sales@thedrakegroup.com.au QLD 07 3271 5888 WA 08 6146 4000

Our History

For 60 years, The Drake Group companies Drake Trailers, O’Phee Trailers and Drake Collectibles have been building some of the toughest heavy-duty trailers on the market.

We focus on quality, innovation and reliability and each of our trailers are designed to tackle the harshest conditions that this country has to offer.

The Drake Group Timeline

1958
1958

Drake Trailers is Founded by Colin Drake in Rocklea

From our archives, these photos show the original site of Drake Trailers at Rocklea.

Our Founder, Colin Drake was a mechanical and electrical engineer and entrepreneur with a dream. He wanted to build Australia’s best low loader trailers and innovate better ways to meet operators’ needs.

 

Colin’s unique and ground-breaking trailer builds would go on to revolutionise heavy haulage in Australia.

1961
1961

Drake’s 1st Employee – Noel the Legendary Foreman

Noel the legendary foreman

You might say Noel was one of the first Drake legends. He was known by all, and his knowledge of the business was hard to match during his time with Drake Trailers.

 

Noel retired in 2006 after 35 Years of loyal service, and was a regular visitor onsite until his sad passing in 2021 at the age of 84.

1969
1969

Drake 4X8 Swingwing Widening Lowloader Hits the Market

Drake 4X8 Swingwing Widening Lowloader Hits the Market

The Swingwing Widening Lowloader revolutionises heavy haulage. The trailer remains popular to this day and continues to evolve as an industry leader.

1970
1970

1st Mine Site Trailer Launches

Mine site trailer 1970

Mine site trailers are designed for the off-highway transport of large mining equipment on mine sites across Australia – hauling up to 500 tonnes.

1978
1978

John Drake Joins the Company

John Drake Joins the Company

Second Generation Drake, and our current owner John Drake joins the group in 1978.

 

John would go on to take over the running of the company in 1991.

1980
1980

Introduction of the Steerable Platform Trailer

Steerable transport 1980

Colin and John Drake launch the Steerable Platform Trailer, a low loader with one of the heaviest on-road payloads – the first of which goes to Brambles.

1984
1984

Drake Unveils the Deck Widener

Drake Unveils the Deck Widener

Our Deck Widener is one of the first innovative models brought to market by Drake Trailers and remains a popular model to this day.

1984

Introducing Full Modular Steerable Transporters

Introducing Full Modular Steerable Transporters

Designed for the special heavy duty loads, the Full Modular Steerable Transporters are a similar concept to units manufactured in Europe, but widen for Australian regulations.

1985
1985

Drake Leads the Way with the Full Widener

Drake Leads the Way with the Full Widener

The Full Widener unit is designed to carry 50 tonne legally with the added benefits of easy loading because of the widening frame and suspension. This design has been the industry standard since this 1986 and is one of our bestselling trailers.

1988
1988

Introduction Of Computer Aided Design System

computer aided design system

The introduction of the computer aided design system process was driven by John Drake and revolutionised the trailer manufacturing industry.

1989
1989

Greg Allison Joins Drake Trailers

Greg Allison

An important development for Drake Trailers growth, as Greg was previously with Allison Trailers.

1990
1990

350 tonne mine site trailer – the largest yet

350 tonne mine site trailer

Pulled behind a CAT 789 dump truck, the empty trailer weighed over 120 tonnes.

1991
1991

Passing on the Drake Legacy

Colin Drake Trailers

The passing of our founder Colin Drake in 1991 left a huge hole, not only in the company, but also in the heavy transport industry.

 

John Drake takes over as Managing Director to continue the Drake family legacy.

1992
1992

Drake Trailers Moves from Rocklea to Wacol

Drake Trailers Moves from Rocklea to Wacol

1992 sees an upgrade in size and equipment, with Drake re-locating to a large industrial complex of 8,650 square metres – our location to this day at 19 Formation St.

1997
1997

Deck Widener – Re-Release

Deck Widener – Re-Release

Drake’s Deck Widener gets a design upgrade, with the re-release filling a niche for urban use with the onset of traffic calming devices.

2000
2000

In Full Swing with the Swing Wide Launch

In Full Swing with the Swing Wide Launch

Drake launches the Swingwide in 2000. The wide line goose neck design allowed operators to carry heavy narrow loads.

