Trailer Builder

Where quality is never compromised

TO SUPPORT AN INCREASE IN DEMAND FOR RELIABLE AND EFFICIENT ROAD TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT, ALLTRUCK BODIES HAS EXPANDED ITS QUEENSLAND FOOTPRINT WITH A FACILITY TWICE THE SIZE OF ITS PREDECESSOR.

Fast Fact

Alltruck Bodies manufactures a wide range of rigid bodies including curtainsiders, Colorbond vans, fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) vans, tray, insulated, freezer and lightweight bodies as well as pig and dog trailers. The company also stocks a comprehensive range of spare parts and is experienced in accident repairs and insurance work.

Alltruck Bodies has established a state-of-theart facility in Richlands, Queensland. Alltruck Bodies moved into its latest stateof-the-art facility – 78 MacGregor Place, Richlands, Brisbane – in February 2020. Managing Director, Tony Romano, says the business moved from Archerfield to a brand new facility which was more than twice the size to cater for increased demand in Queensland’s transport industry. Key to this surge in industry activity has been the Federal Government’s 100 per cent tax write-off scheme on capital equipment. “The Richland facility is situated in a new growth area where there are a number of truck dealerships and transport companies consolidating their presence here,” Tony says. The site is approximately 10,000 square metres, while the new building office complex is about 4,300 square metres. “We have 22 staff members and the team is growing,” Tony says. “We are always on the lookout for new personnel wanting to start a career with us.” The workshop comprises a fabrication area, two spray booths as well as a sheeting and completion of trucks area. Also, there is a large storage area for clients’ cab chassis. “We also perform repairs and supply parts out of the Richlands facility,” Tony says. Alltruck Bodies also manufactures rigid bodies and pig and dog trailers which roll out of the Melbourne facility. “Tony Holland, Manager of the Richlands site, along with our staff, have a very good relationship with all Brisbane dealers and

Queensland’s transport industry can turn to Alltruck Bodies for reliable, efficient equipment.

work diligently to meet all of their demands.” The Alltruck Bodies business has come a long way since its founding in Dandenong, Melbourne, in 1991. Today, the manufacturer presents Australia’s transport operators with a broad portfolio of rigid bodies suited for specific applications. GRATERgate, for instance, emphasises the load rating capabilities of the product – in effect a greater-rated gate system that is easy to use and requires no lifting or sliding of gates by the operator when forking on or off individual pallets. For smaller trucks doing multiple deliveries and collections, though, having a fast and simple gate system is more efficient and most importantly minimises risk of injury for the driver. Meanwhile, Rapid Liner Heavy Duty (HD) is essentially a rigid curtainsider which is optimised for loading and unloading pallets of beverages, while Its curtains concertina outwards to prevent them from catching on the load inside. This design ranges from 3.6 to 10 metres in length and is ideal choice for palletised transportation and heavy loads as it features sturdier construction including solid sliding posts with low friction bearings and folding curtain plates. To cap off its specialised rigid body builds, Alltruck Bodies also designs and manufactures pig and dog trailers which continue to be a popular fleet investment for their versatility. Earlier this year transport and logistics company, Cameron’s, took delivery of a 12-pallet rigid body vehicle Alltruck Bodies. It was customised for optimal operator safety and is servicing key clients around Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Greg Morris, Cameron’s National Fleet Manager, says the vehicle works out of the company’s depot in Yatala, Queensland, and has been in operation since late July. “The body has been purpose built with a low height (max. height 3.4m),” Greg says, “so we are able to service a number of customers with height access limitations.” When it comes to innovation and presenting the transport industry with the best road transport equipment on offer, Alltruck Bodies is a proud supplier.

The rigids and trailers that Alltruck Bodies manufactures are made to specification.

Quality is in the detail. Contact

Alltruck Bodies 245 Frankston-Dandenong Road Dandenong VIC 3175 Ph: 03 9791 2144

78 MacGregor Place RIchlands QLD 4077 Ph: 073277 4600 Web: www.alltruckbodies.com.au

Somerton success story

MELBOURNE-BASED PATLIN HEAVY HAULAGE HAS TAKEN DELIVERY OF A NEW DRAKE LOW HEIGHT SEMI-MODULAR STEERABLE WITH EIGHT-RAM STEERING SYSTEM.

The latest Drake trailer to join the Patlin Heavy Haulage fleet is a versatile 8x8 unit comprising a 6x8 steerable and a 2x8 clip, with every axle in the combination adjustable. The trailer is capable of being turned into a 13x8 with the addition of extra clips. It joins another Drake platform owned by Patlin which is a 7x8 extendable. Sam Drake, Group Sales Manager at The Drake Group, says the trailer doesn’t have a permanently fixed axle, meaning any axle in the combination can be mechanically fixed to suit varying operational needs. “This is an advantage because you can set the optimum steering configuration for your application,” Sam says. “In other words, you are not limited by a welded fixed axle which determines your steering geometry, and can fix any axle to suit the combination you are operating.” Sam explains that the eight-ram steering system gives the operator the ability to ‘split steer’ the trailer into those hard-to-reach places as well as ‘crab’ into position for

Split steering, where front four axles turn in opposite direction to rear four, enables unrivalled manoeuvrability.

