Together with my old mate Steve Brooks, editor-in-chief of Diesel Magazine,

we're setting out on a two-day journey into the Australian outback,

to put the new Volvo FH to the test.

A real trucking adventure!

Ever since 1993, the Volvo FH has been an incredibly successful truck

for the Swedish manufacturer.

Over 700,000 examples have been sold worldwide.

That means the new FH has some very big shoes to fill.

That's why I've come to Australia, the very heart of trucking hell, to see

how the new FH16 700 is performing and delivering the goods down under.

The Volvo FH is a completely new truck with several groundbreaking innovations,

like the independent front suspension, Volvo Dynamic Steering,

the fuel-saving system known as I-See, and Telematics Gateway.

In short, it's a truck with cutting-edge technology.

Steve, here we are on a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in Brisbane.

Shortly, according to our instructions, we'll get on the road to Toowoomba

in the FH16 700. But first, we've got to get all this gear in the cab.

I've chosen it specifically to reflect a typical Aussie driver.

Personal grooming kit, small potted plants and a large jar of Vegemite.

Have I missed anything?

Mate, the only thing that's missing is your wheelchair and my dog.

It's a Globetrotter cab, it's the new FH. We'll get it all in there. Let's go!

-There you go. -That can go in the top locker.

Perfect. Made for it. Steve, let's have the bedding up next!

You make sure you're comfortable up there, sweetheart.

My grandmother doesn't have this much gear.

Hopefully, your grandmother's not joining me in the truck.

She'd like the truck - I'm not sure about the company.

-There's no shortage of room in there. -Since the windscreen is less raked,

they've ended up with a cubic metre more space, and it really shows,

particularly when you've moving outside and inside the cab.

Vegemite for me...

Crisps for Steve...

...and our potted miniature cactus.

Having loaded all our gear and with me wearing my new Aussie hat,

we're now leaving sunny Brisbane and heading into rural Queensland,

where we'll have our first stopover at Toowoomba.

So finally, Steve, we've got out of the clutches of the camera crew.

We're doing what we like best: being out on the road with a mate in a nice truck.

We're driving in the Volvo FH16 with 700 horsepower,

the top-of-the-range model for the Australian market.

One thing I've realised about Australia is that it's a land of extremes.

Extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme loads and extreme roads.

Quite a cocktail for transport operators and drivers to learn to live with.

It takes a unique truck to survive in this country,

and it takes a unique driver to make that truck perform at its best.

We can start in the north of Australia, where it's 50 degrees,

and move to the south of Australia in one trip,

where it can be extremely cold and wet, and even ice and snow.

We have it all.

From the inside, an FH16 looks pretty much the same as it is in Europe.

Outside, there are clearly some big differences.

Monster fuel tanks to cover those massive distances

that Australian truck drivers have to cover.

Big AdBlue tanks, too, for the SCR,

to ensure that the emission standards system works all the distance.

Coming down under to drive FH16

has reminded me of previous experiences of new FH.

The thing that stands out for me is the quality of steering.

It's a truck that goes where you point it, and stays where you point it.

There's none of the seesaw action of steering wheels on trucks of yesteryear.

The steering on the new FH is incredibly precise.

I noticed you're not wearing that other hat. Can I persuade you to wear it?

You have more chance of getting me a ticket to the moon

than me wearing that hat.

After a long day, we're now approaching our first stopover in Toowoomba,

where Steve and I draw straws to see who will spend the night in the FH cab.

And the lucky winner is...

It's nearly 10.30 and I'm looking to bed down in the new FH Globetrotter cab.

To make sure I'm nice and toasty, I've got a lovely duvet, a fantastic mattress

and my Qantas pyjamas.

If you'll excuse me, I'm now going to go to bed.

I'll see you tomorrow morning.

I had a good night's kip in the FH16 and I'm just finishing off my breakfast.

Steve, today's assignment involves you doing all the hard work.

We've got to take three trailers and hitch them up to the mighty FH16,

and you're going to show me what it's like to drive a road train.

-No worries. -Anything I need to do?

-Put you hat on, and let's get going. -My favourite.

-What exactly is this combination? -This is what's called a B-triple.

It's two short trailers and one long trailer hooked onto the back of it.

The overall length is about 36 metres.

In weight terms, these combinations are allowed to run to about 90 tonnes.

At the moment, we're at around 82 or 82.5 tonnes.

-Still quite a handful. -It's a big truck, yeah.

We're now heading to Millmerran to see just how well the FH16 performs

as a B-triple combination.

You and I have been in this business more years than we care to remember.

-How did you get into it? -It goes back a long time.

I'm a journalist by trade, but I didn't like journalism very much.

My grandfather had trucks when I was a little boy,

and I used to go to work with him. I think it all started from there.

I've progressively had more injections of diesel into the veins over the years.

I wouldn't know what to do without trucks in my life. It's what I do.

You were telling me, Steve, we were grossing close to 80 tonnes.

How is I-Shift coping with that?

You won't have to convince me of I-Shift.

I think I-Shift is one of the best automated transmissions in the market.

I mean that quite sincerely.

These two are made for each other, these engines and these transmissions.

They're both Volvo units so they're perfectly integrated.

It just makes the whole exercise extremely smooth.

-You look pretty comfortable - are you? -I'm very comfortable in this seat.

You and I have often talked about

the increasing use of safety equipment on vehicles.

You were telling me recently when you visited Volvo

you were impressed with the amount of effort they've put into safety.

To be honest, I was blown away by

the amount I saw that went into this truck, the amount of safety development.

They didn't have to do it. They already had a safe truck.

But they've made a safer truck. That was obvious to anyone

who saw footage of their development work in safety.

This truck sits really, really nicely on the road.

The line around bends and that is...

It's a really nice combination, I can tell already.

I could see you were getting bored with me driving.

Clearly, you're enjoying your time behind the wheel.

I wasn't getting bored with you driving.

I've been wanting to do a trip with you for a decade or more.

When we started this episode of "Brian's Truck Report", I asked the question

as to whether the new FH could fill the shoes of the previous model.

After two days with Steve on Australian roads, the answer is a resounding yes.

Steve, that's the end of two great days on the road with the FH16 700.

I've had a whale of a time. You've had a grin on your face.

-Have you had a good time? -I've had a great time.

A mate of yours is hovering in the wings waiting to take the truck away from us.

Paul Munro from Volvo Australia. There's the truck, mate.

Paul, thanks for taking it away.

-How was the truck? -The truck was great.

Look after our baby for us.

That's all from us on "Brian's Truck Report".

From me, Brian Weatherley, and him, Steve Brooks: until the next time.

And don't forget: enjoy your driving...

And whatever you do, drive safe.