The history of Monroe is a storied one. It’s difficult to be in the transport industry and not know of Monroe’s origins, including the invention of the ‘Brisk Blast’ tyre pump in 1919. Nowadays, the shock absorber provider has become a valuable member of Australia’s heavy vehicle industry, with its locally produced shock absorbers, steering systems and suspensions leading the way on some of the nation’s most iconic trucks.
Over the years, Monroe’s products have been trusted by generations of fleets, with drivers and installers revelling in their superior performance and durability.
“We’ve been told by customers that they’ve been so impressed by the performance of our shock absorbers and have now started using them on all of their trucks and trailers where possible,” Monroe commercial national sales manager Chad Torok told OwnerDriver.
With refreshed branding and an expanding range of truck parts that meet the latest regulations, Monroe is ready to continue leading the way for Australia’s truck industry.
“Our local manufacturing across both the trailer and Kenworth truck sectors started when we launched our heavy duty truck and trailer shock absorber range in 2020 that was manufactured at our Adelaide plant,” Chad says.
“At the time we also had the drive and steer products we were waiting to get across the line. Alongside our local engineering team, we developed the Kenworth program based on vehicle coverage.”
In a Monroe-first, the manufacturer developed 45mm bore shock absorbers at its Adelaide facility, investing in its own manufacturing and dedicated engineering team to produce the next-level product. These developments resulted in a Monroe Magnum range of shock absorbers that are built to last the long haul.
This durability has resulted in maximum uptime for customers, with Monroe’s durable high quality products reducing the need for truck replacements. By keeping fleets on the road for longer, operators have been able to be more productive and profitable using Monroe’s parts.
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“We’ve been trusted by generations of operators for more than a century, so the industry knows that durability is guaranteed and maximum uptime is our promise to the industry,” Chad says.
“There’s minimal maintenance needed for these parts. We’re the OE supplier for numerous global heavy duty vehicle manufacturers. We have extensive OE pedigree with heavy duty commercial vehicle manufacturers, with our European counterparts offering the highest coverage in the EU market for commercial vehicles in cabin and axle shocks.
“With local manufacturing and engineering now added, our products are tailor-made to withstand Australian conditions. Australia is unique and have tough environments – that’s why our very own engineering team ensure every product released is fit for local conditions. That’s why our product ranges for Kenworth trucks and trailers are both engineered and manufactured in Adelaide.”
After this initial range was successfully pushed out of the Adelaide facility, the Monroe team got to work on developing products focused on both the drive and steer in the Kenworth catalogue. Starting with the drive shocks, Monroe then levelled up when it achieved Road-Friendly Suspension (RFS) certification for two of its drive shock absorber products.
From there, Monroe’s momentum resulted in the development of steers to support Kenworth’s truck replacement program in Australia. This included the development of the coil over cab damper, which has become a very popular part number.
This all occurred in the past five years, allowing Monroe to very quickly become a leading one-stop shop for Kenworth part supplies that are durable but also safety certified.
“We’ve developed all of these drives and steers based on popularity in the market – these products are proven in the market and aren’t a new line that we’re testing,” Chad says.
“The range has been out for more than five years now with overwhelming success. We’ve already done our testing and validation, so we know this range is proven and tested in the market and on Australian roads (on-highway and off-highway) – there’s an entourage of fleets that use this product every day.”
The RFS certification soon proved to be even more valuable for Monroe when it decided to expand into the trailer market. The certification allows trucks and trailers with Monroe’s parts on it to carry around 10 to 15 per cent extra loads on axles. When it comes to regulations, it’s also a key part of road infrastructure requirements.
“The industry knows this certification is necessary – on mass management, you need to be running RFS-certified products on trailers,” Chad says.
“If you don’t run an aftermarket product in line with these OEM RFS parts, operators run the risk of penalties. Operators can be comfortable in using our aftermarket products as we’ve achieved these certifications.”
On the trailer side, these requirements have allowed Monroe to expand its shock absorber range that has become so highly valued in the trucking space onto trailers. With trailers running air bag suspension, shock absorbers play a critical part of the suspension. Higher replacement rates created a gap for Monroe to fill in the local market.
High demand drove Monroe to focus on the aftermarket side of replacing shock absorbers on Australia’s growing trailer fleet. While it does have OEM business, Monroe has instead focused on its network coverage to ensure numerous trailer operators are covered whenever they need a shock absorber replacement.
By providing a trusted aftermarket option that is RFS certified, Chad and the Monroe team are confident that their recent growth commitments will see the Monroe name become even more popular in various markets.
“We cover the majority of popular trailer axles and have an Australian manufacturing footprint,” he says.
“We understand that RFS certifications are required in our market, so by achieving certifications for our trailer shock absorbers, as well as on two Kenworth drive shocks, we are offering products that are safe, durable and built to last the long haul.”
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