Lock and Load Transport Equipment. You have seen the ads showcasing the tie down kits and the Green and White Mark 2 Ford Escort driven by Phil Thomas, proudly displaying Lock and Load signage and wondered “What’s this all about?”
Phil Thomas, the same guy who drives the Escort, is the Managing Director of Lock and Load Transport, a relatively small niche player in the transport load restraint and tie down systems market.
Phil decided that something needed to be done to allow more people access to easy to use and readily available tie downs systems, after his first rally car fell off a trailer!
“That taught me a lesson and I guess the same things have happened to others, so I was determined to do something about it!” Phil said recently, after stepping off a plane from Thailand following discussions with his manufacturing partners in Asia.
“I had some experience in the area of falls prevention and body harnesses so it was pretty easy to adopt everything we knew from stopping bodies falling to stopping cars and other heavy equipment or loads from sliding off trucks, trailers and decks while being moved.”
Starting from scratch with a small outlet and an even smaller selection of stock, Phil and his wife, Nicky have built up the niche business to the stage where they now have multiple tie down kit options, National distribution in Australia, through the SRP network; retail stockists in every state of Australia; distributors in the New Zealand market and now that Covid-19 travel restrictions are all but yesterday’s news, Phil is growing his stake in the mega-giant USA transport industry.
“We create, design, engineer and test all our components in Australia, for and in the conditions which they are created for. Rallies, for example, need easy to identify components which can be assembled in sometimes wet and dark conditions, so we design them to be simple to use and fast to fit and obviously strong as well.”
Lock and Load’s range extends from retractable ratchet transport straps that can be used for general purpose situations such as stopping your load from coming off on the trip to the recycling tip, to specially designed car wheel chock kits which fit onto your trailer and make the normally painful experience of tying down a car into no-hassle task which can be undertaken in a few seconds and will withstand a trip home on a windy road after a late night rally. Phil has designed several different kits to choose from to suit a variety of car and trailer set ups, and there is more to come soon! Watch this space…
Phil loves his gear and his rallying – having recently completed building his third Escort and also a BMW 325i – and his Lock and Load Transport sponsorship of this year’s Alpine Rally is a further extension of how he can assist the sport he loves.
“We are proud to have the naming rights for the 2022 Lock and Load Transport Alpine Rally of East Gippsland and together with the assistance we provide to drivers including Cody Richards and Darren Snooks it’s great to be able to give something back to the sport which we all love.”
Phil is about to jet off to Finland for a couple of rallies to sharpen up his already quick driving for some Victorian rallies later in the year. He is itching to get some real rally stages in with his new Escort, which sports a 284 bhp Millington Diamond Plus engine, coupled with a 6 speed sequential transmission. Lucky Phil!
Lock and Load Transport products are available direct from the website www.lockandloadtransport.com.au or through any of its retailers, including Grant Walker SRP, Stuckey Tyres, Melbourne Performance and Bendigo Tyres.
For a full range of Lock and Load Transport equipment and to find your nearest retailer, see the website www.lockandloadtransport.com.au or call 1800 957 828.
