Western Star heads up new triple

Performance, economy, durability were just some of the features that drove Chemtrans to standardise their North Queensland based fleet to Western Star prime movers

Early one Monday morning, we met Chemtrans’ Peter Buttery when he was hooking up his trailers at the roadtrain assembly area on the western outskirts of Townsville.

Peter told us he was heading out to the Cannington mine, a decent day’s drive to the west with three trailers of sulphuric acid. That has a gross combination mass of 122 tonne which gives him a 73.5 tonne payload.

Peter’s gleaming new Western Star 4900 had caught our eye earlier in the morning back in town when he was shuttling his trailers out to the assembly area. After a quick chat over the UHF radio we’d agree to meet him while he connected the roadtrain. We were heading west ourselves and we asked him if minded if we tagged along on the Flinders Highway.

His load of sulphuric acid is vital to the mining industry and used in the extraction of silver, lead and zinc from the mined ore.

For trucking companies like Chemtrans it’s not only a demanding race against the tyranny of distance it is also a constant battle with the tribulations that mother nature unleashes in the vast hostile outback that form the biggest challenge these operators face to ensure their supplies arrive on time.

Today mining is big business where profits are measured in cents per grams and when the machinery that mines the minerals stop, even for a moment, it can cost tens of thousand of dollars. Needless to say, the demand on trucking companies to deliver goods to these remote mines is high. Much higher than you’d expect, for instance, at some of these mines that operate a large fleet of dump trucks, loaders and diggers, they can consume a roadtrain load of diesel in a just a few days.

Likewise, waiting for the vital ingredients like sulphuric acid to process the materials can bring the mining operation to a standstill.

Peter told us this is the first of two trips he’ll do to the Cannington mine this week.

The Cannington mine, even though some 200 kilometers southeast of Mt Isa, lies in the what’s known as the southeast corner of the proterozoic Mount Isa block. BHP Minerals discovered the silver deposit in 1990 and the mine was commissioned in 1997 at a cost of some $450 million. Full production was achieved in early 1999. Cannington Mine is the world's largest single silver producer, representing about six per cent of the world's primary silver production, while its lead production represents about seven per cent of the world's primary lead output. The lead concentrate contains 70 per cent lead and over 3000g/t silver.

Meeting this demanding transport task is something Peter said is now a whole lot easier since he has been operating this Western Star 4900. In fact the reliability and service they’ve been getting from their Western Star trucks has prompted them to specify Western Star trucks throughout their North Queenland fleet based in Townsville.

Chemtrans is part of the Scott group of companies and offers nationwide transportation of dangerous goods including the full spectrum of dangerous liquids, chemicals, explosives and other products by road, rail and sea.

"Our operation is flexible enough to meet the handling requirements of the most specialised materials," Peter explained. "In fact, sometimes we’re the only Australian company willing to transport certain products.

"Safety lies at the heart of everything we do," Peter continued. "Right from our procedures and risk assessments to our comprehensive training while organising transport of dangerous goods or bulk liquids transportation.

"We work for a range of clients in mining, manufacturing and other industries, with an outstanding on-time delivery rate of 99.98 percent,” Peter added. “And that’s vitally important in our business.

“As well as distributing dangerous materials, we offer complementary services including warehousing and supplying additional equipment," Peter continued. "Plus, we often provide advice to clients on issues ranging from plant and equipment set-up to safety procedures and training."

Peter’s 4900 Western Star is rated at 140-tonne, capable of hauling a triple roadtrain. It boasts a Cummins Signature engine rated at 600hp punching out 2050 lb-ft torque coupled to an Eaton Fuller RTLO 22918B transmission. The rear suspension is Hendrickson Primax with Merritor RT50-160 final drives at 4.56:1 ratio.

"The engine braking on these Signatures is really magnificent, Peter said. "That’s pretty important in this country and it makes a considerable saving to the life of your service brakes." Peter adds.

"I am really impressed with the Cummins’ retarding ability, which should reduce the need to replace the trailer brake linings by half compared to our older trucks. To give you an example there are 13 axles on each triple road train set. The cost to reline the entire trailer set cost us approximately $22,000.

The list of standard equipment on this truck reads like an optional extras brochure and includes such items as dual Hadley air horns, exterior sun visor, leather-wrapped steering wheel, chrome finish door handles, spring-mounted stainless steel tail lamp brackets and heated dual West Coast type stainless steel door mounted mirrors, dual 152mm (6") stainless steel convex mirrors mounted below the West Coast mirrors.

In terms of functionality, there’s pull type drain valves on all tanks including Bendix Westinghouse DV-2 auto moisture ejector on the wet tank and CR Turbo 2000 air dryer is all standard equipment.

With its rugged, weight-efficient design, Hendrickson Primax is said to be a premium heavy-duty rear air suspension that delivers advanced suspension technology for the rigorous demands of vocational, severe-service, and heavy-haul applications like this run Peter does. The system features a new robust structural design with optimised suspension geometry for improved stability, handling and ride. Suspension-induced driveline vibration is significantly reduced with Hendrickson Primax compared to competitive trailing-arm air suspensions. In addition the new air springs fill faster and lift and support the load with less air pressure than previous models.

"I can’t fault it, the ride, comfort and road handling are absolutely fabulous," Peter told us. "The Hendrickson Primax suspension delivers a great ride and it simply gets the power to the ground far more smoothly.

"Even more surprising though, is the turning circle," Peter enthused. "It is exceptional for such a long bonneted truck. I can turn the 4900 in half the distance of the previous truck from a different stable and that’s important in our game."

Peter said that the power and reliability of the Cummins engine makes a huge difference as well.

"We took delivery of this Western Star a little over 12 months ago year and so far it has clocked over 350,000 kilometers trouble free," Peter concluded. "The teething problems that normally come with new trucks simply haven’t happened with this Western Star."