JJ Lawson celebrates 50 years with six new Mack Anthems

JJ Lawson have recently taken delivery of six new Mack Anthems as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations.

One of which is fitted out in a special 50th anniversary gold livery for the family owned and operated customs, freight and transport specialists.

“We wanted something different to commemorate our 50 years,” said Greg Lawson, who owns and operates the business alongside his brother Marty.

“We asked our signwriter Bear Signs for some ideas, and they came up with a gold livery wrap. It’s a collage of historical photos of our fleet along with special moments in our company history. The concept seemed like a good idea and the finished product exceeded all expectations.”

The new Anthem follows in the footsteps of a special Mack Granite the company commissioned for its 45th anniversary.

As longtime supporters of the North Sydney Bears rugby league club, Greg had that truck outfitted in the reverse of the company’s usual red with black stripes.

“With this Anthem we’ve gone back to our usual red, but the gold livery really makes it stand out on the road. It tells the story of the company in a unique way,” said Lawson.

Founder, Jim Lawson, decided in the early days that he wanted to provide a superior level of service and surety to clients and from there the decision was made to start building his own fleet.

In the mid ’90s the company acquired its first Mack: a Fleet-Liner CH Day-cab in a B-double configuration.

Over the years the fleet has grown organically with up to as many as 30 trucks at one time. At present, the business operates 18 Macks and two Volvos.

The whole fleet is on Mack Platinum Service Agreements, and this suits the company’s needs perfectly.

“Over the years we have considered setting up our own workshop and doing our own maintenance but with the space and specialised equipment and staff this involves we have continued to decide to leave it to the experts,” said Lawson.

“With Mack there’s no need to bang your fist on the table, they understand our business and they sort things out, so we can focus on what we do best.”

The new Anthems replace four Mack Granites the company acquired back in 2020, just before the onset of COVID-19.

“Like everyone else we didn’t see that coming and it was quite a trying time,” said Lawson.

“International shipping schedules were severely disrupted, and with the restrictions that were applied, we often found ourselves running the fleet with just one person physically in the office, but we got through it and those Granites have done us proud since then,” he added, preferring to turn his trucks over every five years or so.

The reason is not based on a huge number of kilometres, but because he wants top-quality gear in good condition as it befits the company’s reputation and makes it easier to attract and keep drivers.

“A major benefit of having a fleet from one provider is that we can switch our drivers between trucks and they all know what to expect. Everything is familiar and no extra training is needed. It’s simple and the whole package works,” explained Lawson.

Tony O’Connell, Vice President of Sales Mack Australia, said JJ Lawson are the kind of customer every truck manufacturer values.

“One that understands the demands of their business and trusts us to keep their fleet running at peak performance. We’re extremely proud to have been their provider of choice for 25 years,” he said.

“To be able to help celebrate their 50th anniversary with this special Anthem is a real privilege for us.”

With a 20,000m² transport depot in Chipping Norton, and operations spanning the country, Lawson has more things to worry about than trucks, and just likes to be assured that with a modern and well-maintained fleet there is one less thing to worry about.

“We’ve built this business on a foundation of exceptional service, fairness and honesty and this approach has stood us in good stead for half a century now,” he said.

“Our business has grown organically over time. We are still very much a family business and encourage those family values with our staff and extend them to our clients.

The 50th Anniversary truck delivery was a special day and took place with almost the whole Lawson family. Unfortunately Jim was unable to attend but his wife Jenny, two sons, two daughters in-law and six grandchildren all were there to celebrate the milestone.”

Greg said plans were underway to get a photo with Jim and this truck at some time in the near future.

JJ Lawson see themselves as a one-stop shop for the customs broking, freight forwarding, warehouse and transport needs for importers and exporters, and they view Mack in much the same way according to Lawson.

“We’ve stayed with Mack for over 25 years,” he said.

“They have the same standards of reliability and dependability that we offer our customers. The trucks are ideally suited for our operations, which mostly involves moving containerised freight from ports and airports, but for us the real benefit is the long-term relationship we have with Mack.

“For over half of the time we’ve been in business, Mack have handled all aspects of our truck supply and servicing needs from sales through after-sales and service, anticipating our needs and keeping our trucks on the road.

“We’re one-stop shop and so are they, and that suits us perfectly.”