
When you’re choosing a truck loader crane you have a choice of a telescopic boom crane or a knuckle boom crane. Telescopic boom cranes (also called straight boom cranes) have a cable and hook attached to a winch, while the…
In a car with a petrol or diesel engine, the battery has a life of around 5-6 years, assuming it’s being used reasonably regularly, but there are ways in which you can reduce this, one of them being letting your…
A dangerous goods placard is a diamond-shaped warning sign or label displayed on a truck, trailer, portable tank or container that either conveys information about the specific hazards and risks of the goods carried, or is a generic warning that…
Trucks are often classified in according to the class of licence required to drive them. A class 2 truck can have gross laden weight of 18000kg, a class 4 truck is 18000kg and over without a trailer and a class…
The most common type of Roadranger gearbox has 18 forward speeds and 4 reverse speeds. However, older trucks might have 9, 13 or 15 forward speeds and you can identify them by the style of the gearstick. Roadranger ‘boxes are…
The cab is your work area, so it needs to be safe and comfortable. A comfortable cab helps the driver avoid fatigue. Knowing how to do a pre-trip inspection means you’ll find issues with the truck before they become major…
Utes, also called pick-up trucks and utility vehicles, are the vehicle of choice for tradespeople and farmers, plus people who get out into the rugged wilderness as either part of their job or for their hobbies. From single-cab to double-cab,…
Spotters are used in the transport and construction industry when it’s difficult to manoeuvre a vehicle or an object. Examples include: Reversing or coupling a heavy vehicle (e.g. semitrailer or truck and trailer) Manoeuvring a forklift with a large load…
Your family car probably weighs around 2000kg all up with you, a passenger and its fuel. It has four wheels in contact with the road – small rubber patches, no bigger than the size of a CD case (remember those?).…
What’s different between driving an electric truck and a diesel truck? The majority of drivers would struggle to get an electric truck started without some kind of introduction, so let’s go over the basics. The first step is to disable…
Overtaking or passing means getting by a vehicle ahead of you that is either travelling slower or has stopped. The reasons for not overtaking are different for different types of road. Single-lane unmarked road This is a narrow road without…