2004
2004

Introduction Of 3D Computer Aided Design

3D computer aided design

Drake continues pioneering innovative trailer design with 3D Computer Aided trailer design,  starting out with the SolidWorks system. This gave Drake Trailers greater design capacity and more flexibility for trailer customisation.

2006
2006

Sam Drake Joins the Business

Sam Drake Joins the Business

Sam continues in the footsteps of his family, as a third-generation Drake. His background is as a diesel fitter and his knowledge of troubleshooting issues is a great asset to our customers.
Sam goes on to become Business Development Manager in 2014, Group Sales Manager in 2018 and Business unit Manager: New Trailers in 2022.

2006

Drake Wins M1 Abrahams Tank Transportation Contract with M.A.N Military

4X8 Swingwing

This historic M.A.N military trailer design was a variation on the standard Drake 4X8 Swingwing, again showing the design’s versatility.

2009
2009

Drake Collectibles Launch

Drake Collectibles History

The Drake Group broke into the diecast miniatures market after calls from international collectors.

 

With regular special edition launches and several award-winning models,  the popularity of our collectibles is outstanding.  Visit The Drake Shop to see our range of premium heavy haulage miniatures.

2010
2010

50 Years: Full Steering Widener Launch & New Logo

50 Years: Full Steering Widener Launch & New Logo

To celebrate 50 years in business, Drake Trailers launch a new logo and the Steering Widener, filling a niche in the range of highway trailers for manoeuvrability with stability.

2011
2011

Cometto Trailer Collaboration: The Ant

Cometto Trailer Collaboration: The Ant

Drake partner with Cometto to design and engineer a Fully Modular Self Propelled Platform For Mine Sites: The Ant.

2012
2012

Khali Lake Appointed General Manager

Khali Lake appointed as General Manager

Drake appoints Khali Lake as The Drake Group’s new General Manager to build on the Drake success and enable the transport trailer manufacturers to continue to grow well into the future.

 

Khali’s background in the expanding mining sector, with a degree in both accounting and management, and he excels in Drake leadership to this day.

2012

Maggie Nilson (née Drake) Joins the Company

Maggie Nilson (née Drake) Joins the Company

As a family-owned and operated company, Drake were delighted to have third generation Drake family member Maggie join our ranks, working in Procurement, Production and Financial Accounting. She is promoted to Projects Manager in 2017.

2014
2014

Drake Aligns with SunSeeker East Coast Australia

Drake Aligns with SunSeeker East Coast Australia

Exciting new partnership between Drake Trailers and luxury yacht manufacturer Sunseeker East Coast Australia, with John Drake appointed as Managing Director of the prestigious yacht brand.

2015
2015

The Drake Group Acquires O’Phee Trailers

2015 timeline O'Phee

The Drake Group joins forces with O’Phee Trailers – one of the leading manufacturers of semi-trailers in Australia, bringing about new capabilities and products.

2015

Drake Drops Three New Trailer Designs

Drake Drops Three New Trailer Designs

Drake drops Australia’s toughest drop deck trailer, Drake Trailers Lowboy, with 30-40 tonne capacity and trailer lengths from 45-55ft.

 

 

At the Brisbane Truck Show, we showcase a “first of its kind” tilt slide trailer: a Deck-Widening Extendable Tilt Slide trailer, built to carry up to 40 tonnes.

 

 

We also release of the brand-new Full Widener Rear Steer trailer with enhanced manoeuvrability and efficiency. The steerable axles at the rear help to reduce wear on tyres and running gear.

2015

Drake Collectibles Wins

Drake Collectibles wins

Drake Trailers sister brand Drake Collectibles picks up a major award for Model of the Year 2015 by Cranes Etc.

2016
2016

O’Phee Trailers Moves Onsite

O’Phee Trailers moves onsite

In May, O’Phee Trailers moves onsite with Drake Trailers and Drake Collectibles to The Drake Group’s central manufacturing facility located in Wacol, Brisbane.

2017
2017

4X4 Deck Widener Nominated for Best Trailer Award

4X4 Deck Widener Nominated for Best Trailer Award

The 2017 Brisbane Truck Show Awards sees Drake Trailers 4X4 Deck Widener nominated for the prestigious category of Best Trailer.

2017

Drake Trailers Develops The Mine Site Transporter

Drake Trailers develops the Mine Site Transporter

Our custom-built heavy haulage Minesite trailer is designed for off-road mining operations. IT hauls up to 500 tonne loads.

