News Archive

A new state of the art, 26m Tieman road train has been delivered to the Farm Milk Division in Tongala enhancing our current PBS fleet and with steer axels on all 3 combinations providing greater access to local dairy farms. The new tanker is one of several that is being added to the fleet, supporting growth to the business and ensuring that our drivers have access to the best and most efficient equipment available.

The new combination provides 2 x 30,000 litre barrels making it a perfect fit for large scale dairy farms that produce significant volumes of milk on a daily basis. ‘Improvements are continually coming through for both access and mass, these combinations deliver increased payload and modernizes our current fleet’ said Roger Robilliard, General Manger, Dairy Division.

Including safety features such as EBS braking for superior stability and braking, auto-greasers for both trailers and the dolley and ease of driver usability via link hose which allows single point unload.

Since its arrival at the start of June the new addition has been servicing new contracts in the northern Vic region.

Click here for the McColl’s Autumn/Winter Newsletter

Insights into consumer trends, the impact of Covid-19 and global economic drivers were key items on the agenda at the 2021 McColl’s Annual Industry Day in Northern Victoria.

Around 60 representatives from transport and food production organisations, including Fonterra, Lactalis and Saputo, heard Michael Harvey, Senior Analyst, at RaboBank share data insights on market trends across Australia and the world.

With Dairy Australia set to release an industry report on environmental factors on Monday, analysis showed that focus remains on sustainability and environment, driven by regulation and industry leaders.  Many attendees agreed that reducing emissions in the supply chain was an important issue, however the cost of mitigating CO2 remains a barrier.

John Droppert, Industry Insight Manager at Dairy Australia, reported that the combination of strong farm gate prices and increases in pasture growth led to strong returns for the year.  However, at this stage dairy production volumes have not risen.

The discussion moved to ways that Australia can return to previous higher milk production levels.

Robust domestic consumer demand and population growth continue to provide positive signals for farmers.  Participants expected that longer term pricing contracts between processors and farmers would lead to herd investments and production volume increases.

McColl’s Transport recently showcased its commitment to innovation as it implements a new form of telematics tracking throughout its Milk Division.

McColl’s has recently partnered with ORBCOMM, a leader in Asset Tracking, Monitoring and Control. ORBCOMM provides the ability to track unpowered assets across the country, whether they are transported via chassis or rail. The tracking system is solar powered, and can not only track the asset, but monitor the temperature of the product being transported, and notify users of any door activity.

“Our commitment to technology innovation has been an integral part of McColl’s growth and scalability for more than 60 years, and ORBCOMM’s leading IoT technology is the best choice for helping us take our business to the next level of productivity and efficiency,” said Peter Shearer, McColl’s Transport Bulk Food Grade General Manager.

The devices are currently fitted to 18 ISO tanks within the Milk Division, and with the added benefit of customer portal integration, McColl’s is offering its customers more visibility over their products.

WA based chemicals driver, Hannah Hughes has been named Driver of the Year in the inaugural Women in Trucking Australia competition in recognition of female truck drivers.

The awards shine a light on the work of resilient and inspirational heavy vehicle drivers who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and get the job done. Hannah who was nominated by her partner Benn and fellow workmates at McColl’s, shows an uncompromising work ethic and is a well-respected member of the BCD team. Her ability to overcome any obstacle using her own initiative, drive in remote locations in hazardous weather conditions and work with dangerous chemicals on a daily basis makes Hannah an extremely valuable asset at McColl’s. “Hannah does a great job for us in one of our most remote locations under some of our most testing conditions. She contributes a lot to our organisation over and above her ‘day job’, and is very highly regarded by our tight-knit team in WA. Fantastic effort Hannah!” said BCD General Manager Mick Mulraney.

Winning the WiTA awards means the world to Hannah, “I am very humbled and taken aback by how much support there is out there for me, driving is what I love doing and its fantastic to be recognised by the industry” she said. Hannah who was up against 21 other inspirational women from varied backgrounds, ages and levels of experience, believes just being nominated was an honour and is simply grateful for the opportunity McColl’s have given her to be behind the wheel. “It’s a great testament to Hannah to be recognised for this award, we pride ourselves on mutual respect so having Hannah appreciated by her fellow drivers as a part of International Women’s day is a terrific achievement’’ said Simon Thornton, McColl’s Transport CEO.

Hannah not only contributes to the company as a driver, but by participating in health and wellness initiatives, contributing stunning photographs to the annual company calendar and displaying a high level professionalism and pride in her vehicle and what she does. ‘As a woman in trucking, you have to work so much harder to take away the doubt that you can do the job just as well as the men’ says Hannah, who comes from a family of truck drivers and is the first to put her hand up for long trips to Cape Preston, Telfer and Wiluna.

