Aeolus Truck & Driver News

Increasing demand that has seen Christchurch dangerous goods tanker manufacturer Lowes Industries rapidly expanding – eventually spreading into five separate, adjoining buildings – has now seen it move into a new, purposebuilt home.
With double the factory floor space of its restrictive, inefficient old Woolston setup, the new 2200-square-metre factory – on a 6500 sq. m. site at Hillsborough – is intended to futureproof the business for foreseeable expansion.
The 65-year-old company, which makes the claim that it is “the top DG tanker manufacturer in New Zealand,” had been planning the expansion project for 10 years, managing director John ...

New Zealand Truck & Driver founder and publisher Trevor Woolston is one of six new inductees into the Mobil Delvac 1 NZ Road Transport Hall of Fame.
Woolston was honoured alongside the HoF’s first woman inductee, Otago transport operator Anita Dynes; prominent log transport industry leaders Warwick Wilshier and Graham Sheldrake; tyre industry veteran Jim Black; and the late Sir Jack Newman – longtime head of the pioneering Newman Bros transport operation and founder of Transport Nelson (TNL).
The inductees were welcomed into the HoF at the annual gala dinner at the Bill Richardson Transport World in Invercargill in mid-November.
The 64-year-old Woolston ...

A chain of one-stop-shop truck and trailer crash repair centres nationwide is planned for New Zealand – extending a grand plan already under way in Australia.
The trans-Tasman network is being created by Australia’s largest truck and trailer accident repair specialists, the Royan Group.
Royans has been in business in Australia’s eastern states for 75 years, specialising in truck and trailer accident repairs, panelbeating and spraypainting.
The current expansion drive began in Australia early in 2020, after private equity firm The Growth Fund took a controlling interest in Royans: In six months the group increased its Australian footprint from six repai...

Penske’s pullout from the Australia Supercars Championship does NOT mean the United States-based giant is also bailing-out of its New Zealand and Australian new truck businesses, the Australasian arm of the group says.
Penske Australia & NZ has moved to snuff out any spinoff rumours along those lines in the wake of the US-based Team Penske’s departure from the Aussie V8 series and from its partnership with Dick Johnson Racing.
In a press release, Penske Australia & NZ president Randall Seymore reaffirms its longterm commitment to the NZ and Australian truck markets.
“Since Team Penske partnered with Dick Johnson to form DJR Team Penske several ...

In a symbolic show of the power of electric trucks, Kenworth and Peterbilt etrucks have become the first heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles to drive to the summit of the 4302-metre-high Pikes Peak.
The battery electric Peterbilt Model 579EV and the fuel cell electric Kenworth T680 took to the renowned Pikes Peak hillclimb course on “America’s Mountain” in Colorado.
They had to negotiate 7-10% gradients, climbing through 156 tight turns and a 1432m elevation gain in 20 kilometres.
“Conquering Pikes Peak demonstrates PACCAR’s leadership in fuel cell and commercial vehicle electrification,” says Kyle Quinn, PACCAR chief technology office...