It is hard to believe, in the modern atmosphere of concentration on safety in the road transport industry, accidents like this one in the photo can happen. This is a disaster for the operator and the owner of the site and the apportioning of blame will have gone on for quite a while.

Luckily, the driver was not injured in this case but if they had been in the cab it could have been much more serious. The accident does illustrate a number of the things we need to think about.

How come a bulk tanker on an industrial site wasn’t fitted with a brake system which would not let a driver leave the cabin without applying the handbrake. Even a buzzer when the door was opened without the brake applied would have done the trick.

And what about the plant safety regime? There is no barrier between a road on an industrial site and a deep body of water. What were they thinking?

Working in the modern transport industry we are constantly complaining about the stupid small restrictions being placed on us, the procedures we have to follow and the forms we have to fill out. However, everytime you see a picture like this it reminds us we are working in a dangerous profession and anything which might save a life has got to be worth it!

The first question is, where is the drawbar? This is answered later in the video. Secondly, you have to ask, how come the guy can move the tipper body so easily? Third question, why do they put one tipper body inside the other body?

When the truck returns, the ability to move the tipper back onto the dog trailer seems extremely easy. When the driver picks up the drawbar, how does he move the truck back to the right position. He definitely got out of the drivers seat and is not signalling to anyone to move the truck.

At the end of this video, which is said to be the first trip with a new truck there is one big question hanging over the whole story, why???

KW T609, originally uploaded by quarterdeck888.

This is one of those truck redesigns which is going to divide opinion right across the board. One thing is for sure, feeling about it will be strong on both sides. There may be a lot of discussion about the new look but, probably, not a lot of agreement.

Here at etruck.com.au, I have to say I am very taken with this particular style decision. It is an improvement on the bonnet design of the T608 and moves the look of this classic interstate prime mover back closer to that traditional Kenworth style.

By opting for a heavier looking, wider radiator grille the shape of the nose is harking back to the ‘anteater’ days, while still retaining modern cues like the curves around the headlight and the bottom of the grille. As a bit of a traditionalist, who does tolerate change when it is an improvement, I think this new look T609 is going to go down well with the majority of truckies.

New cabover grill K200, originally uploaded by quarterdeck888.

This photo from Alice Springs of the new Kenworth K200 demonstrates just how radical the change has been in the look of Australia’s most popular cabover truck. The big rectangular radiator grille which dates back to the sixties is gone and is provoking strong comments here on etruck.com.au.

The reason for the change is clear, there are many more square inches of air inlet in this design compared to the Kenworth K108. The addition of the two small vents above the headlights shows us just how necessary it is for Kenworth to get much more cool air in under the cab and working to destress the engine by reducing the heat.

KW T403, originally uploaded by quarterdeck888.

Looking at the new shape for the Kenworth truck range, the new shape for the T403 will probably be the most acceptable of the oval grille designs for the fiercely traditional Kenworth fanatics who have been commenting in strong terms about the new look.

This new bonnet sees a small widening of the original grille to get more cool air into the engine compartment to keep things cool. As such it does represent such a marked shift in shape as seen elsewhere in the range.

This photo from the US is enough to give the RTA nightmares. At 57 feet this trailer would create a semi trailer 21 metres long. Three metres overlength is bad enough but then consider the positioning of the trailer’s axles. The amount of tail swing on this combination will be phenomenal, you can imagine a few cyclists being flicked off their bikes at road junctions and rear underrun bars gouging car doors.

The pressure is on in Europe to extend semi trailer length rules, which will only work with steering trailer axles. This is likely to stimulate a large investment in technology to improve steering systems which will trickle down for trucking operators around the world to use. However, even with state-of-the-art steering systems on trailers we can still expect a few cyclists to cop a whack at road junctions.

The new trucks do represent a radical redesign and rethink for Kenworth. The company are not known for making radical change at any time, Paccar are a conservative company who will make a change only when it needs to happen. This time around the rethink had to be in the modernisation of their long-standing and well loved cab over the K 108. The result is we now have a new kid on the block, the K 200.

The new design for the K 200 addresses some of the issues, which have seen other cabover prime movers making progress in the very lucrative B-double prime mover market. Other brands can offer a similar driveline with more space in the cab interior or improved OHS considerations in terms of driver access and comfort. etruck’s spies in Alice tell us the floor of the new cabover is getting closer to a flat floor to a surprising extent.

On the face of it the radical new look all comes down to radiator grille design with the new K 200 and the T609 getting a new curved elliptical shaped grille. The new shape does modernise the design to a certain extent but, in the case of the K 200, it is still fitted to a cab whose design first started appearing on Kenworth product back in the 60s. Of course, this is an all-new cabin design and bears little relation, apart from basic shape, to the original.

There will be many who will bemoan the passing of the ‘classic’ Kenworth radiator shape but time moves on, even for Paccar. The reason behind these new shapes is purely practical Kenworth are having to fit more or more under the hood and get more cool air into the engine compartment. This time around they have needed enhanced cooling packages to cope with the needs of the new engines and exhaust after treatment systems to clean up emissions to meet the new ADR 80/03 rules.

The company would have thought long and hard about making changes in the basic design of their trucks. It is important to them not to get too far away of that basic philosophy about the truck which makes Kenworth the most popular brand here in Australia. On the face of it, at first glance, the guys from Bayswater seem to have got it just right. The trucks are different enough to show they have been modernised but also retain that Kenworth look and feel which is so important to their enthusiasts who drive them week in week out.