Keeping our drivers and the community safe are top priorities for McColl’s which is why we have invested $9m in new fleet over the last financial year.

The fleet modernisation includes prime moves from Kenworth, Freightliner and Volvo and tankers from Tieman, Byfords and Marshall Lethlean.

McColl’s operates 200+ prime movers, over 650 tankers/trailers throughout Australia.

We are very excited to have a new truck in our fleet!

The Freightliner Cascadia 126 (pictured left) is operating with a B-double milk tanker and is powered by a 16-litre Detroit engine and a 12-speed automated manual transmission. It is equipped with all the modern safety features, is fuel efficient and comfortable.  The safety features that are not normally seen on conventional trucks in Australia include an automatic emergency braking system, pedestrian detection, collision avoidance and other systems that use radar sensors and cameras to survey the truck’s surroundings.

Safety First is at the top of our company values, so we are especially keen on these new features being introduced with the Cascadia.

McColl’s Group Holdings was acquired, in May, by an investor club known as Friesian. The club includes new CEO Simon Thornton and Chairman Mark Mentha – both familiar faces at the company.

“It is great to be back in the driver’s seat at McColl’s,” Mr Thornton said.

“A lot has happened in the five years I was away. The industries we serve have changed dramatically, with new owners and new priorities. Some of our previous customers no longer exist and new ones have arrived with big plans for the future.”

McColl’s new board members include James Macdonald, a partner in law firm Piper Alderman.

James specialises in commercial law and had previously served McColl’s in negotiating customer contracts.

Friesian’s plans are long term; the club intends to invest in McColl’s over time to see what kind of company it can grow into.

“This is the first time in 12 years that the company has not been for sale,” Mr Thornton explained. “We plan to develop the company over the next generation.”

“We have new employees arriving all around the company. We are hiring new drivers and trainers; there are also new graduate business analysts, compliance, safety, operations and financial people.

“The Dairy Division is commissioning 10 new pocket road trains to cope with its extra work. The Bulk Food Grade Division and Bulk Chemicals Division are also expecting new tankers and prime movers to arrive in the next few months.

“The 2018 financial year was a good one for McColl’s. We are looking forward to cementing productive partnerships with our existing clients and forging some new ones.”

McColl’s is committed to providing reliable service by investing in new and innovative equipment. Recent fleet upgrades and additions include 40 prime movers and 24 tankers.

Among the big additions are six new Byford road-trains and three new Tieman 26-metre road trains for the Dairy division. These road trains feature steerable axles, providing better maneuverability and easier and faster access onto farms. The road trains are also capable of carrying a bigger payload, which is a welcome boost to McColl’s haulage capacity.

The six Byfords are headed for the Dairy regions of Northern and Western Victoria and South Australia, while the Tiemans are headed for NSW. Other additions to the Dairy Division included one Tieman 30,000-litre single tanker; two Dunn Engineering dollies; and four 30,000-litre Byford single tankers. The Dairy Division has purchased 26 Volvo FM 540, one FH 540 and three Scania R560s to replace older assets and growth.

McColl’s has purchased two new Evolution tankers made using carbon fibre composite materials, with a polyethylene thermoplastic interior for the Bulk Chemicals Division.  This means the tankers are far less corrosive and suitable to transport a wide range of liquids. The thermoplastic interior also reduces absorption which means that we can switch safely between different products after a wash out.

Two new Tieman dangerous goods stainless tankers have been ordered to work as a pocket road train in Western Australia, two Byford stainless DG leads to work as B-doubles on the Eastern seaboard and two Marshall Lethlean stainless lead tankers.

McColl’s Bulk Food Grade Division added nine Kenworth T409s, one Kenworth T610, two Scania R730s, two Volvo Globetrotters and one Tieman compartmented tanker to its Fleet.

On a cool winter’s day in June, 80 people from McColl’s and many of its customers gathered at Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium to hear about changes to Chain of Responsibility (CoR) legislation.

COR specialist Michael Crellin led the briefing session; with over 25 years of investigative experience from the Queensland Police Service, Department of Transport & Main Roads and the national Heavy Vehicle Regulator, Michael shared his wide knowledge of the new legislation.

Throughout the workshop, there was lengthy discussion about the implications of the law changes, followed by scenario role-play to ensure that everyone was in tune with the changes and the different expectations of each individual in the chain. It was an informative and enjoyable afternoon with everyone taking away an increased awareness of the changes ahead.

