Vawdrey’s 30,000th build

Transport giant Qube Logistics purchased its first Vawdrey trailer in 2002, laying the foundation for a decade of growth and prosperity. Appropriately enough, the latest order of almost 50 trailers marked yet another historical milestone – the production of Vawdrey’s 30,000^th trailer.

Delivering its 30,000th unit to Qube Logistics, Vawdrey can stand firm as a true ‘powerhouse’ within the trailer building community and a shining example of where hard work, smart engineering, commitment, and a reliable product can take you in the commercial road transport market.

The celebrated five-digit milestone was part of an order placed by Qube after the company won a large-scale Australian Paper (APM) contract, producer of more than 500,000 tonnes of paper per year.

“Once we were awarded the contract, we looked at all the high-volume trailer builders in the market, but we kept coming back to Vawdrey,” says John Allen, Qube Logistics’ Project and Fleet Manager. “Their engineering exellence and build quality is second to none, and the reliability is extremely important. And since Australia Paper basically requires its own fleet of trailers, Vawdrey was the logical choice because it can guarantee short lead times; plus we are already familiar with the product.”

As a result, Qube ordered some 50 trailers from Vawdrey to satisfy the requirements of APM. Part of the order are a rollback B-double skel, seven curtain-sided B-doubles and three Super B-doubles, as well as a range of new generation, lightweight, high payload skeletal trailers.

In July, John and the team at Qube took delivery of all seven B-double drop deck ‘Titeliner’ combinations and three 40’/40’ super B-double sets – all of which went straight into service. “The seven curtain-siders are used specifically to pick up paper from Australia Paper’s Maryvale Mill near Morwell and deliver direct to their customers,” John says. “The super B-double set is used to transport export loaded containers from the Australian Paper Melbourne Export warehouse at Victoria Dock to the wharf.”

Each Titeliner combination can haul up to 46 tonnes and is fitted with flush coamings to make sure there is no damage to the paper reels during transit as well as loading and unloading.

To ensure the security of the load, Vawdrey  also fitted Attard’s NTC-rated load restraint rated cable curtains, which contain solid cables fabricated into its material in order to eliminate the use of slide gates.

The Titeliner’s interior includes built-in bungee straps that are fixed to the roof, waiving the need to throw straps over the cargo or climb on top of the cargo to manually secure the load. “We were quite impressed with those features as they make the job much easier and safer for our drivers,” John says. “That’s another area where Vawdrey stands apart – they are open to new technology that can improve OH&S and raise operational efficiency; and that’s something we value at Qube Logistics.”

Meanwhile, the 40’/40’ Super B-doubles’ main features include side under run protection, rear steerable axles as well as a quad/quad suspension system. To ensure all runs are as smooth as possible, Vawdrey fitted each trailer with the latest ABS-EBS braking system.

Currently, all seven Titeliner combinations are shuttling non-stop between Melbourne and Australia Paper’s Maryvale Mill pulp and paper complex, while the Super B-doubles operate mainly in the Melbourne waterfront precinct. “It’s a busy operation that involves more than 30 stops between the paper mill and our depot,” John adds. “Since putting all trailers into operation, we haven’t had any maintenance issues.

Closing in on 40 years to the day Mick Vawdrey established the company, Vawdrey understands the unique challenges Australian operators such as Qube Logistics face and can provide a wide range of solutions to suit. “We are honoured to be a part of the company’s history as the recipients of its 30,000th trailer,” John adds.

“Vawdrey’s ability to deliver a consistently performing product demonstrates their hard work and commitment to the commercial road transport industry, and their reputation for manufacturing quality trailers is testament to that.”

Qube Logistics is a division of Qube, one of Australia’s leading integrated logistics providers whose operation stretches across key ports around the country. Over the past five years, Qube Logistics has extensively developed and expanded its fleet of more than 600 prime movers and trailers that cart general freight on a 24-7 schedule.