Five brand new Scania trucks were part of the backdrop for the signing of the Ecolution agreement between Scania Malaysia and NITTSU Transport. Held on 9 September, the signing was performed by Marie Sjödin Enström, Managing Director of Scania Southeast Asia and Billy Tee, Director, Nittsu Transport Service (M) Sdn Bhd, or Nittsu.
NITTSU has been a long-time user of Scania trucks. With the delivery of the latest batch of Scania New Truck Generation to NITTSU, the Swedish brand makes up a large portion of the fleet. “Today is a very special day as this signifies the first international fleet to sign up for the Exolution partnership,” said Enström during the event. Scania’s Ecolution is a partnership, whereby truck maker and user enter in agreement to take measures to reduce fuel consumption, thus not only decreasing CO2 output, but also becoming more efficient and profitable. This is done by optimising the trucks, driver training and monitoring of the performance of the vehicles. Based on the observations, further measures are then discussed and implemented. She added that Scania has a long-standing tradition of finding the most sustainable solutions and working hand in hand with their customers. As such the signing today was a testimony to the ongoing effort to reduce emissions.
The signing of Scania’s Ecolution partnership is saddled on the already impressive initiatives NITTSU is having to reduce fuel consumption. Since 2012, NITTSU has taken steps to reduce the impact on the environment. Being the first to achieve the climate goals set by the United Nations, NITTSU is now striving to further improve on the already impressive achievements. Said Tee “I am sure that with these new trucks, we can manage to do this! When looking at the newly launched trucks last year, we realised that we will need the latest and the best in order to support us in our ambition.”
During the event, both parties signed and exchanged the agreements before peeling off the covers on stickers now brandished on the cabs of the trucks.
"Best Support for Workshop Professionals" - Under this motto, theParts Specialistsfrom Diesel Technic provide all employees of a workshop or fleet with advice by giving practical tips and tricks around the product brands DT Spare Parts and SIEGEL Automotive. Via theHelpDeskthey answer technical questions.
Besides, the international team offers all workshop professionals free training courses. This allows a direct exchange of experience whereby valuable information on the functionalities of the respective products is given. Furthermore, workshop employees experience more support via assembly instructions and videos that can be found in theYouTube channel.
Terkini, Truck Venture Sdn Bhd, yang merupakan sebuah syarikat pengedar sah baharu Isuzu Malaysia, telah berjaya membuat penyerahan pertama mereka. Majlis tersebut, yang melibatkan penyerahan rasmi sebuah unit trak Isuzu ELF Tugas Ringan 6-wheeler kepada syarikat LOM Logistics Sdn Bhd, telah diadakan di bilik pameran mereka di Petaling Jaya.
LOM Logistics Sdn Bhd ialah sebuah syarikat pengangkutan muatan dan lojistik, yang beroperasi secara khusus dalam bidang Pengangkutan Air. Trak ELF Tugas Ringan yang diperoleh ini merupakan tambahan unit baharu kepada flit kenderaan komersial mereka yang sedia ada, dan dijangka akan mengukuhkan lagi operasi mereka di seluruh negara.
Unit yang diperoleh ini, iaitu sebuah Isuzu ELF Tugas Ringan 6-wheeler, didatangkan dengan ‘Smoother’, iaitu transmisi manual automatik (AMT) yang menawarkan pemanduan yang lebih efisien dan lancar. Di samping itu, trak ini juga menawarkan kos penyelenggaraan yang rendah, penggunaan bahan api yang lebih baik dan tahap keselamatan yang tinggi. Ciri-ciri ini memastikan kos operasi perniagaan jauh lebih efisien dalam jangka masa panjang.
Sewaktu majlis penyerahan, Koji Nakamura, selaku Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd, telah mengambil kesempatan ini untuk menyampaikan penghargaan beliau kepada pihak LOM Logistics Sdn Bhd di atas kepercayaan dan sokongan mereka terhadap jenama Isuzu, walaupun dalam keadaan ekonomi yang kian mencabar ini. Nakamura yakin bahawa pemerolehan ini mampu mengukuhkan lagi pelan perkembangan perniagaan bagi syarikat LOM Logistics Sdn Bhd di masa akan datang.
