In the same year that Nokia’s infamous 1100 mobile phone went on sale and the world’s first digital camera hit the market, North Queensland’s John Kasurinen had an idea.
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It was in 2003, when hardcore film lovers were hitting up their video stores for blu-ray disks, that John took a block of industrial land in a Far North Queensland town and a small bank account, and started buying trucks, in part as tribute to his recently deceased father’s passion the industry.
It was that moment, in Mareeba, Queensland, that marked the beginning of what has now become NQ Truck and 4WD Wreckers – a busy commercial enterprise helping truck lovers all over Australia to source parts for their chosen vehicles, be it trucks, trailers, buses or 4WDs.
John’s wife and business partner Jody Kasurinen says things were a little bit different back then.
“This was all pre-internet marketing and we relied on ads in the local newspapers and Yellow Pages all over Australia,” Jody says. “Somehow the business grew as John purchased stock and we started employing staff. “We now have 6 staff here on a daily basis, 2 in the office — John and I in customer communication, invoicing and shipping, and up to 4 in the yard.”
Two of the yard team, have been there for a long time with Roy clocking up 20 years this year, and Taaj 16 years.
“We try and look after our staff, our annual 2-day Christmas parties are legendary and we have operated on a 4-day week since Jan 2024. We also have an occasional pub lunch or a yummy ‘smoko’.”
Jody says the business of buying, selling, and wrecking vehicles for parts has become more complex over the years.
“Our marketing is still reasonably simple with just our website, our monthly ad in this magazine and our listings on Trader Ads which generates heaps of enquiries for us across their many sites,” she says.
“We are venturing into the Facebook world, but we have had a scammer impersonating us (and other wreckers) for 2 years, and to be honest, I don’t know how they generate so many inquiries — wish I could ring and ask them for advice!
“Even though we are located in a small rural town in Far North Queensland, over 50 per cent of our sales are shipped out to locations all around Australia and occasionally internationally too.”
NQ Truck and 4WD Wreckers’ location, just inland from Cairns at Mareeba, is serviced by most of the country’s big freight companies working a range of networks providing freight to customers from Townsville to the Tip.
“You are welcomed to Mareeba from the North, South, East and West, with the reminder of our “300 sunny days a year”, which is good for a business like this. But, from December to April it doesn’t feel very sunny – Cyclone Season!”
With more than two decades in the game, the business has more than a few good stories to tell. Talking about the way of the business they’re in, Jody says “they say you don’t make money when you sell your goods, but when you buy them, especially in the secondhand market.
“Every now and then we get a ‘reminder’ of this like the time we bought a truck sight-unseen from an auction and obviously hadn’t read the blurb fully. “When it arrived, John was a more than a little surprised to realise that there was no engine or gearbox! Not sure that we got out of jail on that one…….
“The bottom line is John and the boys know their trucks! Plus, we have invested in our communication systems in the last couple of years so our turnaround time from your initial enquiry has sped up.
“We aim to reply with price and availability within a few hours as a rule, and once paid for, parts are usually ready to collect/ship within 24 hours. The office always tries to source the best freight – usually that is based on price, and we get 3 quotes, but if you need it fast, we can sort that out too — although being in Far North Queensland its usually around 7 days to other States.”
NQ Truck & 4WD Wreckers is at 3 Woodhouse St in Mareeba, Qld. See nqtruckwreckers.com or text your parts request to 0483 730 746.
If you’re interested in a business opportunity and a tree change too, this business is for sale. To find out more call John on 0414 666 776.
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