JUST one of Fonterra’s new, state-of-the-art ‘Truck and Dog’ tankers are capable of holding 37,000 litres of milk, enough to fill 148,000 glasses of milk, and is transforming farm milk collection for the company, creating new jobs in the regions, improving efficiency from farm to factory, and reducing the number of trucks on country roads.
A jump in the amount of milk Fonterra collects means that more people and bigger trucks are needed to handle the growth. The first of 14 new tankers collectively capable of holding over 500,000 litres of milk have begun hitting the road, replacing older and smaller milk tankers and improving the efficiency of farm milk collection, while 26 new drivers have come on board across Fonterra’s four regions, boosting local jobs at Darnum, Cobden, Tongala and Wynyard.
Fonterra general manager of logistics and distribution, Justin Ryan says the fleet upgrade includes two new types of tanker, a 26m tanker capable of carrying 43,000 litres or 26 percent more milk than the previous tankers, and the ‘Truck and Dog’ tanker, a truck and trailer that can carry 27 percent more milk than the tankers it replaces.
“The new drivers boost our existing team of drivers and ensure we’re providing a consistently high level of service to our farmers during the seasonal peak
“We’ve had over 20 percent growth in the volume of milk we collect over the past eighteen months, and our new drivers and the upgraded fleet have been crucial to supporting that growth,” Justin said.