Bagi memperingati majlis istimewa ini, Nakamura telah menghadiahkan replika kunci dan hadiah penghargaan yang merupakan sebuah Trak Miniatur Isuzu kepada Pengurus syarikat LOM Logistics Sdn Bhd, Lee Sanghaag. Majlis ini telah juga dihadiri Atsunori Murata, Ketua Pegawai Operasi Isuzu Malaysia. Turut hadir ialah wakil-wakil daripada syarikat Truck Venture Sdn Bhd, termasuk Loo Siok Yee, Pengarah Konsultan, dan Loo Siok Hua, Pengurus Jualan.
Truck Venture Sdn Bhd telah beroperasi sejak bulai Mei tahun ini dan menawarkan pelbagai pilihan kenderaan komersial Isuzu. Bilik pameran mereka terletak secara strategik di Seksyen 51A di Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
In-house or external: training truck drivers is a crucial part of running a successful transport operation. Some truckers may claim that they have years of experience and may not need regular updates, however, they could not be more wrong. Truckers need to get updated on technology changes and skills need to be honed and that is what Volvo offers through their driver training programme. The need for regular training of truck drivers has long been recognised. Contributing to safety on the road and improved profitability, Volvo Trucks offers help from an in-house trainer.
The Mentor Passionately known as “Rosdi”, Ahmad Rosdi, has been a mechanic and driver before becoming a driver trainer with Volvo Trucks. Having serviced and repaired cars in his own workshop, he learned the ropes of the automotive industry. A stint in a palm oil plantation, managing all transports in an estate was followed by the move to become a truck driver. Joining a container haulier, he sat for his license and afterwards joining a renown oil and gas transporter.
His proudest achievement was being appointed as the driver mentor, when he was working with Shell. He was the youngest mentor at the age of 30. “As you can imagine, that was not easy as I was about ten years younger than most drivers and they would not take advice from me as they thought I was lacking experience.” Today, older drivers still challenge him.
Having joined Volvo Trucks in 2009, he now conducts about 150 to 200 sessions in a year, training about 1 000 drivers. The shortest sessions would be two hours, in which case he prefers to do a 100 percent practical session as he knows that truckers want to learn hands-on. If time permits, he recommends full day trainings that are split in half between theory and practice. Train the Trainers (TtT) for transporters takes a minimum of two days and can be extended to four days. Out of the 1 000 drivers, only two or three drivers are females while some 60 percent are between the ages of 30 to 50 with the oldest driver clocking in at 73 years old.
Training requirements are either given by the customer or prescribed following an assessment. “The oil and gas industry for example requires a driver assessment before we can administer training.” Rosdi relies heavily on the format of the Volvo Fuelwatch driver assessment approach to train drivers as the program was highly effective to change behaviour and instil new skills.
“The main issues we need to address are attitude and knowledge in our training sessions.” In his view, defensive driving is an aspect that should be taught more, but acknowledges that it is difficult. Drivers should be assessed often and training should be done on a one-to-one basis, which imposes on the operation.
When asked what is the most important aspect of knowledge to be included in a training program, Rosdi cites specifications of the truck. “It is the foundation to know the capabilities of your vehicle. Only then can you be a good driver as you will know what your truck is capable of.”Specifications impact acceleration and breaking, which in turn will impact the way the vehicle needs to be driven. Lack of knowledge may also impact the attitude of the driver. Not knowing the capabilities of the truck may stifle their effort to be good drivers. For instance, brake technology has changed and nowadays, exhaust brakes can operate without limitations, whereas older versions could only work for a maximum of 20 minutes.
It may come as a surprise that the biggest impact of driver training that he observed was the reduced wear and tear of brakes, followed by fuel consumption being the second. The use of brakes actually has a heavy impact on cost. With reduced brake wear and tear, downtime is reduced, while the way a truck is decelerated also impacts fuel consumption and tyre wear.
During training, all sorts of things can happen. Older drivers may come with the attitude that they know everything, having driven trucks for decades and after all, it is all the same: brake, steering wheel and the trailer in the back. “It sometimes is a wake-up call when they then have to operate the vehicle and cannot find the parking brake despite having all the experience.” Rosdi recalls how a training that was supposed to be one day only ended up to for three days in Sarawak as the program had to be translated into Chinese, Malay and Iban.
