Cement Australia, the nation’s largest supplier of cement products and services, has purchased 19 new Kenworth road tankers as part of an ongoing expansion and replacement program. Cement Australia, which was formed in 2003 from the merger of Queensland Cement and Australian Cement, runs plants in Queensland, NSW and Tasmania, and has a production capacity of over three million tonnes annually. Its operations include the mining of raw materials as well as the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of a diverse range of cements and related products.

Headquartered in Sydney, the company manages the largest dedicated distribution network in the industry, including its own ships and more than 200 road and rail tankers to support the manufacturing plants. Colin Bailey, Cement Australia’s General Manager - Supply Chain and Projects, says Kenworth plays an integral role in the company’s distribution network.

“Our road tankers are an important cog in our supply chain,” he said. “We rely on our trucks to transport bulk materials from our cement plants and distribute them to a wide range of customer locations throughout the country. Kenworth has proven itself over the years with its reliability and productivity, which in turn enables us to maintain a high level of customer service,” he said.

Cement Australia has been working with Kenworth since 1999, and today its fleet is primarily made up of Kenworth prime movers, mainly T401s and T404s as well as two T650s which are used as triple road trains in the Mt Isa depot.

The bulk of the fleet is used for two applications: Single trailer T401s cart 28 tonne of dry powder cement throughout metropolitan and regional areas, and T404s, configured as B Doubles, haul 41 tonne of fly ash from power stations in Queensland and New South Wales to depots and customer locations.

The company’s most recent purchase of 19 Kenworths comprises 15 single trailer T401s and four T404 B Doubles. Ten of the T401s will be used for cement deliveries to batching plants throughout the Brisbane region, and the other five T401s will handle similar duties throughout the Sydney region. The T404s will work out of the company’s Brisbane and Gladstone depots.

The majority of Cement Australia’s T401s are powered by a Caterpillar C-12 engine producing 430 hp and 1650 lb/ft of torque. The model features an 18-speed Eaton RTLO16918B transmission, with Meritor front axle and 40,000 lb Eaton DSH40 rear axles, riding on Kenworth Airglide 200 suspension.

The company’s T404’s are powered by Cummins ISX engines producing 525 hp and 1850 lb/ft of torque. The model includes an 18-speed Eaton RTLO20918B transmission, with Meritor front axle and 40,000 lb Eaton DS462 rear axles, riding on Kenworth Airglide 200 suspension.

The T401 and T404 remain two of Kenworth’s most popular vehicles, combining light tare weight, high-performance, fuel-efficient engines and a short bumper-to-back-of-cab. This combination delivers increased uptime, improved productivity and a higher capacity payload than many other trucks in their class.

The T401 is available in a choice of engines, rated up to 430 hp and 1650 lb/ft of torque. The T404 is available with various engines rated up to 505 hp and 1850 lb/ft of torque. Standard features on both trucks include new-style aerodynamic air intakes with two inlets to increase air flow for the higher-powered engines. Also standard are a one-piece curved windscreen and Daylite doors for improved visibility.

Colin says both Kenworth models were chosen because of a lower whole-of-life cost driven by a number of factors, most notably the trucks’ light tare weight and reliability.

“While the up-front cost of a Kenworth is high, we have seen considerable savings over the life of the trucks. They are cheap to run, easy to maintain, reliable and productive on the road, and they offer a high resale price when it’s time to replace,” he added.

Kenworth trucks are designed and manufactured in Australia to meet the world’s toughest applications. Kenworth, a division of PACCAR Australia, is market leader in heavy duty trucks in Australia. Its trucks are also exported to Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. PACCAR Inc, a Six Sigma company, is a worldwide manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt, DAF and Foden brands. It also provides financial services and distributes truck parts related to its principal business.