Aeolus Truck & Driver News

New Zealand production of AdBlue is being ramped up at the Ballance Agri Nutrients Kapuni plant in Taranaki as international supplies remain tight.

And NZ distributors say there is sufficient supply – providing users don’t panic buy.

A halt on urea exports from China last year has sent AdBlue/DEF fluid manufacturers scouring the globe for automotive grade urea – the raw material needed to make the AdBlue used in the emissions control systems of modern diesel engines.

Ballance Agri Nutrients says it has increased local production of its GoClear-branded AdBlue while other local distributors are searching global supply chains for alternative sources. Indications are Chi...

The UDC Finance Show & Shine competition at the upcoming 2025 Transfleet Trailers/Allied Petroleum Bombay Truck Show is full to the brim, with entries being closed off in early October.

All of the available entry spots have been snapped up with a capacity line-up of 465 trucks set for the Show & Shine, matching the number of rigs appearing at the 2023 event.

“We set a cut-off because we can’t really fit any more trucks into the grounds and still have enough room for public parking,” says show coordinator Marieka Morcombe.

“We opened the registrations back in July and it’s been a steady flow of entries ever since then. A lot of companies will be turni...

There are 24 battery electric truck models and a single hydrogen fuel cell model from 10 manufacturers on the initial list of vehicles qualifying for support under the recently announced Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund (LEHVF).

The $27.75m Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) administered fund, announced in late-September, is a Government initiative to boost New Zealand’s adoption of zero and low-emissions heavy vehicles.

Transport operators can apply for up to 25% funding support when purchasing new zero and low-emissions heavy vehicles.

Specifics of the scheme require vehicles to have a GVM of 5.9-tonnes or greater, and grants apply...

The fifth generation Freightliner Cascadia has been unveiled by Daimler Truck North America.

Production is timed to begin mid-2025 at manufacturing plants in Portland, Oregon and Saltillo, Mexico. 

Development priorities for the new Cascadia focused on fuel efficiency and the continued introduction of advanced safety features and connectivity tools.

 “Since its original introduction in 2007, our customers have purchased more than one million Freightliner Cascadias, making it the most driven Class 8 truck on North American roads,” says David Carson, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Daimler Truck North America.

The fifth g...

Following a lengthy delay, the Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST) is now in the process of deploying five of its new Mobile Roller Brake Test units.

The new machines – which enable roadside brake testing for heavy commercial vehicles – were launched to the media in early 2022 and were scheduled for deployment later that year.

Among the reasons cited for the delay have been issues related to the design of trailers for transporting the units, an extended test and development programme, and also driver training required for officers who would be transporting the units.

The February 2024 issue of New Zealand Truck & Driver reported five MRBT un...