FEATURE – Anybody Commercial Body Builders

Photos: Anybody Commercial Coach and Motor Body Builders

It’s great to read about an Aussie success story. And when that story is one born from humble beginnings, it’s even better. Such is the case with Anybody Commercial Coach and Motor Body Builders in Queensland.

Anybody was started by Jeff Lane, in a shed at his home in Burpengary, north of Brisbane, in 1992. As the name indicated, Anybody could handle any sort of body for trucks and light commercial vehicles, from tippers and enclosed bodies to all manner of custom builds. That was the mantra back then and it’s one that’s still in place today.

From the outset, car carriers were an Anybody specialty, with demand for Jeff’s well-designed and well-made car carrier bodies fuelling the business’s expansion. In 2003, Glen Le Pla came on board as a business partner and it’s been onward and upward ever since.

New premises followed in the same year: still in Burpengary, but with a greatly expanded space that now sits at 1,100sq/m and sees 15 staff and 3 apprentices employed. The recent purchase of a spray booth allows Anybody to now handle virtually every aspect of commercial body building - from start to finish.

Jeff says that having as much of the production process as possible in-house not only reduces downtime from outsourcing, but ensures the high standards of quality that Anybody has become known for are maintained. With great feedback from their customers, maintaining that satisfaction – and exceeding expectations – is an ongoing driver for the business.

 Car Carrier Focus

At time of writing, Anybody was close to building its 200th car carrier body, which shows the 3- and 4-car configuration truck & trailer units they manufacture are meeting the needs of businesses in Queensland and beyond.

So why the high demand for these 3- and 4-car carriers? It’s a hard one to pin down definitively, but with Australia’s car manufacturing industry dead, the need to shift large volumes of cars from local factories and holding yards via double deck articulated car carriers has certainly reduced. As such, many transport companies have turned to smaller, more efficient and more versatile rigid frame trucks for vehicle transport. It’s here where Anybody’s expertise has proven particularly applicable.

With most carriers in this class being owner-operators, ease of use is important, so Anybody incorporate elements to make the job easier, like a semi-circle truck-to-trailer connection that removes the need for ramps from trailer to truck, making loading quicker and safer.

Other clever features include an hydraulic top deck on the 4-car body that’s operated at the push of a button.

Adjustable air bag suspension on the trailer is a big plus, too. By dumping the air out of the air bags, the operator can drop the back end of the trailer by as much as 150mm. Combined with built-in loading ramps – that slide out from the drop-down tail light boxes and hook onto the back of the trailer - this greatly reduces the possibility of damage to the sills and undersides of vehicles when loading.

Made in-house at Anybody, these ramps are better for the vehicles and kinder on operators, too, as they weigh only 30kg, while the slide-in, slide-out design eliminates the need to lift heavy ramps on and off the tray’s deck.

Anybody’s customers tell them they build the best car carriers in Australia, which is a mighty endorsement. Jeff believes that praise is not just due to the quality of Anybody’s workmanship, but also the high degree of service that they provide.

With that feedback in mind, the business is looking to expand beyond Queensland and NSW, with plans to make Anybody car carrier and custom truck bodies available Australia-wide.

Built Well, Built for You

Anybody’s success to this point has been due in large part to understanding the specific needs of the car carrier customer - be they in new car delivery, cross-dealership transfers, earthmoving and excavation, vehicle recovery, contractor applications and even local government work. That understanding means that every Anybody car carrier body, while produced to a standard pattern, can be tailored to specific needs, based on understanding how each customer intends to use their truck.

It must be stressed that every Anybody car carrier is “built,” not “assembled,” too. They don’t just pull parts off the shelf and fit them – each unit is fabricated from Australian-made steel to a high standard. For example, the 4-car carrier’s top deck arms are laser cut and assembled in house. Because of the nature of what those arms do, precision is paramount.

Each car carrier body currently takes around four weeks to produce, but Anybody’s drive to bring more services in-house and hire more staff is reducing that timeframe, with shorter turnarounds expected in the future.

Increased speed won’t come at the expense of quality, though. Anybody offer a 5-year structural warranty on all bodies they build, and that high standard of manufacturing quality is something that won’t change in the future.

Two-Way Communication

While many customers have come to rely on Anybody for advice on what they need in a car carrier, the company is happy to listen, too. With so many transport operators using these car carrier set-ups daily, listening to their needs has provided Anybody with great understanding of their requirements. As such, they’re happy to incorporate options, like winches, jockey wheel ramps, mini turntables and auxiliary lighting, into each build to customer request.

While nothing is easy in the commercial body building industry, Jeff says that knowing how each operator intends to use their vehicle makes it easier for Anybody to deliver the product they need.

So, once you’ve sourced your truck, give Anybody a call to discuss your car carrier build in detail.  Anybody will ensure you get the unit you want, built to the standard you need!

ANYBODY – Find Out More

Beyond car carrier builds and general truck body manufacture and sales, Anybody also provide chassis modification and tow bar fitting, as well as truck repair and maintenance services, like auto electrical and hydraulic systems, plus TIG, MIG and aluminium welding.

To find out more, call Anybody on: (07) 3888 0876, or go to: anybodycommercialbodies.com.au to see a gallery of past builds.