88 | Can’t get a more Getting carrot seed straight off the harvester to be brought back to our dryer. Karen Phelps Ross Bros Transport prides itself on the personal service it provides to clients. “Most of the time when driving into a client’s place it’s either me, my younger brother Adaam or my dad Jock,” says company owner Jarrod Ross. “We have our name on the truck door but it’s also a Ross you’ll probably generally see getting out of the truck. We are on the ground, seeing what’s happening out in the field.” It was Jock that set up the Ashburton based company around 35 years ago. Jock hailed from a rural farming background and was always in charge of the trucks and grain movements for the farm. He kept the truck when the family farms were divided up and started carting grain for the neighbours marking the beginnings of Ross Bros Transport. Jarrod likewise inherited the family passion and got his truck and trailer license when he was just 17 meaning he’s worked in the industry for 30 years on and off between spending time living in Australia and the UK. He and wife Sally took over the family business in 2020. Keeping his hand in as a driver has allowed Jock to semi-retire but still enjoy driving and looking after the drying operation in the harvest season. Jarrod’s role as managing director sees him organising the day-to-day dispatching of trucks as well as driving when needed. Sally takes care of the important administration side of the family business. The company employs more drivers at harvest time – December to March – in order to ensure clients receive a timely service. A key point of difference for Ross Bros Transport is that the family offers farmers a complete service – transporting their grain, drying, fumigating (if required) and storing it then delivering it to where it needs to go. Typically farmers might have to interact with several companies in order to achieve this. Jarrod says the Ross Bros Transport service makes RURAL SERVICES » Ross Bros Transport things simple. They have just added two more drying bays to keep up with demand. One reason for this is that the family knows farmers’ needs intimately because they grow their own grain on their 72-hectare property, buying in and selling to dairy farmers. By farming, drying and carting their own product they know what farmers want and how to deliver. Obviously investing in the right equipment is another key and Ross Bros Transport favours Isuzu with five truck and trailers busy carting bulk commodities such as grain, grass seed and fertiliser, woodchips in the Canterbury region. The company can do flat deck work and has silage bins. Jarrod says depending on the job Ross Bros Transport is willing to cart anywhere in New Zealand. It’s just another example of the company’s can-do attitude. Jarrod says Ross Bros Transport is always investigating new ways to do things better. One example is using the MyTrucking system, which Jarrod says has been a game changer for the business. It’s taken the business from writing accounts on paper to a cloud based system. The paper trail has been eliminated with drivers simply needing to take photos of the weigh docket when it’s given to them, which is stored in MyTrucking. Jarrod says customers also love the custom report the software generates that he can email directly to farmers. This shows exactly what’s been carted and the weigh dockets. Jarrod says most customers are extremely loyal to Ross Bros Transport. “We know people’s needs and have built long-term relationships. I was at a place in Mayfield the other day and I could remember going there 30 years ago to do a job. Our approach is simple but effective: be there when you say you’re going to, do a good job and communicate with the client all the way. We really value our clients and we must be doing something right to have been in business for over 35 years.” Unloading grass seed seconds at a farm just out of Twizel. O N F A R M S E R V I C I N G & R E PA I R S (03) 307 8557 027 274 3469 38 J B Cullen Drive, Ashburton am@mcintoshgroup.co.nz McIntosh Builders are proud to associated with Ross Brothers transport and the building of their new drying shed. If you are looking for a new shed contact Alastair on 027 274 3469
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