PBS pioneer steps back after 44 years

Heavy truck engineer, Ken Cowell, worked for Volvo Trucks Australia for 29 years and was responsible for many innovations, including the first Volvo super-sized sleeper cab. He left Volvo in 2005, to form his own consulting practice, K D Cowell & Associates.

Ken’s motivation came in part from the implementation of Performance-Based Standards (PBS) that allowed heavy vehicle combinations to achieve higher productivity and safety through innovative and optimised vehicle designs.

K D Cowell & Associates soon became prominent in PBS project management, PBS certifying, truck and trailer in-service incident investigation and resolution, training, purchase intermediary for vehicle tenders, operator intermediary with state and federal road authorities, and vehicle application investigations for property development.

K D Cowell & Associates has been acquired by Kenndel Pty Ltd, owned and operated by Ken Stirling, who has been working with and contracting to K D Cowell & Associates for the past 13 years.

“I’m stepping back from operating the company my wife Helen and I started, but I’ll continue to ‘get my hands dirty’ as a special-projects contractor to Kenndel,” said Ken Cowell.

“I’ve enjoyed almost every minute of my 44-year involvement in the Australian road transport business – the best industry in the country – and I’m not ready to retire totally just yet!”