We started off with one truck, two trailers and an old forklift, and now we’re up to 25 trucks and 45 trailers, employing 36 people. But there is still a long way to go, and I am sure that PBS will play a central role in the future.”
