An Australian trucking business that has been on the road for almost 60 years has collapsed, joining a growing list of freight operators facing financial distress.
DJK Transport, based in Austral in Sydney’s southwest, entered voluntary liquidation on Aug. 8, following the appointment of a restructuring practitioner in June.
A notice lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) confirmed that creditors resolved to wind up the company at a general meeting on Aug. 8. Danny Vrkic was appointed liquidator.
Records show the restructuring period, which began on June 30, was extended until Aug. 5 before the liquidation decision was made.
On its website, the company described itself as a locally owned and “trusted transport service since 1968” and continued to operate under its original owner, providing local and interstate freight using trailers, tautliners and flat-top trucks.
Alongside DJK Transport, AKG Trucking and Round Em Up Transport also went into voluntary liquidation on the same day.
All three companies shared David Kean as their sole director and shareholder.
Brisbane Carrier Ends 34-Year Run
The recent string of transport company collapses comes on the heels of another high-profile failure with national freight carrier XL Express on Aug. 1.The Brisbane-based operator, which had been in business for 34 years, shut its doors owing close to $42 million after months of mounting financial pressure.
In late June, XL Express was locked out of its Western Sydney depot over unpaid rent, prompting immediate staff terminations. The company had entered administration on June 27 but was unable to secure a rescue deal.
The trucking industry has been hit hard since the pandemic with hundreds of estimated closures, according to the Transport Worker’s Union.
Just in June, the third-generation family-run Don Watson Group announced it would be closing its doors after 77 years.
A year earlier in April 2023, Australia’s largest independent cold transport trucking firm, Scott’s Refrigerated Logistics was placed into liquidation.
According to the ASIC website, between Aug. 1 and Aug. 12, at least 20 Australian transport and logistics companies have lodged insolvency or winding-up notices.
The wave of filings reflects intensifying cost pressures, slowing freight demand, and growing competition across the sector—factors that have already forced several large and mid-tier operators to shut their doors in the past fortnight.
