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Rockin Haulage reflects State construction boom

Monday, August 6, 2007

Below left, at the crack of dawn, Matt directs the operation at the Hamilton Road duplication project.

Matt Blake, Director of new Queensland company, Rockin Haulage, has gone from being a hotel porter to directing a multi million dollar haulage operation.

He puts his success down to treating honest and open relationships as oil on the cogs of industry.

Matt Blake says:
“After working for 21 years in the dirt and the plant hire business, I worked out that communication can be the missing dimension.”

Matt explains: “New clients tell me they have been used to dealing with companies that give out half truths or misinformation but the best principles of haulage come from being open and up front with clients and subbies.”

This approach with clients and sub contractors makes them rusted on and loyal enough so they will climb any mountain when required.

Matt is convinced this work ethic underpins Queensland’s construction boom that, in his opinion, has enough momentum to run for a further ten years.

The ex-Victorian began his career as a porter at Melbourne’s Hyatt Hotel after leaving school in 1985. Three months later his Dad invited him to join him in the ashphalt industry, constructing carparks and roads. He learnt about soil, roadbase and what fill is all about.

Next he was appointed foreman of a southern construction company and learnt about the intricacies of plant hire. In the next 15 years he would learn about the disposal of hazardous materials and the logistics of earthmoving.

In 2001 he began working for a materials moving company and in 2004 was sent northwards to expand the operation into Queensland.

Matt considers this employer did him a large favour in early 2006 when it sacked him on short notice. Two months later Rockin Haulage was born.

“It seemed a logical step because the only world I knew was that of dirt, plant hire and haulage so I lined up a couple of jobs and Queensland’s infrastructure boom has kept me working non stop since then.

Good relationships haul construction boom in right direction

Probably a testimony to the health of the Queensland’s economy is that Rockin Haulage began on 12th July 2006 and has transported over a million cubic metres of fill in the first 12 months with office staff doubling from three to six.

In the next financial year he expects to double throughput to 2 million cubic metres, probably requiring more office staff.

It says a lot about the Director of Rockin Haulage when Matt is asked why he chose an old house near Logan Road, Upper Mt Gravatt, to fit out as an office.

Matt Blake, above, keeps his sub contractors happy and rockin, underpinning the success of Rockin Haulage.

“I live on the Sunshine Coast so the office location wasn’t important but Upper Mt Gravatt is more central for my staff to come to work.

“At end of day, I think clients prefer that I concentrate on a job well done rather than if I had a warm fuzzy corporate approach in the CBD with bright lights and a flashing neon sign,” he said.”

Just 12 months old Rockin Haulage decided to put a ceiling on the business, restricting himself to around 50 trucks with dogs, keeping it lean but not mean.

Subbies worked harder

When Matt joined the migration to Queensland three years ago, he found that a truck owner pulling a dog was paid around $75 per hour. While working on the Gabba expansion he started paying subbies $800 per day, an increase of $150. It put spring in the step of truckies who were prepared to work harder, benefits flowing on to employers and construction companies.

Matt feels his new pay culture helped change the ethos of construction in his adopted state.

Some companies shy away from telling clients what you are up to, but Matt says it can prove you are genuine and pays off.

“After working for 21 years in the dirt and the plant hire system, I worked out that communication can be the missing dimension,” said Matt.

The named Rockin Haulage, basically means that business is rockin or running smoothly

Rockin Haulage prides itself on prompt service and good communication with clients and subbies.

Up front they learn where the fill is coming from and where it is being taken.

You never lie to a sub contractor because they are your bread and butter and your eyes on the road. When you pay them good money they reciprocate, giving you vital information they pick up along the way.

Matt currently pays subbies a minimum of $1000 per day but he thinks that other companies paying around $800 per day might not convince truckies to put in that extra effort.

Reliability is the keyword for a successful construction industry, plus it helps to have a good geographical knowledge of what fill is needed and from where it can be taken.

Some of the big names that have made Rockin Haulage an almost overnight success are also some of the hard hitters of the Queensland construction boom.

The CV of Rockin Haulage looks pretty flash for its first year of operation:

PMW Construction had to shift 200 thousand tonnes of unsuitable material at Redbank Plains. Leighton Contractors asked Matt to move 85,000 cu metres on the Caboolture bypass, FRH Major Projects at Chermside West, are currently moving 50,000 cu metres on the Hamilton road duplication, HWM had to move 20,000 cu metres of concrete and fill from the Boggo Road development and BMD Construction Major Projects contracted Matt to work on the Logan Motorway and move a further 10,000 cubic metres at Carindale. He had to move 50,000 solid metres of fill on the Acacia Ridge P and O rail terminal which began on April 19 and finished in mid June this year. Neumann Contractors asked him to move100,000 cu metres at Logan’s Berrimba Wetlands and the biggest effort of all was 7,000 loose metres of fill moved in one day for HWM.

This task involved 45 trucks with dogs and kept busy three excavators, one 45 tonne, a 35 tonne and a 30 tonne machine.

The Rockin name

Matt can’t help but smile when some clients call him “Rock and Haulage” instead of Rockin Haulage. It isn’t a problem because his business activity is still becoming known.

The named Rockin Haulage, basically means that business is rockin or running smoothly.

There is an even better explanation: Matt and wife Sophie are into music in a big way and add to that, one of his friends plays music with the band, Divinyls, another good friend plays guitar with singer James Reyne, another friend is the producer of Mr Reyne’s music and doubles as a muso with the band, Screaming Jets.

Basically they have been surrounded with a fair amount of rock music which spilled over one night when Matt and Sophie were talking business over coffee. Someone said their new business was peaking and rocking when suddenly the company name was born.

Whatever happens, Rockin Haulage is growing with a State that appears to be Rockin in the area of construction and the vibes seem to be getting through to clients.

Matt says if you’ve got rocks or fill to shift, phone Rockin Haulage, Matt Blake, 0419330522 or Rick Porter, 0448330524. However if you think you have rocks in your head you can phone the opposition.

(Sanderson Media's breezy writing style and great images can get your message out to the world) contact john@sanderson-media.com

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