Based in Laverton, Victoria, ARVA Freight was started by Gus Arief in 2008 with a single truck and the business has grown year-on-year and now comprises a fleet of 80 trucks, many which are hooked to Vawdrey B-double trailers for interstate work.

At the start of 2023, Gus and Tai visited the Scania driving experience at Anglesea in western Victoria, and were impressed with the business presentations, comprising the full range of services Scania can provide to its customers.

As a result, ARVA Freight took delivery of two new Scania 560 R Supers mid-way through the year, with two further R 540s delivered in October. The V8 fleet is expected to hit the road in Q2, 2024. Most will be R 590 V8s with 4 X R 660 V8s and one (ARVA-red painted) R 770 V8 flagship to mark the special anniversary.

“We haven’t decided yet who will get to drive the 770,” Gus says, “but since we introduced the Scanias to the fleet, the drivers have all been asking when they can get a drive of the 560s. The feedback has been very impressive from the drivers,” he says, “the interstate drivers will cover 200,000 – 250,000 km a year, so the truck must be doing everything right. We look for robust trucks and trailers, and although we have our own workshop, we don’t want to see the vehicles in there. Scania will be looking after the trucks on a service and maintenance package initially.

“We have had a very positive introduction to Scania, dealing with the sales and after sales staff and also with Scania Financial Services who not only funded this fleet purchase, but also assisted our acquisition of new Vawdrey trailers, as well,” Gus says. “The SFA people were very helpful, wanted to understand our business so they could offer the right solution for our needs, and they were very quick to act,” he says.

“We have a corporate philosophy that we only want to work with good people, as customers and staff, and we only want good gear, which is why we’re pleased to be adding Scania trucks to the fleet,” says ARVA Freight General Manager, Tai Etuale. “We have a very loyal driving staff. We look after them well and they look after our trucks, and therefore our customers.

“We’re running interstate fully loaded in both directions, and we are expanding our warehousing as we have just teamed up with a South-East Asian freight importer. We’ll be providing transport and logistics services for them, but part of our warehousing is dedicated to 3PL. We will soon move into a new headquarters in Broadmeadows, that has about 8000 m3 of warehouse space, plus we have premises in Brisbane and we’re investigating Sydney warehousing locations as well,” Tai says.

“We are interested in reducing our carbon footprint, so we have been talking with our Account Manager at Scania, Travis Damianopoulos, about the potential for running some of the V8 590 hp prime movers on biodiesel. This could cut the CO₂ emissions by more than 80%, which is good for us, and good for our customers. We are very committed to going the extra mile for our customers, giving them a premium service. We see ourselves as operating in the premium end of the transport and logistics industry, which is why we are buying premium trucks,” Tai says.

“The Scania one-stop-shop offer has really resonated with ARVA Freight,” says Travis Damianopoulos, Scania Account Manager for Trucks in Victoria. “We have been able to source trucks for them at short notice, as well as order a significant fleet of V8s for delivery in 2024. Their business is very much focussed on compliance and safety and using the best gear across all their operations. This commitment to excellence has obviously been well received by their customers as the business continues to thrive, which is why we are very happy to be able to provide sales, after sales and financial services to the team.

“In fact, Scania has first-hand experience of the service success ARVA Freight offers as they deliver our parts from our central warehouse in Campbellfield, Victoria, to our company-owned branches at Prestons and Eastern Creek in New South Wales daily. It’s very much a symbiotic relationship: ARVA Freight trusts in Scania, and Scania trusts in ARVA Freight,” Travis says.