Smedley's Industry Icons
Just as Bob Pearson is known as the intellectual father of the B-double, Greg Byrnes must be considered a key figure in the adoption of modern braking technology in Australia. His 38 years in the industry – 19 with the Road Brake Division of the now-defunct...
Smedley's Industry Icons
As Australia’s largest privately owned OEM, Vawdrey Australia has set many a technology trend over the past 40 years. But if you ask Mick Vawdrey, the man who started it all, it’s the company’s committed workforce that continues to make all the difference. Flashback:...
Smedley's Industry Icons
It was an unusually windy day in the spring of 1983 when a group of journalists, policemen, council representatives and local businessmen got together in an abandoned yard in Port Melbourne to witness trucking history in the making. The sooty dirt was whirling about...
Smedley's Industry Icons
It’s safe to say the advent of the B-double – still the nation’s most prevalent High Productivity Freight Vehicle (HPFV) – paved the way for the development of Australia’s world unique Performance-Based Standards (PBS) scheme – both from a mentality and engineering...
Smedley's Industry Icons
What happened on a warm Thursday evening in early September as part of the Australian Road Transport Suppliers’ Association’s (ARTSA) inaugural Life Members Dinner in Melbourne may have received little attention elsewhere, but marked a milestone for Australian road...
Smedley's Industry Icons
It’d be tempting to portray Grant Smyth, the now 70-year-old mastermind behind iconic refrigerated trailer brand, Fibreglass Transport Equipment (FTE), as a classic self-made man who, through hard work, talent, grit and a bit of luck, managed to rise from virtually... 