Taking on a full-time load

Truck driver John Matthewson is no stranger to the red meat industry.

He's now a producer and owner of livestock transport company BeefTrans, but John's extensive resume as a buyer for the two major supermarkets, a 10-year stint in the export industry, and as a partner in another transport business, has crafted his unique insights across the red meat supply chain.

“Trucking has always been in my blood. My father had a business which started in our home in Grafton,” John said.

Despite several other roles across the industry, he always came back to trucks.

BeefTrans takes off

John started BeefTrans alongside his wife Jenneke – the small trucking operation quickly expanded from a side hustle to a full-time opportunity.

They now manage their fleet of eight trucks out of the New England area, as well as their own farming enterprise.

“After close to 30 years of working for other businesses, we decided to move into our own business. We have three sons and are trying to create a mixed business that gives our family members some options to become a part of it, if they choose,” John said.

The company opened in a high-demand market.

“The need for transport for our own farm quickly grew and morphed into what I do, pretty much Monday to Friday.

“Not only did we want to do it, but it was needed. So many small trucking companies have fallen to the wayside because of difficult circumstances in the industry.”

Preparation – an ongoing challenge

Despite abattoir curfews and required resting periods, John said there's still room for improvement when preparing cattle.

“There are a lot of different factors we can't control, but we try to communicate with the people who use our services that the animal has to be as important as a person on a bus – they deserve a comfortable ride.

“It's so important to have cattle in the yards and settled.

“We consistently see cattle who are hot and galloped to the yards to be loaded on the truck – they're no end of trouble.”

The true cost of being unprepared

John's professional background has given him an insight into how the entire supply chain relies on good livestock preparation.

“I've been involved with processing a lot of supermarket cattle over time and have seen a lot of meat quality issues that come down to animal welfare and animals not being properly prepared prior to trucking,” John said.

“The minute you go into the paddock to get that animal, their clock starts ticking and their stress rises. This affects everything from meat colour, fat colour and pH levels.

“Once they're on the truck and on their way, there's not a lot that can be done. If producers talk to us ahead of time about how they can best prepare the class of livestock being moved, everything runs more smoothly.”

John said a lack of preparation creates hazards for animals and transporters after driving out of the farm gate, with the ongoing challenge of managing effluent.

“Once again good preparation prior to transport assists with us being able to better manage this battle.

“Despite having up-to-date vehicles and tanks, a rain event can mean the overflow comes out the side of the trucks.”

Drivers face penalties of around $500 for effluent-spilling trucks.

Keeping consistent

While growing demand has given the Matthewson family an opportunity to expand further, the family is keeping their focus trained on maintaining a quality service.

“We've grown because people trust us – there's surety of who drives into their place and the calibre of person who handles the cattle,” John said.

While a shortage of truck drivers has made recruitment difficult, the business is careful about who they put behind the wheel.

The quality extends to the trucks on the ground.

“Rather than grow in size, we want to keep our gear modern, and just keep rolling along as best we can.

“It's been quite a ride and a constant workload, but it's very enjoyable.”