This prime mover, along with another Mack Superliner, was recently delivered to OBrienco Transport by the Western Truck Group (WTG).
The first prime mover, named ‘Lozza’s Legacy’, was ordered, customised and dedicated to a close family friend of the O’Briens, Lauren Smith, in conjunction with Epilepsy Queensland.
Smith passed away from epilepsy on 2 April 2024 at the age of 20.
“I knew Lauren as a good family friend from my childhood – our families grew up together,” OBrienco Transport Sales Manager and Linehaul Coordinator, Jack O’Brien, told Prime Mover.
“Lauren developed epilepsy as she got older, and became very outspoken on the illness, raising awareness on living with it and how it didn’t stop her from living her life.
“She just wanted people to know that it didn’t hold her back.”
The idea to order and deploy a prime mover commemorating Smith was 12 months in the making.
“When we had the idea of doing this charity set, we wanted to partner with companies that have supported us throughout our massive year of growth,” said O’Brien.
“WTG and Mack were both at the top of that list.
“Partnering with them has been fantastic, and aligns with our business values. If you support us, we’ll support you back.”
Now complete and deployed, ‘Lozza’s Legacy’ is now joined by a set of recently-delivered drop deck trailers, which are wrapped with an image of Smith.
The two prime movers are supporting OBrienco’s national logistics operations by making bi-weekly trips to Perth from Toowoomba, delivering a range of agricultural goods like seedlings and produce.
According to O’Brien, the prime movers’ freight carrying capabilities are greatly bolstered by their 130-tonne ratings.
“They can carry a bit of weight, which is what we need for what we’re moving,” he said.
“This will mainly be seen and other goods. Food is among the core freight that we carry, and in the past, we’d deliver seeds to farms, and then return to those farms months later to pick up the fruit which has grown from those seeds.
“These trucks will help us provide an entire solution for the supply chain. We want to pick up the final product as well.”
In addition to agricultural food, OBrienco’s Mack Superliners are moving a range of equipment, including miscellaneous parts to tyre tracks, and other components. These journeys are greatly assisted by the prime movers’ 700hp engines.
These prime movers also boast comprehensive maintenance plans, in addition to a plethora of creature comforts.
The Mack Superliners were ordered with 58-inch sleeper cabs, fridges, freezers, televisions, microwaves, power points and cooler systems.
To O’Brien, including these comfort specs was the least he could do to ensure his drivers were happy on long trips.
“Our drivers are away for long periods of time on these routes,” he said.
“So, we want these trucks to be as comfortable for them as possible. That’s key to our business.”
As these prime movers venture across Australia, ‘Lozza’s Legacy’ will continue to raise awareness through their use in various charity events, along with its customised livery which includes barcodes to a website providing information on Smith and her campaign.
“The truck and trailer set will be used for charity events around the year,” O’Brien said.
“We plan on having a race day in Toowoomba for epilepsy, and it will fall on Lauren’s birthday.
“This way, Lauren can continue being vocal about the illness, even when she’s not here.”
