An iconic second-generation container transport operator – legendary for treating drivers like part of the family – is quietly closing its doors after 66 years in business.
The announcement marks the end of an era for one of Tasmania’s longest-running family-run transport businesses.
Tim Norton, who has been at the helm of the company for decades, confirmed the April 11 closure during a recent interview with Big Rigs.
“I don’t need to, but I am going to retire,” Tim said, reflecting on his difficult decision after 45 years in the transport industry.
The business, which began as FF&L Norton – named after Tim’s parents, Frederick Forrester, aka Bob, and Lorraine Norton – started from humble beginnings.
Tim recalled how his father, who started out driving buses, launched with a single Ford meat truck in 1959, making deliveries from their Moody Street home around the Burnie butcher shops before gradually expanding their services to Hobart and then onto the West Coast Butcher shops.
The business saw significant growth from the back of the first trailer Bob built himself.
“When one door shut, another opened and he’d walk straight into it,” Tim said.
When Australian National Line pulled out of Tasmania and Brambles arrived, Tim said that’s when the transport company “went bang”, building a reputation for reliability and quality service.
“We got to 10 trucks pretty quick and there were plenty of drivers around, good ones.”
At its peak, Norton Transport operated a fleet of 15 trucks, though in recent years, the operation had scaled back to six vehicles, primarily handling container work.
“We have seen a lot of change,” Tim added.
Nortons had only two full-time drivers toward the end – both had job offers for work within 24 hours of the news breaking – with three or four casuals on call, as work demanded.
“The full-timers told us they wouldn’t take those jobs until they knew we had closed the doors.”
Tim said he never thought about selling the company as a going concern.
His son Andrew and wife Judy worked alongside him for 25 and 32 years respectively, but the trio decided it was time for a clean break.
Andrew said it’s a good little business with good infrastructure, but he just can’t see a future in it with all the red tape and lack of loyalty.
Reflecting on the trucks he’d owned over the years, Tim counts 50 in all, 37 of those Scanias, some bought off Laurie Kelly from Launceston.
Tim says he hasn’t thought about what he’ll do next. He’ll spend more time on restoring a 1977 single axle Scania, one of the company’s hardest-working and most reliable truck, back to mint condition.
But mostly he’s looking forward to not having to come into the depot on the weekend just to set up for the next week.
“It just goes on and on, seven days a week, it never stops.”
Andrew said it’s a good little business with good infrastructure, but he just can’t see a future in it with all the red tape and lack of loyalty.
This comment seems to be the future in transport.
Its sad to say but everyone who has been in the industry for a long time still remember the good old days.
We are, and have been for a while now crippling what ounce was a great industry to be in
Enjoyed James post on Norton’s Transport’s retirement. Was he aware that the Norton family in Burnie operated the local bus service way back in the 40’s up to the 60’s
A local motoring enthusiast, Jim Smith, drove for them..A couple of their buses were Federals