We introduced the McColl’s CoR App as a way to engage people along the supply chain in their responsibilities. You can find the app here: safechain.com.au

It was great to see so many of McColl’s business partners eager to work together to make our shared logistics operations safer for our people and other road users.

With nine years’ experience behind the wheel, doing everything from driving long haul to installing underground fuel tanks, WA Operations Manager for the McColl’s Bulk Chemicals Division, Nicole Trounson, has a solid grasp of the transport industry.

Last year, Nicole (pictured left with her daughter) decided to get off the road and take on a new challenge – becoming the Operations Manager for McColl’s Bulk Chemicals Division in Western Australia.

“I love driving trucks and being on the road but it was time to try something new and this role uses all of the experience I’ve gained over the years,” said Nicole.

“It is a huge responsibility managing the transport of dangerous goods across the state, as well as managing people, but I have a great team and we work really well together.”

Day-to-day, Nicole manages a multitude of aspects of the business from customer requests and HR issues through to truck break downs at any time of the day or night and, occasionally, filling in behind the wheel, with the bulk of deliveries going to mine sites across WA.

“We are a small team with five drivers and when you are covering such a large area hauling dangerous chemicals like sodium hypochlorite and solvents, you always have to be on the ball,” Nicole explained.

“If one of my drivers is stuck somewhere in the middle of the night, I must answer that call, make sure the driver is safe and get them back on the road as soon as possible.”

This is Nicole’s second stint at McColl’s. So, what drew her back to the company?

“I like the people I work with, not just in my team but right across the country,” she said.

“And taking on this new role has also given me the chance to be at home more with my family, which is really important to me. It’s one of the things I like about working for McColl’s – they are flexible and understanding about making family a priority.”

Justin Keast, General Manager – Bulk Chemicals Division, said Nicole’s dedication was great to see.

“Nicole is very customer focused and she has built a great rapport with our WA customers. She understands what the customer needs and does everything she can to ensure that those needs are met,” Justin said.

“She manages each aspect of her role with a steady temperament and friendly disposition and I think we’ll see the WA business grow under her leadership.”

After a successful trial, McColl’s has launched a new hazard reporting system.

The Hazard Reporting App assists drivers to proactively identify hazards that could harm McColl’s employees, as well as issues at customer sites.  Detailed data capture enables lessons to be learnt and improvement trends to be identified.

The system will provide many benefits including:

• No paperwork or forms
• Quick and simple reporting process
• Promptly notified to National Safety Manager via email
• Ability to take and attach photos.

McColl’s National Workplace Health & Safety Manager, Joe Boras, said: “This tool will further improve the strong safety culture within McColl’s by monitoring hazards and addressing the issue raised before an injury occurs.”

McColl’s driver trainer Jeff Hosking could be the most likeable bloke on the planet.

Jeff started out at McColl’s in 2011, driving line haul for the Bulk Food Grade Division (BFGD) out of Tongala.

Peter Shearer, McColl’s BFGD General Manager, said that during  the time Jeff was with BFGD he always had a positive attitude.

“He was very customer focused,” Peter said. “Jeff takes great pride in his work and that was always reflected in the cleanliness of whichever truck he was driving.”

Since 2014, Jeff has been a McColl’s driver trainer working across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.

“I do everything from a pre-employment drive with prospective hires to see their skill and attitude, as well as inductions and renewals,” he said.

“We now have telematics, camera systems and GPS which we use to coach, train and provide feedback to our drivers.

“I also conduct drug and alcohol testing, which is important to have in the transport industry. We’re doing the right thing for our drivers and customers.”

Even in the past few years, Jeff has seen major changes to truck safety and driver training.

“There’s a lot more training than there ever was,” he said. “We want to have the most professional drivers on the road and we’re always trying to give customers the best service.”

And the secret to being a great truck driver?

“Patience!” Jeff laughed. “Be ready for anything and stay calm. You never stop learning in the transport industry, that’s for sure.”

WA driver Phil Pidgeon is being applauded after a life-saving encounter.

Late one February afternoon, while metal detecting for coins at Brunswick Junction, Phil noticed a man collapse by the roadside.

Retiree, Andy Gross, had suffered a heart attack as he walked to dinner.

Andy’s wife Louisa said “Phil, the good Samaritan, ran over and gave Andy CPR until the ambulance arrived. If he hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have Andy. I’m 100 per cent sure.”

Andy spent about 10 days in hospital and has had heart surgery.

“Andy has an internal defibrillator now and is very tired but he’s home and recovering,” Louisa said. “We’re very grateful to Phil!”

