| 57 T T Hugh de Lacy Staff safety always the top priority Borlase Transport has 46 trucks in its fleet, catering to a wide variety of transport requirements. Borlase Transport The safety of its staff of 54 is paramount to Nelson-based forestry log transport company Borlase Transport, to the degree that it was one of the first companies in the country to qualify for a five-star rating with the Log Transport Safety Council. “Safety was the prime consideration for Borlase Transport and its staff from the time my father, Duncan Borlase, first set it up in the early 1980s,” says his son, Steve Borlase. “From the get-go he was always deeply conscious of wanting to provide the safest-possible environment for his staff to work in. “His ability to think outside the box and develop solutions to safety challenges has put us among some of the highest safety-rated of all log transport operators. “When the new safety rating was set up in 2019, we and another South Island-based log transport company were the first to gain fivestar accreditation, so far achieved by only a dozen other companies around the country.” The Log Transport Safety Council’s Contractor Certification Audit is a detailed evaluation of the applicant company’s health and safety systems, compliance standards and operational procedures, with the five-star rating reflecting exceptional performance across all the measured criteria. “What the rating does for us is reinforce our confidence in our operations, aligning with our company values of safety, excellence and responsibility,” Steve says. “And it has flow-on effects on the viability of our business, because a five-star rating makes it easier to attract new clients and contracts, as well as reducing the number of audits we have to go through to ensure the safety of our staff. “There are also benefits from a recruiting perspective, with job applicants knowing they’re going to work for a company that has their safety as its highest priority.” Duncan Borlase, who’s still involved in the business, launched the company after a few years as a wheel loader operator for the Nelson forestry company, H Baigent and Sons. He acquired his first truck in the early 1980s, and by 1987 his fleet had doubled to two Fodens. Things changed dramatically in the late 1990s when Borlase Transport landed a major contract with Carter Holt Harvey that saw the fleet increase to nine trucks. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Today, that number has ballooned to 46, and they are a mix of brands selected for their primary purposes, depending on their application and the environment they are destined to work in. “For example, we have Volvos, Scanias, Kenworths and DAFs doing long-haul routes, and Mitsubishis with three-axle trailers for carting local woodlots,” Steve says. “Our major client today is OneFortyOne, an Australian company that acquired Nelson Forests Ltd and the Kaituna mill in 2018, and we also have a number of private woodlot clients, such as PF Olsen and West Coast Forests.” One thing that hasn’t changed from those early years in the burgeoning log transport industry that Duncan Borlase and Borlase Transport launched into, is the commitment to constantly improving safety through innovation, all built around its management’s handson approach to its day-to-day operations. PROUDLY SUPPORTING BORLASE TRANSPORT Bridgestone provide Borlase Transport with market-leading products, advice and nationwide support to help them achieve the lowest cost per kilometre possible. bridgestone.co.nz Proudly working with Borlase Transport
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