Tim Giles

Gold Coast

Editor at PowerTorque Magazine

Technical Editor at Freelance

Freelance Journalist and truckie

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Articles

Beginnings at the regulator

2 weeks ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

“I’ve still got a couple of staff here that were there from the start,” says former NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto, reflecting on his beginnings at the regulator. “They remember just how shaky it was, the death threats and all that. It was pretty serious for them, but we’ve come a long way. SUBSCRIBE to the PowerTorque newsletter“I remember when I walked in, we had about 110 people, and we were losing them, rather than keeping them.
Developing the DAF XG+

2 weeks ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

There is a rigorous internal process for the development of any truck with the DAF name. During the process, engineers in Eindhoven working with the new engine were concerned about the level of turbo whistle the new engine was producing. The team in Australia had to explain to their colleagues that Australian truckies would expect to hear that familiar sound in their truck.
Sal Petroccitto, the exit interview

1 month ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

Historically, the relationship between the trucking industry and its regulators has been fraught with hostility. This issue was exacerbated by the fact that, before the NHVR, each state had a different set of rules and regulations for the trucking industry, and the variations in rules between the states were considerable and petty, leading to vehicles being compliant in some states and non-compliant in others.
The driving experience in the DAF XG+

1 month ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

It was interesting to climb up into the cabin of the DAF XG+ and experience just what this melding of philosophies can bring to a truck. Can the two world views actually exist side-by-side? Can DAF replicate the kind of fully-integrated system normal in the European truck, while introducing an engine from a different continent’s trucking philosophy? The essential answer to this question is, of course, yes.
DAF XG+ getting the mix just right

1 month ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

The issue facing the engineers at PACCAR Australia designing the DAF XG+ for the Australian truck market was just how to bring together both European and North American technology, while at the same time getting the cocktail mix just right.
Western Star trucks reviews and news

2 months ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

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Scania 500 P from the driver's seat

2 months ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

Although, in magazines like PowerTorque, we often talk about a truck and highlight the horsepower rating of the engine, it is actually the torque rating which gives us that feeling of being able to get the vehicle to behave as it should and respond appropriately to the right foot of the driver. This kind of really useful torque is what this particular engine does deliver with full torque available all the way from 900rpm through to 1320rpm.
Preferences around safety technology

2 months ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

The latest Future of Trucking report includes truck buyer’s preferences around safety technology, in a period where the number of safety technologies available to the the truck maker is increasing at a rapid rate. The amount of data flowing through a modern truck’s CANbus coming from smart cameras and myriad sensors, has seen the proliferation of acronyms in a truck’s specification, both as standard or optional.
Power under the hood

2 months ago | powertorque.com.au | Tim Giles

There’s enough power under the hood of the Scania P500 to get the job done, with 500 hp available at 1800 rpm and a decent 2650Nm of torque (1955 ft lb) available all the way from 900 rpm to 1320 rpm. This is the kind of performance which would surprise a driver used to horsepower ratings in the low 400s and having to work hard to manoeuvre a B-double with containers in a tight container yard.
Getting the cocktail mix just right

Mar 8, 2025 | nztrucking.co.nz | Tim Giles

Engineers at Paccar Australia faced the challenge of integrating European and North American technologies into the DAF XG+ for the Australasian truck while getting the cocktail mix just right. . Tim Giles reckons the recipe seems to be working. Visitors to the Brisbane Truck Show in May 2023 got their first glimpse of the DAF XG+, an adaptation of the top- of-the-range prime mover for DAF in Europe, including the fitment of a 15L engine, rated up to 492kW (660hp).