Operating a modern road transport business requires infrastructure and equipment and, crucially, the right people to fulfil the various roles to deliver safe and efficient results.
Cahill Transport is an excellent example of this and as the business continues to undergo solid growth, opportunities arise for people to grow along with the company.
Brigette Green’s career didn’t commence in the transport industry, instead she worked in accounting and was studying that subject part time at TAFE.
Brigette came to work at Cahill’s Transport a decade ago to fill a temporary position while another employee was on maternity leave, and she hasn’t left.
“I guess I was fortunate as the business grew quite quickly and there were roles open and available to me as I continued to learn more and develop within the business,” says Brigette.
Her career progress at Cahill Transport has included being a line allocator, then a transport manager for five years and in 2024 Brigette was appointed New South Wales State Manager, based at Cahill Transport’s facility in Western Sydney.
Brigette has five managers directly reporting to her, with around 90 employees in total.
Daily the Sydney depot sees around 40 to 50 trucks arrive and depart, with transport activities ranging from interstate linehaul, local transport and container work including an unpacking service.
The availability of experienced drivers is a universal challenge for transport in Australia.
“We’re definitely seeing some improvement in that area recently as opposed to the last few years, but it’s still quite challenging,” says Brigette.
“It’s also vital to ensure we are always being safe and compliant as everything is forever changing. In this business we’ve got a good team who are able to get a grip on that, by making sure we are influencing our drivers to take a committed part in the compliance space.”
The friendly competition of Cahill Transport’s driver-of-month and driver-of-the-year programs has also proved to be beneficial as a motivational exercise for company drivers.
“It’s really good because it’s not just a vote for someone, we’ve got actual data which gives us those results and that really drives positive change as well,” says Brigette.
Newly recruited drivers go through an on-boarding induction process which has been developed by the Cahill Transport HR department.
“As a new driver starts and the initial induction is completed we do a buddy system, with an experienced, capable driver to ensure that they’re not just getting in and hoping for the best,” says Brigette.
“They know our paperwork requirements and we’re making sure they understand our fleet equipment and the transmitting devices in the trucks, as well as understanding our customers’ expectations.”
Cahill Transport has a reputation for operating a modern fleet and for adopting and implementing new and proven technologies such as Electronic Work Diaries.
“We use EWDs for our local drivers as well,” says Brigette.
“To monitor fatigue locally the business made the decision that everyone would be using EWDs depending upon what they were doing that day. The visibility from it, even for a driver who is learning to understand what they are able to do, has been very beneficial. The fact that it’s all live as well as opposed to waiting for the logbook sheets to come in is also a plus.”
Although she in relatively new to her new role, Brigette has acquired a quiet confidence about what she is doing.
“There’s not been any one thing that’s been daunting or too challenging on an ongoing basis,” she says.
“It would depend upon the day. Is it one of my divisions that’s not doing so well on that day, and can we focus on it more tomorrow? Is it a people thing? Has someone resigned and do we need to fill that role? Has someone put their hand up and they want to progress further, and we can provide more training?”
Operating trucks in and around the Sydney metropolitan area in recent years is a challenge in itself as the greater city region at times seems to be one big construction site with ever increasing traffic congestion so operational flexibility has become increasingly important.
“I would suggest Sydney metro is likely worse in some respects, particularly should there be an accident or incident on one of the main roads,” says Brigette.
“However, out of Sydney into destinations such as Newcastle or Melbourne it’s much better. Locally it definitely feels worse, but not necessarily every day. Should there be an accident or incident you know that day is not going to be as planned. You need to rework everything, whereas I don’t feel that five years ago that was the case. Now we are just so dependent on the main roads and, in some cases, those are the only roads trucks can travel on.”
Brigette remains unfazed by such day-to-day challenges.
“I’m enjoying the exposure to all the different functions within my role,” she says.
“Previously I didn’t have much warehouse exposure, so I’m enjoying that. Being given the opportunity to be able to continue to grow personally and professionally in different roles within the business has been really good. Operationally, when I was quite young, I could get from A to B without much difficulty, but I understand now the cost of getting from A to B and how we can do it better.”
Family connections have always been important at Cahill Transport as it moves to encompass its fourth generation of the Cahill family. Two of Brigette’s sisters also work within the Cahill business in Sydney.
Chanelle is a transport manager and Katelynn is the operations manager for the Tip Top bakery sector.
“I started here first, and I really enjoyed having something different every day with achievable goals,” adds Brigette.
Her enthusiasm for the job and the wider industry remains strong.
There’s always more to learn; it hardly being a stagnant business given, as she points out, things are forever changing.
“I enjoy that and I think it’s a good industry to get into,” says Brigette.
“In our industry there are a lot of women in leadership roles and the mentorship, and the camaraderie is great. You don’t get that everywhere.”