Truckie finds right spot
TRUCKING company NT Hauliers is on a roll with a new leased site in the Bohle.
The family-owned company is a Northern Territorybased transport and logistics operator which has serviced the Top End for more than 20 years.
It has been in the Townsville market for about three years and had been at another Bohle location but has now secured a site in Reward Court that is more suitable for its size of operations and at a lower cost.
NT Hauliers North Queensland manager Justin “Diesel” Bailey said an economic downturn, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of China’s tariff hikes and import bans was causing some tough times.
But after a slow start in Townsville they were now picking up more work, Mr Bailey said.
“We do Darwin to Townsville and Darwin to Adelaide. We are also servicing North Queensland with our B-doubles and do the eastern seaboard run to Brisbane. We do a bit of contract work out of the port carrying imported goods for the local shops,” he said.
Knight Frank Townsville found them a warehouse with large 4000sq m hardstand capable of handling their road trains and B-doubles as well as provide storage. Mr Bailey said there were not that many places suitable for their operations. “You can get sheds but trying to find yards big enough for doubles and road trains is a bit limited,” Mr Bailey said.
“Even in the Webb estate, there’s not many with the yard space.”
Mr Bailey said the new premises had also given them the opportunity to offer warehousing services to clients.
Knight Frank sales and leasing executive Dan Place said the phones stopped ringing when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit but that over the past couple of months they had been busy in North Queensland.
He said they had fielded a lot of inquiry from the transport and logistics sector which was trying to maintain the supply of goods in the face of the pandemic’s travel restrictions.
“We have been busy. Leasing has been quite good. The owner-occupier market has been strong with people purchasing properties,” Mr Place said.
“It’s probably cheaper to buy now than it is to rent and anything for sale which has a tenant is getting a fair bit of inquiry.”
Mr Place said NT Hauliers’ new site included a 600sq m warehouse and office and 70sq m washdown area on a 4259sq m lot which was ideal for a transport operator.
A 175sq m workshop and office facility on a 1017sq m site at 54 Charles Street, Aitkenvale, has sold through Steve Whaling of E-property Consultants NQ for $405,000 plus GST.
A 425sq m professional office building at 577-583 Flinders Street, Townsville City, has sold through Steve Whaling of E-property Consultants NQ for around $1 million plus GST.
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