Hallett Group deploys BTE PBS A-triples

Hallett Group isn’t just an ordinary, vanilla transport company. It’s much more like a Neopolitan option with several flavours which customers can enjoy at the same time.

The organisation is the largest integrated supplier of building, construction and mining materials in South Australia with the ability to transport bulk freight throughout the entire country, source and supply its own products to end users and support major infrastructure projects simultaneously.

“We have a solution for everything,” says Hallett Group General Manager – Transport and Logistics, Joshua Macfarlane. “Being agile and solution-based is one of our key pillars.”

In Joshua’s view, Hallett Group is a company that was born out of necessity. The family-owned business started from one single business stream, Hallett Concrete, but demand from the market called for more coverage.

“We have evolved significantly over almost 50 years by listening to the market and taking the next steps,” he says. “That’s why we’re so integrated and in control of what we do.”

Hallett Group’s outreach spans all across Australia. Although its operations are headquarted in SA, the many parts of its business extend its services into Victoria, Northern Territory, Western Australia and more.

Transporting more than seven million tonnes of heavy construction materials a year is a powerhouse fleet consisting of around 200 prime movers and 50 Bulk Transport Equipment (BTE) tipper bodies and trailers. Joshua says the trailers in particular are very versatile due to their ability to be deployed in various configurations – an essential factor in achieving the seven million figure each annum.

“We’ve got a mix of everything”, he explains, “from tandem and twin-steer prime movers to five- and six-axle truck and dogs, Performance-Based Standards (PBS) combinations, A-triples, B-doubles and A-doubles. It’s a very agile fleet.”

Hallett Group recently bolstered this fleet even further with the addition of three PBS A-triple tri-axle tri-drive end tipper combinations from BTE. The investment was made following major organic growth and demand from the market.

“We’re doing a lot of internal development work on our low carbon cement product range, including Enviro Construct,” Joshua reveals. “There’s been a lot of natural growth of the business and our mining operations through Central Australia.”

Joshua claims the A-triples are the heaviest combinations south of Port Augusta in SA. Measuring in at 46.5 metres in length, they boast Gross Combination Masses of up to 150 tonnes and payloads of around 100 tonnes.

The trailers have been deployed in Hallett Group’s internal business and are travelling to various clients in SA as well as to mining customers in Central Australia, the Northern Territory, WA in the Pilbara and the northern parts of Queensland. Joshua says the fleet was built with a purpose to go anywhere and to do anything.

“The trailers are predominantly transporting mining materials like aggregates and sands, complemented by our cementitious products for our mine development work,” he says. “We’re moving anything from the rocks out of the ground at quarries all the way through to the kitchen sink and everything in between. It’s an end-to-end supply chain.”

Increased productivity has been one of the standout advantages of the road trains so far. Their PBS capabilities and payload figures have allowed Hallett Group to transport bulk materials much more efficiently with fewer trucks and therefore less fuel and additional operational costs.

“The 100-tonne payload figure is pretty important to us,” Joshua says. “We can do more for less while keeping the industries and communities that we’re deeply connected with satisfied.”

The second advantage has been more prevalent in the fleet’s long-term use of the BTE product.

“Our uptime is really critical,” Joshua explains. “Our combinations are doing up to 250,000 kilometres or more a year, working in the middle of the outback in very remote areas. We can’t afford to have mechanical breakdowns, body failures and downtime in these isolated parts, and that’s why BTE’s trailers are so critical to us.

“We have BTE trailers that have done more than two million kilometres without any cracks or major faults. That’s almost unheard of for an aluminium body truck.

“BTE also offers an extensive chassis warranty, but not once have we needed to make a claim.”

Overall, Joshua says the new A-triples have been performing excellently. He believes the trailers are built for the challenges Hallett Group is presented with because they turn up and go straight to work from the word ‘go’. This, he explains, is testament to Hallett Group’s ongoing relationship with BTE.

“We’ve partnered with BTE for close to 10 years now,” he says. “We run a pretty critical supply chain and we can’t have a business like ours without reliable partners.

“BTE is very clever, and they do a lot of due diligence on their products. I can call Alan Griffiths at any time and say, ‘I’ve got this wild idea about how we’re going to do more with less’. He’s always open to having that conversation.

“I’ve never worked with another company that is as willing to innovate as BTE. I love to live and breathe trucks, design and productivity, and it’s great to see someone with that same energy and enthusiasm to want to drive change in the industry.”

This close-working relationship has made trailer deliveries aplenty. Hallett Group has launched eight combinations in the last year alone which have included a mix of end tippers, side tippers, truck and dogs and rigid bodies in addition to the latest three A-triples.

“I can pick the phone up and talk to the guys at BTE at any time,” Joshua says. “They’re not salesmen trying to jam a product down your throat. They’re trailer builders and real people. That personal piece means a lot.

“So, I’m quite excited about working with BTE because I know what I’m going to get, I know the people face to face and I can have the Director of the business call me if I need anything.

“Hallett Group has a great relationship with BTE, and when you have great relationships and products, you both achieve really good things together.”

Hallett Group is now in the midst of another expansion phase. The business is currently tendering for major infrastructure work in the metropolitan areas of Adelaide which could require a significant amount of BTE trailer orders to be made if successful.

“SA is going through a really interesting time with its infrastructure spends, and it’s really exciting for a SA business like us to be part of a once in a lifetime project,” Joshua says. “By having BTE in our corner, we know that we can build a product that will go to the project, but a product that is also versatile and can secure the future needs of our business.”