Sitting in the shaded cabin of a big truck or a car can give a false sense of security from the harsh Australian sun. But beware – ultraviolet rays (UV) penetrate windscreens and windows with long term exposure impacting eyesight, causing skin cancer and inducing premature aging.

With two in three Australians diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime, McColl’s is determined to have everyone driving a vehicle be sun-smarter this summer.

Here are four simple steps to staying safe from UV rays.

• Know when you’re at risk. The strength of UV rays varies depending on the time of day and where you are. Don’t be fooled by the weather, UV rays penetrate glass and cloud.  Know when you’re most at risk by simply downloading the See UV app.
• Daily sunscreen. Don’t leave home without it and re-apply during the day.
• Sunglasses. Keep UV rays away from your eyes.
• Slip on a hat. When you leave the truck, car or even the office, slip on a hat for extra protection.

Technology Used to Assess Employee Health

A new and innovative machine has been used to assess employees’ health at several major McColl’s sites across the country.

The Bio Impedance Health Testing Machine uses a five minute, scientifically validated clinical assessment to measure the major markers of aging.

Staff are encouraged to step onto the machine so various measurements can be taken including:

• weight
• body fat percentage
• organ fat level
• soft muscle mass
• skeletal muscle mass
• hydration level
• biological age
• balance between left and right side of the body
• protein and mineral levels

Employees who took part in a voluntary program gained valuable insights into their health.

On completion of each test, an accredited external health practitioner reviewed participants’ results and worked with them to establish a number of short term lifestyle/health goals.

There are plans to roll out the health program to other McColl’s sites in the new year.

The McColl’s depot at Prestons near Sydney will be the proud owner of a new B-double Omni Tanker in the new year.

The tanker’s patented thermoplastic liner makes it suitable for transporting highly corrosive chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite and hydrochloric acid.

The depot already operates two B-double sets and this third addition will ensure the efficiency of operations continues to improve.

Bulk Chemicals Division has continued to put in a solid performance this year as it keeps pace with demand from customers such as Ixom and Huntsman.

Congratulations are in order for Operations Manager Rod McGuiness and Prestons depot driver Leigh Foster who are celebrating 10 years of service with McColl’s. A special presentation was made to them at the recent Prestons’ depot Christmas party.

Safe driving and a safe community are top priorities for McColl’s, which is why we are excited to invest in 33 new prime movers and more than 30 new tankers this year.

McColl’s fleet modernisation includes five new Volvos (one FH 540 and four FM 540) and, after an 18-month trial, four new Scanias for Farm Collection, based out of our Tongala depot.

McColl’s Bulk Food customers will benefit from the addition of 10 new Kenworth and three Scania trucks including two R730 prime movers for linehaul work on the eastern seaboard.

As well, an additional five B-Double tankers will join our Bulk Chemical Division.

The company has also grown to include six pocket road trains operating in Western Australia – one moving chemicals in Perth and six carrying milk from farms to Harvey.

McColl’s operates 200 prime movers on roads as far west as Perth and north to Atherton in Queensland, with 60 permanent tow operators and over 600 tankers in the fleet.

A new hazard reporting system is being trialled by a number of McColl’s drivers.

The Hazard Reporting App will help proactively identify hazards that could harm McColl’s employees, as well as issues that arise at customer sites.

The system facilitates immediate follow-up and action, providing many benefits including:

• Quick and simple reporting from anywhere, at any time – it takes less than 60 seconds.
• No paperwork or forms, data is received in real-time by the National Safety Manager for quick actioning.
• Detailed data capture to enable lessons to be learnt and improvement trends identified.

We are looking forward to gathering a raft of useful information from the new reporting system.

McColl’s depot at Rocklea, just south of Brisbane, recently welcomed some new faces.

Driver Trevor Jarred has made the move from Victoria to be closer to his family and Glenn Williams has joined our team to give better flexibility and utilisation of our fleet, and to provide our customers with the service they require.

Craig Honeyman has also made the move north to give our scheduling some extra flexibility and responsiveness.

The depot has also recently welcomed additional loads with the specialty chemical company Hexion, moving methanol between its plant at Gibson Island and the Graincorp terminal at Pinkenba.

If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact Tony Hall, the Queensland Operations Manager.

This week we’re excited to launch McColl’s new look website.

The bold, modern design and new features reflect our efforts to put McColl’s personnel and business partners first in every aspect of our business.

As well as giving you an insight into our services, operations, values, fleet and safety initiatives, the updated site will make it easy and interesting to find the information you need.

