The Goulburn Valley has over the years, become the transport hub for Victoria and a leading entity in that foray has been Keating Freight Lines under the careful stewardship of Ken Keating and his family of sons and grandsons.
Ken has been involved in transport since he was 15 in Bendigo covering VIC, NSW and SA and established Keating Freight Lines forty years ago while his brothers established similar hubs in Bendigo and Swan Hill.
The philosophy Keating Freight Lines are taking is “steady as she goes” as transport companies look to the future with changes in how trucking will evolve as climate change regulations take hold and the price of fuels and additives cause a transition to alternative drive trains.
Keating Freight Lines have a solid local client base of well-known brands and with 26 vehicles in the fleet, are not engaged in long haul interstate contracts allowing them to settle on modest power trains around 500 HP. Ken and the family is looking at how that will translate to encompass electric vehicles in the future as manufactures start to invest in that sector.
Ken said, “As each year passes, trucks are getting more sophisticated, and we are constantly looking to keep the fleet up to date with new trucks coming and others being retired each year. We will be keeping a close eye on what the unknown future holds.”
Like many other industries, labour in the transport sector is becoming an issue and while many on the team have been with them for several years the company is always looking for experienced drivers.
Like the trucks in the fleet, Ken is also working on succession planning for the company that will help keep the company in the forefront of business into the future.
Keating Freight Lines comprises of the Shepparton operation encompassing transport operations, distribution centre and large warehousing facilities supported by the Melbourne freight terminal.
