With a legacy spanning over 75 years, John L. Pierce (JLP) Transport has made quite an impact within the Australian transport industry.
The company was founded in 1949 by John Lambert Pierce with just a single truck and an ambitious vision to set the standard in road transport. It has since progressed into a large-scale interstate operation serving a wide range of Australian fuel suppliers with a fleet of 120 trailer combinations and three depots across New South Wales and Queensland.
JLP Transport is now a name that is trusted by a wide range of blue-chip clients in the petroleum, energy and industrial sectors who all share one common commitment – to achieve the highest standards when it comes to safety, compliance and operational reliability.
“JLP has been involved in transport for generations,” says JLP National Fleet Manager, Evan Jones. “The Pierce family is very committed to the transport industry.As a family-orientated business, they are very conscious of what they do and how to do it safely.”
JLP’s competitive advantage is underpinned by the strength of its in-house capabilities and a track record of performance over many years. An uncompromising approach to safety and compliance has led to various fleet maintenance and workshop training programs that are well-recognised to this day.
Throughout its 77 years of existence, JLP Transport has developed a deep understanding of the mechanics of tanker fleet operations and maintenance practices. The fleet has also developed a proven design and specification for its vehicles by partnering with key suppliers.
Custom 26m B-triples, for example, are employed to maximise payloads and retain flexible access. Unique ‘tight entry’ semi-trailers, on the other hand, are utilised for urban environments and sites with constrained access.
JLP Transport’s most recent trailer order added three Hockney & Co aluminium tri-axle tankers to the latter. The delivery was a revolutionary achievement, with the units being the first Hockney & Co aluminium barrel tankers built in super single configurations.
“We saw the need to purchase another three tankers in the middle of last year,” Evan explains. “We decided to introduce another three tankers into the fleet as additional resources due to the recent growth of the business.
“We bought a Holmwood Highgate tanker back in 2019 which has been fault-free to date. We knew they could build a quality tank based on what we had seen, so they got the nod for these three additions.”
The process was completed with ultimate transparency from start to finish, with JLP Transport being directly involved in the entire production of the tankers. First, Evan was able to visit Holmwood Highgate’s factory in Melbourne, Victoria, to look at some new tankers that had just arrived. Then, after finalising his order, he received the opportunity to travel to Thailand with Wayne Sloane from Holmwood Highgate and Alex Beckov from Hockney & Co to inspect JLP’s tankers as they were being manufactured.
“I was able to view the tankers coming down the production line and get a really close look at them,” he recalls. “I saw the build quality and fabrication of the tanks prior to them being painted, which was invaluable.
“I was also able to make modifications to the tankers while they were on the factory line. I suggested a few changes to Hockney and Holmwood, and by the time we returned the following day, they had been made. It was very seamless because they were both interested in what we thought of the tankers and how they would fit into our fleet.”
The end result was three remarkable tankers tailored to JLP Transport’s exact requirements.
“Holmwood Highgate and Hockney & Co did a terrific job,” Evan says. “We are very happy with the end product.”
Since arriving in Sydney, the three tri-axle tankers have been put to work transporting bulk liquids for JLP Transport’s major customers. Evan says they have already made a great impression at the business.
“The drivers are very happy with these trailers,” he says. “They’re only new into the fleet, but the feedback has been very positive.”
Ease of use has been a big advantage. The ‘tight-entry’ tankers are considerably shorter than a typical semi, making them very easy to manoeuvre, especially in tight areas.
“A lot of the service stations we go into are very tight and tricky to navigate,” Evan explains. “But we’ve found that these units are really good at getting around them.”
The tankers feature Hendrickson suspension, Liquip compartment equipment and Camozzi control boxes – features that are all common within the JLP fleet.
With an impressive tare weight of just over six tonnes, the units maintain solid payload figures for the fleet. They’re also backed by Holmwood Highgate’s warranty which gives JLP Transport further confidence in the product beyond the extreme quality it already possesses.
“The tanker structure and build are of very high quality,” Evan says.
Furthermore, the Hockney & Co tankers are supported by Holmwood Highgate’s renowned aftersales service which Evan describes as “too good”.
“Wayne Sloane from Holmwood has been absolutely terrific,” Evan says. “He’s had a close relationship with JLP ever since the ‘80s when he sold general trailers to us. He has continued to see us over the years, and he’s never walked in the door expecting to make a sale. That level of service shows just how much Holmwood cares about us.
“We also have regular phone calls with Brendan Pontes in Melbourne about how the tankers are performing, and I’ve had plenty of discussions with Alex following our visit to Thailand. It’s these factors which give us a lot of confidence in Holmwood Highgate and Hockney & Co.”
Fast fact
In the 1950s, John Lambert Pierce collaborated with Dulux to develop a custom high visibility colour which was known as ‘The Pierce Green’ shade. This was applied on all of JLP Transport’s trucks to improve on-road safety, particularly at dawn and dusk, long before high visibility signage became the norm.
