Family First: Celebrating the Aussie Dream with Micway and Isuzu

A family business through and through, so much so Micway Transport proudly show their roots in the business name itself.

Micway was founded in 1999 by David and Mary Franklin, and they sought inspiration from their children Michael and Wayne when they arrived at the name ‘Micway’.

Micway are a cold logistics supplier based in Western Sydney and operating across the eastern seaboard, with a focus on the transport of dry, chiller and freezer goods and logistics consulting.

Initially starting small, David and Mary were eventually awarded a contract by P&O Cold Logistics to deliver goods into a group of takeaway pizza restaurants in New South Wales, and using that as a steppingstone the business expanded at an explosive rate over the next two decades.

Secret to Success

“It was just a lot of hard work,” said Wayne Franklin, Director of Operations and one-half namesake of the growing company.

“We started with just a couple of trucks, but we have about 80 on the road at the minute, with work for at least a hundred staff and helped out by our sub-contractors.”

An operation of that size requires a top-quality transport fleet that can be depended on to work long hours and tick over the kilometres.

They now operate a large trucking fleet right across the state and employ well over a hundred staff.

“We work the small trucks 16 or 17 hours a day over two shifts. Those are typically the Isuzu trucks, they’re the hardest working trucks we have in the fleet,” explained Wayne.

“We started our partnership with Isuzu about 10-years back.

“We were able to find a real niche for the smaller N-Series van bodied pallet trucks that could go into those restricted access spaces around the city. Underneath unit blocks, low height, small clearances - they could get in and out easily with our temperature-controlled products.

“We’ve actually added two more medium-duty Isuzus to the fleet in the last six months to bolster the fleet.”

Micway favours a fleet of Isuzu FSD 140-260 trucks with shortened wheelbases, supplied by Matt Mckenna and the fantastic team at Suttons Motors in Arncliffe.

The shortened wheelbase platform favoured by Micway gives them the edge for their tighter, urban delivery work and back to base duties. ​

Boasting an impressive Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 14,000 kilograms and a Gross Combined Mass (GCM) of 21,000 kilograms the FSD 140-260 slotted in perfectly for Micway’s mostly urban freighting needs.

The FSD 140-260 is aptly powered too, with Isuzu’s six-cylinder, 24 value 6HK1-TCC engine, sporting 191kW (260 horsepower) @ 2,400 RPM, making light work

The business currently runs no less than 35 14-pallet trucks at the core of the fleet, all with refrigerated van bodies and tailgate loaders.

All the FSDs are fitted with the six-speed Allison LCT2500 automatic transmission, making those longer hours out on the road safe, comfortable and as stress free as possible for Wayne’s drivers. ​

Support from the Right People

Specifying the right tools for the job has been a key focus for Micway since day one and this ethos feeds into their continued efforts to provide new or inexperienced drivers their start in the road transport industry. ​

“Providing those pathways is certainly something we’re proud of,” said Wayne.

“We tend to hire a lot of young people who may have just received their license, and we give them that opportunity in the transport industry.

“I don't see young people the way the insurance companies do (as high risk), because they haven't got experience, I see them as a blank canvas.

“We can model them the Micway way of doing things pretty quicky, which usually leaves everybody happy. We’re happy to take on young people who aren’t frightened of a fair day's work for a fair day's pay.

That isn’t to say there haven’t been issues recruiting. As with many companies, the pandemic still casts a long shadow.

‘We were pretty lucky,” remembers Wayne.

“A lot of industries were hurt or shut down, whereas goods transport remained essential services of course.”

Micway was therefore in a fortunate position to offer former employees work during the pandemic in order to put food on the table and stock back on the shelves.

“When a lot of things were shut down, we were fortunate to be able to let 10 or 12-odd guys back in the door - previous great employees that had left on good terms. It was good to be able to provide that lifeline.”

Acts like this can be the difference between a good employer and a great one and it’s clear that Micway is dedicated to the people who work hard for them.

Service That Never Sleeps

When it comes to the service they provide, Wayne and the team at Micway know there’s no room for error and that dependability is the backbone of their business.

Facing the shortages and supply chain issues of recent years head-on, Micway have been able to draw on a wealth of experience to ensure that they were able to continue to offer a premium service to their clients.

‘You need reliability, and we’ve really found that in the Isuzu trucks.

“For running around the city, in and out of tight lanes and awkward spots, they’ve been a godsend for us and our drivers absolutely love them.”

Ends