The status of the Straits of Hormusz may be uncertain and the price of Brent Crude may be well above world expectations but when it comes to oil Scania has helped sort things out for Australia company Cookers .
While it may not be black gold or Texas Tea but the oil that Cookers transports is nonetheless important and important for the functioning of day to day life. You see Cookers is company that distributes new cooking oil and collects and recycles used cooking oil to the local food industry.
The company recently added a new Scania P-series rigid to its fleet for what the company describes as ‘frugal, clean and safe regional’ transport.
While the rest of us try to save oil by driving more frugally to reduce our fuel costs Cookers are constantly looking for ways of being more efficient when ti comes to delivering cooking oil and retrieving used oil.
The company’s national fleet safety and compliance manager, Matthew Weinert says Cookers’ aim is to be one per cent better every day.
The company reckons its dedication to improvement and to providing excellence is reflected in it selecting its new Scania P 360 for delivery work to regional areas, saying that it is ensuring safety, fuel efficiency, low emissions and sustainability, which are its core areas of focus.
“We have just put a new Scania P-series into the fleet to handle some of our regional deliveries so the driver will be away in the truck through the week, so reliability and safety is critical,” said Weinert
“We have seen already in the first few weeks on the road that the truck is returning impressive fuel figures,” he said.
“Soon after delivery we had the Scania driver trainer visit to provide some expert guidance on how to get the best from the truck, and our Scania driver enjoyed the experience and found it very informative, particularly introducing him to the Scania Retarder and how to understand the onboard Scania Driver Support scoring system,” he added.
“Using the Scania fleet management portal we’re able to track his driving performance as well as fuel efficiency, and the detail provided is exceptional,” Weinert said.
“The fuel consumption has delivered excellent results even though the engine is still being run in, and because we spend a lot of time idling and running the PTO to pump oil in and out, we’re scheduling servicing on an engine hours basis rather than km,” he said.
“We will service it at between 900-1000 hours through the Scania Repair and Maintenance programme, which gives us full running cost transparency.
“We have been able to track the fuel burn and compare it with other trucks doing similar routes and carrying similar payloads, and the Scania fuel consumption is a lot better, so we expect to come out in front by a good margin over 12 months and around about 100,000 km plus all the idling hours,” he says.
“It delivers thousands of dollars in fuel savings, which is obviously good from a financial perspective, but it also means you’re burning less fuel, so your environmental emissions are better as well.
“We’re also looking for durability and minimal downtime, because our customers rely on us to deliver.
“Everyone who has driven the Scania so far, loves it. It’s comfortable, quiet, roomy, has great ergonomics and with the all-round air suspension, the ride is very pleasant, laden or unladen,” he said.
New oil for cooking is sourced locally in a controlled manner to ensure consistency of product anywhere in Australia. Cookers’ fleet facilitate continual top ups and or collection to avoid landfill and packaging traditionally used in commercial kitchens.
The majority of Cookers’ fleet consists of medium rigids on urban routes, but the Scania will be used in regional areas due to its comfort, safety, and payload.
“The truck will be doing a decent km, so we need it to be a safe, reliable and comfortable vehicle,” Weinert said.
“This new Scania will be based at Derrimut and will be covering vast distances across the state,” he added.
=When Cookers was looking to replace its existing truck it wanted the very latest safety features.
“Scania has standard side curtain roll over airbags and a driver airbag, lane departure warning and all the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, especially Advanced Emergency Braking,” he said.
“As I understand it, all Scanias are fitted the same size brake package across the range, which is comforting, along with downhill cruise control and the Retarder which will pull the vehicle up without using the service brakes or relying on a low gear and over-revving the engine,” Weinert said.
Cookers said that Scania is renowned for its excellent visibility out of a large windscreen and with mirrors positioned to avoid blind spots at intersections, these combine to meet the needs of the company’s drivers because they undertake a lot of deliveries in tight or confined parking areas at the back of eateries.
“The vision is actually excellent, which helps enhance safety outcomes for everyone and reduces damage to the vehicle, ultimately leading to less time off the road,” he said.
Judging by the success of the first Scania on the fleet, further examples could be pending, possibly including some dedicated to waste oil collection.
“We established a very strong relationship with Scania right away, they came to see us and could visualise what we were looking for, so nothing was too much trouble.
“We now have a key account manager looking after us, and his knowledge is exceptional, and what I like about the Scania team is that they have been with the business a very long time,” Weinert said.
“I really felt that I was dealing with a reputable company that values their staff, and it shows that these guys care about the brand.
“All the way through the service has been great, plus if I have a question, I know who to ask for advice or help. I just need to make a call and then I can get the answer, and it’s good for us that the branch is a subsidiary of Scania, so we’re effectively talking to the factory, so you won’t get the runaround,” he said.
“I’ve met some other people from Scania Head Office in Campbellfield; they’re all long-term employees too. I visited during the truck’s pre-delivery, and the people working on it, adding the local spec to the body, were dedicated to doing the job properly,” he said.
