Recycling, re-using and resource recovery: it’s one of the hottest topics in town and it’s operators like Jumbo Skip Bins in Brisbane—with their fleet of medium and heavy-duty Isuzu trucks—that step in with solutions to tackle the burden of processing much of our unwanted waste.
A particular challenge here in Australia is the collection and processing of waste material generated by a booming construction industry.
According to the National Waste Report, building and demolition waste is one of the largest sources of recovered materials in the country… but unsurprisingly it’s also the largest source of waste.
Mission possible
This is where Rory Crundall, director of Jumbo Skip Bins, sensed an opportunity back in 2016.
Coming from a background as a heavy machine operator in Western Australia, Rory started out in the skip bin business with fresh eyes and a solo chain lift truck, working seven days a week to get the business going.
His goal of delivering consistent service, on time and with a smile, has seen the business grow to a present-day fleet of 10 trucks, 10 drivers, and 17 staff under the Jumbo banner.
The business covers a service area of Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast, offering residential and domestic hire, but specialising in construction and demolition disposal in the commercial sector.
Commercial skip bin hire makes up to 90 per cent of turnover for Jumbo, who also provide add-on services such as crane bins, forklift bins and the standard wheely bins for high-rise construction.
Rory has made it the team’s mission to improve the way waste disposal is conducted in the local area.
“Historically, we’ve found that most construction companies haven’t been interested in how much of their waste is being recycled but that is changing,” Rory explained.
“The Queensland waste levy has incentivised companies to divert as much as possible from landfill, especially common materials such as bricks, concrete and soil, so we are moving more and more into this space.”
“Even though it has taken more time and work to make it happen, I have always had an interest in environmental outcomes and have been willing to make the effort to deal with waste, separate it and recycle it into different streams.”
Future proofing the business
Rory said the goal of providing a cleaner, greener service has come with significant challenges in cost and logistics.
He is keenly aware that fleet choice has a knock-on effect to the business bottom line, noting that he wanted to be backed by a truck brand that could provide a range of product capable of tackling a punishing roster—and staying out of the workshop.
“I had intentions to grow into a large fleet and did a lot of research, asking mechanics and other trucking companies which brand they preferred and the answer I got was Isuzu about ninety per cent of the time,” Rory said.
“I thought it’d be silly if I went any other way; you want to get off on the right foot from the beginning.
“As a business owner, I wanted that peace of mind and comfort, so Isuzu’s warranty and roadside assistance terms are a massive incentive.”
The team at Brisbane Isuzu in Eagle Farm assist Rory with ongoing fleet choice, recommending Isuzu models that are sized and specified to fit the skip bin hire task.
“The Eagle Farm branch know what we’re after in the industry and the models which are suitable, the type of suspension and engine variations from truck to truck, and they arrange for the bodies to be fitted by West-Trans for us.
“I can’t complain about the service we’ve received, the team have been brilliant.”
United fleet front
Jumbo Skip Bins have taken delivery of their two newest chain lift trucks from within the past six months—a FXZ 240-350 and a FVR 165-300 both outfitted with best-in-class West-Trans body equipment.
This takes Jumbo’s fleet up to nine Isuzu trucks from a fleet of 10, ranging from a medium-duty FSR 140-260 chain lift skip loader through to heavier FXZ 240-350 chain lift and FXZ hook lift trucks.
Rory’s goal is to run an all-Isuzu fleet in future, presenting a united front to clients and consistency in performance for the business.
The heavier hook lifts in the fleet will see close to 6,000 kilometres on road per month and the skip trucks around 4,000 kilometres, which Rory jokingly describes as being ‘a reasonable amount.’
In addition to working a full roster with Jumbo, he said they are often commandeered for double duty collecting concrete waste in their sister company, Moreton Bay Recycling, which is located 50 metres across the road from Jumbo’s home base in Narangba.
As of 2022, Rory became Co-Owner and Director of Moreton Bay Recycling, essentially combining two well-matched businesses and a fleet that supports both.
It makes for a pleasingly circular operation that offers cleaner, greener outcomes for clients in the construction sector—which are coincidentally some of the largest concrete waste producers.
Once concrete waste has been collected from a site, either a Jumbo truck or one of the Moreton Bay Recycling fleet (which features another three Isuzu trucks) will deliver them back to the facility, where the concrete is processed into a quality product for use in future construction projects.
Rory said the versatility of the combined fleet equates to efficient service that can save the client money, and also offers him savings in time and delivery costs.
“Our customers at Jumbo often need products that are produced from the recycled concrete, so we’re able to fill it up at Moreton Bay facility, then drop it off with their Jumbo skip bin, which saves them the cost of an extra delivery.
“It’s vice versa with our Moreton Bay customers—when they order aggregate, they will often need a skip bin.
“Our drivers can be trained on skip and tipper trucks as well, which gives us great crossover and means we’re frequently able to utilise our skip trucks to deliver material.”
Driver incentives
Attracting drivers during a national shortage is an issue every truck-reliant company is currently addressing, and Jumbo is no different in this respect.
The promise of a new truck with the latest in technology and a comfortable working environment is a draw card that Rory is happy to provide.
“The new trucks are a pleasure to drive, and the features Isuzu are including add up to make a big difference for our drivers,” he said.
“We’re constantly in contact with them on the road, so the new consoles with Bluetooth and the big touchscreen are very handy. It also saves them having to buy their own devices to put in the cab.”
“We train all our drivers, but the reality is that a lot don’t have much experience in manual gear boxes,” Rory continued.
“In the skip bin industry, we are constantly reversing around curves and in tight spaces, so the Allison auto transmission in the Isuzu trucks is definitely the way to go.”