If I was to mention "The Trinity", the word perfection comes to mind. The Trinity in this case is not Godly but a partnership of three that has put together what seems like the perfect package.

Brett Horrobin from Winstone Aggregates, Roadmaster Trailers and Cable Price have turned out a unit that is not only custom-built to meet the requirements of a specific job but is versatile enough to stay at work if the specifics of the job were to change.

Over the years many trucks have been built for a certain application or to do a specific job but often because of the requirements, which restrict or dictate the final design outcome, some less than attractive trucks have been produced.

Now something about this truck and trailer unit that really stands out from the start is that it looks really good. The Scania R480 L.B 8x4, with its four-axle Roadmaster trailer looking very much at home behind it, looks like a very balanced and well thought-out package. Horrobin has been around bulk tipping trucks for a very long time and, as manager for Winstone Aggregates, is involved in this part of the industry on a day-to-day basis. Over the years he has speced up many bulk tipping units. This job was a bit different and the requirements were a bit of a curve ball — a curtainsider was required for half of the job.

The task

Two units are needed to run coal from Marsden Point to Portland Cement, on the outskirts of Whangarei. Once they have tipped off the coal at Portland Cement they load palletised bagged cement for the return journey to Marsden Point, which has to be done in a curtainsider. Each unit will do about three and a half trips a day, and at this stage you might be saying "so what's so special about a curtainsider tipper, they have been around for ages?". That is where the units' specifications are special. There are many that are designed for wood chip or bark, which is more about cubic capacity than weight, so Brett wanted to design units that could still be used in the everyday running of the Winstones business. He also needed trucks and trailers that were tough enough to carry bulk aggregates like sealing chip for roading or sand and metal for concrete manufacture. Also taken into consideration for the utilisation and generic qualities of these new Scanias is that they can still jack-knife their trailers and fit into the mainstream Winstones operation alongside the other truck and trailer units.

Another motivating factor behindWinstones' decision to have such versatile trucks is that figuring out a way to backload palletised cement in a bulk tipper meant that there was huge savings in regards to carbon tonnes per litres of fuel used, which Winstones is very proactive in achieving.

The truck and trailers are designed with alloy floors and alloy tail doors, with three-ply curtains to contain the bulk loads that they will carry. The three-ply is a must to be able to withstand the weight of the coal against the sides but a small sacrifice means its extra thickness is fairly stiff and a wee bit harder to work with, ie, sliding the curtain back and forth. The units have new rollover covers, which all Winstone truck and trailers have and as I mentioned earlier, they are designed to fit into all aspects of the bulk tipping work. This means they can be loaded over the sides by a wheel loader in any quarry operation. Also as a bit of forward thinking, the Scanias have been built with the 50-53-tonne draft in mind if ever the law does go in that direction.

The drive

Now for the part of the job I love — getting to jump in the driver's seat and take it for a run! Damon Smith is the man at Cable Price who had the Scania truck and trailer unit all ready for a drive, before having it groomed and ready for its full-time driver Ray Wright from Winstones to pick it up.

Access to the cab is effortless, with wide opening doors, good grab handles and steps placed at easy intervals. The cab interior is excellent and in true Scania fashion never fails to impress. Scania actually says in its brochure that "A driver that works in an inspiring and comfortable environment is a safe and productive driver". This I would have to agree with because your environment can have a huge influence on your attitude and approach to work and this environment definitely feels good.

The cab is described as a day cab, which still affords the driver a good amount of work space, and room enough to have a rest bunk behind the seats without having to encroach on space for the body of the truck. Brett has had the small bunk behind the seats taken out, which actually makes the cab look roomier and driving this Scania is so easy that I doubt the driver will ever have to have a little lay-down while working in this truck.

The dash is a Colour Plus Dash, which is actually a standard fitment in New Zealand and is able to be programmed by the driver to showwhichever features he/she would like to monitor during operation of the vehicle. This is all part of the engine management kit and can range from fuel consumption to air tank pressures. Modern technology and the computerisation of vehicles means that on this particular Scania there are approximately 22 computers controlling the running and management of the vehicle and all are designed to make life easier for the driver and the vehicle more efficient.

Sitting with both hands on the wheel means the driver is within finger-tip reach of virtually all controls and switches that are needed while the truck is in motion. The Scania Opticruise, Scania retarder and cruise control are all incorporated in the steering wheel or steering column, which means there is hardly ever a need to take your hands off the wheel. Fantastic in terms of safe driving and vehicle control.

Damon and I cruised out of the yard so I can get a feel of how it drives, which is effortless. The steering is light and responsive, which makes manoeuvrability excellent; something that is really appreciated in a bulk tipper where a lot of its life is spent backing into tight places.

Stopping power

The Scania unit has EBS and ABS with brake fade warnings as part of the protection package, but being fitted with the very efficient Scania five-stage retarder and disc brakes on all wheels I can't see how brake fade would ever be an issue — even on New Zealand's rough topography — if the truck is operated in the correct manner. Scania has really stepped up to the plate in terms of braking and again this is very relevant in the area of heavy vehicles and safety. There is a switch on the steering wheel for downhill speed control, which enables the driver to control the retarder from the foot brake. If you were to come over the top of a hill like the Brenderwyns, which are just south of Whangarei, the driver can place his foot on the foot brake to pull back to the desired speed to descend the hill (40ks maybe), and then let the retarder take over and the truck will descend at 40ks being managed by the retarder. Another feature is brake blending in conjunction with the EBS. This can happen because the retarder is a very effective hydraulic, which means it will come on more and more until pressure on the brake pedal is no longer needed. Safety features like these fit high on the Winstone list of requirements and, with the possibility of increased weights being carried, means these trucks are well placed to be at the top of safety requirements.

As we bowl along the highway Damon pointed out another feature —the gear change kick-down. This is activated simply by easing off the accelerator pedal. A quick tap on the floor retarder switch will alert the computer and snap down the appropriate gears in the Scania 14-speed Opticruise.

This truck really is effortless to drive and the features just keep on coming. Another switch is the Hill Hold switch. Once this was activated in the on position, when we came up to a slight rise that we had to stop on we could comfortably accelerate away without any fears of rolling backwards. Leave this on and you have the perfect hill-start every time.

Now bearing in mind that you could almost categorise this truck as fleet spec as opposed to the boxes an owner/driver might tick, this truck comes with lots of standard features. Electric mirrors on the left side, heated mirrors, air bag suspension, climate control and enough storage space that you might have to number the lockers so you can remember where you put everything.

We got back to the yard after what I can only describe as a very pleasant driving experience, and, hearing about the fully controlled Electronic Injection timing for better fuel management and the 13L Scania engine that meets Euro 5 emission standards, I can see why Horrobin and Winstones have gone for two of these units to enhance their business.

Ray Wright must be a happy man behind the steering wheel.