Razzle Dazzle Mack raises mental health awareness

Martins Stock Haulage show their support for blue collar mental health group, This is a Conversation Starter (TIACS), wrapping a new Mack Super-Liner workhorse in eye-grabbing Razzle-Dazzle print.

Martins Stock Haulage have already put their latest Super-Liner to work, aiming to raise awareness for the professional mental health counselling service for tradies, truckies, farmers and blue collar workers TIACS provides.

Founded by TradeMutt, renowned for their range of eye-catching workwear, TIACS aims to get more blue collar workers talking about mental health.

Chief executive at Martins Stock Haulage, Jason Martin, is a big supporter of TIACS, having already bought into TradeMutt’s Funky Friday shirts, and when he met the co-founders at the Dalby Stock Show they hit it off.

“We were the charity beneficiary of one of the horses that had been sold,” said Ed Ross of TIACS and TradeMutt.

“We were having a beer to celebrate when we were introduced to Jason. He was telling us about the pink Mack Martins did last year, and he asked us if we’d be interested in doing something similar. We jumped at it.”

That initial conversation over a beer set in motion a sequence of events that resulted in one of the most spectacular Mack trucks you’re ever likely to see on Australia’s roads. Ed showed Jason the TradeMutt design catalogue and he chose the Razzle-Dazzle print, before the team got to work getting the truck wrapped and ready for work.

“Tom Chapman, the current VP of Mack at the time, got right behind it and Ben Dare of Western Truck Group was superb coordinating everything,” said Adam Ross, General Manager of Martins Stock Haulage.

The truck was wrapped in the dazzling print by Bailey Print Group, who hadn’t handled anything quite as big as the Super-Liner before.

“Bailey’s have wrapped all our Mazdas, but this was the first time they’d been asked to wrap a truck, and they did a brilliant job,” Ed said.

With finishing touches added by The Bling Man, the Mack Super-Liner makes a serious statement out on the road, and with a 58-inch sleeper cab fitted behind the driver the aim is to have it working all over Australia.

“She’ll be doing B-Double, B-Triple and Triple Road Train work hauling cattle wherever she’s needed in Australia,” Adam said.

“We want to get this truck out in front of as many people as possible. After all, the whole idea is to start a conversation and we reckon this truck will do the job.”

The unmissable Mack Super-Liner follows on from the Pink Mack that Martins put on the road last year to acknowledge women in the workforce. Clearly this is a business that wants to create positive change in the world.

“We’re a family owned and run company and all our staff are part of that extended family,” Adam said.

“A lot of men have difficulty talking about things that are going on in their lives, and this is particularly true of drivers who are often away from home for periods and spend a lot of time alone in the cab. Jason’s seen a lot of this over his career, and we want to make sure we look after our people. Mental health’s a big part of that.” 

Acting Vice President of Mack Trucks, Darren Cowan, expressed his team’s immense pride in their involvement with the project and the partnership.

“Transport operators, truck drivers, tradies, and farmers are the backbone of our nation,” he said.

“As a Brisbane-based truck manufacturer, supporting mental health within these vital sectors is incredibly important to us. It is truly inspiring to collaborate with Martins Stock Haulage, who are making a significant impact, and to witness the dedication and enthusiasm of the local suppliers who came together to bring this exceptional Mack to life.”

With the contact details for TIACS emblazoned on the side, Ed and his team are ecstatic about the Super-Liner, and are looking forward to seeing it in action out on the highways.

“We want more people to reach out to us, so this truck is a really exciting opportunity to change the narrative around mental health and get people talking, as well as seeking early intervention counselling through our service,” he said.

Martins Stock Haulage now has four Mack Titans and eight Super-Liners in its fleet, with two of them making bold statements for causes that the Martins team believes in, so what’s next for the trailblazing transport company?

“I reckon that’s enough for the moment, but no doubt Jason will come up with something, and we know we’ve got a solid team behind us at Western Truck Group and Mack, so stay tuned,” Adam said.

If you or anyone you know would like to access TIACS and speak to a professional mental health counsellor, text or call 0488 846 988 Monday to Friday (8am to 10pm AEST).