Two new Mack Super-Liners purchased by Bordertown Haulage and Trading (BHT) last year have seamlessly fit into the fleet.
The first is a 70-tonne-rated five-axle truck and dog while the latest addition is a 131-tonne capable A-double.
Riding on eight bag air suspension and fitted with an Aussie-CTI system, the latest prime movers are powered by a 685hp MP10 engine paired with a 13-speed Mdrive.
There are eight prime movers in the fleet at present.
Mack trucks have been an integral part of the South Australian operation since 1980.
That’s the year when Peter Karger founded the business.
Angus Karger, who took over in 2023, said Macks have been around his whole life.
“I joined the business in 1982, the day I was born, there’s a picture of me when I was a baby, standing in Dad’s old R600 with my hands on the steering wheel,” he said.
“So I was probably always going to get a Mack myself.”
Not that it was a snap decision.
The company had tried trucks from a range of other manufacturers, but consistently found them to be unreliable, expensive to maintain, or simply out of date when it came to technology.
When Mack introduced models that had disc brakes and the mDRIVE automated manual gearbox as standard, the decision made itself.
“We’re only a small family business, but we’ve always been all-in on safety.
“We started out early on putting disc brakes on our trailers, and we were always looking for automatics, so when Mack brought out the Super-Liner it fitted our requirements perfectly.”
He hasn’t looked back, acquiring two more Super-Liners, including one of the Centenary models, all of them maintained through Mack service agreements.
“I like that these trucks come out of Brisbane,” said Karger.
“It’s Australian-made and that’s pretty rare these days. Mack have made it easy for us too, they know what we need and they make sure when we order a new one that it’s got the same specs as the last.
“There’s no surprises and we know we can rely on them.”
The newest Super-Liners are providing operational flexibility for the wide range of loads the fleet is required to carry nationwide.
Operations extend as far afield as Esperance in Western Australia and Townsville in north Queensland.
BHT’s tippers and drop-deck flat tops commonly deliver grain, hay, gypsum, gravel and general freight.
A typical journey might entail departing from the depot in Bordertown, just inside South Australia on the Victorian border, to somewhere reasonably local like Geelong, or as far away as north Queensland.
After growing up in the house that still sits in the front of the depot, Angus went to boarding school, then joined the army in the year 2000 where he trained as a diesel mechanic.
“I’m a diesel mechanic, but I know my limitations, so I look after a couple of the old trucks, but Mack do all our servicing, and that’s one reason they’re so reliable,” he said.
“I like that Mack take responsibility for the whole truck, there’s none of this ‘that’s someone else’s problem’ stuff.”
After six years of service that included a stint in Afghanistan, Karger came back and joined the family business in 2006.
This might explain why, besides the Super-Liners, there’s one more Mack in the fleet: a 6×6 ex-army tipper he bought at auction, still in its camouflage paint.
“Yeah, I had my eye on it for a while, and one day it was up for auction so I took the opportunity, fixed it up and got it registered.”
Tony O’Connell, Vice President of Sales Mack Australia, described BHT epitomised the kind of Australian family business that have made Mack trucks the icon they are in Australia.
“A BHT Super-Liner B-double going down the highway is a fantastic sight, and all part of the rich heritage of road transport in this huge country. We’re honoured to be a part of it,” he said.
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