News & Media
Half a dozen new C509s for Queensland cattle carter
[A Legacy of Family, Hard Work, and Commitment]
[Family and business hold a special significance for Mark McCarthy of McCarthy Transport. He believes that in life, having a goal and striving toward it is essential. For Mark, the drive to succeed comes from a deep-rooted passion and the desire to honour his upbringing. “If it’s good enough for you to do it, I’d like to have a go at this,” he reflects. Starting his journey in 1975, Mark is now transitioning into retirement, confident that his two sons, Matthew and Michael, will carry on the family legacy. With eight grandsons in total, he hopes they will find a similar path and thrive as their fathers did.]
For Curley Cattle Transport’s team of highly experienced operators, no two days are the same. They traverse some of the toughest terrain, all pulling triple road trains of cattle throughout Queensland and into the Northern Territory.
It’s a demanding task that requires equipment capable of standing up to the challenge.
From a single truck in 1972 – a Dodge with a 160 Cummins engine, towing two cattle crates – the fleet today includes 51 late-model Kenworth prime movers, all paired with triple road train sets of stock crates.
As Managing Director of Curley Cattle Transport, Stephen Curley, told Big Rigs, “The fleet has 22 C509s now and 29 T659s. We’re in the process of changing over to the C509s, which the drivers seem to like better.
Curley Cattle Transport was started by Stephen’s parents Dawn and Mick Curley.
Mick grew up on a cattle station in Morven, eventually moving to Cloncurry in 1963.
Cloncurry remains the site of the company’s main headquarters, however Curley Cattle Transport now operates from eight sites: Charter Towers, Normanton, Georgetown, Boulia, Blackall, Winton, and its newest site in Mt Isa – the result of a 2023 acquisition of Brennan Transport.
Mick and Dawn have however taken a step back in recent years. “Dad has semi-retired now, but still comes in every day,” added Stephen. “He still has his truck licence too but hasn’t taken a truck out for a few years now.”
As with many family transport businesses, Stephen has grown up in and around the trucks, fondly recalling trips on the road with his father, as a kid.
Stephen, now 52, officially joined the family business at the age of 22. In the last 30 years, he’s seen a lot of change, including the fleet multiplying tenfold.
“Back when I started here in 1996, we only had five trucks. It’s been slow and deliberate progress, with much of our growth being through strategic acquisitions,” explained Stephen.
“If we feel a livestock business is worth buying, we show our interest in acquiring it. The only thing that will stop me is the economy.”
Before joining the business officially, Stephen completed an electrician apprenticeship, spent some time in the workshop, then got his MC licence.
Stephen says he knew right away that cattle transport would become his life.
He understands the importance of a modern and well maintained fleet for his drivers. “Here, it’s one truck per driver, so they have their own truck and own set of trailers. That’s their home. Our game is a bit different to others,” revealed Stephen.
“We typically do about a year’s worth of work in less than nine months, from March to the end of November. Then the wet season comes in and our drivers get a nice break. We put all our trucks and trailers through machinery over that period for the big maintenance items.
“If it’s normal wet season, it’s as quiet as a mouse. Everyone takes at least a month off and they come back fresh. Some of our drivers will start to come back by the end of February.”
Curley Cattle Transport typically moves over 1 million head of cattle each year. On average it’s about 180 animals per triple. “If they’re little enough, sometimes you can put about 300, but with the big fellas it’s about 120 animals,” Stephen added.
It’s a highly specialised role, with drivers having to know the ins and outs of not only their trucks, but also handling livestock.
“Once you leave our depots, you’re your own boss. Our depots are spread around Queensland, so if a driver leaves for a job on a Monday, they might not get back to base for five days, so they have to be self-sufficient,” said Stephen.
“Darwin is the furthest we’d travel. That’s about a 3400-kilometre round trip. The drivers need to know how to grease, service and fix problems out on the road. You’ve got to be an operator rather than just a driver,” explained Stephen.
“A lot of the work involves transporting cattle from station to station, station to abattoir, station to feedlot, and to the port for export. There’s also a lot of inter-station movement for the big cattle companies in Queensland – it could be 1000 kilometres between stations.
“I think we have some of the best drivers in the game,” Stephen added. “Some of them have been with me for at least 10 years or more.”
