Brown Bulk Haul’s fleet of Macks service the McLaren Vale area of South Australia, providing bulk haulage services to the farms and vineyards of the famous wine region.

For 22 years now, the trucks of Brown Bulk Haul have plied their trade in South Australia, carrying a range of bulk goods including grapes, sand, firewood, grain and landscaping products.

“The load depends on the season,” says Drew Brown, who owns the business with his wife Elle, “but we’re equipped to carry just about anything.”

The company’s fleet of four Macks—three Tridents and a Super-Liner—gives Brown Bulk Haulage the flexibility they need to do both local and long-haul work.

“The Super-Liner handles the long-haul, carrying the grain harvest and the bulk vintage work. It also carts mulch and compost over to Sunraysia,” says Drew, “then heads into New South Wales and comes back with firewood.”

For the Tridents, their ability to get in and out of tight spaces is a key part of the daily work.

"The Tridents regularly have to negotiate their way in and out of vineyards and landscaping yards that were designed for cars. We’ve got them set up in a truck and dog configuration with the wheel spacings adjusted to meet the PBS scheme, and we’re getting just over a 40-tonne payload,” says Drew.

“They’re a nice light truck, and they’ve got the biggest payload we could find that can get into these small places. Farm gates are particularly difficult to negotiate.”

The Browns have had a long relationship with Mack. The second truck they ever bought nearly two decades ago was an old CH, after which they got their first Trident.

“We ran that Trident for 13 years, and she had 1.3 million kms on the clock,” says Drew, “now we’re onto our fourth.”

A typical day sees the Tridents leave base in McLaren Vale at 6am and do 300-500 kilometres before returning at 5pm. Given the stop-start nature of the work, Drew’s pretty happy with the Tridents’ fuel consumption.

“These trucks do a fair bit of city and hill work, so they’re getting around 1.8 kilometres to the litre,” says Drew, “of course it’s better out on the highway. I did a trip to New South Wales with five-axle dog and got 2.1 which was pretty good.”

Vice President of Mack Trucks Australia, Tom Chapman said it was fantastic to hear the Mack Trident and Super-Liner meeting the unique operating requirements of Brown Bulk Haulage.

“It’s a real testament that the modern-day Mack is more than just the tough, durable truck people expect,” he said. “It validates our keen focus on both innovation and providing sustainable solutions for the modern transport industry,” he continued.

“This includes providing maximum comfort and ease for drivers, and optimal productivity and cost of ownership for business operators. We’re proud to be delivering on those promises to our valued partners at Brown Bulk Haul,” he concluded.

After some bad experiences with other dealers, Drew’s found the Mack team to be friendly and easy to work with.

“We get Mack to do most of the servicing, and while it’s sometimes hard to find a slot in the workshop, they keep us on the road.

“From our perspective the Trident’s the right truck for the job. They’re manoeuvrable, versatile and the driver has great vision due to the bonnet design. They’re comfortable and a good payload truck that suits what we do perfectly.”