FortySeven Industries continues its’ exponential growth, taking delivery of its latest Hamelex White Performance-Based Standards Truck Body & Dog tipper combination from Freighter Group.
FortySeven Industries is a name that is not only intertwined with transport, but also racing. The company is a truck and dog tipper business which was formed by co-owner, Brendon Claridge, and his wife, Tatum, on the back of their previous fuel company named Claridge Transport.
After purchasing a new truck and starting their second transport business in March 2021, it was time to form the organisation’s identity. For the name, Brendon and Tatum decided on ‘FortySeven Industries’, a tribute to their family sprint car racing team.
“We have a sprintcar team called Claridge Racing and our number is 47,” Brendon explains. “It’s the same number that my dad always had in racing, so we named our new business after that.”
From just one truck and dog combination to eight prime movers and 16 truck and dogs, FortySeven Industries has grown exponentially. As it stands, the fleet is not slowing. In fact, it’s growing at a rapid rate with Freighter Group and the Hamelex White product.
“Our twelve Hamelex White truck and dogs are currently contracted to major companies in southeast Queensland, and we’ve got another one on order to arrive at the end of the year,” Brendon says. “We mainly cart quarry aggregates, sand, mulch and landscape materials. Anything you can put in the back of a truck and dog, we put in there.”
“We’ve had nothing but a great experience with Hamelex White. They’ve been perfect, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
FortySeven Industries’ latest Hamelex White delivery arrived in the form of a rigid body fitted to a Mack Super-Liner prime mover and a Performance-Based Standards (PBS) four-axle dog on the rear. The rigid unit includes truck and dog hydraulics, grain locks, a Right Weigh digital gauge, mesh tarp and Ringfeder coupling among many other standard specs. Meanwhile, the four-axle dog features E-Plas QuickSilver flooring, Hendrickson INTRAAX suspensions and disc brakes, grain locks and paver chute to name a few. Both Hamelex White bins were also spec’d with extra features including additional lighting on the top and sides of both bins.
With a Gross Combination Mass (GCM) of 57.5 tonnes and a payload of around 39.8 tonnes, the new PBS combination gives FortySeven Industries a tare weight of 17.5 tonnes. This has been seen to improve efficiency and the business’ bottom line.
In its operations of quarry aggregates, landscape materials and paving applications, the new Hamelex White build has also continued to deliver in performance and reliability.
“The quality and reliability of the Hamelex White product has been amazing so far,” Brendon says. “We haven’t had any issues with it.”
“It’s great for me because I don’t have to worry about it. The truck just goes to work every day and the trailers do their job, so we don’t need any maintenance or be broken down on the side of the road.”
With FortySeven Industries being a local business based in southeast Brisbane, the truck and dog unit often finds itself in Toowoomba, Gympie and near Lismore, New South Wales. Operating throughout a 200-kilometre radius from its home base has been a breeze.
“Our drivers love the ease of the controls and the ease of using the product,” Brendon says. “The Hamelex White product has been perfect – no cracks, no warping, nothing. The older ones that we already have look like they’re brand new as well. Together, the Mack product and the Hamelex White product are a great combination.”
This latest delivery was coordinated through Freighter Group’s Queensland dealer, Trailer Sales. Brendon says this made the entire delivery process seamless for him.
“Steve Helms from Mack Australia had three Macks that he was building as stock orders for Hamelex White, so he already had the bodies on the trucks,” he says. “I had Hamelex White bins on another truck, so I thought why would I go anywhere else?”
“In terms of the entire process, Roger Miller at Trailer Sales was amazing to deal with. He answers the phone anytime you want to call, and if he doesn’t, he will ring you straight back. If Roger can’t answer the question, you’ll get an answer in around half an hour. So, nothing was ever an issue.”
As Brendon clearly highlights, the Freighter Group product has been nothing but perfect. The service, too, has been exceptional. For these reasons, he doesn’t see any other option than Hamelex White.
“There’s not a bad word I can say about my experience,” he says. “Servicing wise, the trailers have been nothing but easy to maintain. We’ve got our own on-site mechanic that works on our trailers and there’s been no issue whatsoever with the Hamelex White units.”
“I don’t think there is a better product out there. We’re definitely dealing with a great product here, so I don’t see a reason to change. I’ll only buy Hamelex White trailers now.”
