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FLEET OF THE MONTH
Coming clean AS A NICHE ESSENTIAL BUSINESS, CONTAINER FUMIGATION SERVICES IN MELBOURNE IS DEPENDENT ON QUALITY COMMERCIAL VEHICLES. THE CHALLENGES OF A TOUGH 2020 HAVE BEEN COUNTERWEIGHED, IN PART, BY AN INFORMED RECENT INVESTMENT IN FOUR NEW MAN TRUCKS.
CFS spec’d MAN vehicles are rated to 70 tonnes gross combination mass for B-double application.
Containers arriving in Australia from overseas
model for the first few years as they built up
operations manager, Neil Ryan, deliberated
ports are subject to biosecurity requirements
business which went from good to better.
on the significant indicators of performance,
and procedures to ensure the threat of exotic
Over the ensuing years CFS has put together
service and backup.
pests and diseases are eliminated during their
an impressive client base that now includes
“There’s only ever a tuppence between
clearance. This also applies to the goods they
the likes of ACFS Port Logistics, Seacom,
most of the commercial vehicles you are
carry by federal law. Container Fumigation
SunRice, John Deere and QANTAS.
considering in this sort of purchase process,”
Services (CFS) based out of Spotswood
However, hire trucks required to satisfy the
says Greg. “Once you start to settle on
in Melbourne, has been immersed in this
urgent tasks that were going unfulfilled
certain factors like servicing and backup
segment since it was founded by Greg Ross,
by incidents of broken-down second-hand
things come into sharper focus.”
a Director of the company, on 6 March 1996.
vehicles were fast proving costly.
The first service of 70,000 kilometres at MAN
In essence the company is taking containers
“We got sick of putting mounds of money
soon got their attention while the parameters
off the wharf as allocated, cleaning them
into bloody repairs, hire trucks and having
around backup, in which a hire truck was
before readying each for approval through
them parked up at great expense,” Greg
also provided by Penske Truck Rental, along
quarantine.
says. “It was decided with my business
with the impression made by MAN dealer
The company was started on the strength
partner that it was time to buy a new truck. I
Jarrod Bennetts of Westar Truck Centre, who
of a tip Greg received that quarantine laws
went around to every manufacturer and got
was easy to get along with according to
regarding port operators would be extended
the rundown on all of them.”
Greg, eventually won them over. Knowing
outside of the five-kilometre perimeter. On
It resulted in a month’s worth of data and
they would have had to service their vehicles
the premise that customers he had unloaded
engineering specifications to calculate. The
at least three times before hitting 70,000
for previously would bring him containers,
criteria for evaluating the best truck for their
kilometres and accessing a hire truck at no
Greg set about securing a depot. With that
needs started at price. As that was negligible
charge to keep the business running without
the business purchased a second-hand Mack
in range when applied to most other brands
suffering in any way, imbued the prospective
from an auction — the company’s first.
being considered, the evaluation entered the
buyers with a newfound confidence they had
Mobile equipment was acquired under this
next set of criteria as Greg and his transport
made the right choice.
78
Trailer Magazine MARCH 21
