Bordertown Haulage, having been in operation since 1980, is now a second-generation transport company continuing to provide high standards and efficient services to both local and interstate communities out of South Australia.
Founded by Peter Karger, who went from an owner-operator running just one truck to over 10 at once, the business is now headed by his son, Angus.
“Peter has officially retired, so I’m running the company now,” Angus says. “We’ve mostly got bulk tippers, some drop decks, truck and dog combinations, B-doubles and Performance-Based Standards (PBS) A-doubles.”
Bordertown Haulage’s units travel anywhere between SA, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria carting grain and fertiliser into ports, feed mills and dairies.
Angus, who also uses all of the fleet’s equipment himself, wants the best technology possible to do the job efficiently. This, he says, is why he has always chosen JOST for the fleet’s fifth wheels, couplings and landing legs.
“Looking back 30 years or more, you could easily find JOST landing legs on a lot of our gear,” he says. “We’ve pretty much been using all JOST turntables for 25 years, and everything new that we get has something from JOST on it.”
Angus specs JOST’s greaseless nylon top fifth wheels across the fleet due to them being very user-friendly, durable, reliable and environmentally friendly.
“They’re simple to use, you don’t break your back using them,” he says. “With the nylon, their pads last hundreds of thousands of kilometres and are a lot cleaner without grease. We don’t need to replace them unless a driver damages them, because they last nearly a lifetime with care.”
Image: Bordertown Haulage.JOST’s landing legs, Angus says, get the job done.
“The legs are trouble-free and they’re essentially maintenance-free,” he says. “They’re easy to use, lightweight and they’re very simple.”
JOST’s Modul landing legs have increased lifting force and are easy to change between high and low gears, making the drivers’ job more efficient.
Throughout his use of the fifth wheels, Angus has also become familiar with JOST’s Sensor Coupling system. The system makes the process of coupling and uncoupling a trailer very simple by giving drivers both visual and audible warnings in the event of an issue with the hook-up.
“We’ve had a few of the JOST sensor units on a couple of our prime movers,” Angus says. “They integrate straight into the truck, so it all comes up on the dashboard. That’s been magic.”
The Sensor Coupling system uses three sensors fitted to the turntable – on the plate surface to detect whether or not the skid plate on the trailer is in contact with the fifth wheel plate surface; in the centre to detect the king pin and ensure the lock jaws are secured around it; and on the handle to ensure it is in the fully locked position.
If any or all of these sensors detect an irregularity, the system will alert the driver that something is wrong and that the coupling process needs to be revisited.
“We don’t do a lot of unhooking and hooking up like people who do changeovers every day, but the Sensor Coupling systems are there for us when we need them,” Angus says. “They’ve been great, really.”
Coupled with the sensors, the JOST turntables have given Angus and his operators that extra peace of mind by removing the doubt of whether or not a trailer is hooked up properly. He says they have also significantly increased safety across the fleet since their deployment at Bordertown Haulage.
“Looking back, I can only think of one dropped trailer from memory and that was put down to driver error,” he says. “In terms of their fifth wheel technology, I would say JOST is at the top.”
Image: Bordertown Haulage.Backing Bordertown Haulage’s JOST-fitted fleet is a team dedicated to servicing its needs. Angus says JOST is exceptional when it comes to its aftersales service and is always available if a situation arises.
“You don’t need much when it’s a reliable product, but if you do, they’re very quick to assist,” he says. “I haven’t had any issues – they are very rare with JOST. They just get it done, and their SA State Manager, Grant Sanders, supports us.
“There’s always stock around as well. If I need a turntable, I can pretty much go down to a local workshop and get one off the shelf and bang it on the truck.”
All in all, Angus believes JOST is the way to go.
“I have no problems recommending JOST to anyone else,” he says. “It’s just ease of use, really. All of their gear is relatively maintenance-free, and you can rely on it. They just tick those boxes.
“Every future purchase will have JOST parts on it, one way or another. No ifs, buts, or maybes.”
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