Shell Wall of Fame owner of M.T. Andrews Auto Freighters to sell in June
Operating out of Kempsey on the Mid North Coast, M. T. Andrews Auto Freighters will be retiring their fleet in June, after 50 years of success in road transportation. A family business by name and attitude, M.T. Andrews Auto Freighters will be offloading car carrier equipment including dozens of quality trucks and trailers, which are likely to be snapped up by the next generation of transport operators.
Owner of the business, Max ‘Shag’ Andrews, has had a hugely successful run and after celebrating 50 years in the Australian road transport community, was inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2021. And it all began in 1973 with a red J2 Bedford truck that Max and his brothers used to transport cars between Sydney and Kempsey. 50 years later, Max’s fleet is huge with dozens of car carriers that offer transport across Australia. It’s a big operation, with over 50 employees working together to keep the cogs turning in the national M.T. Andrews machine.
Though his business is busier than ever and there’s enough work available that Max only recently thought about adding another 3-4 trucks to his fleet, he’s made the difficult decision to retire in 2024. This was a hard choice for the transport legend, who has been able to keep his family close working in the business over the last 50 years. With daughters working in the office, grandchildren running around the yard and dozens of long term employees, saying goodbye to the business is a family affair. The business is still transporting cars in May but will cease operation towards the end of the month, where Pickles will host the auction of all the trucks and trailers from Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 of June. Max has so much confidence in the upcoming sale, that he's keeping his fleet on the roads until right up to the auction, mostly to help fill the gap in the market that his absence will leave.
The sale has caused a lot of chatter within the industry, with a large presale appetite evident from other businesses. This is partly due to operators' desperation to skip the queue on the wait for new car carrier equipment, with some estimates on new orders pushing the 12 month mark. It is also due in a big part to the quality of Max’s fleet, with the vast majority of the assets being 2020 or newer models. Max has upgraded his fleet every 5 years for the last 50 years, so it’s safe to say he knows how to keep gear well maintained and fit for sale. In fact, Max is relaxed about June’s auction, saying, ‘Good equipment isn’t hard to sell’.
The market appetite is already so big that Pickles’ sales executive, Shorty Dwyer, who takes care of sales along the Mid North Coast, has had buyers trying to jump the line by calling ahead of the sale to see if they can snap up gear before it hits the auction. This much interest is to be expected, with some of the hot ticket items including Australia’s only custom-built 12 pack car carrier, an 11 pack B-Double and many 8 car carriers. These rare assets have caused a lot of commotion, though Max expects that his range of 3 car carriers may get bids from ‘every man and his dog’ as the small carriers are highly sought after by city-based transporters. There is a massive range of items for sale, as M.T. Andrews has been moving over 500 cars each week for the last 50 years. And with the business retiring, Max has even had interest in his phone number, with a direct competitor offering him $50,000 for the privilege of taking over his line. While he’s not willing to part with his phone number, Max is confident that his absence will offer a lot of opportunities for many other Australian transport businesses.
M.T. Andrews has worked with Pickles on so many sales for so many years that Max actually can’t recall the length. He says it’s got to be at least a 20 year partnership, while his wife thinks it’s closer to 30. Either way, the businesses go way back and that’s why Pickles has been entrusted with the final sale. The auction will be held online from Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 of June, with viewing available on Tuesday at Pickles’ Milperra branch.
Max says he plans to spend his retirement on a cruiser in Coffs Harbour, fishing and living life. While he’ll be sad to say goodbye to the industry, he realises that many transport legends started around the same time and that now it’s time to retire for the next generation to take over the industry. His hope is that the buyers will keep a part of his legacy alive by driving his fleet into the future.
20 May