Fleet Worth $6 Million to Be Auctioned Off After Major Trucking Firm Goes Under

Transtar Linehaul is the latest in a string of insolvencies among logistics firms in the last year.

A truck drives past the container terminal at the Port of Melbourne in Melbourne on September 4, 2024. Australia's ailing economy recorded another quarter of near moribund growth, with data on September 4 showing second-quarter gross domestic product expanded just 0.2 percent from the previous three months. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images

An entire fleet of late-model trucks is to be auctioned off after the collapse of another trucking company. Transtar Linehaul, which provided services to clients including Star Track Express and Couriers Please, was placed into administration in July.

In an attempt to recoup some of the debt owed to creditors, administrators HM Advisory plan to sell the company’s vehicles, including 38 late-model prime movers and 56 curtain-side trailers, from manufacturers such as Vawdrey, Scania, Volvo and Krueger. The fleet, expected to raise $6 million, will be sold through an online auction by Pickles next week, from Oct. 20 to 23, 2025.

Administrator Adam Shepard said Transtar’s collapse reflected the pressures across the transport sector, “where rising costs and tightening margins are forcing difficult decisions.

“Our focus is on ensuring an orderly sale process that maximises returns for creditors while providing opportunities for assets to be productively reused within the industry,” he said.

Administrators had previously sought expressions of interest for the company’s business and assets in July.

Pickles Executive Manager, Valuation and Advisory Joshua Hallowell said it was seeing heightened demand for used transport assets, particularly late-model prime movers and trailers, with operators looking to expand or refresh their fleets at a lower capital cost.

“From an industry perspective, insolvency events like this highlight both the pressures many operators are under and the importance of strong secondary markets for fleet assets,” he said.

Challenging Times for Trucking

The transport industry is struggling to remain viable in the face of high wage costs, rising insurance premiums and fuel price volatility. Despite steady freight volumes, rising operating costs have eaten away at profits. Wage expenses for drivers are up nearly 8 percent this year, while insurance rates for long-haul trucks have climbed sharply following several high-profile accidents.

Transtar Linehaul was established in 2006 and provided scheduled services to clients, including Star Track Express, Couriers Please, Aramex, Hunter Express, and Food and Dairy Co.

Like many operators, it significantly expanded its fleet between 2021 and 2023 when demand spiked post-pandemic.

However, insolvencies in the trucking industry have increased since the pandemic, rising from 92 in 2021/22 to 438 in 2024/25, with high inflation and driver shortages adding to the pressure on businesses.

A 2024 survey by the International Road Transport Union found there were 28,000 unfilled driver positions in Australia, with the shortage projected to reach 78,000 by 2029.

Nearly half of Australian trucking businesses reported having experienced severe or very severe difficulty filling driver positions, with 47 percent of all drivers now aged over 55.

Transtar is just the latest in a string of transport operators to collapse this year.

Don Watson Group closed in June after 77 years. The company had more than 300 staff, and 140 trucks and 170 trailers.

XL Express went into liquidation in August after 35 years of operation, owing an estimated $42 million in debt, resulting in the loss of about 200 jobs.

DJK Transport also went into liquidation in August after nearly 60 years in business.

Rival carriers are expected to acquire most of Transtar’s assets. Some are already shifting toward shorter, higher-yield regional routes while outsourcing longer hauls to rail partners.