CAT Operators - Mid Western Cargo and Northern Transport Hire

[kscarbel2]

CAT Trucks Australia / Navistar Auspac Press Release  /  July 28, 2016

A show-groomed gold painted Cat Truck CT630SC is the flagship of a Brisbane-based transport company and owner Geoff Bannerman is over the moon.

Geoff heads up Mid Western Cargo and Northern Transport Hire, contract tow operators and truck-trailer hire service providers.

The purchase of the CT630SC with its length-sensitive but luxurious 40″ bunk and powerful Cat C15 15-litre power plant came after an extended flirtation with the idea of going Cat.

“I read in an American magazine about a trucking company that ran a fleet of 650 vehicles that were predominantly Navistar. This was a deciding factor in coming over to Cat Trucks and their full-on product,” Geoff Bannerman said.

Following a hundred years of family tradition in road transport, Geoff got his first truck in 2000 and pushed out on his own.

Based in south-east Queensland, that first truck was powered by a Cat engine and Geoff was taken by the engine and the service from Hastings Deering.

“That engine ran more than 1,000,000 km in less than four years and did 1.6 million km before its first rebuild.”

Today the Bannerman fleets have built up to 14 prime movers, with Mid Western Cargo supplying units in contract tow operations with east coast fleets, and the Northern Transport Hire runs vehicles with refrigerated freight and Geoff Bannerman is building the truck/trailer hire side of that business.

Geoff first considered the purchase of a Cat Truck a couple of years ago but at that time he decided to go with a competitor, a decision that he has not been happy with.

“So we went back to Cat Trucks and said we’d like to have another go at it. Hastings Deering bent over backwards to try to help us out and we purchased the gold truck,” he said.

The CT630SC did the rounds as an upfront show truck for Cat Trucks in 2015 and now is the fleet leader in the Bannerman operation. The Cat Truck is powered by the proven Cat C15 15-litre engine rated at 550 hp. It runs through an 18 speed Road Ranger transmission, has the luxury cab but still meets b-double specifications.

“We were happy with the truck from the start. Loaded heavy with fridge freight, we ran in Melbourne Sydney and return when we first got the truck and used 800 litres for the round trip, more than competitive with our other trucks.”

A big factor in the decision to invest in the Cat Truck was the service Geoff had been receiving from Hastings Deering – and the lack of service and repair turnaround times from the competition were taking too long.

“These fellas seem to want to look after you. It’s nice to receive a phone call when they say they are going to ring. The backup service from Hastings Deering here in Brisbane has been remarkable.”

Geoff Bannerman said that the new CT630SC is more than meeting his expectations.

“In the future we will be swinging towards Cat Trucks. I’m very happy with their products and I can’t crow enough about the truck.”

.