Posing for celebratory pictures between two special Kenworths, Kel Baxter reflected proudly on his long association with Australia’s most popular heavy-duty badge.
On his left was his very first new Kenworth, a “rugged” 1997 T650 that’s still working hard today, earning its keep at Kelvin Baxter Transport’s Riverina yard, and on his right, a stunning T909, his 100th truck straight off the Bayswater assembly line.
Two trucks from very different eras, but both linked by their durability and dependability, traits that have also been the cornerstone of Kel’s success over four decades.
On the shoulders of the new trucks that followed ‘No. 1’, with wife Marilyn doing the books, family support and dedicated staff, Ken has built the Berrigan-based operation into a regional powerhouse dedicated to bulk agricultural commodity freight right across the east coast.
From humble beginnings with two secondhand Kenworths in 1990, the company now boasts up to 55 trucks on the road on any one day, operating in some of the highest productivity combinations available today.
The new T909 is already on the road with loyal truckie Stuart Adams behind the wheel, running in a 36.5-metre, AB-triple configuration, powered by a Cummins X15 engine doing “whatever comes along”.
“We have a wide range of customers through the year. We do harvest work in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and South Australia,” Kel said.
“I’ve taken trucks to Western Australia in the past when it’s very dry over here. We tend to follow where the grain is and that’s where the truck will go, with the others.”
Kel isn’t known for the ‘bling’ in his trucks, but admits he went all out to make the celebrated T909 a standout, leaving no stone unturned in a six-month build-up to handover day, right down to the commemorative ‘KBT 100’ rego plate.
“We decorated it up a bit more than I usually do, and I think we came up with what I think looks pretty smart,” reflected Kel who had to wait a little longer than normal for this one due to a Covid-related backlog of orders.
The traditional bullbar was replaced with a big flat alloy bumper by BT Bull bars in Wagga Wagga, the fuel tanks were wrapped in stainless steel by RC Metalcraft in North Albury and the interior was customised throughout from maroon to blue.
PACCAR Australia was also able to mark the occasion with commemorative ‘Celebrating the 100th Kenworth’ plaques, inside and outside the cab, and a similar message embroidered on the seat.
“It was a privilege to be part of this 100th Kenworth handover event,” added Michael Long, Director Sales and Marketing, PACCAR Australia.
“Not only because Kel is an extremely valued customer, but because he is also a highly respected person in the industry.”
The finishing scroll work was done by Dean Laws Signs and the customised lights on the steps and tanks deftly handled by DMG Truck Electrics in North Albury.
“There’s a host of people involved once a new Kenworth comes out of the factory before they actually get on the road,” Ken said.
Twin City Truck Centre in Wodonga, which hosted March’s commemorative handover event, also played a crucial role in all the pre-delivery customisation.
Salesman Aaron Berkinshaw had the honour of coordinating the 100th truck but Kel also paid tribute to his recently retired predecessor Darren Nicholl who had helped secure the 99 Kenworths that came before it.
“Their attention to the details is very good. There is quite a bit involved in building a truck – there’s that many options. I’ve got a pretty good idea now what works amd what doesn’t – round tanks versus square tanks, for example.
“We do a fair bit of rural work and we don’t want the too lower clearance trucks.
“They [Twin City] know what we want and they do a good job, and they back it up with good service and spare parts availability.
“I think that’s one thing about the Kenworth product that’s so popular, particularly in regional areas where we do a lot of our work.”
Kel, who was recognised as a ‘Kenworth Legend’ in 2019, has tried other brands over the years – his first was a TK Bedford – but nothing comes close to the Kenworth’s durability and dependability in some of the toughest terrains.
“The strength of the cab stands alone,” Kel said.
“You can get similar running gear; engines, suspension and other things, but they don’t stand up to rural work as well.
“We do a lot of harvest work and are on and off farms a lot and are accustomed to that.
“If a load of gypsum or lime needs to go down the back paddock, then we know that’s where we can take it. The trucks will put up with that sort of treatment.”
Inside the cab, the driver comforts are also a long way from what the 1997 Kenworth boasted – a state-of-the-art Custom Air air-conditioning system, microwave, TV, ample storage and standup fridge, just a few of the standout features.
“This is not the first truck that we’ve fitted those accessories to, but we make it as comfortable as we can.
“We have drivers employed over a wide area of the grain belt, so drivers can get home on weekends, but our drivers do spend time away on the season work, which provides variation, plus good earning opportunities.”
Kel prides himself on the driver training program at Kelvin Baxter Transport and the strong core of long-term truckies on the roster.
“They work hard and they get paid well. I’ve got a lot of respect for my drivers.”
Kel concedes that is a shortage of skilled drivers across the industry.
One of the main causes, he feels, is that it’s not regarded by many newcomers as a career option.
With more of the national fleet now road trains and AB-triples, Kel would also like to see the MC licence split into two tiers: one for those driving B-doubles, and another for those behind the wheel of a road train, B-triple or
AB-triple.
“Most people can back a B-double, but plenty of them can’t back an A-double. There’s a lot more training involved there.
“You’re also going up significantly in gross weight yet there is no difference in the licence needed at the moment.”
A former chair of the Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA’s) Industry Technical Council (ITC) and now life member, Kel has been at the forefront of lobbying for higher productivity vehicles on Australian roads for many years.
In 2009 he donated his own equipment to run the first legal BAB Quad on NSW roads and at a similar ATA demo day at Dubbo in 2010. He has been instrumental in achieving better access for road trains in the Riverina, and beyond.
“It’s been a desire of mine for the industry to go to higher productivity vehicles and I find it quite gratifying to see the significant expansion of higher productivity vehicles that has taken place in the last couple of years.
“Supply chain costs in this country are as high as anywhere else in the world because of our distances, and we make use of the fact we can run longer vehicles.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re running by the tonne or pallet, the higher productivity vehicles do it at a lower cost.”
Kel admits it hasn’t always been easy to get those in charge of the road and bridge network to see the benefits for the freight industry, and in turn, the end consumer. Although there have been significant breakthroughs in recent years, many as a direct result of Kel’s advocacy, he says the permit process is still tangled up in far too much red tape.
“We’re having to get new permits all the time, why? It works for the first 12 months, or whatever [the time period may be], it works.”
Kel said bridge access is another bugbear and could be managed a lot better. He’d like to see more jurisdictions adopt the approach of Transport for NSW which has recently allowed PBS vehicles access over the Sheahan Bridge at Gundagai.
“That alone has opened up the Hume Highway for high productivity vehicles and is a great example to use on other bridges on other highways.”
Kel, meanwhile, seems as busy as ever, wearing multiple hats.
When Big Rigs checks in, he’s in Dubbo for an ITC meeting, and as a committee member of the Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers Association of NSW, also knee deep in helping to organise this month’s National Rural Carriers Convention in Canberra.
On the business front, Kelvin Baxter Transport has also been gradually growing over the last five years: “We’ve got some good customers, and we’ve stepped up to meet their needs.”
Now 73, Kel concedes, however, that he is slowly delegating a bit more of the workload to members of the team.
He feels fortunate to have his two sons Glen and Noel heading up the 35,000-acre crop farming side of the operation that started in 1970 with a relatively modest 1700 acres, and their respective wives, Fiona and Amy, heavily involved in the transport side of the large family business.
Fiona leads the compliance team, while Amy plays a key role in the management of the many subcontractors.
“I get a fair bit of advice from them on trucking, and I give them a fair bit of advice on farming as well – makes for some good discussions.”