Two Volvo A40G articulated haulers supplied by CJD Equipment are the latest addition to Markwell Group’s hire fleet, with the pair now busy on road repair jobs across north Queensland
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| Two new Volvo A40G haulers were added to Markwell Group’s fleet last year |
“We’ve been buying Volvo machinery since 2006. Their dump trucks are probably the most popular and well-respected in Australia.”
These are the words of Markwell Group managing director Gavin Markwell, who in May last year welcomed two A40G articulated haulers into his hire fleet, where they’ve been busy proving their worth on subdivision, mining and earthmoving works across Markwell’s vast area of operations. Now in its 43rd year of operation, Queensland’s Markwell Group runs a fleet of over 90 earthmoving machines across its demolition, recycling, crushing and plant
hire operations.
“We’re based in Townsville and work throughout north Queensland with a mixture of excavators, dump trucks, graders, skid steers, loaders and crushing plants,” Markwell explains.
“We work from north of Brisbane to Weipa and over to Mount Isa in a big arc, as well as some occasional work in Papua New Guinea.
“We’re working on about 20 sites at the moment – some might have one machine while others have half a dozen. We primarily work all round north Queensland for councils,
local government departments and developers and we do a lot in quarrying and mining. For example, we’re crushing at Moranbah currently, as well as at a gold mine in Georgetown – those are two of the largest jobs we have at present. We’ve also got two crushers down in NSW.”
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| Operator feedback on the A40G has been positive – particularly the visibility from the cab |
Fleet addition
One of the largest privately-owned earthmoving, mining, quarrying, crushing and demolition contractors in north Queensland, Markwell Group has been involved with everything from crushing 200,000 tonnes of road base for the Bruce Highway upgrade to demolishing bridges and removing asbestos.
As to why he chose the A40G haulers to add to his dry and wet hire fleet, Markwell says they are a reliable option with parts availability and local support from CJD Equipment.
“We were deciding between the A40G and the A45G and, because a lot of our work is shorter-term work, it’s easier to move these machines around. We decided on the Volvo after moving from another brand because of the lack of parts and lack of support.”
Having been on the market since 2017, CJD Equipment Mackay regionals sales manager Jarrad Bennett says that the response from customers to the A40G model has been fantastic.
“I would suggest that the A40G is the market leading articulated hauler. It’s a highly recognised and sought-after machine,” he says.
“Reliability, productivity and safety are the three key reasons for this. They’re extremely reliable and productive when it comes to fuel efficiency and cycle times. Plus, they rarely break down – the uptime is just exceptional.”
Bennett points to the onboard weighing and mapping system, known as Haul Assist, as being a key safety feature for operators.
“Haul Assist allows the machine to load and unload safely. The onboard scale system within the chassis won’t let you unload the machine if there is the potential for it to tip over.”
The 40-tonne payload is also a major draw for customers.
“Markwell Group use their machines in civil applications, so roadworks and highway construction, but the A40G is also suitable for mining and quarrying, especially when transporting material over long distances.
“The machine is very comfortable to operate. The cab is operator- friendly with a positive pressurised system. This is a key benefit for operators working in very dusty environments, as it stops dirt from infiltrating the cab. The way that the articulation is set up provides a smooth articulation system, which is good for minimising driver fatigue.”
Operator feedback
Markwell says feedback from operators hiring the haulers from Markwell Group has been very positive, particularly around the visibility from the cab.
“They’re definitely reliable – they don’t break down,” Markwell adds.
“As we’re a plant hire company, we’re always looking for more equipment to satisfy our customers’ needs – we can’t have a fleet of ageing machines.”
Having worked with CJD Equipment since 2006, Markwell says the support he’s received over the years, with the quality of the machinery on offer, means it’s been a long-running and positive relationship.
“CJD are good to work with – if you have an issue, they resolve it in a timely manner. They always have excellent product.”
He says the two A40G haulers are just the latest in ongoing machinery purchases the Markwell Group will be making, with significant work planned for this year.
“This last year has been very busy, and we expect this year to be busy as well. There’s a fair bit of work coming through for North Queensland, so hopefully we get a share of that,” he explains.
“We’re probably going to expand our concrete recycling facility and to get that more efficient and busier.”
For more information on the Volvo CE range offered by CJD Equipment, visit your local CJD branch or cjd.com.au