With a background as a heavy machine operator in WA, Rory Crundall started a skip bin business in 2016 with just one truck, working seven days a week to get his business going.
Today his business Jumbo Skip Bins operates a fleet 10 medium and heavy-duty trucks, employing 17 staff, including 10 truck drivers.
Jumbo covers a service area of Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast. It specialises in construction and demolition disposal in the commercial sector, but also offers residential and domestic hire.
The collection and processing of waste material generated by a booming construction industry here in Australia brings about its own set of challenges. According to the National Waste Report, building and demolition waste is one of the largest sources of recovered materials in the country – but it’s also the largest source of waste.
Commercial skip bin hire makes up to 90 per cent of turnover for Jumbo, which also provides add-on services such as crane bins, forklift bins and the standard wheely bins for high-rise construction.
Crundall has made it the team’s mission to improve the way waste disposal is conducted in the local area.
“Historically, we’ve found that most construction companies haven’t been interested in how much of their waste is being recycled but that is changing,” he said.
“The Queensland waste levy has incentivised companies to divert as much as possible from landfill, especially common materials such as bricks, concrete and soil, so we are moving more and more into this space.
“Even though it has taken more time and work to make it happen, I have always had an interest in environmental outcomes and have been willing to make the effort to deal with waste, separate it and recycle it into different streams.”
According to Crundall, the goal of providing a cleaner, greener service has come with significant challenges in cost and logistics.
When purchasing trucks to add to his fleet, he was after a truck that was capable of tackling a punishing roster – and staying out of the workshop.
“I had intentions to grow into a large fleet and did a lot of research, asking mechanics and other trucking companies which brand they preferred and the answer I got was Isuzu about 90 per cent of the time,” Crundall said.
“I thought it’d be silly if I went any other way; you want to get off on the right foot from the beginning.
“As a business owner, I wanted that peace of mind and comfort, so Isuzu’s warranty and roadside assistance terms are a massive incentive.”
Brisbane Isuzu in Eagle Farm has been able to assist with ongoing fleet choice, recommending Isuzu models that are sized and specified to fit the skip bin hire task.
“The Eagle Farm branch know what we’re after in the industry and the models which are suitable, the type of suspension and engine variations from truck to truck, and they arrange for the bodies to be fitted by West-Trans for us,” Crundall said.
“I can’t complain about the service we’ve received, the team have been brilliant.”
Jumbo took delivery of its two newest chain lift trucks in the past six months – a FXZ 240-350 and a FVR 165-300 both fitted with best-in-class West-Trans body equipment.
This takes Jumbo’s fleet up to nine Isuzu trucks from a fleet of 10, ranging from a medium-duty FSR 140-260 chain lift skip loader through to heavier FXZ 240-350 chain lift and FXZ hook lift trucks.
The heavier hook lifts in the fleet see close to 6000 kilometres on the road each month and the skip trucks around 4000 kilometres.
“The new trucks are a pleasure to drive, and the features Isuzu are including add up to make a big difference for our drivers,” said Crundall.
“We’re constantly in contact with them on the road, so the new consoles with Bluetooth and the big touchscreen are very handy. It also saves them having to buy their own devices to put in the cab.”
In addition to working a full roster with Jumbo, Crundall said the trucks are often commandeered for double duty collecting concrete waste in their sister company, Moreton Bay Recycling, which is located 50 metres across the road from Jumbo’s home base in Narangba.
As of 2022, Crundall became co-owner and director of Moreton Bay Recycling, essentially combining two well-matched businesses and a fleet that supports both.
It makes for a circular operation that offers cleaner, greener outcomes for clients in the construction sector – which are coincidentally some of the largest concrete waste producers.
Once concrete waste has been collected from a site, either a Jumbo truck or one of the Moreton Bay Recycling fleet (which features another three Isuzu trucks) will deliver them back to the facility, where the concrete is processed into a quality product for use in future construction projects.
Crundall said the versatility of the combined fleet equates to efficient service that can save the client money, and also offers him savings in time and delivery costs.
“Our customers at Jumbo often need products that are produced from the recycled concrete, so we’re able to fill it up at Moreton Bay facility, then drop it off with their Jumbo skip bin, which saves them the cost of an extra delivery.
“It’s vice versa with our Moreton Bay customers – when they order aggregate, they will often need a skip bin.
“Our drivers can be trained on skip and tipper trucks as well, which gives us great crossover and means we’re frequently able to utilise our skip trucks to deliver material.”