When it comes to the transport of oversized equipment, there’s nothing too big for National Heavy Haulage.
The Queensland-based earthmoving fleet has moved thousands of tonnes of heavy plant machinery during its 14 years in the industry and, as a result, has constructed an extensive portfolio of some of Australia’s largest freight tasks.
The pièce de resistance for National Heavy Haulage was transporting the world’s second largest mining trucks in 2018. The tactical assignment took place over five separate trips during September and October and involved moving five 160-tonne Liebherr T 282 C Ultra-Class dump trucks from Mackay, Queensland, to BHP’s Peak Downs Mine in Winchester. The more than 200-kilometre journey would have been quite the sight to see for those able to get a glimpse of it.
This colossal project presented many challenges to the emerging transport company. Liaising with government bodies and authorities, for example, was required to get permits, escorts and road closures actioned. A fairly stringent survey and analysis process also needed to be completed beforehand to ensure the fleet’s route would be effective and free of any infrastructure obstructions. Yet the heavy hitter emerged victorious like many other times with another trophy to add to the shelf.
National Heavy Haulage’s next showpiece objective arose in early 2024. The company received a contract from a valued client in the Northern Territory to transport a 265-tonne excavator onsite at Groote Eylandt, an island just off the northern coast of Australia in the Gulf of Carpentaria. So, the fleet headed off to Darwin, shipped one of its first ever trailers (a 13-year-old Drake Trailers 11×8 Steerable Full Modular Low Loader) on a barge vessel to the island and pulled off one of the greatest examples of its ability to execute out of the ordinary requests.
These are just some of the many larger than life projects which have given National Heavy Haulage a name that is extremely reputable within the industry.
“We’ll go where the work is and just make it happen,” says National Heavy Haulage General Manager, Woody Scott. “Customers choose us because of this. Our can-do attitude, safety and Chain of Responsibility compliance attract a lot of people who want a very reliable and well-managed business.”
Such monstrous operations require trailing equipment that can be relied on in the most extreme conditions. For this reason, The Drake Group has long been National Heavy Haulage’s trailer supplier of choice.
“All of our heavy haulage trailers are from The Drake Group,” Woody explains. “It was a known factor that Drake were the best when we were starting out. The quality and reliability of their equipment was second to none, and it still is today.
“Our first trailer combinations were two Drake Steerable Full Modular Low Loaders in 7×8 and 8×8 configurations. These units are 13 years old and they’re still in operation.
When the business grew and we were in a position to buy more trailers, there were no questions about where we would get them. We just knew that we would need to ring Sam Drake.”
That phone call was made, and many more followed. National Heavy Haulage now has a total of 23 low loaders, 10 clips and 12 dollies from The Drake Group in its fleet.
Five of these latest combinations were deployed this year. They include a Quad Full Widener and dolly, 8×8 Steerable Platform with a 2×8 Steerable Clip and dolly, 7×8 Steerable Platform with a 3×8 Steerable Clip and dolly, and two 5×8 Swingwing Low Loaders with dollies.
“We have seen a lot of expansion in the business over the last year,” Woody says. “There’s been a lot of improvement in our market share and an increase in demand, and we needed more trailers to keep up with the growth.”
The Full Widener, Steerable Platforms and Swingwing Low Loader combinations in particular have transformed National Heavy Haulage’s freight capacity. From Woody’s perspective, these trailers have essentially unlocked a new level of productivity and efficiency for the business.
“Our most recent Drake trailers have vastly improved our capabilities,” he explains. “They have positioned us in a different market because we’re now able to get a lot more volume. On top of that, we have the ability to take up more work and the confidence to put more combinations on the road because we aren’t seeing any breakdowns or issues.”
The five new low loader combinations were well spec’d with the latest and greatest components that The Drake Group has to offer. Woody, having a great eye for detail, ensured the units would be best suited for the varying applications that they would go on to endure. For the Steerable Platforms, this meant requesting something very specific to his applications.
“I went to The Drake Group with an idea to simplify the bleeding of the steering system,” he says. “Byron Foss took it to the table with their engineers and designers, and they ended up fitting it on the last two Steerable Platform combinations.”
The final product allows oil to be automatically filtered into the steering hydraulic tanks of these units. Woody says this has been a major safety benefit for National Heavy Haulage.
“The bleeding system is great because it eliminates the need for drivers to manually tip oil into the steering hydraulic tanks,” he says. “Our operators were previously climbing on top of units and working at heights to refill the tanks themselves, but they’re being kept on the ground now.”
National Heavy Haulage’s fleet of Drake trailers predominantly operates in Queensland and New South Wales, but due to the business’ flexibility, it also has the capacity to be deployed anywhere in Australia. Within these operations, the low loader units have proven to excel at carting large-scale mining assets and earthmoving equipment with their renowned durability and reliability.
“The Drake Trailers product is something that supports National Heavy Haulage significantly,” Woody says. “I know that I can send my trailers anywhere. It doesn’t matter where they go because they’re going to get there and get back.
“This impacts what we do to a great extent. We don’t have any issues with breakdowns, downtimes or operational delays at all. So putting our trust in the Drake product to such an extent has paid off greatly.”
National Heavy Haulage’s Drake trailers are bolstered with an effective maintenance system in place. Widespread access to spare parts has increased productivity and reduced downtimes even further by ensuring all trailers are constantly operational.
“The Drake Group is very good for parts and back-up service because they’ve got everything on hand,” Woody explains. “We’re able to stock parts in our facility, so if we happen to have a landing leg failure, for example, there are more units on the shelf which can be installed on the spot. This conveniency has made a massive difference for us.”
This sense of availability is something that is also fairly prominent within The Drake Group’s customer-centric approach. This is another factor which has contributed to National Heavy Haulage’s long-term reliance on the OEM.
“I’m very happy with The Drake Group,” Woody says. “I’ve developed a very close relationship with them over the years.
“The Drake Group is a family business and the people there treat you like that. The guys always ask me how my kids are going and what my wife is up to, and that makes me feel like they actually care.
“I’ll continue to buy Drake trailers as the National Heavy Haulage business grows because the product works really well for us and we’re supported by the people behind it.”
