Multiquip has bolstered its heavy vehicle fleet with several new roadtrains.
The transport solutions provider for the poultry meat industry continues to lead the segment in innovative Performance-Based Standards (PBS) equipment.
Looking to optimise its linehaul, particularly on one leg from Griffith to Sydney, the fleet commissioned a high productivity unit, pulled by a V8 Scania 770, which debuted late last year and has been joined by another travelling between Tamworth and Sydney.
According to Multiquip Company Director & CEO Jason Mikosic this task was originally performed in single fridge van loads because B-doubles were unsuitable.
“Then we worked really hard to get PBS approval to take two standard size fridge trailers from both regions into Sydney,” he told Prime Mover.
“What it did was give us the opportunity to take full single trailer loads and hook them up as a roadtrain to take into the Sydney region.”
Multiquip now has 27 depots nationwide.
The yards at Picton, for the loads coming from south and Bringelly, for the loads from the north, are where they can break up the trailers before they are ferried into the greater Sydney metropolitan area.
“When we get to Sydney the important part is having the right facility to be able to disconnect and then trans ship as two single trailers again,” said Mikosic.
The vans were built by Freighter.
“There was a lot of back and forth in finding the right group of trailers, talking to the authorities, talking with trailer builders about the right combination to be able to do that and then we eventually found the right combination after a lot of hard work including getting the routes approved,” said Mikosic.
“In the back of my mind I always thought Griffith to Sydney would be achievable but when the Tamworth to Sydney run was approved it was a huge achievement to get that done.”
Because that run involves more townships with greater interaction with traffic, the concern was that local councils would be opposed to the PBS style vehicles.
Transport for NSW was one road authority involved but there are also individual councils that must give consent.
Approvals, however, proved to be relatively painless from regional jurisdictions.
Length of the unit is 33.5 metres with a gross combination weight of 81 tonnes.
Because of the vehicle length the unit is limited to 90 km/h.
As the combination must contend with the elevated heights of crossing the Great Dividing Range it’s anything but an easy run.
Mikosic said the driver of the unit is nonetheless impressed with the performance of the prime mover.
“The Scania 770 is a really interesting vehicle because the drivers are telling me that from Griffith to the Sydney metro area it is taking them about half an hour less in time,” he said.
“All the hills should make a lot of difference when you’re pulling that kind of weight.”
The roadtrains in the fleet are nominally hooked up to Scania 620s, 660s or 770s depending on the journey and distance required.
The fleet has also deployed new additions to its live bird fleet for operations predominantly around Griffith. There are 16 roadtrains working around the agricultural region transporting poultry.
“The live bird industry in Griffith is very busy and the processing plant is double the size of the next biggest one in Australia, making it the biggest in the country,” said Mikosic.
“That means there are plenty of birds to move around.”
The live bird roadtrains have been in operation for eight years with five new ones added recently.
Multiquip relies on Jamieson to build these livestock roadtrains.
“As a business we’ve really tried to embrace PBS where we can and maximise the tonnage on every load that we do,” said Mikosic.
“Because, really, we’ve got a transport task and taking trucks off the road is one of our key goals.
“We’ve got so many different PBS units on the road it’s really good when we come up with an idea, conceptualise it and receive principlal approval and then the route approval and then get it on the road.”
He added, “It’s a hard journey but well worth it once you get it done.”
