A family owned and operated business – 100 per cent Tasmanian owned – according to Operations Manager, Joel Challis – Tas Petroleum operates a range of unmanned fuel stops across the state and is renowned for its fair pricing and established, loyal customer base. The fleet’s head office is based in Invermay, Launceston, and manages a secondary regional office in Brighton, Hobart. It also leverages a state-wide network of fuel outlets and trucks based at depots in Devonport and Burnie.
“We have 12 prime movers and 16 tankers – nine of which are Tieman, with two more on order,” Joel says. “These are used to cart petrol, diesel, aviation fuels and Adblue state-wide.”
Investing in Australian made road transport equipment is important for Tas Petroleum.
“In buying locally made equipment we not only support local businesses, but also have access to the local knowledge when it comes to warranty issues, repairs and ongoing support,” Joel says.
He explains the fitment of Liquip’s Swift system is fantastic and has changed the way Tas Petroleum delivers fuel. “The drivers who have been trained up on the system think it is wonderful. Being Tasmanian, we often deliver to a mixture of farm and commercial customers on the one load – so, to be able to select the amount to deliver without relying on older technology has made this so much easier.”
Joel also highly commends Liquip’s service level and support.
“Due to Covid travel restrictions over 2020/2021 the Liquip team were not able to come over and implement the Swift training in person with our drivers and schedulers,” he says. “A number of Zoom video calls were set up to talk our team through the features of the system and the team are available any time for follow-up calls when our drivers have questions.”
The Tieman tri-axle ‘Fuel shifter’ with front mounted reels and Liquip’s Swift system has become the standard tanker design for Tas Petroleum.
“We currently have three ‘Fuel shifter’ combinations with front mounted hose reels and as we replace older trailers we will continue to use this system,” Joel says. “The benefits include manoeuvrability, ease of delivery to farm tanks and areas with limited access. Also, having one pump for both products increases payload due to less weight.”
The road tankers also feature compensator turntables, which for Tas Petroleum, means a reduction in wear and tear. Joel says it increases stability on the road and prolongs the life of the tanker. “The compensator helps to alleviate stress and excess flexing on our tankers due to the challenging road conditions in Tasmania.”
Liquip’s Swift delivery systems for fuel tankers provides accurate metering under all circumstances. In addition to providing significant weight and space savings, the Swift system is easily operated by users with no prior training and is also more reliable as there are limited moving parts, meaning less wear.
Continuing to support local customers with Australian made product is a core initiative at Liquip International. Joel Cork – National OEM Account Manager (Transport/Cargo) at Liquip – advises that Liquip International, recently relocated its head office to a purpose built 10,110-square-metre facility in Wetherill Park, New South Wales.
“Prior to moving into this new facility, Liquip reviewed all processes end-end to optimise our manufacturing footprint and efficiencies,” he says. “As part of the relocation and to increase local support, Liquip has invested heavily in growing its technical, operations and administration workforce; new HAAS CNC machines; additional weld bays; a new hatch drop test rig; and a new state-of-art thermal and vibration test chamber with much more to come.”
Joel adds: “Our dedicated team at Liquip have extensive knowledge in delivery systems which enables us to seamlessly support both new installations and the hundreds of Swift delivery systems in operation, in real time.
Liquip’s Australia-wide support and distribution network allows rapid response should the customer ever require in field support.
“We are also thankful to Tas Petroleum, Tieman and Liquip Victoria for choosing Liquip tank set equipment and the Liquip manufactured Swift delivery system.”
