Bordertown Haulage was started in 1980 and is now in its second generation.
Images: Bordertown Haulage
Bordertown Haulage has been choosing JOST every time for the past 30 years, for all of its trailer component requirements.
Started in 1980 and based in South Australia, Bordertown Haulage is now in its second generation – providing efficient transport services to the highest standards, to both local and interstate communities.
Company founder Peter Karger went from a single truck owner-operator to a fleet of over 10 in an instant. Today Bordertown Haulage is headed up by his son Angus.
“Peter has officially retired, so I’m running the company now,” Angus said. “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 trucks travel anywhere between South Australia, 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, looks for the best technology possible to do the job efficiently. He says that’s 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 said. “We’ve pretty much been using all JOST turntables for 25 years, and everything new that we get has something from JOST on it.”
The company uses JOST’s greaseless fifth wheels across the fleet.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 explained. “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.”
Angus added that JOST’s landing legs also get the job done. “The legs are trouble-free and they’re essentially maintenance-free. 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.
In using JOST’s fifth wheels, Angus has also become familiar with JOST’s Sensor Coupling system, which 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,” revealed Angus. “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 – one to detect whether or not the skid plate on the trailer is in contact with the fifth wheel plate surface; one in the centre to detect the king pin and ensure the lock jaws are secured around it; and one 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 said.
Coupled with the sensors, the JOST turntables have given Angus and his operators that extra peace of mind by removing doubt of whether or not a trailer is hooked up properly. He says they’ve also significantly increased safety across the fleet.
“Looking back, I can only think of one dropped trailer from memory and that was put down to driver error. In terms of their fifth wheel technology, I would say JOST is at the top.”
Backing Bordertown Haulage’s JOST-fitted fleet is a team dedicated to servicing its needs. Angus says JOST is exceptional when it comes to 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 said. “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.”
All in all, Angus believes JOST is the way to go.
“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,” he said.
“Every future purchase will have JOST parts on it, one way or another. No ifs, buts, or maybes.”
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The post JOST parts tick all the boxes for SA operator Bordertown Haulage appeared first on Big Rigs.