Bigger isn’t necessarily better, according to Macway Logistics owner Shane Martin.
The hanging meat transport specialist has a unique perspective thanks to his large 16-litre Freightliner Cascadia 126 and its ‘little brother,’ the 13-litre 116 version.
“This is definitely my favourite,” says Shane, touching the bonnet of the smaller 116.
“It’s bloody awesome. It just goes hard, it’s great on fuel.”
The Macway 116 has a 36-inch cab, compared to the cavernous 60-inch bunk of his 126, but that’s enough for Shane.
“It’s the smaller cab, but that’s still more than enough room to stand up and get changed and there’s room for the fridge, microwave and TV too,” he says.
Macway runs pork, as hanging meat, up the east coast out of Melbourne and Murray Bridge for Wilmeat Cut Meat and AusPork.
Both companies value the fact that Shane operates modern equipment that looks great and is safe and reliable.
“These Cascadias have all the safety features you can get and they are all built in, which is good for my drivers and everyone else,” Shane says.
He bought the first 126 Cascadia from Daimler Trucks Adelaide, a sharply-dressed show truck, in the midst of Covid restrictions, which was one of the reasons he went for the colossal 60-inch cab.
“There was all the scaremongering and I thought it would be good to have somewhere I could sit and not feel boxed-in and it has the benefit of the fridge in the back and the microwave and everything,” he says.
He bought a Mercedes-Benz Actros and was thrilled with it but had to sell it after work dried up.
As luck would have it, almost as soon as Shane sold the Actros, he won another contract and needed another truck.
Shane was okay though, because he used Daimler Truck Financial Services to pay for the trucks and was able to get a Guaranteed Buy Back price, which made it all quite simple.
“So many trucks, the value goes through the floor and you end up doing your arse on it, but that buy-back thing gives you that peace of mind,” he says.
A few months later, with a new contract, Shane was able to buy a new truck and chose the Cascadia 116.
Asked what he thought about the Cascadia, Shane says the fuel economy is “awesome”, but feels its comfort is its best attribute.
“You could spend 12 hours driving one of these and get out of it really fresh. I had another truck [not a Freightliner] and you’d be buggered at the end of the day.
“You worked just as hard as the truck did, but these are completely different.”
Shane says the comfort the trucks offer is important.
“To get a good driver, you have to have a good truck and a comfortable truck.”