Trucks
Sawtell and Sons have been buying Volvo trucks almost exclusively for over 5 decades, in a tough industry where dynasties come and go, celebrating nearly a century in business is certainly no mean feat.
Five years after the first Volvo rolled off the production line in Sweden in 1928, Percival Sawtell and his two eldest sons purchased the only transport business on the southern end of the Gold Coast at Currumbin Ken Sawtell, joint Director of Sawtell and Sons, said the vibrant southern suburb of the Gold Coast looked very different when his grandfather founded the business in 1933.
“There were five sons in the family. The two eldest started in the business and my dad took it over in the 50s and started to build it up to what it is today.”
Ken, now Director of Sawtell and Sons alongside his younger brother Grant, said the business his grandfather started now spans across four generations.
Ken laughs when explaining that he failed his first year studying usiness at Queensland Institute of Technology; the family business is now thriving, growing from the initial two trucks to a fleet of 60 and a workforce of 80.
Only one year after Volvo began building trucks in Australia at their Wacol factory in 1972, Sawtell and Sons purchased their first Volvo. “I remember because I started driving for the business that same year. It was a Volvo F86,” said Ken.
These days, Sawtell and Sons does a combination of local and interstate work, with slightly more trucks working on the interstate side. The local fleet are kept busy transporting, sand, gravel and fertiliser. “Business relationships that span decades are a rare thing in any industry,” says Gary Bone, Vice President Volvo Trucks Australia, “The relationship that has been forged with the Sawtell’s and Volvo speaks volumes and is a true testament of the resilience, determination and
integrity of the Sawtell family across the generations.”
“I’d like to think these qualities are also reflected in some way by us here at Volvo,” he continues, “Shared values make the best foundations for long term partnerships and I’m proud that Volvo has been part of the Sawtell journey to date.”
The latest addition to the Sawtell fleet, an FH16 700 will join the interstate tipper fleet covering the majority of the eastern seaboard transporting potatoes and fertiliser on long haul routes from South Australia to Far North Queensland.
For further information, please contact:
Matt Wood – Public Relations and Media Manager (Volvo Group Australia)
Mobile: +61 (0)436 681 117
Email: matthew.wood@volvo.com