The irony of the dramatic Yatala blaze that wiped out half his fleet was not lost on RoadBees Transport boss Sonny Nugent this week.
As investigations continued into the cause of Monday’s ferocious Gold Coast fire – Nugent says officials have ruled out foul play – the managing director revealed to Big Rigs that all his trucks and trailers should have already been gone from the site.
He’d just signed a lease for a new yard with a 2000 square metre warehouse on nearby Christensen Road and was supposed to move in last week, but the fire department had yet to sign off on the fire code.
“So, in that space of having the keys and being out of the hardstand yard that we’re in, this has happened,” said a philosophical Nugent, relieved that staff were out of harm’s way.
The fire destroyed three trailers, two prime movers and four rigids, and Nugent estimates the cost of the inferno could end up being as high as $1.5 million.
Because RoadBees was between yards, some of its customers also had some stock in trailers ready to go.
“We’re in front of it all, but that’s heartbreaking for them as well,” Nugent said.
Nugent has been around transport his whole life, having grown up around the industry in Adelaide.
He purchased the previous iteration of RoadBees six years ago, changed the name and installed new management.
“We’ve been on front foot for the last four or five years, really pushing the RoadBees brands,” he said.
Aside from the warehousing component of the business, most of the fleet’s work is local and focused on carting stone and tile glue for the development work that Brisbane City Council is doing in the CBD.
“They’re doing all the rework on the Gabba and the stone in the streets for the trains, the stations and things like that.
“A lot of product was there [in the fire] for that. We also have another customer has all safety protective covers for trenches and things like that.
So, basically it was a whole bunch of pallets of plastic that really went up.”
When the alarm was first sounded, the site manager had just left and the nearest RoadBees truck in operation was an hour away.
An incredulous Nugent raced back from the coast when he got a message on his phone saying all his trucks were on fire.
“By the time I got there, we couldn’t even get close to it,” said Nugent who was full of praise for the firefighters, two of whom he’d heard had suffered injuries while fighting the blaze.
“Everyone did a great job.
“It was one of those bush firie, sort of hot weather days, so it could have been from anything in the area.
“It has to be something like that. It’s nothing from our yard. Nobody was there at the time.”
RoadBees should have already moved to this new site on Christensen Road when the fire struck. Image: RoadBees TransportNugent is relieved to report that there is still enough company gear to support clients, who have all been incredibly supportive.
“They’ve all been really very good, actually, everyone’s really working with us and very understanding, so we’re able to keep in front of the work that we have.
“Now we just have to build that other side of the fleet back up again once this all washes out. It’s one of those things that you have to deal with in this industry.
“A lot of people have thrown their hand up and asked if we need help, and that’s always appreciated. But it’s really just a process now of having that equipment and having all the insurers go through their stuff and we’ll just start working from there.
“By the time we move across to our new building, we’ll still be pushing forward heavily.”
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