Family owned and operated customs, freight and transport specialists JJ Lawson has recently celebrate 50 years in business success, by taking delivery of six new Mack Anthems, including one fitted out in a special 50th anniversary gold livery.
The Lawson’s new Anthem follows in the footsteps of a special Mack Granite the company commissioned for its 45th anniversary.Greg Lawson, who owns and operates the J.J Lawson business alongside his brother Marty, are longtime supporters of the North Sydney Bears rugby league team, so they had that truck outfitted in the reverse of the company’s usual red with black stripes reflecting the support for the Bears..
“We wanted something different to commemorate our 50 years, so we asked our signwriter Bear Signs for some ideas, and they came up with a gold livery wrap,” said Greg Lawson.
“It’s a collage of historical photos of our fleet along with special moments in our company history. The concept seemed like a good idea and the finished product exceeded all expectations,” he said.
“With this Anthem we’ve gone back to our usual red, but the gold livery really makes it stand out on the road. It tells the story of the company in a unique way,” Greg Lawson said.
JJ Lawson has built a reputation for reliability and dependability, after founder, Jim Lawson, decided early on that he wanted to provide a superior level of service and surety to our clients and from there the decision was made to start building his own fleet.
In the mid 1990’s the company acquired its first Mack: a Fleet-Liner CH Day-cab in a B-double configuration. Since then the fleet has grown organically up to as many as 30 trucks with the business and now operating 18 Macks and two Volvos, with the entire fleet operating on Mack Platinum Service Agreements, which apparently suits the company’s needs perfectly.
“Over the years we have considered setting up our own workshop and doing our own maintenance,” said Lawson.
“But with the space and specialised equipment and staff this involves we have continued to decide to leave it to the experts. With Mack there’s no need to bang your fist on the table, they understand our business and they sort things out, so we can focus on what we do best,” he added.
The new Anthems replace four Mack Granites the company acquired back in 2020, just before the onset of the pandemic.
“Like everyone else we didn’t see that coming, and it was quite a trying time. International shipping schedules were severely disrupted, and with the restrictions that were applied, we often found ourselves running the fleet with just one person physically in the office, but we got through it and those Granites have done us proud since then,” Greg Lawson added.
Greg Lawson says he likes to turn his trucks over every five years or so, not because they do huge numbers of kilometres, but because he wants top-quality gear in good condition and added that this suits the company’s reputation and makes it easier to attract and keep drivers.
“A major benefit of having a fleet from one provider, is that we can switch our drivers between trucks and they all know what to expect. Everything is familiar and no extra training is needed. It’s simple and the whole package works,” said Lawson.
Lawson has more things to worry about just than trucks and operates a 20,000 square metre transport depot in the Western Sydney suburb of Chipping Norton, as well as having operations that span the country, and he says that he just likes to be assured that with a modern and well-maintained fleet there is one less thing to worry about.
“We’ve built this business on a foundation of exceptional service, fairness and honesty, and this approach has stood us in good stead for half a century now. Our business has grown organically over time, we are still very much a family business and encourage those family values with our staff and extend them to our clients,” he said
The Lawson 50th Anniversary truck delivery was a special day and took place with almost the entire Lawson family. Unfortunately Jim was unable to attend but his wife Jenny, two sons, two daughters In-law and six grand children all were there to celebrate the milestone.
Greg Lawson says they do plan to get a photo with Jim and this truck at some time in the near future.
JJ Lawson see itself as a one-stop shop for the customs broking, freight forwarding, warehouse and transport needs for importers and exporters, and they say they view the Mack brand in much the same way.
“We’ve stayed with Mack for more than 25 years, they have the same standards of reliability and dependability that we offer our customers,” said Lawson.
“The trucks are ideally suited for our operations, which mostly involves moving containerised freight from ports and airports, but for us the real benefit is the long-term relationship we have with Mack,” he said.
“For more than half of the time we’ve been in business, Mack has handled all aspects of our truck supply and servicing needs, from sales through after-sales and service, anticipating our needs and keeping our trucks on the road.
“We’re a one-stop shop and so are they, and that suits us perfectly,” said Lawson.
Mack Australia vice president of sales, Tony O’Connell, said JJ Lawson is the kind of customer every truck manufacturer values.
‘”One that understands the demands of its business and trusts us to keep its fleet running at peak performance,” said O’Connell.
“We’re extremely proud to have been its provider of choice for 25 years and to be able to help celebrate the 50th anniversary with this special Anthem is a real privilege for us,” O’Connell added.
