A pink triple roadtrain-rated Mack Super-Liner has joined the formidable fleet operated by Martins Stock Haulage fleet.
With depots in Oakey in Queensland, and Scone and Dubbo in New South Wales, Martins Stock Haulage is one of Australia’s most wide-ranging and successful family-owned livestock haulers.
Continuously in business since Gordon Martin started the company in 1958, Martins run a fleet of around 90 prime movers in every configuration up to triple roadtrains.
Their livestock operations cover all of eastern Australia, from western Queensland to South Australia, while they also have tankers carrying dangerous goods for the mines in Western Australia.
“We specialise in the really remote stuff,” said General Manager Adam Ross.
“We go everywhere from remote farms to the cities and there’s no job we won’t tackle,” he said.
“Some days our drivers will go all day without leaving the station where they picked up the cattle.”
Martins found themselves in a bit of a bind during the COVID-19 pandemic, when getting hold of internationally supplied equipment was almost impossible.
“We had a bit of a relationship with one the blokes at Western Truck Group in Toowoomba through a horse sale we sponsor, so we started the conversation.“
That resulted in Martins placing an order for four Super-Liners, with another four Titans due to come off the line later this year.
“We’ve had over a hundred Macks in the past, so this is nothing new, but when they sent us a Titan to trial, we were very impressed with it,“ said Ross.
“We were a bit concerned about driver acceptability, but we needn’t have worried – we put one of our most senior drivers in the Titan and he loved it.”
The Macks are fitted with sleeper cabs, and all feature the renowned Mack powertrain of the 685hp MP10 engine, coupled with the mDRIVE automated manual transmission.
“We’re setting the servicing up on Mack Service Agreements, which will take the work out of our sheds,” added Ross.
“That was another aspect we liked.”
Buying a new truck gave Jason Martin, Adam and their team an opportunity to pursue something they’d been talking about for a long time: acknowledging the contribution of the women in the business.
“We’ve got women in roles throughout the company, from drivers to senior executives, and they’re some of the hardest-working and most capable people we’ve got,” said Ross.
“They’re a huge part of the business and we wanted to do something significant to recognise them publicly.”
The result is a 685hp Mack Super-Liner in a hard-to-miss pink finish that’s going to draw a lot of attention in its travels around Australia. “We didn’t really know how this would work,” said Ross.
“The idea started from a discussion with the Mack guys, but then everyone involved just jumped on board and the level of enthusiasm was incredible. “When we started telling people what we were doing we got a few raised eyebrows.”
It’s also an opportunity, according to Ross, to inspire their employees.
“The women we employ are there on their own merits – the best and brightest for the job – and we want to encourage them and others to get out there and have a crack.”
Vice President of Mack Trucks Australia, Tom Chapman said it was an honour to partner with Martins to build a truck with a higher purpose.
“It’s by no accident that Martins Stock Haulage is one of the largest livestock carriers in the country. The way in which they embrace new technology and continuously strive to improve their systems and processes is world class,” he said. “The transport industry is constantly evolving and full of opportunity.
Innovation is very much the key to success and diversity and inclusion is a huge driver of this,” he continued.
One of Martins’ most senior drivers will soon be taking it out to western Queensland as a triple roadtrain.
“He’s tickled pink about it, no pun intended, and he’s a role model for the company. We’re expecting to get a lot of people approaching him with questions and asking to have photos taken with the truck,” said Ross.
“This pink Mack is a statement of our belief in and support for the women in our company and in the transport industry as a whole, and it will be taking that message everywhere we operate.”