NTI Expands, Paccar Dealer Change, Ampol Trial

HVIA partners NTI and Ampol, and member Paccar Australia, unveil exciting new business initiatives

Principal Partner NTI has expanded its national network of premium and local repairers with the addition of seven new locations operated by HVIA Supporting Partner Royans.

Royans, the country’s largest truck and trailer accident repairer, has added five premium and two local repairers) to NTI’s authorised repair network, adding to its existing 13 in the group.

The network is an exclusive alliance of 27 premium repairers meeting NTI’s strict criteria across specialist skills, workmanship, facilities, equipment levels, industry experience and trained tradespersons, supplemented by another 39 local repairers servicing smaller, less complex repairs.

NTI’s National Manager Repairer Networks, Adam Craft, says the network is about making sure trucks are repaired and back on the road as quickly as possible without compromising on safety.

“Our customers can go to any of NTI’s premium or local repairers with their claim number and the repairer has automatic authority to start repairs.

“NTI had independent research completed showing our premium repairer network gets NTI claims repaired, on average, nine days faster than our competitors,” he says.

“All NTI repairers in our networks must meet the highest level of standards around facilities, equipment, skills, knowledge, and experience. They also must live and breathe NTI’s core values and provide an excellent customer experience.”

Craft says NTI and Royans have had a long and successful partnership spanning more than 20 years.

“Back in 2004, Royans (Brisbane) was the first repairer on the east coast to adopt the high premium repairer standards. Since that time Royans grew it’s premium repairs to offering it to six branches and now we’re thrilled another five of their locations are being added to our premium repairer network, with another two local repairers also joining,” he says.

“NTI is constantly reviewing the landscape to see where we may need more repairers to help our customers in their time of need. The additional Royans repairers are in a mix of regional and metropolitan locations on key transport routes across Australia.”

RDO Equipment joins the PACCAR dealer network

HVIA member Paccar Australia has also unveiled changes to its network with RDO Australia Group completing the acquisition of the Inland Truck Centres business which provides sales and after-sales support to Kenworth and DAF customers in Dubbo, Griffith, Orange and Wagga Wagga.

Originally founded in 1968 as a machinery dealer in the town of Warren NSW by Peter Swane, the company quickly expanded to Dubbo in 1970 offering second-hand trucks to customers, as well as farm equipment and rural products.

Peter Swane Machinery was appointed as a Kenworth dealer in 1975 with trucks becoming the core focus of the business. In 2001 the company changed its name to Inland Truck Centres to better reflect expansion of the business into the NSW Riverina and the core business focus of truck sales and support.

Paccar Australia Managing Director Damian Smethurst praised Cliff (Peter’s son) and Veramae Swane for their leadership of Inland Truck Centres over the past 30 years.

“Cliff Swane is a legend of the Australian transport industry. He has dedicated his career to servicing the NSW Riverina region, his community, and our brands. The Paccar dealer network is stronger because of Cliff’s contribution and dedication,” he says.

“RDO will continue to build upon this legacy. RDO is led by locals who understand our farming and construction sectors. RDO is a world-class partner and has Paccar’s full support. We warmly welcome the RDO team and look forward to their contribution.”

RDO Australia Group, part of RDO International, is a family-owned business that owns and operates RDO Equipment and Vermeer Australia dealerships across 29 Australian locations.

Ampol And Hanson To Conduct Renewable Diesel Trial

HVIA Supporting Partner Ampol has announced it will conduct a renewable diesel trial, with Hanson confirmed as its first customer partner.

The trial will allow Ampol to get a practical understanding of the customer demand and market feasibility of renewable diesel in Australia. Ampol will supply Hanson with a blend consisting of 20 per cent renewable diesel and 80 per cent ultra-low sulphur diesel in addition to its Ampol Amplify additives.

The announcement of the renewable diesel trial follows Ampol’s recent partnership with Japan’s largest oil company, ENEOS, to explore the production of renewable fuels at Lytton refinery.

Ampol Executive General Manager, International and New Business, Brent Merrick, says the trial strengthens Ampol’s position as a leading supplier of world-class quality fuels.

“Ampol is proud of the role it plays in supporting our customers. We are acutely aware that our customers’ transport energy priorities are shifting, and that partnering with industry leaders such as Hanson is vital in ensuring we continue to evolve,” he says.

“This renewable diesel trial is another step in our development of a renewable fuels business in Australia. The availability of renewable diesel, particularly for hard-to-abate areas, is of particular interest as it does not require vast fleet or infrastructural changes.”

Hanson Australia Chief Executive Phil Schacht says the trial furthers the company’s commitment to CO2 reduction across the supply chain.

The trial will start in the coming weeks and run for approximately two months, with an evaluation process to be executed prior to exploring a wider roll out to Ampol’s broader customer base.