TechDRIVE Melbourne puts Australian fleet technology on display

WHG’s TechDRIVE grew from one Melbourne launch in 2023 to three Australian cities by 2026, with the Melbourne event held on October 21 at Seaworks Maritime Precinct in Williamstown.

A capacity crowd of transport operators, regulators, manufacturers, industry associations and technology suppliers attended the program of discussions, showcases and live demonstrations. The emphasis was practical: moving transport technology beyond the presentation room and into daily operations.

WHG CEO Australia Dylan Hartley called the breadth of participation the event’s strongest outcome. “TechDRIVE continues to grow thanks to the support of our industry,” he said. He described the forum as a place to showcase developments, debate the industry’s direction and recognize the businesses behind them.

What does this change for carriers and forwarders?

The opening State of Transport sessions featured Peter Anderson of the Victorian Transport Association, Gavin Hill of Transport Certification Australia and Paul Daly of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.

Their presentations covered infrastructure, workforce pressure, regulatory reform, trusted telematics, productivity and road access. Technology occupied the centre of the agenda, but so did the conditions required to deploy it across heavy-vehicle fleets.

“The lesson for policymakers is simple: technology must be supported by the right infrastructure, workforce settings and regulatory frameworks,” Anderson said.

For carriers, that framework will determine whether AI, telematics or autonomous equipment can move from a pilot into routine operation. Faster software still encounters slow gates, paperwork and mismatched rules. Infrastructure owners and regulators remain part of the technology equation, whether vendors acknowledge it or not.

The From AI to Automation panel then brought together DHL, MCM Logistics, Allotrac, Ramco Systems and WHG Technologies, moderated by Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia Chief Engineer Rachel Michaud.

Speakers examined data security, manual administration, operational information flows and the need to choose tools suited to transport work. The practical value of AI, the panel’s message was, lay in simplifying work and improving decisions rather than automating for display.

For carriers, the near-term prize is less administration and better operating information, provided the tool fits the task and protects data. For forwarders, cleaner information flows can improve coordination without replacing judgment. The buying test is usefulness within a defined transport workflow, not a generic AI label.

The hardware gets the photographs. The operating case gets the budget.

What did autonomy and alternative energy look like?

One of the event’s main demonstrations was the Australian debut of Ten-League’s Zelos Z10 autonomous delivery vehicle. The vehicle performed live autonomous operations at Seaworks against the backdrop of Port Phillip Bay.

That placed autonomous delivery technology in front of transport operators rather than confining it to simulation. Related autonomous delivery systems are already being deployed in overseas logistics markets, although the Melbourne presentation focused on a live Australian demonstration.

The Beyond Diesel session examined a broader range of fleet-energy choices. Sandra Lau of Viva Energy Australia, Joe Di Santo of CMV Truck & Bus, Romesh Rodrigo of Daimler Truck Australia and Adam Wakefield of Ten-League took part.

Rather than endorsing one future fuel, the panel considered how competing solutions are developing and deploying. Route profiles, payloads, available infrastructure, fleet utilization and operating requirements will determine which options suit particular transport operations.

That points toward segmented fleet plans rather than one future-fuel answer for the entire road-freight sector. Daily duty cycles will decide which technology survives commercial scrutiny. A promising demonstration still has to earn its place in the fleet budget.

Can technology address fatigue and workforce pressure?

Wettenhalls’ Jackie Allen discussed leadership, change management and psychosocial safety during the event. She also outlined Wettenhalls’ participation in the Australian FleetPREDICT trial.

FleetPREDICT was developed by WHG Technologies and Sleep Advice Technologies. The system uses Garmin wearable technology to predict emerging fatigue risk and support earlier intervention, giving operators a chance to address deterioration before it becomes a safety event.

In the days immediately after TechDRIVE Melbourne, WHG senior executives travelled to Bangkok to present FleetPREDICT at the annual Garmin Health Summit. The event brought together industry leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs from around the world.

Jessica Alikaris of Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds also emphasized the need to embed mental health and wellbeing in everyday transport operations. The organization attended with Roadie, its mobile health and wellbeing clinic, providing health checks and practical support to visitors throughout the Melbourne event.

The commercial argument here is straightforward: retaining drivers and preventing fatigue-related interruptions matter as much as adding another vehicle to the fleet. Technology can flag risk earlier, but only if operators act on the warning and integrate the tool into their safety processes.

What should fleet-technology suppliers guarantee?

WHG Director of Digitalisation Calvin Hartley challenged operators and suppliers to expect more from fleet technology as regulatory requirements, integration needs and operating complexity increase.

He said improvements to products, service and customer support would create greater competition, which he considers good for the industry. His argument puts reliability and after-sales support alongside software capability in purchasing decisions.

WHG also emphasized its Lifetime Warranty as part of its commitment to standing behind the technology it supplies. For fleet buyers, that support matters because road operations turn a software issue into a vehicle downtime problem very quickly.

Who built the industry discussion?

The scale of participation extended well beyond the panel speakers. Participants and supporters named by WHG included:

• Wettenhalls, DHL, MCM Logistics, TR Group and FBT Transwest.
• Garmin, Daimler Truck Australia, CMV Truck & Bus, Viva Energy Australia, Polymer Connect, Allotrac, Ramco Systems, Ten-League, Bandit Security, Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia and WHG Technologies.

HVIA played a substantial role in the program. Chief Engineer Rachel Michaud moderated the AI and Automation panel, while Chief Technical Officer Adam Ritzinger led the Future Fleet Strategy discussion.

Ritzinger said the discussions of threats and opportunities demonstrated TechDRIVE’s value in drawing on broad industry expertise. The format allowed operators, regulators, manufacturers and technology providers to challenge assumptions outside their own operating silos.

WHG launched TechDRIVE in Melbourne in 2023 and has since expanded the program to Sydney and Brisbane. Hartley said genuine engagement among operators, regulators, manufacturers and technology providers was the feature that distinguished the forum.

Event details are available at whgtechdrive.com.au. With regulatory requirements, integration demands and operating complexity still rising, the next test will be whether these tools gain durable operational traction rather than merely filling exhibition space.