Naturally, Rosdi also needs to be trained on new models and techniques. He has two trainers that he can call upon, one in Australia and one in Sweden. “Both are called Per. So they are P1 (Per Dahl) and P2 (Per Bruun Hansen)”. Some training modules are as long as two weeks, whereby training modules for specialist industry segment, such as mining are part of the curriculum.
Maybe the one skill that cannot learn from his sifus is “Patience”, which in Rosdi’s view is the most important to have as a drive trainer..
The Rookie
Norafaliza binti Roslan is 32 years old and has only recently made the transition from working at toll gates for nine years to being a full time, fully licenced container haulage driver. For eight months she has now been with Shallas Sdn Bhd and is blossoming in her new profession. The transition was just a question of time as she has always wanted to be a truck driver, but was under the impression that this profession was solely for guys.
After riding along with colleagues to absorb the daily routines and basics of driving truck, she sat for her licence in a driving school. Eventually, she was given her own truck to manage along with training on the job and she is now moving containers.
Having gotten her feet wet in the past eight months, she now feels it is high time to learn more and to become a better driver through targeted training. “Besides how to drive a truck, I want to know the function of every component and part of the truck. By knowing all this, I will better understand how a truck works and in case of a breakdown, I can troubleshoot first to see if I can solve the problem before calling it in.” She hopes that she will be able to attend training at least twice per year.
“My bosses support this ambition. My biggest issue at the moment is the ability to monitor my surroundings and paying attention all the time. When driving a large vehicle, one has to be much more aware of what is going on: cars around the truck, road conditions and obstacles.” While she is expecting to be treated and trained equally to her male colleagues, she hopes that females are being given more training on the intricacies of the technology. “Generally, boys are more interested in technology and they already know all that there is about how engines and gearboxes work when they enter the workforce. Also, there should be more teaching in school on how trucks work.”
The Veteran
Bringing with him 17 years of experience as a trucker is Azrul haiza bin Abdul Aziz 45, who joined Vertex Mission Sdn Bhd in 2003 after being driver and manager in a Felda plantation, overseeing all aspects of the production. His career-shift was motivated by the desire to have a better living. However, it turns out that the main attraction now is the job satisfaction that comes with being a full time trucker. “I like the flexibility!”
When it comes to training, Azrul has undergone countless sessions in his career. Preferring practical training, he opines that drives should at least have four half-day sessions per year in order to maintain their skills and to upgrade their knowledge. Refreshers are crucial in his view as drivers may forget certain aspects of safe and fuel efficient driving. The training he is really hoping to see more in the curriculums is defensive driving skills.
The ultimate test, of course, is the Volvo Fuelwatch competition. During the training for the competition, Azrul learned a lot: how to manage the truck, driving behaviour and awareness. The Fuelwatch, in his view, was a good tool as there was an assessment of the driver. “I feel that this is very important. Drivers should be re-assessed on a regular basis and the training need to be repetitive as we tend to forget a lot of things.”
He suggests that driver behaviour should be linked to incentives so that training is not seen as a burden, but a way to motivate drivers better to perform at their best. Having undergone a lot of training, he sees that the method of teaching over time has not changed much. The difference may be in the amount of theoretical training administered, which could be higher for certain sectors and also the evolution of truck features over time. He recalls having handled oil and gas products and classroom training to educate drivers had been extensive.
The ultimate test, of course, is the Volvo Fuelwatch competition. During the training for the competition, Azrul learned a lot: how to manage the truck, driving behaviour and awareness. The Fuelwatch, in his view, was a good tool as there was an assessment of the driver. “I feel that this is very important. Drivers should be re-assessed on a regular basis and the training need to be repetitive as we tend to forget a lot of things.”
He suggests that driver behaviour should be linked to incentives so that training is not seen as a burden, but a way to motivate drivers better to perform at their best. Having undergone a lot of training, he sees that the method of teaching over time has not changed much. The difference may be in the amount of theoretical training administered, which could be higher for certain sectors and also the evolution of truck features over time. He recalls having handled oil and gas products and classroom training to educate drivers had been extensive.
Mr Apparao Ramachandran, president of PULSE, offered the following statement to address issues arising in the transport industry following the extended Movement Control Order:
Many businesses in Malaysia have suffered due to the unprecedented nationwide restriction in movement, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic at large. Nonetheless, the local logistics companies have been exempted from restrictions under the Movement Control Order (MCO) in order to allow essential goods to reach consumers in a timely manner.
