Major transport company plunges into administration – in business for 40 years

A trucking business that has been in business for 40 years has fallen into voluntary administration. Australian Nighthawk Transport went into administration last month as the business struggled with low revenue, tumultuous weather, equipment repairs, staff difficulties, legal costs.

The trucking company went under owing ANZ almost $7.5 million and another $1.6 million to the Australian Taxation Office, the news outlet also said, and administrators from McGrathNicol were called in. This comes about two years after Nighthawk was acquired by Western Australia-based Marlu Transport Solutions for $13 million.

Nighthawk had depots in Darwin, Katherine, and Nhulunbuy, and battled fluctuating wet and dry seasons, which forced road closures. This contributed to Nighthawk’s failure, the administrators argued, as its earnings were fluctuating due to the impact of weather, Sky News added.

Quoting the directors, Sky also reported that the “plant and equipment required significant and unforeseen repairs and maintenance”.

“20 assets were identified as being overdue for major service during the first week of operations. The directors consider the value of the assets were overstated,” they also said. “Wage expectations of existing staff were higher than forecast at the time new contracts were implemented, and there was staff turnover during the transition,” a report from McGrathNicol’s quoted by Sky said.

The company also lost several revenue streams after the 2024 takeover. Cotton haulage work, which generated upwards of $400,000 per month, was lost while the collapse of a partner in South Australia cost them another $80,000 per month, Sky also added.