Total Logistics Solutions, TLS, recently acquired 18 brand new SCF Container Solutions’ 40-ft containers to move product for a key account, Geelong-based carpet manufacturer Godfrey Hirst.

The switch from tautliner trailers to high-capacity A-double container sets coincided with a fleet of Scania R 590 V8s returning to the TLS fleet after a Covid-inspired liaison with another European brand.

TLS has taken delivery of 13 new Scanias with 12 more to come in 2025. Early signs are that the new trucks are performing exactly as promised: delivering high driver satisfaction, good fuel, and thanks to effortless torque, easy, fatigue-free driving. Also easy was utilising Scania Finance Australia to fund the trucks and signing up to the Scania Fleet Monitoring Programme and Scania Repair and Maintenance contract, which promise to remove the headaches associated with on-time servicing and vehicle management, all of which are now of paramount important to leading operators such as TLS.

Jason McHenry, TLS CEO, says the containerised solution appeared out of the blue when he had a call from his business partner and Managing Director, Doug Painter, who told him he’d just had a brilliant idea, to use containers for the linehaul requirements of Godfrey Hirst.

One of the advantages of the containers is that they are extremely robust, whereas previously tautliner curtains or the trailer’s roof could easily be damaged during loading, given the unwieldiness of the load being forked onboard.

Configured for A-double transport, the new Vawdrey skels make life easy as well.

“We bought nine A-double sets and 18 containers to run Melbourne-Sydney and Melbourne-Brisbane and back, and we can leave a set at the customer to load while we take the pre-loaded trailers, this makes everything more efficient, rather than live loading which we used to do,” Jason says. “We leave a set of trailers onsite to preload, so there’s little dead time with the truck or customer waiting. The customer has also got their own tug to move the trailers around, so it makes everything work easily.”

Rob Connelly runs the maintenance for TLS’ fleet nationally. “We’ve got around 40 prime movers and 250 pieces of equipment. Our 21 Scania prime movers are serviced by Scania’s workshops.

“We've had these new Scania R 590 V8s for a couple of months now. We've had no issues with them, and we have built up a great rapport with all the servicing branches in each state as well. It is nice to get that communication, pick up advice on running them and it is really great from my end because it makes my job a lot easier,” Rob says.

“The Scania R&M contract and Fleet Monitoring programme show us what the trucks and drivers are doing, how they're being driven, and how much fuel they're using. Reducing emissions is an important factor for us and for our customers.

“We utilise the ‘My Scania’ portal, so we can track everything. We've also given each of the drivers the Scania fleet monitoring fob which transmits their personal data, how they're driving the truck. We can also manage fuel consumption, checking usage between vehicles, so that we can spot any issues.

“We have also been reviewing the driver scores, which reward efficient and safe driving, and it has been good to see drivers achieving consistently high scores. It's reassuring that our drivers do know what they're doing, and what we're asking them to do,” he says.

“There’s also a sense of easy competition between the drivers based on their driver scores. The drivers ask me where they are ranked this week, and we are incentivising them to keep focused on the driver score, because a high score means the truck is being driven efficiently.

“We’re keeping it light, it’s a bit of fun, but all the same they are staying focused. Several have asked how do I drive better? How do I get from here to here (in the scores)? It's great to hear those questions. Whereas before you'd hear from no one, so they could be driving in any manner they liked, maybe flogging the truck, but we wouldn’t know, and they weren’t saying. So, the fact that we're getting this (competition over driver scores) catching on so early with these brand-new Scania trucks means I'm very hopeful that we'll have no issues when the trucks eventually get to those later stages of their lifespan,” Rob says.

“Basically, the drivers are looking after them, driving them sympathetically, because if they don't, they're not going to get the good driver score. Plus, there’s less chance of a breakdown if they're focused on their driving and less chance of hitting anything because, again, they're focused on smooth acceleration, smooth braking, anticipation as they go up the hills. Which helps the brakes, which helps the gearbox, the clutch, which I've had a few (issues with the) other brands of trucks,” Rob says.

“So instead of maybe needing a gearbox rebuild at a certain distance, it might be twice that, or not at all, which would be wonderful. It’s the same thing with brake pads thanks to the Scania Retarder. I’m getting better uptime, and fewer unplanned stoppages,” he says.

“The previous Scanias we had racked up 1.1 - 1.2 million km over seven or eight years, and we have had positive reports back from their new owners, so yes, they’re still in good condition, so we’re happy with that.

“The maintenance and servicing records that I saw from that batch of trucks showed very few issues. We operate a policy of shuffling the trucks around, so they all end up with a very similar number of km under them. We use the monitoring system to spot when a truck is racking up big km, and then swap it out with one that has done fewer which also keeps us in line with the service contract.

“We’re running a couple of the new Scanias on a 24/5 double shift changeover. One driver starts at 4.00am and the next gets in at 3.30pm, fills up, hooks up the trailers, and is on the road by 4.00pm, and it’s just like clockwork. These trucks can do up to 2000 km per day, five days a week, and more come October-November,” Rob says.

In addition to the A-doubles, TLS is also running some Vawdrey double drop deck trailers as Super Bs, now pulled by the Scania V8s.

“The Super B drop-decks we use are up to 4.6 m high and they can take 42 pallets, mostly carrying retail freight. That is quite light, so we’re cubing out, those pallets are only about 250-400 kg,” Jason McHenry says.

Attracting drivers remains a constant headache for all operators, and as Jason says, the drivers available all want comfort and convenience.

“These new drivers want everything automatic; they want everything to be easy, and I tell them in these trucks they’re more comfortable than my car. You drive four-and-a-half hours, hop out, have a break and then get back in and at the end of the trip you’re still fresh.”

Travis Damianopoulos, Scania Laverton Truck Account Manager says that the new Scania V8s will return impressive fuel efficiency for TLS given the operating environment.

“The high torque at low revs Scania engine philosophy will pay dividends to TLS for its trips pulling the A-double container sets. As Jason and Rob have noted, the comfort and quietness of the Scania cab will be a distinctive advantage especially for drivers working long shifts.

“The Scania V8 will eat up the 24/5 running profile TLS employs, and our workshops around the country will be able to turn them around very swiftly when they need maintenance. Using the Scania Fleet Monitoring programme will deliver exact measurements of dozens of data points so the management team will have 100% visibility on all the key areas of operation,” he says.

“Whether they are pulling A-double container sets at 85-tonnes or B-double drop decks interstate, the Scania experience will keep the TLS drivers as happy as their fleet management team.”