Hire and Rental News - August 2019

National Group’s port-to-pit approach The National Group’s port-to-pit approach to operations, with national and international transport an integral part of its business is pivotal to its success,” Mark Ackroyd, National Group Managing Director said. M ark said it’s difficult to access remote mining locations means the company regularly faces the challenge of transporting from the source to final destination, cost-effectively, timely and safely. “The complexities of transport logistics are often misunderstood and cannot be underestimated,” Mark said. The National Group delivers equipment nationally and internationally through in-house subsidiaries such as National Heavy Haulage (NHH) and International Global Logistics (IGL). National Heavy Haulage transports large and heavy equipment of any size to the most remote locations throughout Australia. NHH conducts route surveys in order to adequately assess the risk and identify the scope of the project. Basic necessities of every haul include measuring and securing loads with restraints, planning and transport logistics. There is a standard restriction of 15 tonnes per axle with permit approvals often required from Government authorities such as Main Road Engineers, Inter-State Police and Rail, Mark said. “We regularly conduct route surveys to ensure the safe passage of large and heavy machines with unusual dimensions,” Ian Scott, NHH General Manager said. “Route planning can help identify and map out potential hazards such as low bridges, low hanging electrical wiring or river crossings that carry weight restrictions.” For example, in late 2018 NHH delivered five Ultra-Class Liebherr T 282 C Dump Trucks to BHP’s Peak Downs mine site in Central Queensland. These ‘mammoth’ mining trucks required police escort and road closures to accommodate the immense size of vehicle components, with hauls taking place over five separate trips throughout the months of September and October 2018. Due to the immense size and weight of these vehicles, additional prime movers were attached to ensure load safety, with two truck chassis pulling and one truck pushing the load up the Eton range, with road closures and QLD Police escorts leading the way. “The trucks are some of the largest in the world and have an empty vehicle weight of more than 260 tonnes so when you put that into perspective, they each weigh more than 130 standard cars,” Mark Ackroyd said. NHH regularly liaises with third parties such as Ergon Energy in order to avoid high voltage, low hanging electricity wires during hauls. Due to the intense heat in the Australian summer, power lines can expand, sag and stretch, resulting in low hanging wires that pose a safety hazard. NHH therefore engages the use of a high wire escort that involves raising low hanging wires in order to ensure safe passage of the load. “We are always on tight schedules, with delivery often required in order to meet its next port of call,” Ian Scott said. “We regularly liaise with our sister company International Global Logistics (IGL) since equipment is often en-route to and from international locations. If we experience any type of delays, this has a knock on effect that incurs significant additional costs. We have extensive experience in the heavy haulage of equipment of any size and due to the high stakes involved with heavy haulage, it’s in everyone’s best interest to leave it to the professionals.” International Global Logistics (IGL) is part of the National Group and provides worldwide transportation service for heavy equipment and larger cargo. “IGL is a key link in the transport and logistics chain, we rely heavily on our suppliers and in turn, they rely heavily on us,” Dean Sterling, IGL General Manager said. “There is a chain of responsibility and any weak link could sabotage the whole operation, pose a significant safety risk or cause expensive and timely delays. Therefore measures must be put into place to manage this inherent risk.” Along with adhering to International Shipping laws, IGL also follows general standard safety procedures that are ‘controllable’, with shipment specific strategic planning also undertaken. IGL also has to take into account natural forces that are ‘uncontrollable’ such as rising and falling tides, large and dangerous swells and extreme weather conditions such as cyclones. “When loading large, heavy and expensive equipment onto a vessel, having a strong relationship with cargo owners, vessel captains and vessel planners is important” notes Dean Sterling. Precision is key and timing is critical in the field of international logistics, with fines for vessel detention upwards of USD $20,000 per day when vessel delays occur. n Contact: 1300 096 618 or visit: www.national-group.com National Heavy Haulage transports large and heavy equipment of any size to the remotest locations throughout Australia P54 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS AUGUST 2019 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT & SITE EQUIPMENT