MINX Haulage takes their new Super-Liner seriously off-road

After years of driving for others, Matt Egan started MINX Haulage five years ago, with just a truck and dog. Having built up the business steadily and moved up through a B-Double configuration to an A-Double, Matt was in the market for a second truck when he found himself in Brisbane during Truck Show week.

“By chance I got caught in Brisbane when the Truck Show was on, so I went down and had a look around. The Mack Super-Liner really caught my eye because of the big bunk, impressive power and torque output. I also really liked the look of the new shape bonnet, which, although the truck is very modern, gave it a more traditional, old-school look.”

After checking the truck out in more detail, Matt arranged to buy a Super-Liner through Southern Truck Centre in Wollongong. But he had some detailed customisations in mind.

“With the amount of time I spend away in the truck, and the conditions it operates in, I had a lot of additional requirements like a bullbar, driving lights, hydraulics, fridges, an inverter, diesel heater, Ice Pack, additional batteries, microwave, TV, Road train guards with an integrated stiff bar, and an integrated Starlink system, basically all of the things to make the truck as self-sufficient as possible. I also like my bling, so I added stainless steel visor, plenty of additional lights and stainless, painted fuel tanks, and a few more bits and pieces to be done after harvest.

“Paul and Georgia at STC were awesome, and I really can’t thank them enough for their efforts in getting this truck on the road. They helped co-ordinate all of the suppliers, and dealt with all the inevitable issues along the way, especially given that we were working on a tight time frame to have the truck ready in time for harvest.”

The Euro 6 780 horsepower MP11 engine has had what Matt describes as a “christening of fire”, with some extraordinary demands placed on it.

“I’ve been giving the Super-Liner a good workout for about a month now, nearly all hard off-road stuff: dirt roads, farms, paddocks and big loads. I’ve had 91 tonne behind it in an A-Double configuration, and it’s handled it no dramas. Sometimes you don’t even notice the load, it’s got that much power.”

“It’s really got power to burn, and I’ve put it through its paces. On one grain farm out near Narromine I took the truck out into the paddock and chased a header, loading on the run driving directly alongside the header. I’m actually looking forward to spending some time on bitumen in it.”

Matt’s always been a Road Ranger driver and is taking a bit of time getting used to the mDRIVE automated manual transmission, but one thing that’s impressed him is the fuel-efficiency.

“The overall fuel economy is a bit hard to gauge at the moment because we’ve spent so much time off road, but I’m averaging 1.5km to the litre, at an average speed of 28 km/h with an idle time of 46%. I don’t think you can sneeze at that. I reckon I’m about 8-10% better off than in my other truck, and I expect that to improve once we do some real highway driving.”

Choosing a Mack was a bit of a step into the unknown for Matt, who’s never had one before now.

“I’ve mainly been a fan of another American truck brand, but the Super-Liner has changed my opinion. Apart from the truck itself, which is fantastic, I like the fact that Mack owns all the warranty responsibility for the whole drivetrain. With the trucks with Cummins engines, if you have an engine problem the dealer will tell you to take it to Cummins, which is frustrating and time consuming. Mack deliver you a complete truck and they warrant all of it, that’s very reassuring.”

Matt admits that he finds the setup of the 70-inch bunk a bit baffling though.

“It’s imported from the USA, so everything’s set up for a left-hand drive truck. I‘ve made a few modifications to relocate things and will likely customise the bunk area on the next one.”

Clearly this isn’t enough to put Matt off, because he’s expanding to a third truck in 2026 and it’s going to be another Super-Liner.

“There’s a lot to like about this truck: the power and the fuel economy are great; it’s a good value truck and most of all it’s a good-looking truck. I love the traditional look, and the next Super-Liner I get will have either the new shape bonnet or the big squared-off Champion bonnet on it.

“Add to that the quality of the Mack dealership support and the constant development they’re doing on things like the mDRIVE and you can see that Mack are way out in front of the competition. I think Mack will gain a lot of market share with trucks like this!”

Tony O’Connell, Vice President Mack Trucks Australia, said “We’re delighted to see Minx Haulage following in the footsteps of so many other Australian small businesses and becoming part of the Mack family. Matt’s experiences with his new Super-Liner in some very tough conditions show just how tough and adaptable Mack trucks are, and this is where being designed and built in Australia gives Mack the edge.”