Lane Transport doubles down on Cascadia

Lane Transport, based in Kilarney on Victoria’s south-west coast, has a mixed fleet of 37 B-Doubles that covers an area including Australia’s eastern seaboard and stretches across to Adelaide.

Lane Transport founder Noel Lane started the business off with a 1418 Mercedes-Benz and a Ford LNT 9000 hauling produce from his family’s potato farm in Western Victoria.

He soon started delivering pulp and paper for Visy, who he still carries for today, before adding more packaging and other products from many different customers through the years.

Among the material moved by Lane Transport are glass bottles that are picked up from a manufacturing facility in Gawler, South Australia, and delivered to wineries across that state, Victoria and New South Wales.

In 2021, Noel purchased a striking blue Cascadia 116 and recently added the second Cascadia to his fleet, a 126 model this time around. It wears some special signage celebrating the 30 years of Lane Transport, which has grown significantly over the years.

The industry veteran says he is glad that he has introduced the Cascadias.

“They are just magic to drive,” he said “The comfort is amazing, it’s like driving a big car in some ways.

“They are really comfortable and quiet and have the AMTs, which really make life a lot easier,” Noel added.

The second Cascadia to start work for Lane Transport has a 36-inch sleeper and tows a B-double trailer set and runs at 65 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GCM) under mass management.

The 36-inch cab gives the drivers a decent amount of space, when they’re away from home, while still allowing the Cascadia to fit in front of a B-double trailer set. For those who don’t have the same packaging constraints, the Cascadia can also be selected with a 48-inch or 60-inch cab.

Mr Lane says the Cascadia is very strong when it comes to fuel efficiency running at 65-tonnes, comparing it to the Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks in his fleet, which are well-known fuel misers.

“It would have to be close to the Actros, just under the 2km per litre mark, which is really good going,” Noel said.

“The Cascadias are certainly the most efficient of the bonneted trucks in the fleet,” he added.

Noel always goes out of his way to invest in safety, so he was pleased that the Cascadia comes standard with a vast array of active safety features.

Standard equipment includes a full suite of safety features including a radar and camera-based Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS) that can automatically detect, and fully brake for, moving pedestrians in addition to vehicles. Also standard is a radar-based adaptive cruise control system and a lane departure warning system in addition to Electronic Stability Program and a driver airbag.

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Noel also selected the optional Sideguard Assist feature, which uses radar to detect people, cars and other objects down the side of the truck when it is about to move left into a lane or turn left.

Under the sloping bonnet lies an advanced Detroit engine. The blue 116 features a 13-litre six-cylinder that generates 505hp and 1850lb/ft of torque, while the 126 packs a 16-litre that pumps out 600hp and 2050lb/ft.

These engines meet the GHG17 emission standard, which is stricter than Euro 6, something that is appreciated by customers who are counting the emissions in their chains of production and distribution.

While an 18-speed Eaton manual is an option, Noel chose the clever 12-speed DT12 Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). The in-house integration of the engine and gearbox means the truck can adapt to the terrain it is travelling over to save fuel, which is more important than ever given current prices.

It uses GPS and topographical data to determine when it can best change gear or even select neutral and even coast to make the most of the terrain and save as much fuel as possible.

The two Cascadias are on a Freightliner service contract, which means Noel has paid a fee for the trucks to be serviced at a Daimler Truck dealership by factory-trained technicians using genuine parts.

Noel says the team at Daimler Trucks Mount Gambier and Daimler Trucks Mildura look after his trucks and go out of their way to make sure the lane Transport trucks keep moving.

“The guys at Daimler Trucks Mount Gambier are so helpful and so are the team at Mildura,” he said.

He says it makes sense for the Cascadia to be on a service contract because they more advanced and require specialist knowledge.

“Being on a service contract gives us peace of mind and we are really happy with the way it is working out for us,” Noel said.