It’s certainly been a busy few months for McColl’s Transport, which along with acquiring the dairy division of Stoitse Transport, has also opened the first of it’s state-of-the-art tanker hygiene facilities.
Strategically located in Dennington in western Victoria, a hub for dairy production, the site opened in December 2021 and is now washing in excess of 50 barrels a day. It is complete with milk transfer stations and a two-bay tanker wash capability.
“McColl’s is investing in infrastructure that reduces structural costs. We’re investing in tanker hygiene facilities, sites and depots across the country, so it enables us to reduce dead running,” explained McColl’s Transport group business development manager Andrew Thompson.
“From a dairy perspective, western Victoria is a very strategic location because it’s where a lot of milk comes from. If you’re driving a milk tanker in that region, the closest place for a wash if you cannot go to a dairy factory is probably Melbourne. Having it in Dennington allows tankers to wash in the region and take another load back to the city.
“Though the area has many dairy farms, if you’re not delivering to sites that have a wash facility, you then need to find somewhere for a wash.”
Thompson adds “We’re putting these facilities in so we have more depots in strategic locations, giving us reduced operating costs. McColl’s is also providing the best quality hygiene/wash facility in various locations. Its generating jobs in local areas and it’s certainly a big investment for us.”
McColl’s will construct more tanker hygiene facilities based on the same model as the Dennington site. The next one in the pipeline will be located in Colac, followed by a site in Longwarry – both of which are due to be completed before the year’s end.
“These facilities have the capability to wash a wider range of food-grade tankers. Truck wash facilities are generally limited to certain products, so you’d usually have to go to another level to wash out commodities like oils or chocolate – whereas these facilities are suited to a greater variety of food grade equipment,” Thompson said, adding that they’re super efficient too.
“When compared to a typical wash facility, McColl’s tanker hygiene facilities can wash double the amount of trucks in half the time. And they achieve better water efficiency compared to typical wash facilities.”
As well as its investments in infrastructure, McColl’s is also investing in its fleet and its people. Through the Stoitse acquisition alone, McColl’s has taken on 144 staff from the company, along with 40 trucks and 145 pieces of trailing equipment.