Cat advantage for family logging firm

South West Haulage, a family owned and operated timber harvesting and haulage company based at Manjimup, 300km south of Perth, says Cat Trucks are playing a key role in the business's prosperity.

The company is co-owned by timber industry veteran Greg Smeathers and his sons Peter and Sean.

Sixty-eight-year-old Greg actually joined the company as an apprentice in 1962, but when the opportunity came up to buy it outright a few years ago, he and his sons jumped at it.

"At my age it wasn't easy convincing the banks, but we got there eventually," says Greg.

"Apart from the financial aspects, the thing that got us across the line was that I've been totally involved in this company and this industry for well over 50 years. Plus the fact that the three of us are equal partners, and Peter and Shawn have spent most of their lives growing up around the business.

"This company is now their future."

The business has gone from strength to strength since the boys took the reins, with the winning of a major contract last year seeing South West Haulage almost double its annual tonnage to around 400,000 tonnes.

In addition to the vast array of timber harvesting equipment is a fleet of 24 prime movers, with most configured as pocket road trains hauling up to 79 tonnes apiece.

The company's first Cat, a CT630, arrived in 2011. It's since been joined by six others, as the trucks continue to prove their worth and reliability in the region's testing conditions.

"We look for things to last," says eldest son Peter.

"We maintain all our own equipment and have a big workshop with mechanics and maintenance people who know how to build and rebuild things, so unlike a lot of companies we don't have the need to replace trucks every four or five years.

"The biggest thing for us is durability. The ability to just keep doing the job day in and day out. If the wheels aren't turning, we're not earning. It's as simple as that."

The first CT630 model joined the South-West fleet in 2011, when Greg was quick to recognise the advantage of a truck with a C15 engine and, vitally, no AdBlue or EGR emissions controls.

Now every new prime mover purchased by the company since 2011 bears the Cat badge.

"The business case for Cat definitely stacks up," says Peter.

"There's no question we all have a strong regard for Cat products but if the first truck didn't stand up to the job, there would never have been a second Cat truck let alone another four or five of them.

"It has become the truck of choice basically because it has done no wrong and it's a good value-for-money proposition."

Peter says their choice of truck goes far beyond the product itself.

"It's about the whole package; performance, reliability and service," he says.

"We have a good relationship with the people at WesTrac, particularly Peter Calligaro (Cat Trucks manager) and when it's all boiled down, everything revolves around the quality of the people you're working with."

Peter says the Cats are at least a match for the other trucks they run when it comes to tare weight. They're also showing every sign they'll hold together over the long run.

"The C15's a proven engine, the gearbox and diffs are proven components, and the cabs and chassis are holding together really well," he says.

As for Greg, an affection for Cat honed over half a century shows no sign of waning.

"I've been working with Cat gear since I was a 15-year-old apprentice, so the liking for Cat isn't a recent thing," he says.

"It's something that has been built over many decades. The simple fact is I know it's good gear."

Now those sentiments extend to Cat Trucks, too.

"There's no doubt that when it comes to anything with a Cat badge, we have high expectations," he says.

"The Cat trucks are certainly no different and they're doing everything to live up to those expectations. Better still, I can't see any reason why they won't keep doing it."