With business going gangbusters, Queensland based Exodas has recently put on six new Kenworth K200 prime movers delivered by Brown and Hurley, Yatala, over the last six weeks.
Earlier this year, the company also became the proud owner of a Diamond Edition K200, which is the company’s 50th Kenworth and one of 75 exclusive Kenworths built this year to mark the 75th anniversary of Brown and Hurley.
The new units have been pressed into service on linehaul refrigerated and general freight runs, criss-crossing the eastern seaboard between Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and far north Queensland.
Exodas was founded by company Director Brett Tynan 20 years ago and has since grown into a large fleet totalling around 120 vehicles including heavy/ multi combinations and rigids.
The company has an equal mix of Kenworth and European brands of cab-over prime movers and according to Tynan, both types complement the business because they are used for different timeframes and by drivers with distinct preferences.
Tynan said for various reasons some drivers prefer Kenworths and others like the European brands, so in his view having an equal mix of both makes good business sense.
“Many drivers prefer one over the other so having a 50/50 split is good because it means that most of the time they are all driving what they want to drive,” said Tynan.
Having said that, Tynan said it’s always a struggle to find and retain good drivers and he described this as an industry-wide issue.
Exodas does its own scheduled servicing and maintenance on the Kenworths, leaving any big jobs or warranty work to Brown and Hurley and Cummins.
Tynan said it is a distinct advantage that Exodas is based at Yatala, just a stone’s throw from Brown and Hurley’s dealership.
As for its trailers, Exodas has mostly Vawdrey units including fridge vans and curtainsiders, the latter including straight deck, drop deck and double drop deck.
Asked about the growth of the company, Tynan said it accelerated markedly over the last two years, and with no signs of slowing down just yet.
“I didn’t plan to grow the business to this size, but when good opportunities come along you’d be crazy not to take them,” he said – adding that organic growth has been supplemented by several acquisitions of smaller transport companies.
The company now employs over 200 people and has three satellite depots – Warnervale (NSW Central Coast), Townsville and Mareeba in far north Queensland.
Exodas, along with its subsidiary company Evergreen Freight, carries a variety of freight including plants that are delivered to each of the Queensland stores of a national hardware chain.