loading when required. The trailer is also fitted with double-acting suspension rams, making carrying axles when unladen easier, safer and quicker. According to Patlin Heavy Haulage Managing Director, Pat Papaluca, the new Drake platform has the dual benefit of being able to carry the heavier loads while being highly manoeuvrable and therefore easily able to negotiate tight construction sites common around Melbourne. It is currently performing night runs between Benalla and Footscray. “Some of the gear we are now shifting into sites around Melbourne is bigger and heavier which necessitates a highly manoeuvrable platform trailer,” Pat says. “Getting around the city with this sort of gear is pretty tight at the best of times.” Around 80 per cent of the company’s 45-strong trailer fleet bear the Drake nameplate. “We have about 18 quad-axle floats – a mixture of deck wideners and full wideners as well as some extendables,” Pat says.“We try to cater for a wide range of the market which is reflected in the diversity of our trailers.” Patlin Heavy Haulage was started by Pat in 1976 when he was 19, growing from one tipper truck and some earthmoving equipment into the large company it is today. With his wife, Lina, and their three sons, they run the business together as a family. “Our eldest son Joe takes care of Operations, while our youngest, Stephen, is a driver and Matthew is a mechanic,” Pat says. “I’ve always loved cars, trucks and machinery so I guess it was inevitable that I would end up running a business like this. Fortunately, the boys wanted to follow suit and my wife was willing to back me all the way, which has made the business what it is today.” Overall, Pat is satisfied with his latest 8x8 Drake platform trailer. “The Drake Group has always looked after us,” he says. “They build a fantastic trailer and any little niggles we’ve had they’ve always fixed for us. We have maintained a really good relationship ever since we bought our first new Drake trailer in 2002, and we’ve been buying Drake ever since.”

Contact

The Drake Group of Companies 19 Formation St Wacol QLD 4076 Ph: 1300 240 835 Web: www.thedrakegroup.com.au

Matthew Papaluca (left) and Stephen Papaluca with Sam Drake (centre).

Looking the part with CIMC flat tops

GENERAL MANAGER OF QUEENSLAND-BASED PROJECT HAULAGE, CRAIG JONES, TALKS ABOUT THE LATEST ADDITION TO HIS GROWING FLEET – A RANGE OF FLAT TOP EXTENDABLES FROM CIMC VEHICLE AUSTRALIA.

Project Haulage specialises in moving general freight, civil and construction equipment, palletised goods, and overdimensional loading across the East Coast of Australia. The business has seen exponential growth in the past nine years, which has led to an increase in its fleet size. Project Haulage recently took delivery of the first CIMC trailers in August this year, and already it has four standard flat top extendables including, two drop deck trailers, a standard 45’ open flat top, and an A trailer, with two drop decks extendables coming soon. While most of the features were standard, the demands of poly pipe haulage meant they needed some extra pipe bolsters, which CIMC was easily able to fit in. “The brand new extendables we have are generally transporting 20m-long plastic polly pipes, mostly on the East Coast for now,” says Project Haulage General Manager, Craig Jones. “The poly pipes are being transported for one of our Brisbane-based customers. Returning to Brisbane, the fleet could be carrying anything from big mining machines or generators or pallets of sandbags.” Project Haulage’s company roots have always had a core focus based around high-level safety regulation. The company developed from open flat top B-doubles and road train trailer sets, which is why that is its key field of expertise. However, with organic growth the team saw a need to grow its fleet. “We’ve currently got around 10 prime movers and 45 trailers. We have a diverse fleet of equipment ranging from B-doubles to road train trailer sets, single and B-double container trailers, single tautliners, B-double tautliner sets, A trailers, and flat top and drop deck extendable trailers. Diverse job applications mean, we need a wide range of trailers. We literally would have nearly every type of trailer there is in Australia and have a double of everything. “Over the years we’ve tried and had a good look on different axles and suspension types to see what we like and what doesn’t work for us. When we buy a new trailer, we check to see if they have certain type of axle and suspension, and certain specs because we know what we prefer now. There is no particular model or type that fits us more than the rest because we do such a wide range of work from over-height, overlength, over-weight, to standard haulage as well. The drop decks and extendables are fantastic because they give us that range.” The CIMC range of flat deck trailers offer

operators the flexibility to be used in many applications such as general freight, container cartage, road train operations. With emphasis on design, durability, low tare weights, reduced maintenance costs and resale values, the trailers offer a wide range of standard features. CIMC also offers custom specs on its flat deck, lead and tag trailer models, and a range of optional extras such as aluminium gates, aluminium or chrome wheels, extra lights, extra toolboxes, to complement some of the standard features on these trailers. One feature that Craig was outrightly impressed by was the appearance of the new fleet. “They are brand new trailers, and they look flash and fantastic,” he says. “They stretch out perfectly, and they look the part, really. The way they appear at say, a mine site, is very impressive. For now, they do everything they’re supposed to do. We’ve not had any issues with them so far and they are ticking the right boxes on productivity and efficiency. “We’re very happy with the customer service we receive from CIMC. Queensland Sales Manager Ashley Hayes and the guys in the Cranbourne office are fantastic and always very helpful. They did anything we wanted with these trailers and the delivery. They were so easy to deal with. “We’ve used CIMC’s Aftersales services up here in Brisbane and that has been great although with the kind and range of work we do, it can be slightly difficult for us to work out the booking date, but it’s a very small downside. We’re working with those guys because they do a good job for

Quality trailer finish from CIMC Vehicle Australia. The CIMC range of flat deck trailers offer operators great flexibility.

aftersales service, and we plan to continue going back to them.” Project Haulage was established by Robert and Rita Wharton, who are currently based in Gold Coast. While taking a step back from running the business full-time, Robert has since passed on the day-to-day operations and general management to Craig Jones, who joined the business nine years ago. His experience in managing Project Haulage and his past experience driving trucks has given Craig the ability to be a great judge of fleet and equipment and in CIMC he sees a long working relationship.

Contact

CIMC Vehicle Australia Ph: 03 9797 2100 Web: www.cimc.com.au