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FLEET OF THE MONTH
Pound for pound WHEN CRAIG DRINNAN BEGAN BUILDING HEAVY-DUTY MINE-SPEC WATER TRUCKS, HE STANDARDISED ON ISUZU VEHICLES BECAUSE THEY MATCHED THE TOUGHNESS OF HIS TANKS, POUND FOR POUND. Having relished completing a sheet metal
companies. Craig says this latter experience
“There’s a Major Motors branch at Port
working apprenticeship in his earlier years,
gave him a comprehensive knowledge of
Hedland and the company also has multiple
Craig Drinnan, Managing Director of Perth-
water truck design and how the vehicles
service agents scattered across the Pilbara
based business Welding Solutions, believes
needed to be built to last under extreme
and other mining regions in the state,”
starting his own fabrication business was a
conditions, such as those found in the
Craig says, adding that parts availability is
completely natural progression.
mining environment. This led him down
“I always enjoyed my trade, and I
the path, back in 2008, of building his first
also very good, “which is important for reducing downtime.”
subsequently completed a number of
water truck.
Spare parts cost effectivity, Craig says, is also
welding courses which included learning gas
As the foundation of a water tanker is
a strong point with Isuzu and he believes
pipeline welding codes as well as three years
the cab and chassis unit upon which it is
this is partly due to the high commonality of
of pipe welding which enabled me to reach
installed, one of the early decisions Craig
parts across the various models in the range.
the top of my game in these critical aspects
needed to make was which brand of truck
Perhaps most importantly, Craig says
of the trade,” Craig recalls. “I’m something
he would go with.
the positive feedback he receives
of a perfectionist by nature, I guess, so if I
“I needed to be confident with what I was
from customers serves, in his mind, to
can’t find a better way of doing something
selling to customers – if I didn’t want to
corroborate Isuzu’s status as the overall
I tend to see it as not worth doing. I had a
buy a product for myself, I wouldn’t be
truck market leader in Australia.
burning desire to base a business around
comfortable on-selling it,” Craig says. “The
“The feedback from clients has been very
the expertise I’d acquired from my trade and
Isuzu product has a quality of build that
good and another strong selling point for
post-trade courses.”
is hard to beat and our local dealer Major
Isuzu is that they are not running Adblue,”
It was this determined approach and passion
Motors is very good at supporting the
he says.
for doing things as well as possible that led
product and helping us out if there happens
Craig to start his own business in 2006,
to be an issue.”
“The cost of that product has gone up so much recently, along with patchy
initially doing mobile welding and repairs to
Further to this, Craig says the dealer support
availability, which is definitely influencing
earthmoving equipment before specialising
and service in remote and regional areas is
people in favour of trucks that don’t
in repairs to water trucks for plant hire
another Major Motors strong suit.
need it.”
66
Trailer Magazine MAY 22
