ROADBOSS rides along in a Fennell Forestry AB-triple for a scenic two-day logging expedition across the Green Triangle, travelling from forestry to mill carting some of Australia’s finest timber
Driving out of Adelaide, the air is dry and hot as we enter logging country. We aren’t far from the coast, but it feels rural and the vision of vineyards is quickly replaced by towering pine and blue gums as far as the eye can see.
Out here logging trucks reign supreme, loaded to the brim with fresh-cut logs from across the Green Triangle – the six million hectare region spanning the border of South Australia and Victoria, which accounts for around 20 per cent of Australia’s forestry plantations.
Something about these rigs feels timeless and it may be because the vital freight they carry predates road transport altogether.
The point of this combination is it can run finished timber or logs, but it’s never empty, meaning if there’s product to be carted, we’ll cart it.
In the 1880s when the region’s logging exploits kicked off, it was done with horse and cart – a far cry from the B-doubles that rule the roads these days.
Pulling into a desolate industrial estate in Monarto, about an hour from Adelaide, we are set to link up with an operator from Fennell Forestry, one of the region’s leading harvesting contractors.
Instead of a typical logging trailer, we are instead met by a flat-bed AB-triple combination hitched up to a Kenworth K220.
“I’m about to put the stanchions up, but they’re laying flat right now,” Fennell Forestry driver Leon Johnston tells us when he sees us inspecting the stealthy logging trailers, which upon first glance look like an ordinary flat-bed set-up.
Driver Leon Johnston loading a flat-bed AB-triple combination hitched up to a Kenworth K220
Rather than simply running logs to the mill, only to return empty, Fennell Forestry uses custom built flat-bed Vawdrey trailers for its two AB-triples, with removable aluminium stanchions the driver deploys when loading logs, or leaves flat when running finished timber.
The Fennell Forestry AB-triples measure up at 36.5 metres and are rated for an operating weight of 110 tonnes, and according to the company they also boast emissions savings of 60 per cent compared with single-trailer logging set-ups.
“They’ve been specifically made for this application, so two 12-metre trailers and one six-metre trailer to match in with the packs of timber,” Leon explains.
“The point of this combination is it can run finished timber or logs, but it’s never empty, meaning if there’s product to be carted, we’ll cart it.”
It keeps me fit and that’s actually why my pants are falling down right now – I’ve lost weight!
Fennell Forestry runs a fleet of four AB-triple line-haul trucks and 11 B-double and A-double logging trucks, too, but it’s the versatile triples we’re here to see.
The journey will see us riding along with Leon – arguably the most energetic man in transport – on his daily run carting logs from the Fennell Forestry yard in Monarto to the Timberlink mill in Tarpeena, before heading back the way we came carrying finished timber.
As it turns out, Leon took out the South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA) Employee of the Year award for 2023 – so we were in good hands at least.
Ready, set, run
Moments after a quick ‘g’day’, Leon tells us it’s time to load and we get the impression he doesn’t like standing still.
Fennell Forestry has been carting logs in and around the Green Triangle for more than 30 years
After squaring his rig up between two towering rows of logs, he disappears behind the truck before launching onto the first of the three trailers to deploy the stanchions.
Leon gets this done quicker than most, literally running between the trailers as he sets them up. “I run so I don’t end up fat,” he laughs, sensing our confusion as we watch on from the sidelines.
We insist on picking up one of the stanchions, to see if they are as light as Leon makes them look. As we should have known, they are not light at all.
“A lot of guys can’t handle it or won’t do it, because as you’ve just seen it’s hard work,” he says. “I’m used to it though.”
A lot of guys can’t handle it or won’t do it, because as you’ve just seen it’s hard work. I’m used to it though.
When it comes time to load, Leon runs to the yard excavator, loading the trailers with impressive precision.
This is unsurprising, though, given Leon started on machinery before jumping into the cab of a truck like this one.
“You’ve got to be spot-on to fit within the length restrictions because the maximum length of the logs is six metres, and these trailers are six and 12 metres, leaving no wiggle room,” he explains.
Family ties
Fennell Forestry has been harvesting and delivering logs around these parts for more than 30 years, now with Wendy Fennell at the helm.
Fennell runs a fleet of four AB-triples and 11 B-doubles and A-doubles carting logs and timber
Wendy has been involved in the business since the very beginning, driving B-doubles by night while studying at university, and then later working her way into the executive team as CEO and now owner and Managing Director.
Her approach to operating the harvesting and haulage operation is forward-thinking and innovative, from the use of AB-triples to a converted electric Kenworth T609 being trialled, and even an Australian-first competency-based driver training program.
If Wendy sees the need for change, she stays ahead of the curve and this attitude of constant evolution is evident across the business.
The electric Kenworth T609 being used by Fennell Forestry is one of only two zero-emissions logging trucks in the world, utilising a Janus Electric conversion offering 720hp and a range of up to 350km, and so far it’s travelled more than 60,000 carbon-neutral kilometres as a B-double.
The truck has proven its operational capability by consistently hauling 68.5-tonne loads and driver feedback has been positive.
“The truck has proven its operational capability by consistently hauling 68.5-tonne loads and driver feedback has been positive, thanks to its ease of driving and on-road performance,” she says.
But Wendy believes electric vehicles are only one piece of the puzzle on the road to net-zero, and is looking also to higher productivity combinations to reduce truck movements.
“Decarbonisation of the heavy vehicle industry will be a long, slow road, so it’s imperative we start now,” she says.
