Tim Giles

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

Speaking with Tim Giles, former NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto recalls an interaction which occurred when he was spending some time at a weighing station on the highway. “This driver came in, and he was a colourful operator, the staff knew him,” recalls Sal. “He said to me, that mob before you, they were useless!SUBSCRIBE to the PowerTorque newsletter“As they were talking the driver said, ‘They wouldn’t do X and Y’, and one of the staff said, ‘You know, we’re the same staff.

1 month 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.

1 month 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.

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.

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.