View Post

World trucking experience to be changed forever!

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Tesla Semi Hitting the Market. The Tesla Semi Truck is a fully electric vehicle that features an “autopilot” mode to help with semi-autonomous driving. This truck is soon to change the whole trucking experience. Elon Musk twitted that he is very excited to start production of the Tesla Semi Truck with deliveries to Pepsi on 1st December 2022.

View Post

Stark warning to NZ trucking businesses

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Costs for NZ road transport businesses have risen almost four times higher than inflation in the last quarter, according to the latest Grant Thornton Cost Index. The quarterly index shows that there has been an overall quarterly increase to June 2022 of 6.24% to road transport business costs, compared with a 1.66% increase in the CPI inflation for the same …

View Post

Charging into the future with electric vehicles

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Lots of excitement and lots of challenges. Talk to manufacturers engaged in the fast-moving electric vehicle industry and both descriptions quickly work their way into the conversation. Such was the case Tuesday afternoon at the 2022 IndustryWeek Manufacturing & Technology Show, where a keynote panel discussion on the future of electric vehicles launched Day 1 of the conference and expo …

View Post

Log load measurements –green metric tonnes to m3

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Logmeter, is an automatic system that delivers in real-time high-precision volume measurements and estimates biometrics characteristics of wood logs loaded on a truck before entering the mill. Forestry companies are increasing the application of technological tools in their industrial processes. Control, efficiency, and the strengthening of sustainability throughout their value chain are some of the challenges that companies address with …

View Post

AFPA committee drives transport safety initiatives

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) Growers Chamber’s Work, Health and Safety Subcommittee (WHSS) has helped drive two new initiatives to improve safety across forest industries transport. The initiatives, funded under Round 7 of the Federal Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), managed under the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NVHR), include: • A ForestWorks project to develop two new projects …

View Post

Diesel-electric hybrid trucks for Canadian logging industry

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

If one guy can call his electric-car company Tesla, why not call theirs Edison, a couple of Merritt entrepreneurs figured. While the real-life Tesla and Edison, ground-breaking inventors, became fierce rivals, Edison Motors has a way to go before catching up with Elon Musk’s car company. But the journey has begun: Chace Barber and Eric Little are building hybrid electric …

New methanol-capable vessel announced

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

MOVE Logistics Group (MOVE) is going full steam ahead on green coastal shipping solutions for New Zealand with procurement approved and underway for a new methanol-capable vessel. Earlier this year, MOVE successfully secured NZ$10 million in co-investment funds from transport agency Waka Kotahi to support coastal shipping initiatives that improve the competitiveness of domestic coastal shipping, reduce freight sector greenhouse …

View Post

Volvo marks series production on heavy-duty EVs

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Swedish manufacturer Volvo Trucks is beginning series production of its heavy-duty electric models with global deliveries set to ramp up.  And customers in Australia and New Zealand can expect to see the vehicles on local roads in the near future.  Electric versions of the company’s “most important” heavy-duty truck range includes the Volvo FH, FM, and FMX which can operate …

View Post

Fennell Forestry commissions world’s 2nd electric log truck

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Fennell Forestry, the Mount Gambier based harvest and haulage company has commissioned the world’s second ever electric log truck, in the hope of providing a realistic carbon-zero solution for the industry. Transport is Australia’s second highest contributor to carbon emissions. A single diesel-powered log truck produces in excess of 500 tonnes of carbon every year.  Converting to an electric engine …

View Post

Battery or hydrogen? Truck makers battle it out

In WoodTransport by ken.wilson@innovatek.co.nz

Soaring fuel prices and greener policies have given electric vehicles (EVs) a serious boost in recent years. Now the attention is turning to trucks, but manufacturers still face a dilemma over which technology can best do the job. Some companies like Volkswagen are embracing battery-electric trucks because they’re cheaper and the charging infrastructure is more developed. Others such as Hyundai …