Haulmark Trailers is a national trailer manufacturer which, establishing in 1963 under the name of Truck & Trailer Repairs, set out to drive the industry forward with heavy-duty transport equipment designed for road train and livestock applications.
Haulmark Trailers made history five years after entering the market by hosting the first ever Brisbane Truck Show at its facility in Rocklea, Queensland, in 1968. This is one of the biggest moments in the company’s story.
“It was the first time that the broad industry came together as a whole,” says Haulmark Trailers National Sales and Marketing Manager, Mark Johnston. “That’s an example of the Haulmark commitment to the transport sector. We’ve been going since 1963 and have always been active in industry development.”
While Haulmark Trailers has made many achievements since (opening branches throughout Townsville, Queensland, Darwin, Northern Territory, and Adelaide, South Australia, completing work for the defence sector and refining its manufacturing processes), Mark believes the business’ longevity has been its primary achievement.
“The ability to create a quality product and stand by it over the test of time is something we’re very proud of,” he says. “We’re always being mindful of this when designing things so that we’re staying true to our original decisions.”
Haulmark Trailers will be returning to the Brisbane Truck Show this month where its new live bottom trailer model will be launched. The trailer is made up of a Gincor Werx Hardox 450 steel plate body with fully insulated walls and features a two-ply conveyor belt system which can empty products with ease and Haulmark Trailers running gear and componentry. With a tare weight of around seven tonnes and an Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM) of 42 tonnes (depending on the application), it will be available in tri-axle and rigid eight-wheel configurations.
“This is a product which we identified great opportunities for,” Mark says. “There’s only a couple of other suppliers in the market and that got our interest in this particular product.
“We’ve developed a road train version of it as well. The trailer’s construction is quite robust and it has some great potential in Australia from what we can see.”
An important aspect of the trailer is its ability to maintain temperatures while simplifying unloading tasks. This is due to the fully-insulated body which is designed to keep asphalt, bitumen and other products heated in transport.
Increased safety is another selling point due to the nature of the live bottom system itself.
“There’s a real safety benefit from a rollover point of view,” Mark says. “You don’t have to put the trailer up in the air with product that might hang up and cause the combination to roll over. Likewise, you don’t have to deal with clearance issues such as powerlines and other structures.”
The collaboration between Haulmark Trailers and Gincor Werx combines over 60 years of designing and manufacturing prowess and more than 40 years of development respectively – an end result which Mark believes was the most practical solution.
“We formed a relationship with Gincor Werx because they’ve been building these trailers internationally for quite some time,” he says. “They already had a quality product in Canada, so we put that together with our engineering and manufacturing processes here under the Haulmark banner.”
Mark believes the product fits into the Haulmark Trailers lineup perfectly.
“We’ve gone down this path to be able to provide that sort of product,” he says. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us and I believe that the demand for these trailers will grow. A range of operators are specifically requesting this style of trailer as opposed to a tipper primarily for the safety reasons, so they’re certainly becoming more and more popular.”
With everything now in order, Haulmark Trailers is eagerly awaiting the Brisbane Truck Show.
“We haven’t been to a truck show for more than 20 years,” Mark says. “We’ve seen the evolution as the industry has changed, and we knew that we had to go back to the Brisbane Truck Show with this trailer because it’s a huge opportunity to put your product in front of the broader industry.
“We’re looking forward to catching up with the people that we know as well as the people that we don’t know. I think that’s part of what the show is about – bringing the broader industry together in one place.”
Haulmark Trailers will come full circle as it returns to the same event which it was the first to host in 1968. For Mark, this is a massive privilege.
“It’s a great thing,” he says. “There aren’t too many manufacturers within the industry that have got that sort of longevity and brand support, so it’s certainly an achievement. When you start looking back to the early days and how much the industry has developed, it does give you a sense of pride to know you’re one of the original supporters.”
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