Fleet of the Month

Marathon Man

AN AUSTRALIAN-OWNED AND OPERATED COMPANY THAT’S BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, LIBERTY OIL APPRECIATES THE VALUE OF A SUPREMELY COMFORTABLE AND QUIET CAB ENVIRONMENT IN MINIMISING THE FATIGUE OF ITS DRIVERS. IT’S FOR THIS REASON, AMONG OTHERS, THAT THE COMPANY RECENTLY BEGAN UPGRADING SOME OF ITS FLEET WITH MAN PRIME MOVERS.

Liberty oil is a fuel and oil distributor that operates around the clock to ensure petroleum products that are the lifeblood of society are available when and where they are required. The company has a broad customer base including retail fuel stations, farmers and commercial businesses, to name a few. All up there are about 80 trucks in the fleet covering the entire spectrum from rigids to triple-trailer road train prime movers that operate all over the country. Having acquired the first MAN TGS 540 L Cab in November 2020, another eight were added to the fleet throughout 2021. As a company that views safety as being of utmost importance and also highly values the skills and commitment of its drivers, Liberty Oil wanted a brand of prime mover that ticked all the boxes in terms of safety, comfort and fatigue reduction measures. It’s for this reason, says Darren Karslake, National Operations and Fleet Manager at Liberty Oil, that the company has chosen to invest in MAN power. “My initial experience with MAN trucks was through the relationship between Shell V-Power Racing and Penske which put me in contact with Shannon Mair, Penske Australia’s Head of Fleet,” Darren says. “Shannon showed me some of the MANs and I really liked what I saw in terms of the full-on safety and comfort features they come standard with.” From a driver’s perspective, Darren says the MANs are hard to beat. The drivers are pleased that they are not fighting with them all day. It means, importantly, at the end of a long shift that they’re not worn out from the experience. “Our drivers can be on the road for up to 12 hours a day and their feedback is that the MAN trucks provide a level of comfort that is close to the same as driving their own car for the day,” Darren says. Operations require the company to deliver fuel to a wide variety of customers ranging from retail service stations, commercial businesses and rural or farming properties, to refuelling trains and boats. Liberty aims for an old-school business approach by striving to conduct in-person meetings with customers as much as possible. However, according to Darren, traditional business values do not prevent the team at Liberty from investing in the latest in technological advancements when it comes to the trucks that move its products. “We purchased our first MAN from the Penske Australia national fleet team in November 2020 and we now have five in our fleet,” he says. “We have three at our depots in Victoria and two at our Queensland depots.” The Penske national fleet team, supported by the company’s Brisbane branch, has been very helpful and easy to work with. “We also deal with Westar Truck Centre in Melbourne. With both organisations we have experienced all-around good communication and assistance,” Darren enthuses. “Some of our vehicles travel hundreds of kilometres a day, while others may do less, but there is always consistent use of the pumping equipment across the board.”

A MAN cab ticks Liberty Oil’s boxes for safety, comfort and fatigue reduction measures.