Transport

Old habits die hard and being in the motor trade for over 50 years I was amazed to find out why I had so much trouble driving the new-model small cars smoothly. Driving an auto in traffic I often used my left foot on the brake pedal and right foot on the accelerator for a smooth stop/go/start operation. I have now been told by a car dealer that, in the new models, engines will not accelerate if the brake is applied.

Uber has "thwarted" government attempts to crack down on the ride-sharing app, as "illegal" drivers escape detection.

Committee for Sydney chief executive Tim Williams believes the only way to reduce the city's growing traffic dilemma is to introduce a congestion charge.

"Hi-tech highways" could be the answer to Sydney's congestion crisis and put an end to the traffic bottlenecks and pinch points that plague our roads.

Have you ever looked at a great big truck and wondered how they managed to build it?Putting a car together is hard enough, but truck components are so much heavier and bigger. A lot of trucks are also custom made for different customers and that means great complexity at the plant.We were lucky enough to check out the process at Iveco's factory in Dandenong.To start with, huge presses crunch steel into the shape of various components which are put to one side.Long steel chassis rails are fed through a milling machine which drills up to 200 holes per beam for all the bolts and lines, while a plasma cutter is used to slice them to the right lengths.The amount of hoses and lines is incredibleWorkers then attach other chassis members, sub-frames and the engine mounts. At this stage the chassis is upside down. This way, the large and heavy axles can be dropped down on to the chassis, which is sitting on a mobile platform riding on small rails that protrude from the factory floor. An overhead crane does the heavy lifting.The chassis is then sent through a booth to be spray painted by two workers who look like they are wearing bio-suits, which have in-built oxygen lines.Now it's time for all the electrical lines and air hoses to be fitted. The amount of hoses and lines is incredible.Hats off to the workers for not getting any mixed up.The wheels are then fitted and the chassis is flipped over on to its correct side and the engine and transmission are fitted.Iveco imports engines from two sources, its own company in Europe and Cummins, which supplies a range of engines including the 15-litre six-cylinder for use in Iveco's largest truck, the Powerstar.The engines come fully assembled and are placed on trolleys before they are lifted into position with an overhead crane system.Back in the 1970s and 80s, when Iveco built trucks with petrol engines, workers would also have the job of tuning the carburettors on the line (could you imagine the noise?). These days, the super complex injection systems are preset and workers only need to put the engines on the dyno to check for faults.On the other side of the factory, which started out as an International truck plant in 1972, workers are assembling the cabs. A few are imported complete from Europe, but most are made at the factory.The components are quality checked after being stamped. To guard against rust, all the components are dipped in a pool of special primer paint. An electric charge is run through the liquid, which attracts the paint to all the metal surfaces, including the hard to get at nooks and crannies.All the components are then welded together by hand. There is limited automation here, and some parts are bolted on.After about 10 days on the line, the truck is ready to start workThen the cabin is then painted, baked at 140 degrees and lightly buffed before getting another coat.Workers then inspect it under a bank of UV lights for any imperfections. It is then carefully lowered onto the chassis and really does resemble a proper truck for the first time.The dashboard is then fitted with instrument clusters dropped in and all the wiring, cables and tubes are then connected. The steering wheel, carpet and seats are next.The trucks are then run over a pit and all the fluids are checked before they go through series of tests, including a short drive out on the road to make sure everything is just right. Finally, after about 10 days on the line, the truck is ready to start work.

Sydney's much-maligned motorway and toll road network is saving motorists massive amounts of time and fuel, a new survey by the NRMA has found.

Fuel consumption is one of the things we most talk about when discussing our cars. It's a no-brainer that most of us believe they use too much fuel, particularly around town where the consumption is much higher than it is on the highway or in the country. If only we could get the same fuel economy in town as we get on

With registration labels no longer required on windscreens it is not easy to check when the rego is due. Miss that and you could be driving as an unregistered, uninsured vehicle. One work-around is to gum a small typed note to the windscreen in front of the driver: 'CAR REGO DUE ON xx/xx/20xx'.

