Rocklea depot update
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.
New website goes live
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.
New structure enhances customer service
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.
Long-serving staff acknowledged
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.
Managing fatigue
As part of our commitment to the safety of our people, our customers and those we share the roads with, McColl’s is constantly working to monitor and manage driver fatigue.
Industry studies show driving while tired is a major cause of fatal crashes and is a contributing factor in up to 60 per cent of all heavy vehicle crashes.
In addition to ensuring we comply with all regulations around rostering and driving hours, McColl’s works hard to ensure our drivers understand the causes of fatigue and what they can do to prevent it.
Our drivers are encouraged to get plenty of sleep, take regular breaks and look after their health by eating well and exercising. Our in cabin dashmate device also helps our drivers proactively manage their hours.
Meet the new GM for Bulk Food
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.
Go west
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.
South Australian growth
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.
Dedicated safety team nets results
McColl’s Safety Improvement Team is continually working to improve our safety performance.
Comprising executives and selected drivers from McColl’s Bulk Food Grade Division, the team meets every two months to identify possible safety issues and come up with practical solutions.
Some of the many safety improvements made over the past two years include:
- Installing ceiling-mounted high pressure hoses to eliminate the need to carry cleaning equipment.
- Minimising slips, trips and falls on tankers by eliminating or engineering access steps, cables and removing obsolete hazards.
- Reducing working at heights by improving the operation of air valves on tankers.
But we aren’t resting on our laurels. We continue to strengthen our better-than-industry safety record and we’re always keen to work with customers on safety improvements.
New customer portal gives greater visibility
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.