You’ll find the latest news and some great articles about the people behind the scenes at McColl’s.

Technology is constantly improving and so are we, that’s why we hope you’ll take a look and let us know what you think.

To enhance the service we provide our customers, McColl’s has appointed two new Regional Managers in our Dairy Division in New South Wales.

Barry Edwards has taken on the role of Regional Manager Central West NSW (Cowra & Orange). Having owned and operated his own transport business, Barry brings a wealth of experience to the role.

In Bomaderry, Peter Ryan has stepped into the position of Regional Manager from his previous position as scheduler for our Bulk Food Division. His new role will see him looking after the Dairy Division operations in Bomaderry, Mittagong and Albion Park (Jamberoo) as well as overseeing Bulk Food operations together with Cameron Bendall.

The new structure in Bomaderry will provide for greater synergies in drivers, vehicles and administrative tasks between the Dairy and Bulk Food Divisions.

Our loyal staff members are one of our greatest strengths and we are fortunate to have a lot of the McColl’s team choose to remain with us over many, many years.

Our customers can draw on the decades of accumulated experience that our longest serving staff bring to every division and every region we operate in.

In December, 23 staff members received awards for chalking up 10, 15 or 20 years’ service and one – Warranty Manager Neil Mousley – was acknowledged for his 35 years with McColl’s.

Together they represent an incredible 335 years of service with McColl’s!

We are proud to have them on the team.

Peter Shearer brings valuable experience from both overseas and within McColl’s to the role of General Manager – Bulk Food Grade Division.

Peter has a long history with McColl’s. He started as a subcontractor in 1999. After a couple of years living and working in the US and Ireland, Peter returned to McColl’s as a truck driver in 2002.

He progressed as Operations Supervisor and National Operations Manager Bulk Food.

A Geelong boy through and through, Peter is happy to be back in his hometown and is looking forward to the challenges of his new role.

This spring, McColl’s began collecting milk from the south west of Western Australia for a new customer, Parmalat Harvey Fresh.

McColl’s is now the producer’s primary carrier, responsible for collecting approximately 150 million litres of milk a year and transporting it to the Harvey Fresh factory.

Five new prime movers were put into service for the first day of collections, supplementing the existing Harvey Fresh fleet that was purchased as part of the contract.

McColl’s welcomed nine former Harvey Fresh drivers into our team, as well as a number of newly hired drivers who will be based out of Harvey.

The WA farm pickup operations will be led by Mark Dominish, who has done an excellent job managing the transition and is keen to expand McColl’s footprint in the west.

McColl’s is on a roll in South Australia, taking on additional farm pickups in the state’s south east.

We have been collecting milk off farm for Warrnambool Cheese & Butter since taking over from a local carrier on 1 July.

Depot manager Dale Robinson and his team managed the transition, which included taking on six new drivers from the previous carrier to service a collection network spanning the Fleurieu Peninsula, Meningie and the mid-north.

McColl’s SA operation now collects around 140 million litres per annum for Warrnambool Cheese & Butter, Parmalat, La Casa, Milk2Market and Beston Pure Foods.

A new online portal will give McColl’s customers access to real-time delivery information.

McColl’s new customer portal is being progressively rolled out to customers, with customers in the Bulk Food Grade division among the first to benefit.

It provides a range of features including:

• Order tracking – See your tracking and manifest information, pinpoint the location of orders on a map, and track orders from creation to completion in real time.
• Customer order import – You can load your orders directly into McColl’s system, with on-screen validation to ensure they are correctly imported.
• DIFOT Report – GPS tracking devices in McColl’s vehicles provide up-to-the-minute data on arrival and delivery times against schedule.
• Proof of Delivery (POD) – The system can generate consignment notes that include images of customer documentation and signatures.
• Portal Booking Report – Once loaded, you can track your order as well as look at future orders and manifest information.

In a blast from the past, McColl’s 200th Kenworth has rolled out in our original blue and white fleet colours.

McColl’s and Kenworth recently celebrated a couple of major milestones – two decades in business together and 200 trucks.

Our 200th Kenworth truck joined the McColl’s fleet almost 20 years to the day after our first Kenworth rolled off the production line.

CEO Jamie Bolton said the new truck was testament to the close relationship McColl’s had developed with Kenworth.

“Kenworth put a lot of extra effort into this 200th truck,” Jamie said. “It looks great but we know it will also be a valuable addition to our expanding fleet.”

The 200th Kenworth is a B-double rated K200 cab-over, fitted with a Cummins ISXe5 engine.

It will take its place in the chemical line haul operation along the eastern seaboard.