MIlls Freightlines

News

22 July

One hundred and fifty four kilometres north of Adelaide sits the town of Brinkworth, population 401. At 23 Main Street sit the offices of Mills Freightlines, managed by Paul Mills and wife, Jayne.

Mills Freightlines has been around since 1966 when Paul’s grandfather, Bob founded the business with a Ford Thames Trader. With approximately 19 staff, we imagine Mills would be considered a major employer in this small regional town.

With the safety of those staff top-of-mind, Paul researches his trucks carefully before buying. Happily for Paul he was able to stick with his go-to dealer to purchase his latest rig, a Freightliner Cascadia 126 with a 48” sleeper purchased from Daimler Trucks in Adelaide.

We say ‘happily’ because Paul has been visiting Daimler Adelaide since he was a tiny tacker sitting on dad, Gavin’s knee. The Mills fleet is littered with Mercedes-Benz Actros, Freightliner Argosy and Freightliner Coronado product.

Paul went for the Cascadia for multiple reasons. Safety was first and foremost.

“We consider ourselves market leaders in safety and we wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said. “We invest in full TEBS trailers that sound an alarm if they lean past a safe angle, live tracking, fire retardant systems, trailer tyre heat and pressure sensors, fatigue monitoring systems and front, rear and driver-facing cameras.

“We wanted a prime-mover that would complement this investment, so were pleased to see so much standard safety equipment in Cascadia.

“Driver’s airbag (side head-protecting airbag is also available as an option), integrated radar-cruise control, advanced emergency braking capability and lane departure warning were all features of the Cascadia that we wanted for our drivers. We also ticked off on the optional radar-based Sideguard Assist system, which uses radar to detect people, cars and other objects down the side of the truck when it is about to move left into a lane or turn left.

“The system works very well and it just allows the driver to really concentrate on the road in front of them and what is going on up ahead.”

The 126 runs a 16-litre six-cylinder Detroit producing 580hp and 2050 ft/lb of torque, which is connected to a DT12 12-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). The Cascadia is put to work hauling fertiliser on a run that takes in Walleroo, Port Lincoln and Port Adelaide. At 91 tons loaded, Paul is more than happy with fuel consumption at 1.62km per litre. “That’s the sort of figure I’d expect at 68 tons so we’ve effectively got a 23 ton bonus on every run, fuel-wise. That adds up to a heap of savings over the life of the truck.”

With Freightliner featuring strongly in the Mills’ fleet, maybe they should consider amending the company name to Mills FreightlinERS. Might get ‘em a discount on the next one they purchase.