South32’s Illawarra Metallurgical Coal says it has contracted Linfox Logistics in a new six-year partnership that will improve road safety in the Illawarra of New South Wales, Australia.

In what South32 says is an Australian first, Linfox has custom-built the innovative “Lin-Double” truck to address the unique challenges of coal haulage in the region. The partnership will see 25 of these new trucks join the company’s fleet.

When in full use, the “Lin-Double” will reduce truck movements on public roads by almost 40,000 trips per year, according to South32, significantly improving local traffic flow and reducing the burden on public roads.

“The trucks feature industry-leading technology including crawler transmission and a speed limiter with GPS monitoring to safely navigate the steep descent down Mount Ousley [Road] while greatly reducing the risk of brake fade to increase driver and public safety,” South32 said.

Illawarra Metallurgical Coal has underground mines at Appin and Dendrobium producing high-quality metallurgical coal used for steelmaking. As a by-product, it also supplies small amounts of coal for energy. All of this is processed at its plants at West Cliff and Dendrobium, before being transported by road and rail down to Port Kembla in Wollongong.

Illawarra Metallurgical Coal, General Manager Mining Services, Andy Hyslop, said the investment was a demonstration of South32’s commitment to safety and innovation and would deliver benefits for both the community and the company.

“We are proud to be bringing safer trucks to the Illawarra while reducing the number of trucks on the road by around 20% every year,” he said.

The company concluded: “South32 values the communities that support its operations, and with state-of-the-art trucks and improved driver training and management systems, this partnership will contribute to the region’s sustainability and liveability for years to come.”