Long Standing Member Profile

TRACKING THE RISE OF TATIARA TRUCK & TRAILERS

BY LUCY BREWER

Tatiara Truck & Trailers was founded in 1983 in a small workshop on Seventh Street, Bordertown. John and Ann Jenkin, along with a business partner, started the company to provide heavy truck services to the area.

The company became renowned in the transport industry for quick, high-quality service, and the partners realised the business needed to expand to meet demand. The Jenkins’ took full ownership, and by 1997 had moved Tatiara Truck & Trailers to a newly constructed industrial estate, where it remains today.

The business, like many in rural South Australia, has always been synonymous with family. John and Ann’s son and daughter, Dylan and Jaime, grew up knowing a succession plan was in place. In 2011, the siblings joined their parents as official shareholders.

“Jaime started in 1999 and myself in 2001,” said Dylan. Jaime entered the business in service admin, and now works in finance and human resources. Dylan started as an apprentice mechanic.

“I started unofficially by buying a ride on mower and mowing the new lawns in 1995,” he said.

Dylan was working full-time by the end of year eleven and joined the “breakdown roster” straight away. He finished his apprenticeship and moved into a workshop foreman role.

He has worked as a service manager and represented the company at the Kenworth Technician of the Year in 2008.

“I was lucky to be trained by some very good tradesmen in the early years: guys that were very driven and very good at getting the most out of someone,” said Dylan.

“We now have a modern facility with 55 staff with access to the best factory training and most OEMs on the highway. We still service the agriculture industry, which is full of technology.

“We became a sub dealer for the Barry Maney group in the late 80s. This started a partnership with Ford and Kenworth trucks. Around this time arrangements with Cummins and most major brands were formed,” said Dylan.

In 2004, an in-house training centre was built, overlooking the main workshop and giving apprentices and school students a taste of working life.

“This room is still the training centre for MTA on the Limestone Coast,” said Dylan.

During last year’s COVID-19 pandemic, Tatiara Truck & Trailers underwent another redevelopment, with the construction of a new spare parts warehouse and office space.

“We moved in there three weeks ago,” said Dylan.

COVID-19 came with challenges but the business adapted.

“We were able to make changes on the fly and run with them – drivers were able to go direct to the designated bays without coming to the office and we built shower facilities during this time as service stations shut theirs down,” said Dylan.

“We remained busier than usual and grew our workforce during this time. The business period in Tatiara was massive so we built around that. The transport industry remained an important part of the economy.

“Truck drivers were quite stressed as they were being treated poorly, yet asked to go do a job for the country. We tried to make sure we kept them safe as well as our staff as best as possible.”

Tatiara Truck & Trailers owes much of its success to relationships.

“We still have the core of our dealerships and have maintained those all these years,” said Dylan.

“We have been able to plan our succession and watch our suppliers plan theirs. Seeing the people Dad was able to start with retire, and then myself and Jaime build new relationships to take us into the future, is an amazing thing to be able to do.”

The business has been associated with the MTA since its creation, something Dylan is grateful for.

“Having the backing and support of a team dedicated to our industry is massively important. They are there as our support with everything that makes our business tick. From HR and staff to suppliers and now our apprentice training. They are our voice to parliament.”

John and Ann’s succession plan seems to be going smoothly; the future for the business looks bright.

“We have new partnerships forming with a brother and sister team. We are consistently trying to improve our practices and go with the times. We are trying to improve our culture and be a place for our staff to flourish and grow as leaders in our business, industry and our community.

“We continue to have strong ties with our suppliers and see them as partners to move into the future. We have great staff on board with great attitudes who want to drive us into the future. We are hiring young people and working closely with the local schools.”

“Business has grown quite a lot from one bloke in a ute just wanting to fix a few trucks and maybe an airconditioner or two,” said Dylan, quoting his father.

Jaime Virgin and brother Dylan Jenkin, standing in front of the truck their father, John Jenkin, drove baby Dylan home from the hospital in. A blue Hillman, once belonging to Dylan and Jaime’s maternal grandfather – who operated a Hillman dealership in years gone by.