“We have the electric truck, but there are also a number of other strategies that we’re going to need to lower emissions in the transport industry, and running higher productivity vehicles is one of them.
Fennell believes higher productivity vehicles will be critical to decarbonising the industry
“Higher productivity vehicles also mean that the labour pool we do have is shifting more product for each labour hour.”
Cutting red tape
In attempting to combat the skilled driver shortage Wendy developed a multi-combination (MC) licensing program that would fast-track the otherwise arduous process of becoming B-double-ready, pairing trainees with experienced mentors for real-world learning.
Rather than the standard 120 hours, trainee drivers would be assessed for competency after spending time behind the wheel of a Fennell Forestry truck in a real operating environment, carting logs from forest to mill – exactly the work they’d be undertaking once licensed up.
“I’ve always strived to employ the person, then train the skill. If they don’t have experience, it doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be a good fit for the company,” Wendy explains.
Fennell Forestry has been a leader in implementation of competency-based training
“I got trained straight to B-double myself, in the early days, and I could see the benefits of training in what you’re actually going to be driving compared with having to gain experience in a different configuration as a prerequisite.”
Of course, this meant Wendy had to get the South Australian Government on board with her plan, which proved difficult.
A global pandemic, however, opened the eyes of the ‘powers that be’, who suddenly saw the merit in her plan.
“I had the idea in mind for a good seven years, but the Government just wasn’t open to it.
A big key to attracting and retaining drivers is ensuring you have a good preventative maintenance program and we do the majority of it in-house in our own workshop.
“Come Covid, when people were open to doing things differently, we got it across the line to do the pilot program,” she says.
The program has been a tremendous success, with eight new MC drivers welcomed into the ranks and counting – many of them new-to-industry operators.
“It’s had a 100 per cent success rate and the first guy I put through the program is now three years down the track,” Wendy says.
It’s no surprise Wendy has found and kept operators as passionate (and fast-moving) as Leon, favouring quality gear that is maintained to a high standard – with no exceptions.
Fennell Forestry favours quality gear and in-house maintenance to help attract and retain drivers
“A big key to attracting and retaining drivers is ensuring you have a good preventative maintenance program and we do the majority of it in-house in our own workshop,” she says.
“We know the vehicles, we know the drivers, and they get a real feel that we’re supporting them in what they’re driving.”
Wendy also acknowledges that it’s the people that keep the wheels turning in any transport business, a company ethos that probably explains why drivers like Leon are so happy to be in the seat.
“The key to any good business is the people, they’re the number-one asset and it’s important you make sure you find and keep the right people,” she says.
A lot of my inspiration comes from the people and how they conduct themselves. I’ve always strived to employ the person, then train the skill.
“A lot of my inspiration comes from the people and how they conduct themselves.”
Dream route
It doesn’t get much better than the snaking stretch of highway between Monarto and Tarpeena, with relatively good roads and a spectacular array of scenery that ranges from grazing livestock to boutique vineyards.
Climbing into the Kenworth K220, it’s apparent Leon treats the truck with the utmost respect. This is the man’s castle and you’ll be hard pressed finding a single scuff or fingerprint, let alone any clutter or actual mess.
We shoot south on the South-East Freeway, crossing the mighty Murray before reaching Tailem Bend for a quick stretch of the legs.
The trip between Monarto and Tarpeena is around a five-hour drive in total
Leon is limited in where he can stop the stout 36.5-metre combination for the rest of the run, passing through charming townships like Keith, Willalooka and Nangwarry before making the final run into Tarpeena.
This is around a five-hour drive in total, but one with varied terrain and plenty of sections that require the Kenworth to work up a real sweat, as 100-plus-tonnes is met with incline after incline.
Road-trains here are limited to 90km/h, which on 110km/h roads usually means passenger cars look for any chance to slip up the side, often putting operators in dangerous situations, but there are fairly constant overtaking lanes across the trip – easing the chaos.
In terms of routes he’s driven across his career, including the odd run to Perth, Leon thinks this run is about as good as it gets.
You’ve got to be spot-on to fit within the length restrictions because the maximum length of the logs is six metres, and these trailers are six and 12 metres, leaving no wiggle room.
“I enjoy it and I love doing it in this Kenworth K220 – it’s just a really good truck to drive,” he says.
Full circle
Entering the mill at Tarpeena we trade logs for processed timber, completing the circle of life for the lumbar, unloaded by the largest claw found at any of the mills in the region.
As Leon removes straps and readies the rig for unloading, a senior manager called Bobby from Timberlink turns to us and says, “I wish I could find guys that worked like he does – he’s a gun!
It’s quite a spectacular scene, watching a 100-plus-tonne AB-triple unloaded in five swipes of a gargantuan claw.
The 100-plus-tonne AB-triple is unloaded in five swipes of a gargantuan claw
It’s a very necessary tool, though, with up to 90 trucks coming through the Timberlink yard each day.
Leon takes the opportunity to shower and have dinner, while the Timberlink crew loads his truck for its return leg to Adelaide.
We catch up with Leon the next morning, who’s up and jogging around the truck at 5am. After he’s checked the straps, he hits the road.
For much of the drive back to Adelaide, we pondered Leon’s superhuman energy levels. As far as we could see, it all comes down to a mix of support from his employer, quality equipment and a bloody good attitude. We could probably all learn a thing or two from Leon and the Fennell Forestry team.