Persatuan Usahawan Logistics Semenanjung Malaysia also known as PULSE, is an association for Logistics and Transportations related industry in Peninsular Malaysia. It was established in 2017 and currently has a life membership of more than 100 logistics companies. As the president of PULSE, I would like to convey our gratitude, on behalf of the council and all its members to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Ministry of Transport (MOT), PDRM and TDM for allowing the logistics companies to continue operating our trucks for delivery of essential goods during this MCO period. PULSE would also like to convey its sincere appreciation to all the truck drivers in Malaysia who have become part of the unsung frontliners delivering important goods to the Malaysians during this pandemic.
With the exemption meted out to the logistics companies, many may be assuming that the Malaysian logistics industry is enjoying a ‘business advantage’ compared to other less fortunate sectors. This is however far from the truth. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight an issue that many parties may have overlooked when thinking of how logistics companies may have been impacted during the MCO period, and also during the pandemic, at large.
While on one side, the local logistics companies may seem to benefit from the MCO in terms of less congestion on the roads, and the currently low global fuel price, we face hard challenges due to hidden costs. The cost of operating trucks has significantly increased during this MCO period due to a number of factors including empty return trucks from outstation trips, increase in maintenance costs due to limited autoparts, labour hours charges, support systems during accidents, as well as long waiting hours for loading and unloading from warehouse of goods attributed to shortage of manpower. Additionally, we have to ensure sufficient supply of personal protective equipment for our frontliners such as face masks and gloves, as well as provision of hand sanitisers. We also have to sanitise our trucks more frequently due to the pandemic.
Furthermore, many logistics companies only end up utilising less than 10 percent of their trucks due to restrictions in delivery of non-essential goods during the MCO. The councils and members of PULSE would like to therefore urge all Malaysians to understand the critical state that we are in. It is hoped that all Malaysian residents will stay safe and obey the guidelines from the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister’s Department at all times, until we have won this war against COVID-19.
Apparao Ramachandran is the president of Persatuan Usahawan Logistics Semenanjung Malaysia (PULSE) since February 2020.
(The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Asian Trucker Media)
Chemtrax Sdn Bhd takes delivery of five units of Volvo trucks for the transportation of hazardous goods.
Volvo Trucks announced recently that one of its customers, Johor-based transportation company Chemtrax Sdn Bhd (Chemtrax), has just taken delivery of five units of Volvo trucks comprising four units of FM370 4x2 and one unit of FM440 6x2 models, to support the company’s expansion and also for replacing several old trucks in its fleet. These new trucks will be utilized for transporting caustic soda chemical compounds and butadiene gas.
A vehicle handover ceremony attended by the management teams of both companies was held recently at Chemtrax’s depot in Pasir Gudang to mark the official delivery of the new Volvo trucks. With these new additions, Chemtrax now owns 55 units of Volvo trucks, which makes up about 90% of the company’s total fleet of trucks. Mitch Peden, Managing Director, Volvo Trucks Malaysia shared, “We are very pleased to be able to continuously provide the support our customer, Chemtrax, requires from us with the delivery of the new trucks despite the current challenging market situation.”
Speaking at the truck handover ceremony, Jaffar Abu Bakar, Group Managing Director of Chemtrax Sdn Bhd said, “We have more than 20 years of experience in handling hazardous materials and have been providing transportation services to companies like Petronas, CCM Chemicals, Kaneka, Solar Gaz and other global companies like IVICT, INEOS and Synthomer. These companies all subscribe to very stringent global standards of safety which we are highly committed to.” He added that the company’s transport routes consist of both long and short haul deliveries within all over Peninsula Malaysia, as well as to Singapore with around 15 trips daily into the island.
Transporting dangerous goods requires safe trucks and one can ask which safety features make the trucks most suitable for this type of operation. Volvo is among the very few brands in the Malaysian market that conforms with all aspects of the ADR regulation covering all substances that are inflammable, toxic or corrosive. The truck’s electrical system is encapsulated and protected against mechanical wear and that electrical connections are fitted with sealed connections.
