Blenners turns 30

Les Blennerhassett of Blenners Transport has his roots in farming, yet through a twist of fate and the luck of the Irish, he moved into transport. Now, after three decades of long hours and hard work, Les and his wife Judy own and operate North Queensland's biggest road and rail transport operation. Howard Shanks gives an insight into what motivates this laconic achiever and his very capable partner.

When I met Les, he seemed preoccupied, and with good reason. He was focused on a trip report being downloaded to his office from the on-board computer in one of his trucks. Having given the salient points a cursory glance, which exonerated the driver from any unprofessional driving behaviours, he ushered me into his office.

Les, 61, is a director of Blenners Transport in Tully, North Queensland. His handshake is firm and he gives an air of quiet efficiency, but you somehow get the feeling that this six foot, 120 kilogram Irish-Australian would sound more like a couple of muted banshees from the Orange Quarter in Belfast if he was crossed.

He is a man who spends life more looking through the windscreen than the mirrors. Matters like the impact of government regulation, industry unity and commercial opportunity ran far more fluid in Les’ mindset than trips down memory lane.

Still, ask him about the journey so far and he easily recalls a remarkable life inundated with equally remarkable characters; people who in his estimation have been fundamental in the creation of the entity today known broadly as Blenner’s Transport, whether drivers, managers, customers or suppliers.

It’s a big call for a man so obviously in control of a business that now employs more than 350 people and runs around 120 trucks in a dedicated refrigerated linehaul operation from depots throughout far North Queensland to capital cities Australia wide.

In its diversity there is also a raw materials supply and farming operation.

For a man who controls a farming and transport empire in partnership with his wife Judy, his office is small and unpretentious, yet functional.

Les began with a 10-hectare banana farm at Bingil Bay, north of Mission Beach, in 1979 and married Judy in 1983. They then purchased the first of two cane farms in 1986, today his cane crops yield approximately 40,000 tonnes per annum.

Entry into Transport
In 1988 an owner operator, Jim Rumble, approached Les to organise loads for him. So Les, his brother, Ross, and a friend, Lionel Barnes, started putting a load a week together for Jim. The volume of freight increased and Jim bought a second van, engaging a tow operator to pull it. Les, Ross and Lionel were now sending two loads a week to southern markets.

As we all know, there's not enough cooperation in the transport industry for any two-truck drivers to agree on where to stop for lunch, let alone operate together. Needless to say it came as no surprise when Jim asked Les if he was interested in buying the second van.

This was Les' first tentative step into transport. When things got quiet, Les solicited freight from other growers in the district.

Then, when it got busy, well, what could he do? He purchased another truck and van.

During the formative years, as business grew, Les and Judy would buy one new Kenworth and van a year. They operated from an old shed on the banana farm, which over the years saw a number of add-ons. It made do as the depot and fought both gravity and termites until they outgrew the space.

"It made no sense to spend more money there,” Les said. “We wanted to move to Tully and be closer to our growers.”

"So we built this new depot on 45 acres at Hewitt's Siding, back in 2003. I call it the penthouse; compared to the 'little house' we used to operate from. It's in an industrial suburb three kilometres south of Tully, right next to Loscam Pallets, Visy Packaging, and the rail-yard,” Les said, pointing out his office window.

Thirtieth anniversary
“And this year we purchased ten 550hp Cummins X15 powered Kenworth K200s with 18 speed Roadranger transmissions, Dana D40-170 rear axles and kitted them out with King Bullbars, Jost’s JSK37 fifth wheels, Beka-max auto-greasers and Ice-Pack sleeper coolers.

“This year, to mark our thirtieth anniversary we also added a few extra pieces of bling, such as the stainless steel air-ram and stainless steel kick panel with additional LED lights on the step. “Incidentally these new trucks coincided with the delivery of our 300th Truck and our 150th FTE  van,” Les added.

“Our vans run BPW Eco Plus hubs with BPW Airlight-II air suspension and include BPW’s Trailer Monitor diagnostic system that displays data from the ECO Tronic EBS. It is mounted on the side of the trailer and via its high-resolution display, the monitor enables the us to easily read performance, error codes, and loading conditions.”

"The Company's interstate truck count now stands at 80, including nine roadtrains," he said.

In addition to the linehaul fleet there are 30-40 trucks doing local pick-ups for their major depots, in, Brisbane, Cairns, Innisfail, Mackay, Townsville and Tully.

Truck and dogs
There are also 10 tip-trucks and dogs working for the Raw Materials division at Tully.

