Our History
The Brown & Hurley Story
Alan Brown and Jack Hurley met in the Australian Army during the Second World War. Alan and Jack decided to go into business together and Brown & Hurley commenced trading in Kyogle, NSW as Premier Motors (later changed to Brown & Hurley) following Alan and Jack's discharge from the army in 1946. Their first business was a bicycle shop with a workshop and petrol bowsers. Their real love was trucks, and in 1948 they obtained the White Truck franchise and carried this on until 1957, when a change to Leyland Albion and A.E.C. was made.
In 1961 Brown and Hurley opened its second branch at Rocklea, Brisbane, primarily to sell second hand trucks, and the Leyland franchise was secured for that area.
Three years later in 1964, Ed Cameron appointed Brown & Hurley the first Australian distributors for Kenworth in Queensland and New South Wales Northern Rivers.
The franchise was continued with Kenworth Trucks when they commenced local operations in Australia.
The Volvo truck franchise was obtained in 1968 and Brown and Hurley’s association with Leyland ended.
Logging was in full swing in North Queensland and a dealership was established in Townsville in 1975 to service this rapidly growing area.
A new facility was built in Darra (Brisbane) in 1979, which has been expanded twice since then.
The Coffs Harbour factory owned Kenworth branch was purchased in 1981 and a parts outlet opened in Toowoomba in 1986.
A new building was constructed in Coffs Harbour in 1992.
A parts outlet was added in Tamworth in 1993 and the Tweed Heads parts store was opened in 1997.
Brown and Hurley’s association with Volvo ended in 1998, and the Paccar built DAF truck was added shortly after.
The Rockhampton dealership was purchased in 2000 and a new dealership was built there in 2005.
An additional full dealership was opened in Yatala (Brisbane) in 2008 and in Toowoomba in 2009.
Family members are to be found throughout the 9 branches along with a team of people who have accumulated an extraordinary amount of experience in the industry
Commitment To Service
Brown and Hurley aim to- provide customers with the highest quality service and facilities while maintaining value for money. This will be achieved through teamwork, training and commitment of our staff and support of our manufactures and suppliers.
- be ethical in all business practices and dealings.
- support the needs of our customers and community.
- be recognised as a leading supplier to the road transport industry through the pursuit of excellence.
Principles Before Profit
Brown & Hurley give their customers a competitive edge by drawing on the experience gained since 1946 in serving the road transport industry to specify the truck most suitable for their requirements. A relationship begins with customers from the point of purchase, backed with the full support of the manufacturers.Brown and Hurley aim to
- keep down time to a minimum by providing strategically placed branches to service customer requirements.
- carry sufficient parts for most customer needs. A modern computer links branches and suppliers for fast reaction should a part not be on hand.
- equip workshops with all available modern diagnostic and repair equipment operated by highly trained staff.
- only sell trucks when the manufacturer has made a major financial commitment to reinvest in the Australian market by establishing a manufacturing facility in our country.
- restrict sales to products with a proven high resale value thereby safeguarding our clients capital investment.
- be a single purpose company. All human and financial resources are used exclusively to improve the service to truck owners. Brown and Hurley's profits are reinvested back into the business to ensure the highest standard of customer service is maintained.
- arrange finance at competitive rates to approved buyers.
- carry new and exchange cabs, transmissions and rear axles to reduce customer down time.
- continue as a family company, allowing customers to deal directly with the owners. Problems can be resolved more readily thus not relying on Head Office to make decisions.
- support road transport organisations. Senior staff are encouraged to play an active role.
- employ and train young people. Brown and Hurley currently employ over 300 staff, around half of whom have been with Brown and Hurley for over 10 years. Staff receive regular training to increase competence in their individual areas.
Awards
Brown and Hurley have received the following major awards.Australian Kenworth Dealer of the Year
- Kyogle in 1983, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007
- Darra in 1992, 1994, 1998, 2008
- Coffs Harbour in 2000, 2003
Australian DAF Dealer of the Year
- Darra in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006