This has prompted a warning from the RAA for drivers to examine any parking tickets – which range from $49 to $349 – to check if they are legitimate.According to council figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws, $27,673 worth of fines were withdrawn due to faulty machines in 2013-14 – up 25 per cent on the $22,187 withdrawn the previous financial year. And "officer error" accounted for $23,746 worth of fines withdrawn in 2013-14 – up 12 per cent on the $21,103 withdrawn the previous financial year.The council said parking inspectors "may not be aware there is a fault in a machine in the areas they are patrolling"."In the case where a vehicle does not have a valid parking ticket displayed, an expiation would be given," a council spokesman said.The council's 300 ticket machines are inspected every six months and faults include tickets not issued by the machine due to mechanisms becoming jammed or breaking down.If you are unfortunate enough to get a ticket, check its details to see if they apply to the restrictions where you are parkedThe rise in fine withdrawal due to inspector errors and faulty machines is in contrast with a 5 per cent reduction in total fine withdrawals over the same period – from $742,612 to $707,044 – for other reasons such as compassion or a valid ticket or parking permit being produced by the driver.RAA spokesman Charles Mountain urged motorists to check all parking tickets they receive to avoid paying for a fine they didn't deserve."If you are unfortunate enough to get a ticket, check its details to see if they apply to the restrictions where you are parked," he said. "And if a machine is showing an error message and not issuing tickets, you could take a picture with your mobile phone as supporting evidence."The problems we are seeing are unacceptableFamily First MP Robert Brokenshire also urged drivers to check tickets "and dispute any fines they believe are incorrect"."The problems we are seeing are unacceptable – speed cameras have to be checked regularly and it should be the same with parking meters," Mr Brokenshire, who obtained the figures, said. "I encourage the Adelaide City Council to lift their game and make sure fines are not issued where machines are not in working order."Last December, he also obtained figures showing the council raised $443,000 in 2013-14 from fines issued to motorists who were less than 10 minutes late returning to their cars. In the same period, 54,000 parking fines were issued, raising more than $2.4 million.In April, News Corp Australia revealed that more than a third of motorists who complain in writing to the council have their fines waived.

The chief executive of taxi booking app goCatch, Ned Moorfield, told News Corp Australia cheaper options for running services could help reduce fares for consumers while maintaining drivers' pay.He said current fares were too high and a NSW report showed about 20 per cent of running costs for cabs were from licence fees."If there were changes...particularly in off-peak periods, there would be reductions in fares," he said.A senior industry source backed the cheaper fares call, saying upfront fees payable by taxis and hire cars were between $22,000 and $40,000 a year.One radical proposal would be to compensate perpetual licence holders to enable more market entrants.The West Australian Government is considering sweeping changes that would bring ride share services, taxis and hire cars under one regulatory roof with a removal of licence plate fees.If there were changes...there would be reductions in faresIf there was no compensation, operators who had bought perpetual licences for hundreds of thousands of dollars would likely revolt, one source said. And Victorian Taxi Association chief executive David Samuel savaged the idea as "absolute rubbish".He said overseas examples showed reducing licence fees didn't mean better or cheaper services."In any jurisdiction where there's no licence value, I will guarantee that the taxi is more expensive," he said.He said there was a separate emerging problem with ride-sharing apps like Uber that used dynamic pricing based on demand, while taxis faced price caps.Sweeping changes to taxi fares and rules were made under the former Napthine government.And Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has called for further reform to cater to new entrants like Uber.The Government is reviewing regulations, but senior sources say that industry bodies with completely contradictory views have been asked to come to an agreement and the expectation of a solution without government mandates was fanciful.Acting Minister for Public Transport, Luke Donnellan, said the Taxi and Hire Car Ministerial Forum would "consider a range of issues facing the taxi and hire car services in Victoria, including licence fees and the emergence of low-cost ride-share services like Uber".