A stunningly presented pre-owned Kenworth T409SAR has found a new home with Yatala (QLD) based company Carroll Group Australia.
The truck was bought through Kenworth and DAF dealer Brown and Hurley at Yatala.
The company’s core business encompasses general freight services for companies in the oil and gas industry operating in western Queensland and South Australia.
According to Carroll Group Australia Managing Director, Troy Carroll, the T409SAR will play a valuable role in the fleet, pulling B-doubles and roadtrains on linehaul routes including Brisbane to Roma and Roma to Moomba – a town in northeast South Australia operated by Santos for the purpose of exploration and processing of natural gas.
Speaking about his latest acquisition, Carroll said he was pleased to finally own his very first Kenworth after operating the business for a number of years with a variety of other brands.
“I wanted a Kenworth because of the reliability and the power which suits the type of work we do,” said Carroll.
“With the outback runs we need a truck that is tough enough to withstand the harsh operating conditions over a long period of time. In my opinion Kenworth’s do this a lot better than any other truck.”
Carroll said his company views safety as paramount and all the trucks are suitably equipped to meet the Safer Together Specifications required for heavy vehicles operating in the Queensland Natural Gas Exploration and Production Industry.
This includes features as varied as wheel nut indicators, fire extinguishers, electronic stability control, EBS, air conditioning, tinted windows, beacon lights and company logos.
“We aim to ensure our company is fully compliant with all the requirements to keep our customers happy,” said Carroll.
Carroll Group runs a variety of trailers including Vawdrey pocket roadtrains and Freighter Outback Series flat-tops with solid 1.8m headboards for safety and longevity purposes. They also have container pins and pipe bolsters, with pipes being a common commodity carried for clients. Other safety features include side under-run protection, airbag suspension and EBS braking systems.
Interestingly, Carroll had intended to buy a new Kenworth T659 prime mover in early 2020 but was forced to shelve this plan due to the impact of COVID-19.
“Just at that point COVID kicked in and the oil price plummeted which severely affected our industry and caused us to re-evaluate our situation,” he said.
However, this may have been a blessing in disguise as since owning the T409SAR Carroll said he now believes this model is ideally suited to the business.
“After having the T409SAR I think that sized truck with a large sleeper is what we’ll end up using from now on,” he said. “It’s a robust truck that’s perfect for our application.”
Unlike the current T410SAR which is exclusively powered by the PACCAR MX-13 engine, Carroll’s T409SAR is punched by a big-bore Cummins X15 engine rated at 600hp accompanied by 1,850lb/ft of torque.
It has an Eaton 18-speed manual transmission feeding into Meritor 46-160 drive axles with a ratio of 4.5:1.
With this setup and a Gross Combination Mass of 70 tonnes, it can comfortably pull a B-double or roadtrain grossing 68.5 tonnes.
“We speed limit our trucks to 95km/h for safety reasons and at that speed in top gear the T409’s engine is operating at just over 1,600rpm which we think is ideal for our type of work,” said Carroll.
An Icepack sleeper cab air conditioner ensures the driver stays comfortable during rest breaks in the outback where summer temperatures can exceed 50 degrees C.
Carroll said he is rapt to now own a Kenworth and considers it a bonus that the T409SAR in immaculate condition with less than 200,000km on the clock was available when he needed it.
“We’re really proud to own our first Kenworth, an Australian-made truck, and after driving this one it has really sold us on the brand. We look forward to purchasing more in the future,” he said.