Due to the perishable nature of dairy products, transportation can often be a task that presents its own set of challenges.
With more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing refrigerated vehicles, Scully RSV meets the needs of industry with its tailored solutions.
After hiring trucks from Scully RSV for the past three years, on-farm enterprise, Meredith Dairy, approached the rigid body builder to create a custom design.
Established in 1991, Meredith Dairy has grown to become one of the largest goat and sheep dairy farms in Australia.
It delivers nationwide, and due to popular demand, the company needed to increase its carrying capacity – particularly for the transportation of its hero product, a marinated goat’s cheese stored in 320g glass jars which equate to 970kg per full pallet carried.
Providing an expansive fleet size ranging from 16-pallet capacity right through to B-double and tri-axle trailers, Meredith Dairy’s request was unique to Scully RSV as it required a 14-pallet jumbo truck.
“We had a very particular and almost peculiar requirement, but we knew from dealing previously with Scully RSV that they would be the manufacturer capable of producing it,” says Meredith Dairy Supply Chain Manager, Angus Cameron.
“Our old truck was about six or seven years old with about 600,000km on it, so although we still use it, we knew it was time to get a new one.
“The team at Scully RSV were great, we’ve hired trucks from them in the past. Their body designs are exceptional, and they gave us a great price for the new jumbo truck.”
The aim of the build was to ultimately allow for a safer and more flexible loading experience while also increasing capacity.
So, Scully RSV’s team in Queensland crafted a jumbo truck with a unique set of features that have since allowed the farm to run a more effective and smooth transport operation.
Built without side doors, the truck includes a four-axle twin steer chassis with a jumbo size body and barn door.
Angus explains that the addition of these features have helped revolutionise the business’ supply chain process especially when it comes to transporting its most popular goats cheese product.
“The twin steer chassis is a game changer,” he says. “The second front axle allows for twice the weight at the front of the truck, meaning we can transport more product from the farm to our Melbourne-based distribution centre.
“We have gone from a loading capacity of 500kg per pallet space to 1,000kg at the front of the truck. This makes it easier to manage and distribute the weight across the axels. If you have too much weight over axles it is not only illegal but also very unsafe to drive.”
Previously, Meredith Dairy had to load the truck in a particular way as the first six pallets could only weigh three tonnes while the back pallets could only be 8.0 tonnes. With the second front axle, it can now load an even 14 tonnes safely and flexibly.
“A full pallet of our popular goats cheese product is 970kg so the benefits this has had for us and our truck driver is twofold,” Angus says.
Meredith Dairy driver, Mick Rooney. Image: Scully RSV.As a family run business Meridith Dairy carries out a lot of its own operations, limiting the use of external parties for transportation purposes.
With its cheeses available nationwide, demand for the product is high. Therefore, the need to transport more at any one time became a necessity and is particularly felt by the company during busy periods.
Angus describes how the features of the custom build have given the dairy farm more control and flexibility in this area, and how it has assisted the business with operating its own supply chain.
“The farm is an hour and half southwest of Melbourne,” he says. “Each evening, we load the cheese the day before it goes to our distribution centre. In the past we would have had to make two trips a day, which wasn’t ideal. Now, with the new build, we rarely have to do this. Not only is this more convenient but also more environmentally friendly. Being a sustainable farm is really important to us.”
The new design of the jumbo truck also includes a 4.3m clearance.
“Standard clearance is usually 4.1m so even with this little bit extra it makes all the difference,” Angus says. “As we grow, we need to be able to fit as much onto the truck as possible. In the past package materials have limited us in terms of volume, so even having the extra 200mm in clearance makes all the difference.
“Our cheese is distributed all over Australia and is growing internationally, so the additional volume capacity is important for our rapidly growing business.”
Angus says the truck body insulated well, which is an important consideration for transporting fresh dairy products.
“Temperature is a strict requirement when transporting chilled product,” he says. “The new Scully RSV truck performs well and gives us confidence that the quality of our product will not be affected, even when it’s hot outside. The chill is very good, which really helps us to get products efficiently and in good condition to their destination.”
Along with the customised features, Meredith Dairy was also able to put a fun twist on the design of the jumbo truck.
“We have also been able to customise the design with pictures of our famous Meredith Dairy goats, and this has been a real hit,” Angus says. “We have a very proud truck driver, Mick Rooney, who loves the new build and couldn’t be happier driving it. He especially loves the reactions he sees from kids in other cars when they see our goats on the road.”
“We recognised how good the bodies from Scully RSV were when we used to hire their trucks,” Mick says. “It’s improved the transportation of the finished product immensely. I’m very proud of my truck.”
A leading provider for refrigerated transport vehicles, Scully RSV also offers a multitude of well-equipped vehicles for both short- and long-term rental. This includes utes, trucks and trailers, all designed and innovated to cater for any industry specific needs.
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