Don Watson Transport will wind up operations after 77 years of trucking, with an internal memo revealing bosses no longer believed the business to be viable.
The family company had more than 300 staff operating 310 vehicles nationwide. The company covered an estimated 22million kilometres per year.
The company will make final collections on Monday and drivers will finish their last trips with the business this week.
The company began in Melbourne as a stock transport company using ex-military Austins in 1948. It later expanded across the nation’s east coast.
The business was passed down to the third generation of the Watson family and most recently managed cold storage and refrigerated transport nationwide.
Managing director Lyndon Watson confirmed the closure to staff in a memo last week.
‘Due to current economic conditions, the Don Watson Group of companies has made a definite decision to leave the warehousing and road transport industries,’ the memo read.
‘We understand that this may come as a shock but we have formed the view that is simply no longer possible to continue to operate.
Refrigerated trucking specialists Don Watson Transport will cease operating their trucking business from this week
‘Due to current economic conditions, the Don Watson Group of companies has made a definite decision to leave the warehousing and road transport industries,’ a memo read
‘To be clear, all employees will be impacted by this decision.
‘All employees (that are made redundant) will receive all of their entitlements in full in accordance with the terms of relevant legislation and enterprise agreements.’
The company transported a large amounts of chilled and frozen meats and vegetables, conducting business with several large export meat processors in Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.
The group’s 140 trucks and 170 refrigerated trucks will be sold off, according to Beef Central.
The company operated depots in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Wodonga. It also held coldstore facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, and Wodonga.
G.H. ‘Don’ Watson founded the group in 1948 with the ex-army K Series Austin trucks.
His trucks initially carried livestock between Melbourne, Dandenong and Ballarat.
His son, Donald, then ascended to the role of managing director in 1973.
He died in his blue Holden Commodore in 1994 in his second flying lap at a practice for that year’s Bathurst 1000 touring car race.
His wife Noelene then took over the business and oversaw the company’s redevelopment and expansion.
Don Watson Transport took out Australia’s Large Carrier of the Year award in 2021 for work done with the Woolworths Group.
