PACCAR Portraits: Blenners
Hauling fresh produce and more throughout Queensland and the country, the Blennerhassett family gives a snapshot of life inside Blenners TransportFrom humble beginnings on northern Queensland's Cassowary Coast, Blenners Transport started out in 1988 with one truck but has grown into one of the giants of the Australian road freight industry.
A family-owned firm, with sons Roger and Ben following in the footsteps of parents Les and Judy Blennerhassett, the business is the focus of the latest in a series of PACCAR Portraits, each giving an insight into a major player on the Australian trucking landscape.
Based in Tully, Blenners has depots in Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Innisfail, Mackay and Mareeba. The company is a major carrier of fresh produce including bananas, mangoes and avocados, but it hauls a wide variety of frozen, chilled and dry palletised freight all over Australia.
Kenworth the key
Founder and general manager, Les, says his business's success has been underpinned by Kenworth every step of the way.
"Equipment is number one – I've never bought on price, I've always bought on quality," says Les.
"So today we're running 142 Kenworths, and those Kenworths are doing everything from local pickups and deliveries to road trains to Perth.
"Kenworth to me, it's the total cost of ownership over the life of that truck. So we can probably find other trucks that are cheaper to purchase, but by the time we've got through parts, parts costing, and then at the end of the life of the truck when we want to sell it, the price we get for that, the total cost of ownership of the Kenworth is the best by far."
Related reading:
PACCAR Portraits: Membrey's Transport
2019 Kenworth T410: Review
Blenners' Kenworth milestone
Les says he's not alone in his appreciation of Kenworths, either…
"Our drivers love the Kenworth product and to me, that's what Blenners is – Kenworth," he says.
Driving passion
Of course, it takes more than reliable, capable and cost-effective trucks to build a business into a transport heavyweight, and that's where customer service and good ol' fashioned word-of-mouth are key, along with a relentless work ethic.
And at the core of it all, says Les, is one thing…
"I wouldn't be here unless I was passionate," he says.
"I suppose, to me, building to what we've got today from one truck, we are passionate – I still live and breathe it."
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