Peer pressure isn’t normally seen as the right thing to do. In school, the majority are taught to resist the temptation to conform with groups of people. However, in Channi Dhillon’s case, peer pressure from his friends laid the foundations for him to start a flourishing transport business.
“Back in 2008, all of my friends were in the transport sector, running vans and operations,” Channi told OwnerDriver.
“When we would get together all the time, they would tell me to start my own business and to jump into the game of transport so I could follow what they had done.”
Eventually the peer pressure became too much, and Channi was wrangled into an industry that he is now completely hooked on. Back in 2008, Channi started with baby steps, buying his first van and completing general courier work around Victoria. Over the course of three years he built the business up, adding more vans into the operations.
Then, in 2011, his friends went one step further, convincing him to take the leap into trucking.
“In 2011 I wanted to grow, and the vans were limited to just being able to complete courier work,” Channi says.
“My friends in transport were doing both interstate and local work at the time and they were advising me on how it all worked and how I could secure contracts. It was enough to convince me to try it for myself, so I started my own company in 2011 in JAAP Transport.”
Nowadays, JAAP Transport has roughly 35 prime movers and 40 trailers in its fleet, running a combination of general freight around Australia from its home base in Somerton, near Melbourne Airport. The business transports items such as equipment, supplies and furniture, as well as abstract items, while it also specialises in receiving and transporting palletised goods and loose stock.
While its bread and butter is along Australia’s eastern coast, Channi’s team also distributes across the entire country. It all started with a single contract that allowed Channi to grow JAAP Transport into the empire that it is today.
“I started working after getting my first contract with VISY Logistics – VISY has helped me a lot and I’m lucky to still be working with them now,” he says.
“From there, VISY helped me set up new contracts and runs along the way, so I could keep growing. Every time I did this I would add new trucks to the fleet, starting with prime movers and semi-trailers. Over time, I have added B-double trailers, and I’ve never stopped growing.”
Channi’s speedy evolution with JAAP Transport means he has had to constantly replace trucks every two or three years. It means he can’t calculate how many trucks he has had in total in his fleet to date.
With multiple contracts in place with major companies all over Australia, Channi’s team is revelling in completing general freight tasks. He says the secret to his success is a popular ingredient in the transport industry.
“It’s all come down to my hard work – I have forged very good connections with the right people by working hard,” he says.
“I’ve helped a lot of my companies since the very first years of JAAP Transport and still do today. In the background, my compliance and operations teams run 24/7 to help customers whenever we can.”
In recent years, JAAP Transport’s compliance and safety focus has become a strength, as the Chain of Responsibility requirements means operators who prioritise correct processes have been able to flourish. Alongside this safety focus is the belief that JAAP Transport should always do right by the people and customers that it serves.
“When issues arise, we never ask for an increase in money from our clients – some ask for a lot when rail corridors go down, but we never overcharge and we always make sure we’re on time,” Channi says.
“Our drivers are very good and we focus on implementing strong training modules to ensure we don’t make any compliance mistakes.”
A major part of JAAP Transport, and subsidiary operator South Star Logistics, has been the vehicle technology it has chosen to use along the journey. It wasn’t until 2017 that Channi first bought a DAF truck from Victoria’s Hallam Truck Centre, but he soon fell in love with the brand.
“That first DAF model I bought was a 2017 XF 105, and I wanted to try the new truck in my local B-double fleet,” he says.
“Featuring Kenworth components, it worked perfectly, and I never had any issues with any of the initial DAF trucks that I ordered. From that time onwards, I’ve always been a big believer in DAF.”
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Channi says a major bonus with the brand is the durability of its models. For all of the work he puts his growing fleet through to complete freight tasks, he says the quality of DAF’s parts means he doesn’t have to face the headache of one of his trucks breaking down on a highway.
With more than 30 DAF trucks in the current fleet, Channi has flourished when constantly refreshing his DAF collection. At a maximum of every three years, he sells existing trucks and adds the latest technology to ensure his drivers get to enjoy the newest safety and efficiency systems.
All of this has been done through the Hallam Truck Centre in Melbourne. Working with Muza Syed, the dealer has since opened a new branch recently in Somerton close to JAAP Transport’s home base. The Melbourne North Truck Centre (MNTC), situated at 106 Hume Highway, Somerton, has been opened to focus on customers in Melbourne’s north like Channi and JAAP Transport.
It’s this shared loyalty that saw JAAP Transport be one of the lucky few operators to trial a demo new XG model as DAF prepares for its unveiling this year.
“They have a new XG coming, and we’ve been able to use one already,” he says.
“Our drivers absolutely love it and say it’s perfect – they love the power that it has. The main benefit is the 660hp engine power that it comes with – drivers like the power that they can use to get up hills and remain efficient in their runs.”
This demo process has impressed Channi to the point that he’s now buying three XGs, while a further five XF models are on the way to his Victorian homebase. Either way, both models have taken Channi’s fancy as he is adamant that his future at JAAP Transport will continue to feature plenty of DAFs.
“The latest XF models are very comfortable and feature wonderful safety technology, while the XG has a big engine that can run big jobs,” he says.
“The only issue back in the day was that DAF didn’t have a truck with a big engine, but the XG fixes that by providing a powerful engine to get through hilly terrain.
“I’ll continue investing in DAF in the future, as it’s a terrific brand in the local market featuring great fuel economy. I’m always looking to add new contracts to the business, so we’ll always be ready to add more DAFs to our fleet.”
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