In recent weeks, Goulburn Valley fuel buyers and motorists might have noticed a fleet of tankers getting around the region with an unfamiliar livery.
The bright blue and yellow paintwork of Pacific Fuel Solutions is the rebrand of bulk fuel distributor Petrogas.
The Pacific Fuel Solutions brand was created after Petrogas acquired Pacific Petroleum about 18 months ago and now operates up and down the eastern seaboard from Victoria to Queensland.
The company has operated in the Goulburn Valley as Petrogas for the past 10 years, providing bulk fuel distribution to local companies and farms.
“We do bulk fuel supplies, on-farm deliveries, we have two unmanned, 24/7 retail fuel sites in Shepparton and Nathalia, and lubricant sales,” Shepparton depot supervisor Luke Anderson said.
“Our service area spans from as far north as Jerilderie and Deniliquin, to the eastern reaches of Albury and Benalla, extending southward to Seymour and Kilmore and westward to Bendigo.
“We have four on-farm, on-road trucks which are going seven days a week.”
And it’s those trucks you’re likely to notice with their hard-to-miss pacific blue artwork.
In the meantime, the company has a special discount offer for new account holders who sign up before the end of February, which being a leap year in 2024, gives people an extra day to think about it.
Truck maker goes local for stability testing
Isuzu Australia has chosen Shepparton to carry out electronic stability control testing on its medium-duty Isuzu FTR 150-260 truck.
Isuzu recently collaborated with commercial vehicle braking and control systems specialist Knorr-Bremse for the testing at the DECA (Wodonga TAFE) testing and training facility in Shepparton.
The Isuzu was put through a series of specific manoeuvres within the controlled environment of the DECA facility with specialised Knorr-Bremse equipment on board recording vital data for the team.
“It’s important to note the types of manoeuvres undertaken by the test truck were tailored to the way in which trucks are deployed within Australian industries and applications,” Simon Humphries, from Isuzu Australia, said.
“That’s not to say we believe all Aussie drivers knock along at breakneck speeds, but these specific manoeuvres on the DECA skid pan helped us to simulate what a possible roll-over situation would look like on the bitumen, being operated by an Australian driver in Australian conditions.”
Health job vacancy rate staying in overnight
GV Health CEO Matt Sharp could be excused for asking Santa for a flurry of CVs in his stocking this Christmas as the service perseveres with efforts to get its job vacancy rate down.
“At the moment our vacancy rate is sitting at around 18 to 19 per cent, which is about 550-odd staff that we need at GV Health at the moment,” he said.
“We’re filling the gaps of our vacancies with a larger portion of temporary staff.
Mr Sharp made the observation while commenting on a Greater Shepparton City Council decision that may lead to GV Health being able to construct more housing for employees.
GV Health currently rents around 70 residential properties and 30 serviced apartments to meet the needs of temporary, short-term or new workers.
“We would like to aim for something in the order of say, 4 to 5 per cent in terms of (jobs) vacancy rate, and we’re trying to get there as quickly as we can through recruiting people from overseas and other health services in the country but it’s a challenge to keep progressing there,” he said.
“A lot of that is due to our growth that’s occurring with the redevelopment and other areas.”