2017

Launching The Drake Group

The Drake Group Launch

The expanding portfolio of Drake Trailers sets in motion the desire to re-launch as The Drake Group. In 2017, we brought together Drake Trailers, O’Phee Trailers, Drake Collectibles, BoXLoader, Cometto and Sunseeker East Coast Australia under the one banner.

2017

Drake Collectibles Launches New App

Drake Collectibles launches new app

Drake Collectibles unveils brand new app designed to be a one-stop shop for premium diecast and collectible items.

2017

O’Phee Trailers Unveils New Models

O’Phee Trailers Unveils New Models

O’Phee introduces an innovative sideloader called the Speedloader and a retractable container skel called the Retract-X. Both feature higher performance and the lowest tare weight on the market.

2018
2018

The Drake Group Celebrates our 60th Anniversary

The Drake Group Celebrates our 60th Anniversary

In 2018, The Drake Group celebrates 60 years in business.

 

We also celebrate a momentous delivery: our 1000th delivery of Row of 4 Lowloader, made to Rob Stribley Transport.

 

 

2018

Drake Group Production Manager Steve Collins Retires From Role

Drake Group Production Manager Steve Collins Retires From Role

Drake Group Production Manager Steve Collins Retires From Role.

 

Steve Collins was pivotal in strengthening and maintaining quality standards and manufacturing over his 16 year stint. Steve Collins still remains here at the Drake Group as our Service and repair manager.

2019
2019

John Drake Elected as HVIA President

John Drake Elected as HVIA President

After holding the role of acting-President since November 2018, John was appointed president of the Heavy Veicle Industry Association in February 2019.

2019

Swinglift Joins The Drake Group of Brands

Swinglift Joins The Drake Group of Brands

With BoXLoader’s acquisition of Swinglift, The Drake Group begins offering Swinglift container sideloaders to the Australian market.

2020
2020

The Drake Group navigates COVID-19

The Drake Group navigates COVID-19

The Drake Group works with our customers and key industry bodies to do all we can to “keep Australia moving” during one of the toughest times as COVID-19 spreads and a series of nation-wide lockdowns begin.

2021
2021

New Low Loader: Active Steer Quad Axle Deck Widener

New Low Loader: Active Steer Quad Axle Deck Widener

Launched at the Brisbane Truck Show in 2021, This brand new deck widener design allows for an additional 35 degrees of manoeuvrability, where every axle on the trailer steers. This is a marked difference between other models where only the rear axle has self-tracking.

2021

Celebrating Long Serving Drake Legends

Celebrating Long Serving Drake Legends

We bid farewell to three long-serving Drake legends in 2021: Aveen Cosgrove, Ray Ward and Steve Collins. Known by all, this trio racked up a collective 80 years’ service – now that’s impressive!

2021

Trailer innovation: O’Phee Crane and Counterweight SKEL

Trailer innovation:  O’Phee Crane and Counterweight SKEL

This award-nominated trailer offers Crane companies an innovative and flexible multi-purpose solution. It can be configured as a single trailer, B-double or road train. The trailer’s unique adjustable multi position cradle system has the ability to swap and change any accessory to fit any position whilst maximising axle group loadings

2021

The Drake Group acquires Dalzell & Bagley Engineering

The Drake Group acquires Dalzell & Bagley Engineering

The Drake Group is proud to announce that on the 1st December we have acquired Dalzell and Bagley Engineering (D&B) from retiring owners, Cameron and Adele George. D&B is an established Brisbane engineering and metal fabrication business.

2023
2023

Sam Drake & Maggie Nilson are Appointed Directors of The Drake Group

Sam Drake & Maggie Nilson are Appointed Directors of The Drake Group

The Drake Group is excited to announce the appointment of Sam Drake and Maggie Nilson as directors of The Drake Group.

 

These well-deserved appointments follow many years of commitment and effort by Sam and Maggie both in the business, and in the industry more broadly. Maggie and Sam bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to their new roles as directors, having held various positions in The Drake Group, they have experienced most facets of the business. Maggie and Sam are excited about the opportunities their new roles afford them to continue the growth and success of The Drake Group. At the same time, they acknowledge the enduring significance of The Drake Group’s strong foundational values in forging the future ahead.

 

Remaining as Chair of the Board, John Drake is proud to confirm the appointment of his son and daughter Sam and Maggie to the Board. “I believe they will continue to bring outstanding value to the business, and also as directors, their addition inaugurates a third generation of family involvement in the management, leadership and ownership of The Drake Group.”

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