The tippers came into being when an interstate truck out-lived its four-year interstate life. Instead of trading it in, Les reckoned: "We might as well keep a few and put a tipper on them. After all they’d be handy around the farm,” he added.

Each truck in the Blenner’s fleet has an MT-Data on-board computer, which is a comprehensive GPS tracking and fleet management system. The system monitor includes, in-truck hands-free phones, can-bus ECM interfaces, G-force sensors, accident reports, in-truck satellite navigation, driving hours, trip time, truck speed and fuel consumption… not to mention engine revs, when specific services are needed and fatigue management.

"We like to see drivers in bed for at least six hours between midnight and six in the morning and we monitor sleep times closely. Also if the engine is driven to 2000rpm on every gear change, we talk to the driver and ask him not to do it again as it affects fuel economy for the trip," Les said.

The on-board computers cost approximately $5500 per truck plus several thousand dollars for the software program and installation.

"It's a small investment when you consider the abuse which can be handed out to a truck if it's not monitored. It also ensures that the driver abides by the road rules,” Les said.

To keep the fleet maintained with vehicles looking like new, their Tully depot boasts a fully-automated drive-through wash bay for the vans and hand-wash bay for the prime movers.

There is a full-dedicated tyre-fitting bay where full combinations can have their tyres checked without the need to move the vehicle. There are two full-length service pits along with spacious work bays. Their on-site parts storage rivals some dealerships it is so streamlined and well stocked.

Family and management
The key to running an efficient and successful operation, according to Les, is to have good people in managerial positions.

Sons Ben and Roger manage Blenner’s Townsville and Brisbane depot respectively. Les diverts the conversation momentarily, adding that he’s proud of the job his sons are doing in the business.

Les tends to downplay the growth factor behind his company's rise to being an intricate part of the North’s transportation.

"We have achieved better than 10 per cent growth each year,” Les revealed. “We’re a family company and most farmers up here like dealing with family businesses. Any of our clients can come and see me, Judy, Ben or Roger any time, whether it’s to sort out a problem or provide a new service that suits their needs. The buck stops with us and we can make a decision on the spot.

"At the moment we do about 80 to 90 B-Double loads of bananas to Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, plus around 20 rail containers to Brisbane, each week as well as nine road-trains to Perth.

"We can load bananas at a farm in North Queensland, and have them in the Sydney coldrooms within three days. And the beauty of bananas is that they're not seasonal. This freight is available 52 weeks of the year.

After cyclone Larry we diversified our operation further north and started to offer our services to mango and avocado growers up on the Tablelands. That has helped us survive two cyclones, when the banana crops have been wiped out.

When asked what the biggest challenges have been over the past 30 years, it’s a thoughtful Les Blennerhassett who pauses before answering. “I’d say surviving the two cyclones and getting the trucks through in the wet-season when the roads are flooded.”

He cites the introduction of B-Doubles and greater access for road-trains as some of the best things he’s seen in his 30 years in road transport. “The economy of scale with the use the multi-combinations means a big saving to us and our customers are always looking at us to save on their transport costs,” Les said.

Looking forward, Les reveals that their latest Kenworths are at the forefront of road safety with ABS, EBS and adaptive cruise control. “The safety of our drivers is paramount,” Les said.

But who knows what the future holds for the local bunch? Nevertheless, if the past 30 years is an indication, the penthouse is only an interim stop on the way from the 'Iittle house' for Les and Judy Blennerhassett.

30th Anniversary K200 Specs:
Model: K200Engine: Cummins X15
Horsepower: 550hp (410kW) at1850rpm
Torque: 1850 lb/ft (2508Nm) at 1100rpm
Gearbox: Eaton RTLO20915B 18-Speed
Air Cleaner: Single Cyclopac
Fuel Filter: Fuel Pro and fuel/water separator
Electrical: 160A isolated alternator and power distribution box
Front Axle: Meritor MFS73LA 7.3t capacity
Front Suspension: 7.2T taper leaf
Power Steering: TRW Ross TAS 85
Rear Axles: Dana D40-170 rear axles
Rear Axle Ratio: 4.30:1
Rear Suspension: Kenworth Air glide
Brakes: HD (P-type) drum brakes with auto slacks
Turntable: Jost JSK37
Seats: Leather Charcoal HD Extreme air suspended seats
Bumper: Polished King Bullbar
Extras: Remote diff breathers, extended grease lines to clutch, stainless air ram, stainless kick panel, extra LED lights