Among its fleet of blue, OBrienco Transport’s new purple Mack Super-Liner and B-triple set of refrigerated trailers stands out from the pack – supporting a very special cause.
The new combination is a moving tribute to Lauren “Lozza” Smith, who tragically lost her life to SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) in April 2024. She was only 20 years old.
SUDEP occurs when a person with epilepsy dies prematurely. In Australia, one person dies from SUDEP every 29 hours, but sadly little is known about its underlying causes.
Lauren grew up in Nobby, Queensland. She experienced her first seizure a day after her 17th birthday. The years that followed saw her take part in years of medication trials, with debilitating side effects. But despite that, she didn’t let her illness hold her back.
At the time of her death, Lauren had been seizure-free for 15 months and had begun applying for her dream job as a jillaroo or governess. Her family thought her epilepsy was under control.
Lauren’s mother Susan Smith said not a single specialist had warned them about SUDEP. “If we’d known, even just to understand the risk, maybe we wouldn’t have been so blindsided. That’s why raising awareness matters.”
Toowoomba transport operator Jack O’Brien has known the Smiths since he was a kid. “I grew up in Nobby and Lauren’s brother and I went to the same primary school. We became good friends and were inseparable, so I spent a lot of time at their house, and that led to our parents becoming good friends too,” explained Jack.
John O’Brien, Jack’s father, started OBrienco Transport in 2007 with a single rigid, sub-contracting to Australia Post.
Jack began honing his skills as a truck driver at another transport business, progressing to operations and sales roles, before joining his father’s side in September 2025. At OBrienco, he works as National Manager of Sales and Linehaul.
The fleet now consists of seven prime movers, running as single, B-double road train configurations, and 11 rigids. The purple epilepsy awareness combination is one of two new B-triples – the other sporting the company’s traditional blue and orange livery. These are the first two triples for OBrienco and were both delivered in December.
The new Performance Based Standards (PBS) B-triples are comprised of two 12-pallet drop deck A trailers and a 20-pallet drop deck B trailer.
As Jack explained, it was after Lauren’s sudden passing that he decided he wanted to do something to honour her legacy and create awareness about the illness that took her life.
At her funeral, Jack was speaking to Lauren’s father Craig Smith when the idea of dedicating a truck to Lauren’s legacy sprung to mind. “At Lauren’s funeral, her parents spoke of her legacy and her battles with epilepsy, which she was always very open about. They spoke about wanting to raise awareness,” said Jack.
“I wasn’t at OBrienco Transport at the time but it was on the cards for it to happen soon. I told Craig that his words were inspirational, and that in a few years’ time I wanted to do something like this to help grow Lauren’s legacy.”
When OBrienco got a contract to service a new client, that required the use of a triple road train, he put his idea for an epilepsy awareness truck forward to the customer. “As it turned out, they had also worked closely with the Smiths so were keen to be part of it as well.”
The truck and trailer set-up was put together by OBrienco Transport, with the support of its partners, dedicated to Lauren and Epilepsy Queensland. It features Lauren’s photo, information about epilepsy and the number of people impacted by the illness, a QR code that people can scan to learn more or donate, the purple epilepsy ribbon and the words “Lozza’s legacy”.
The entire combination is coloured purple, the official colour for epilepsy – with the back of the trailer set acknowledging all the businesses that helped put it all together.
“The commitment we got from all the partners involved was spectacular. Everyone was keen to get on board, which was very humbling,” added Jack. “The transport industry always rallies together for a good cause.”
The Super-Liner was purchased through Western Truck Group, which threw in plenty of added extras, Vawdrey assisted with the trailers and donated $6000 to Epilepsy Queensland, and Attards printed the trailer curtains.
The new B-triple was unveiled on Saturday December 13 at the Smith family’s farm property. “It was the first time everyone, including Lauren’s family, had seen it – which was really powerful and brought some very raw emotion,” said Jack, adding that $2000 was raised on the day via the trailers’ QR code.
“I got to drive the new truck for a local job into NSW, and out on the road everyone who saw it was doing a double take. It’s an absolute stand-out,” added Jack.
Commenting on the new B-triple, Craig told Big Rigs that he and his wife Susan were blown away when they saw it for the first time, “It’s an amazing tribute and has come together really well. But this truck isn’t just about our daughter Lauren, what we’re most proud of is that it will help get education and awareness about epilepsy and SUDEP out there. SUDEP is much more common than people realise.”
For the first six months of 2026, the new B-triple will be used to cart seed from Toowoomba to Western Australia, with produce transported for the return trip.
OBrienco Transport will also make the combination available for Epilepsy Queensland fundraising events wherever possible, so people can scan the QR code and donate to the cause.
Epilepsy Queensland CEO Sandi Rodiger said Lauren’s story underscores the urgent need for greater understanding of epilepsy, SUDEP and the lifelong impacts of the condition. “Epilepsy affects more than 50,000 Queenslanders, yet it remains widely misunderstood,” she said.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Smith family and OBrienco Transport. Their commitment ensures Lauren’s legacy will continue to spark conversations, raise awareness and connect people to the support they need.”