Up and coming Queensland cold carrier, JD Refrigerated Transport, is one of the fastest growing companies in Australia.
For the second consecutive year running it has made the Fast 100 list, an annual review of Australia’s fastest growing businesses.
A majority of the company growth is a byproduct of expansion with existing clients.
Much of this can be attributed, according to JD Refrigerated Transport Managing Director Joe Joseph, to its reliability, consistency of service and efficacious communication.
“We have been very targeted about the addition of new clients, focusing only in areas that we know we can sustainably deliver the excellent service levels JD has become known for in the market,” he told Prime Mover.
“The JD Model is a true partnership model. As such, we don’t try and be everything to everyone. Instead we focus on growing with a targeted clientele,” said Joseph.
Growth while fast has been measured. Over the last three years the fleet has expanded considerably from a half a dozen units to 56.
The mixed fleet is the sum of ongoing partnerships with Daimler, one of its earliest supporters, and PACCAR key suppliers for heavy vehicles and a close working relationship with Eurocold, for whom it relies on for Isuzu and Fuso rigids.
To celebrate its 50th truck, Joseph [pictured with Jeff Evans from Daimler] added a new Mercedes Actros 2663 prime mover.
Recently the fleet also added its first Volvo — an FM450.
A focus on tasks it can handle sustainably, according to Joseph, has led to scaling up reasonably quickly without fear of operations tripping over itself.
To date the business has resisted the temptation to clone itself interstate, despite encouragement from several clients.
“It will happen but only when I can guarantee the same high service levels we have become well known for,” said Joseph.
“The future looks bright and expansion throughout Queensland and interstate is certainly on the cards but all in good time. When we do something we like to do it not only well but sustainably well.”
Just as high levels of consistent service and problem solving are part of its remit, JD Refrigerated Transport maintains a thriving driver network of which Joseph is particularly proud.
“You can have the greatest equipment and technology money can buy but if the people who operate it don’t care then you will never succeed,” he said.
“We are blessed to have an amazing team of drivers that really do care about the business and our clients and we take care of them so they in turn take care of our clients.
“Our Safety and Compliance performance is another area we are proud of. We have made a significant investment in both technology and training to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of safety and compliance best practice.”
Considerable growth has been achieved without stepping outside its current southeast Queensland footprint.
“With the acquisition of our new Archerfield depot, the opportunity to expand our reach both further throughout Queensland and then interstate is very real,” said Joseph.
“We are focused on robustly building the framework for this expansion as we speak and look forward sharing our plans with our esteemed client base as they come to fruition.”