Deals on Wheels #469

Classic DEALS
(and cash or debt) to make the decision to buy
new from the outset.
From the official formation of Hollis Haulage
in 2012, the truck fleet has now grown to
seven trucks, four B-double sets, one A-double
tipper set, four 45-foot (13.7m) drop decks, two
B-double flat tops, a low loader and a tanker
trailer. They also operate their own headers.
As the seasons do, they tend to run in
cycles, and, as history now tells us, a drought
was looming that would force Hollis Haulage
to pivot its operations to alternate freight and
make some tough business decisions.
According to Gary: “With the exception of
the 2020 season, the last three years have
been pretty dismal for harvest work. During
the drought I had to do a lot of hay cartage.”
Bonnie adds: “One of our trucks operating
as an AB-triple was constantly running grain
from far southern NSW up into southern
Queensland feedlots. They had no grain,
there was a real shortage.
“We also carted a lot of grain into local
feedlots that had been shipped into the Port of
Newcastle from WA. It kind of runs in cycles;
the trucks had some work, but the headers
really didn’t.”
While the headers were sitting silent in
the sheds, the trucks remained somewhat
consistent, or as consistent as could be
expected considering the prevailing
climatic conditions.
“We do a lot of baled cotton work, which
comes from irrigated farms, so that helped a
fair bit during the drought,” Luke says.
THROUGH HARD TIMES
Although there was some work for the
company, undoubtedly things were tough.
And with tough times come tough decisions.
Faced with the possibility of putting off
one of the three employee drivers due to a
reduced workload, Luke made the selfless
decision to return to his trade for 12 months,
ensuring there was enough work to keep on
all of the company’s drivers.
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