“Our Macks handle some of the worst conditions you’re likely to encounter.”

Jonesway Transport carry pre-fapicated houses all over Australia. Managing Director Steve Jones tells us why he uses Macks for the job.

Some of the Aboriginal communities and mine sites scattered around the Northern Territory and Western Australia are in some of the remotest places on earth. Yet they still need the basics, such as housing, but how do you get it there?

Enter Jonesway Transport. As specialists in moving pre-fapicated houses, Steve Jones’s company carries modular homes all over the country, even as far as the islands in Torres Strait.

“We do a lot of things, but our main area is in moving what they call ‘modular houses,’” says Steve, “we’ve got approximately 100 trailers and dollies, about 60 of which are low-loaders especially designed for carrying houses.”

Wind drag? You don’t know what wind drag is.

A typical load for Jonesway Transport doesn’t weigh that much, but a five-metre-wide piece of house certainly generates plenty of wind drag.

“We’d love to get better fuel economy,” says Steve, “but there’s not much we can do about the wind drag, it’s like a big sail pulling against the truck.”

Welcome to Mack country

Steve’s fleet consists of 45 trucks, most of them Mack Granites and Tridents, and by his own admission, Steve’s a Mack man through-and-through.

“We love Macks—you should see our boardroom, it’s covered in Mack paraphernalia—but it’s a lot more than just an emotional thing. Macks are the right truck for the job and they can handle some of the worst conditions you’re likely to encounter.”

Tanami tough

When he talks about tough conditions, Steve isn’t kidding. A recent job saw them carrying houses to an Aboriginal community north west of Alice Springs along the Tanami Track, a road notorious for its difficulty.

“We had to go up the Tanami Track and then turn off it and head inland,” says Steve, “but the Macks just keep on going.”

Jonesway Transport also featured in an episode of the TV series World’s Toughest Trucks, in which they delivered an entire medical centre to Kiwirrkurra in the Gibson Desert, 1,200 km east of Port Hedland and 850 km west of Alice Springs.

Getting better all the time

Steve’s obsession with Macks goes back a long way and looks set to continue.

“Macks have a reputation for being Bulldog tough and I reckon we’ve demonstrated that often enough,” says Steve, “we stick with them, not just because they’ve always been tough, simple and rugged trucks, but because they’re also getting better all the time.

“The people at Mack have always looked after us, and the trucks are ideal for what we want to do. We take great pride in our vehicles, but the work isn’t easy on the trucks. Mack have always been our truck of choice because they can handle