Case Studies
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S&S Henderson
Operating predominantly in Victoria, along with some trips into New South Wales and South Australia, S&S Henderson specialises in the bulk transport of agricultural products – such as grain, hay, fertiliser and lime. Based in the small town of Derrinallum in south-western Victoria, local crop farmer Scott Henderson decided to expand into the transport game in November 2011, purchasing a second-hand truck and trailer. With luck on his side, the Mallee region was experiencing an excellent grain harvest season. “That year I was able to really get a good foothold and make some good contacts, and the business started growing from there,” he says. Within a few short years, one truck grew to two, and then three. “We started off really well and still try to keep local base, doing as much local work as we can. I have three exceptional drivers and saw an opportunity to expand. I was having to knock back work so saw the need to add a fourth B-double,” Scott explains.
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Miles Transport
Miles Transport was established in 1991 by Geoff Mile’s parents, Nick and Mary Miles. In the beginning, the company transported garden and nursery stock from Melbourne to all over Tasmania, however in 1999 they were asked to cart fresh-cut flowers from Melbourne to Sydney – something Miles Transport has been doing ever since. The company still operates out of its depot in Monbulk in Victoria’s scenic Dandenong Ranges, although the size of the depot has expanded fairly from its first set up. When Nick established the company he had just one International prime mover and a trailer that he purchased through his old employer. From those humble beginnings the company has come a long way to now owning 12 trucks, mainly Kenworth with a couple of European makes in the mix, and 13 trailers, 12 of which are from MaxiTRANS.
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Fays Transport
Victorian grain operator Bill Fay has been working in the trucking industry for many decades. Although it wasn’t a planned decision to enter this sector, Bill has come a long way since buying his first truck in 1983. Coming from a farming background, Bill says it was a combination of both coincidence and need that he entered into transport operations. Following humble beginnings, Bill’s grain transport business expanded its presence from Carranballac across regional Victoria. However, in recent years he has down-sized and his new company, Fay Grain, specialises in transport of grains, dairy and other niche goods for a range of clients across western regional Victoria.
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Vantrans Container Transport
With nearly three decades of experience in wharf cartage, Vantrans Container Transport specialises in bulk movement of empty shipping containers between the Port of Melbourne and container depots in Melbourne’s west. The Footscray-based company has signed on some new clients this year and to help support this growth and improve efficiency, Vantrans recently purchased three double-configuration Freighter Super-B skeletal combinations from MaxiTRANS. “It’s a low-margin business and most of the time we work on very tight deadlines, which means efficiency is key,” Vantrans founder Jeremy van Hoff says. “Most days, we have over 60 vehicles moving between the port and the depots, therefore we wanted to maximise our vehicle productivity.”
