Family owned and operated, Ausway Transport was started in 2003 by the Sooch family. Based in Melbourne, it operates a fleet of over 50 trucks and more than 100 trailers, which run predominantly as B-doubles; though plans are currently in motion to extend into triple and quad road trains too.
Operations manager Bobby Sooch says the business transports general and refrigerated freight across the eastern seaboard, into Adelaide, as well as occasional runs into WA.
His family has a long history in transport, beginning with his grandfather who started up a transport business in northern India in 1962.
When the family migrated to Australia in the early 1970s, they continued in the transport game. Though Ausway Transport was officially started in 2003, its origins extend much earlier.
Sooch says the company likes to stay loyal to its suppliers. Trucks have been Kenworth and Volvo since day one, with Scania added into the mix more recently due to supply. Refrigerated trailers come from FTE and tautliners are manufactured by Vawdrey. And when it comes to wheels, Alcoa Wheels is the number one choice.
“We like to stick to the same suppliers where we can and stay loyal. We’ve used Alcoa wheels on all our trucks from day one, so it’s a 19-year partnership. Our trucks are 100 per cent on Alcoa wheels, and the trailers are now above 50 per cent on Alcoa – but it’s now being rolled out as standard on all our trailers coming out of FTE and Vawdrey too,” Sooch explained.
“The other big advantage with sticking to one brand is that you can keep a few wheels handy as spare parts. We keep polished and unpolished truck rims handy in the workshop so we can do a quick changeover whenever we need to, which is really time saving. That’s only possible when you’re using the same rims on all the trucks and trailers.”
Sooch explained that he prefers to have his trailers built as strong as possible. “We always build heavier trailers because when you build them too light, there can be ongoing concerns with cracks in the chassis and gooseneck. The only way to prevent that is through extra bracing, which we always request.”
“When you push to build a trailer too much lighter, you have to cut corners to take the weight from somewhere. As we tell our trailer builders to build heavier and more solid, by using Alcoa, it means the extra weight they’re putting on is balanced out by the lighter wheels.”
“Alcoa Dura-Bright® wheels are lighter and more solid when compared to many other brands. If a driver does hit a kerb or something, they have that impact resistance.”
“The other main concern we’ve found with some other brands is cracking. You just don’t get the cracks with Alcoa that you can get with some of the other brands. Yes, there are some brands that are cheaper at the start, but they cost you more in the long term.”
And when it comes to cleaning, Sooch says Dura Bright is immaculate. “All they need is some water to make them shiny again. We take pride in our fleet and like to keep it looking flashy. Dura-Bright® rims are a big part of that.”
Over the past 19 years, the business has grown significantly, with Sooch revealing plans to add 14 triple road trains into the fleet. “We are waiting on the permits, as they’d need to run on PBS and IAP. There are only a couple of companies running triples here. There’s no current PBS triple network in Victoria but one is due to be released this year I’ve been told. We’re hoping to get triples running Melbourne to Brisbane.”
This article has been published elsewhere. Read it over at bigrigs.com.au.
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