Integrity and service. These are two very powerful words which resonate with Ace Heavy Haulage.
The Queensland-based transporter, focused on ensuring every task is completed to the highest level of safety and care, has taken all necessary measures to solidify itself with these values over the last 20 years – an effort which seems to have paid off based on the extensive portfolio of contracts and clients it has collected since.
Ace Heavy Haulage was originally set up on the back of a rental business in 2004. Founder, Michael Sheldon, was running a machinery rental company at the time and needed a way to transport his equipment around. So, rather than relying on third parties to do the job, he set up his own transport operation.
Ace Heavy Haulage was born. But its final form arrived in 2012 when Michael’s business partner, Tom Willis, took over as Managing Director and steered the business in a different direction.
“I wanted to take the company away from the carting of its rental equipment and down the heavy haulage route,” he says. “So, we stopped doing the rental equipment side of work. We went off and became a completely separate entity so that we could move everyone’s gear. We’re now in the position where we have the trailers to do just about everything.”
Ace Heavy Haulage found its breakthrough around three years ago when it won a contract to transport six 165-tonne renewable transformers to the MacIntyre Wind Farm in Cement Mills, Queensland. Tom sees this event as the main turning point for the business.
“That was what put us on the map,” he says. “We really stamped out our presence in the sector through it. That was about six months’ worth of flat-out work, and it was our first big project job.”
Paramount to Ace Heavy Haulage’s expanding operations in recent years have been four new low loaders from Tuff Trailers. The two 4×4 Tilt ‘N’ Slide Wideners and two 10×8 Steerable Low Loader Platforms have increased versatility, efficiency and productivity by large margins.
“We bought a 4×4 Tilt ‘N’ Slide Widener first,” Tom explains. “There was a hole in our business due to all of the longer buildings and machines that we couldn’t get to, and after I saw these Tuff Trailers Tilt ‘N’ Slide Wideners getting around, I purchased one.
“I was a bit hesitant about it at first because I didn’t know whether it was going to fit into the business or not. But it did, and I liked it so much that I went and bought a second one. I’d buy a third if I had the money.”
The two Tuff Trailers Tilt ‘N’ Slide Wideners have since become integral to Ace Heavy Haulage’s operations of carting heavy machinery.
“The Tilt ‘N’ Slide trailers are a very important part of our business,” Tom says. “They are extremely versatile. You can use them as general low loaders or for specific applications like modular buildings and accessing machines that are mechanically locked up.”
The story around the deployment of the two Tuff Trailers 10×8 Steerable Low Loader Platforms is pretty meaningful for Ace Heavy Haulage. This is because Tom pinpoints the arrival of the first unit as his biggest milestone.
“That purchase has been the most significant part of my career so far,” he says. “It was my first brand-new platform trailer. It was a really good time for us as a business and a super significant time for me as an individual.”
Tom was so impressed with the first low loader platform that he went back for more. The second unit followed suit just one year later in 2024 and joined its three siblings in several heavy haulage applications around Australia. Together, all four low loaders have since proven to be extremely durable throughout a variety of applications and operating conditions.
“Our Tuff Trailers low loaders are the absolute workhorses behind everything we do,” Tom says. “They’re working flat out all day, every day, Australia-wide.”
The 10×8 Steerable Low Loader Platforms in particular have been a gamechanger for Ace Heavy Haulage due to their maximum manoeuvrability.
“The steering on these units is unbelievable,” Tom says. “There are no fixed axles on the 10-row platform trailers, so every single axle steers. This is a massive benefit when it comes to getting into places.
“If we’re in a tight spot, we can just steer the axle with a remote control and drive forward with the truck to manually steer it around. We can also operate the whole thing standing 10 metres away which is very handy from a safety point of view.”
Low maintenance has been another advantage of utilising Tuff Trailers’ low loaders. Tom says the 4×4 Tilt ‘N’ Slide Wideners and 10×8 Steerable Platforms are “almost non-serviceable”.
“The trailers have a grease nipple on top of the slack adjusters and the ballrace, and that’s it,” he says. “There isn’t the element of grease lines everywhere, and I’ve found that the team and I don’t need to constantly watch the trailers as a result. The drivers are also more refreshed because everything’s running true and perfect.”
These latest units join three Tuff Trailers drop decks which have also been at Ace Heavy Haulage since 2013. The low loaders, still in their original condition from 12 years ago, are a testament in themselves to the durability of the product.
“It was a no-brainer to invest in these latest trailers because I knew they were tried and tested products,” Tom says. “I did my research on the people that had them before me and on what they thought, and it seemed that everyone agreed that they are a great benefit. We’ve since seen that firsthand.”
In addition, the customer experience received from Tuff Trailers has made the whole experience a very positive one for Ace Heavy Haulage.
“Tuff Trailers is really good to deal with,” Tom explains. “They’re not in it to sell you something and move on.
“Tuff Trailers has a genuine interest in what you’re doing and where your business is going. They really want to see you do well, and the world needs more of those sorts of people.”
