Thrown straight into paddocks, dirt roads and heavy A-Double work, MINX Haulage’s new Mack Super-Liner has skipped the run-in period and gone straight to proving itself in real Australian conditions.
Some trucks ease into their working life. This one was thrown straight in the deep end.
Matt Egan – Owner MINX Haulage & Paul Hansen – New Truck Sales,
Southern Truck Centre.
Matt Egan’s new Mack Super-Liner didn’t get a gentle run-in period, a few polite highway kilometres, or time to admire itself reflected in dealership windows. Instead, it was sent directly into the kind of work that sorts out the capable from the cosmetic.
Dirt roads. Paddocks. Farms. Big weights. Tight schedules.
And Matt is loving every minute of it.
After years of driving for other operators, Matt launched MINX Haulage five years ago with a single truck and dog trailer. Like many owner-drivers who build things the hard way, the business grew steadily: first a B-Double, then an A-Double. When the time came to add a second truck, timing and circumstance intervened.
“I just happened to be in Brisbane during Truck Show week,” Matt says. “So I thought I’d duck down and have a look.”
That casual decision turned into something more serious the moment he laid eyes on the Super-Liner.
“The big bunk caught my attention straight away, along with the power and torque figures,” he says. “But I also really liked the new bonnet shape. It’s a modern truck, no question, but there’s something old-school about the way it looks. It still feels like a proper American bonneted truck.”
That balance between modern engineering and traditional presence is a recurring theme with the Super-Liner, and it’s one that clearly resonated with Matt.
After a closer inspection, he arranged the purchase through Southern Truck Centre in Wollongong, but not without a detailed list of requirements.
“With the amount of time I spend away, and the conditions the truck works in, it had to be self-sufficient,” Matt explains. “Bullbar, driving lights, hydraulics, fridges, inverter, diesel heater, Ice Pack, extra batteries, microwave, TV, road train guards with an integrated stiff bar, Starlink – basically everything you need to live and work out of the truck properly.”
And then there was the other, equally important consideration.
The 70-inch American sleeper offers plenty of space, though its left-hand-drive layout has required some Australian reinterpretation.
“I like my bling,” he laughs.
That meant a stainless visor, plenty of extra lighting, stainless components, painted fuel tanks, and a few more finishing touches planned once harvest wraps up.
Paul and Georgia at Southern Truck Centre played a key role in pulling it all together.
“They were awesome,” Matt says. “They coordinated all the suppliers and handled the inevitable hiccups that come with a build like this, especially with a tight deadline to have it ready for harvest. I honestly can’t thank them enough.”
If the build was detailed, the work it’s been doing since has been anything but gentle.
Powered by the Euro 6 MP11 engine producing 780 horsepower, the Super-Liner has been given what Matt describes as a “christening of fire”.
“I’ve been working it hard for about a month now,” he says. “Nearly all of it off-road. Dirt roads, paddocks, big loads. I’ve had 91 tonnes behind it in A-Double configuration, and it just takes it in its stride. Sometimes you barely notice the load – it’s got that much power.”
With up to 91 tonnes behind it in A-Double configuration, the Super-Liner has handled heavy off-road work without fuss.
One job in particular stands out.
“I was on a grain farm out near Narromine and took the truck straight into the paddock,” Matt recalls. “I was running alongside the header, loading on the move. That’s not brochure work – that’s real, practical stuff. Funny thing is, I’m actually looking forward to getting it out on the bitumen for a while.”
Matt’s spent most of his career rowing gears with a Road Ranger, so the mDRIVE automated manual has taken a little adjustment. But the fuel figures have already made a strong impression.
After years with a Road Ranger, Matt Egan is adjusting to Mack’s mDRIVE automated manual transmission, impressed by its performance and efficiency.
“It’s hard to be exact because we’ve spent so much time off-road,” he says, “but I’m averaging about 1.5 kilometres to the litre at an average speed of 28 km/h, with idle time sitting around 46 per cent. You can’t sneeze at that.”
These figures, it should be noted, were achieved in conditions where fuel economy is usually treated as an optimistic rumour rather than a measurable outcome.
By Matt’s reckoning, that’s around eight to ten per cent better than his other truck, with expectations of further improvement once more highway kilometres are added.
Buying a Mack marked a shift for Matt, who admits he’s traditionally leaned toward another American brand.
“The Super-Liner’s changed my thinking,” he says. “The truck itself is excellent, but what really stands out is that Mack takes responsibility for the entire drivetrain. With some other setups, if you’ve got an engine issue, you’re sent off to a separate engine dealer. That costs time and creates headaches. With Mack, it’s one truck, one warranty, one point of responsibility. That’s reassuring.”
Real work, not brochure material. Matt Egan loading on the move alongside a header during grain harvest near Narromine.
Not everything is perfect, though.
The 70-inch bunk is where the Super-Liner briefly forgets it’s in Australia. Built for left-hand drive American highways, it arrives here with the assumption that drivers will happily accept a layout that’s slightly back-to-front and quietly inconvenient. Matt, unsurprisingly, has already started modifying it. Because while Australians are generally adaptable, they’re also very good at improving things that don’t quite make sense.
“I’ve already moved a few things around, and I’ll probably do more customising on the next one.”
The fact that he’s already talking about the next one says plenty.
MINX Haulage is planning to add a third truck in 2026, and yes, it’ll be another Super-Liner.
“There’s just a lot to like,” Matt says. “The power, the fuel economy, the value for money, and the looks. I love that traditional bonneted style. Next one will either have the new-shape bonnet again or the big squared-off Champion bonnet.”
Add dealership support and ongoing development of systems like mDRIVE, and Matt sees a clear trajectory.
From stainless trim to additional lighting, the Super-Liner has been set up to be both functional and unmistakably personal.
“Mack is well ahead of the competition in this space. Trucks like this will win them market share, no doubt about it.”
Mack Trucks Australia Vice President Tony O’Connell agrees.
“We’re delighted to welcome MINX Haulage into the Mack family,” O’Connell says. “Matt’s experience shows just how tough and adaptable the Super-Liner is in real Australian conditions. That’s where being designed and built in Australia really counts.”
For Matt Egan, the verdict is already in. The Super-Liner isn’t something he’s still getting used to or still figuring out. It’s a truck that’s been thrown straight into hard Australian work and come back asking for more. And in an industry that values results over rhetoric, that says just about everything.
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