Maxwell “Shag” Andrews
inducted into the Shell Rimula Wall of Fame in 2021.
Maxwell Thomas Andrews (commonly known as ‘Shag”) was born in 1948 at Kempsey, NSW. He grew up in the Coffs Harbour region before moving back to Kempsey in the early seventies, with his wife Millie, to drive for his brother, Eric.
In 1973, Max and Millie started their own business – MT Andrews Auto Freighters - transporting cars between Sydney and Kempsey from their home in Frederickton. Their first truck, a red J2 Bedford, proved to be sadly underpowered for the job. Eric and Max fixed this by putting a V8 Ford Motor from Eric’s speed boat into the truck, together with a new radiator from a Ford 500 to cool the engine. It was all held in place with belts securing the bonnet. “This thing used to go like a bear with it’s a*** on fire,” declared Eric.
With business growing, Max and Millie purchased their second truck in 1974, a green Chev. They were able to employ their first drivers, including Charlie Ashworth, who still works for MT Andrews Auto Freighters today as the Sydney depot manager.
By 1992, business was good and Max employed his 4 brothers, at times, as drivers and mechanics to work the fleet of five trucks. It wasn’t until 1997 that Max and Millie were able to purchase land and a shed to set up a depot in Kempsey with storage for customer cars, an office and a workshop to service the continually growing fleet.
Max’s head for business saw the opening of a Newcastle depot in 2004 and the purchase of five more trucks, bringing the fleet to ten trucks. Further depots were opened in Sydney (2006) and Melbourne (2010) to service the expanding Melbourne - Brisbane market with a fleet numbering 22 trucks. Another depot opened in Pinkenba, Queensland in 2015 and the Kempsey depot was expanded. The fleet had by then grown to 24 trucks. From a home based, husband and wife business in 1973, MT Andrews Auto Freighters, in 2020, consisted of a fleet of 27 trucks and trailers, numerous depots and 49 staff, including nine family members.