Daryl Pickering’s grandmother used to say that “two heads are better than one, even if they are sheep heads,” an expression that has proven to be accurate, with the business flourishing on a foundation of strong family ties.
What began as a shared truck between two brothers in the 1950s, transporting pumpkins from their father’s farm, is now Pickering Transport, boasting 350 trailers and a similar number of staff members.
It specialises in the transport of general freight, fresh produce, chemicals and building equipment as well as container handling.
“The transport industry can be pretty tough, but I think it’s working with family that has kept us going,” says Daryl, who is the company’s Managing Director and works with his own brother and cousin in the business. In fact, two of his three children have joined the ranks, as have his nieces and nephews.
Although inspired by the bond his father Ted and uncle George had, and their close working relationship, Daryl says he didn’t feel pressure to join the family business and was given the freedom to find his own path. After going to university and then teaching, however, he and his wife decided to move back to Swan Hill, where the company is based, and give working in the business a go.
Pickering Transport’s relationship with refrigerated transport company Carrier Transicold goes so far back that it was actually before Daryl’s time in the business, but he recalls it being in the 1980s.
“They were new to Australia and dad made contact,” he says. “He liked the sound of the product and I imagine price factored in there as well.”
Carrier Transicold is a division of Carrier, an American-based provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
The technology at the time of Carrier’s foray into Australia in the early 1980s was a game-changer Daryl says, and it has only improved since then.
Today, about a third of Pickering Transport’s fleet are refrigerated with the majority of the product being Carrier’s Vector HE 19 temperature-controlled trailer system, which features patented all-electric technology. This means the unit is powered by AC electricity generated by the diesel engine while in transit and also when plugged into mains power while stationary. Its modern design delivers a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 30 per cent, a 10 per cent saving in weight, reduced noise and up to 15 per cent savings on maintenance costs, compared with predecessors.
The trailers are used predominantly for fresh produce, Daryl says, adding that the long-standing relationship with Carrier is as much about support as it is about the product.
“Support and service is really important to us because we are mostly regional and we are running cross country, which means we can’t just go around the corner to deal with something,” he says.
Another factor for Pickering Transport, when it comes to choosing suppliers, is longevity which influences a lot of their purchasing decisions.
“We look at long term and Carrier has worked very well in that space,” he says – adding that much of the company’s refrigerated work is seasonal, so they need a product that can be left unused, but then still work efficiently months later. “When summer comes around, we want to know that we can turn them all on and they will work. For us the combination of choosing the right equipment and the right partnerships is fundamental to long-term success.”
Fast fact
The Vector HE 19’s use of a hermetically sealed scroll compressor and economiser helps to deliver a 40 per cent increase in refrigeration capacity during pull-down, while reducing the chance of refrigerant escape by 50 per cent.