The cab front is fitted with a retainer for a warning sign indicating the type of hazardous goods being transported. This is very important in minimizing the risk of sparking and short-circuiting that can potentially cause a fire and explosion due to the goods carried. Some of the oil companies in Malaysia have made this a mandatory requirement for the trucks which carry their products. In addition, the built and durability of the truck: in case of a collision involving dangerous goods truck , the impact is potentially huge. Thus the truck needs to be able to withstand a good collision impact and minimize casualties and injuries. Volvo Trucks comply with the Swedish safety standard imposed, which is higher than what is set by the European Union.
Volvo Engine Brake (VEB), which is a patented system owned by Volvo Trucks is also playing a crucial role contributing to effective braking, and reduces the reliability on the conventional braking system. Apart from safety reason, this also helps to reduce brake wear and tear.
Not just the product that makes Volvo stands out, but the aftersales service and dealer network that can supports the transporter timely in getting their trucks on the road as soon as possible. On top of that, driver training also plays a role. This is going beyond the truck features and how to handle the truck in the most efficient manner (in terms of fuel saving and minimizing wear and tear), but continuously instil the awareness of safety driving tips, and the skills on defensive driving. These need to be refreshed from time to time to shape the driving behaviour. ”Last year we have launched a series of enhanced safety features named as the Active Safety Package, which consists of features such as Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Collision Warning and Emergency Brake, Lane Change Support, Driver Alert Support etc. All these aims to make driving easy by supporting the driver having a better awareness of their surroundings, and protect other road users as well,” Peden elaborated. These features are targeted especially at the dangerous goods segment, aiming to reduce the risk of accidents and the impact on the driver, road users, and also the environment. This is also useful for long-haul haulage transporters, to keep their attention on the road while driving, and reduce fatique.
Peden reinforces that ”Everybody recognizes that when comes to safety aspects, Volvo is always the top of mind answer in most people’s choice.” Established in 1998, Chemtrax is one of the leading transportation companies in Malaysia that specialises in the moving of hazardous chemical and gas products such as acids, alkalis, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), water-based chemicals and other flammable and toxic gases.
The company transports these products within Malaysia and Singapore using various types of road tankers such as stainless-steel tanker, special-lined tanker and high-pressured gas tanker to meet the diverse and strict requirements for each hazardous material it transports. “We carry Dangerous and Hazardous goods every day, all products are potentially very harmful to the people and environment,” said Jaffar Abu Bakar. Therefore Management has set a control mechanism in place so that all risks are well identified and develop continuous control on it. The Key management controls are :
1) Driver management: Stringent the SOP of driver recruitment. Age limit, PDRM scanning, medical check up, literacy check and others. Chemtrax provides a lot of training that involves not just the product itself, but also fatigue management, pre-delivery check to the vehicle, defensive driving techniques, road surveillance by own safety team etc.
2) Journey management : designated route to be travelled by drivers and develop journey management plan so that drivers plan their journey well. Emphasis on driver resting period and speed monitoring too.
4) Safety management: GPS monitoring, Dashboard camera installation to monitor driver’s activity, Reporting each incident and carry out investigation to foster learning processes, installation of safety padlock to monitor product loading and unloading.
He said further that “By having these management controls, the potential product hazards are well defined. We also give good training to drivers to understand the danger of the product and proper way of handling them.”
Chemtrax is looking for driver comfortability while driving; this helps them retaining the good drivers, and to attract the talents – in view of the driver shortage, which is serious as some would have opted to work in Singapore due to exchange rate benefits. Here, Volvo meets the need based on drivers’ positive feedback. Apart from that, the truck’s stability contributes to minimise truck over turn during high impact.
Chemtrax has set their own parameters when it comes to purchase considerations for trucks:
1)Comfortability of the vehicle 2) Updated/ latest technology 3) After sale service performance 4) Fuel consumption performance - CPK 5) The second-hand value of the truck 6) Price 7) Maintenance CPK
”The Volvo driver trainer will train our drivers in practical and theoretical sessions. Volvo also conducts the Train The Trainer programme, whereby our senior driver can then train colleagues. With Volvo’s level of support and parts availability, we have been able to significantly minimise truck downtime and business risk. Our aim is to continue to be the preferred choice of transporter amongst chemical and gas manufacturers in Malaysia, thus the trucks we buy play a crucial role,” said Jaffar Abu Bakar.
