Mark Stanes
Mark Stanes was born in March 1980 in Alice Springs Northern Territory to Bruce and Shirley Stanes. The Stanes & Kittle families have been in this area for generations, with Bruce an established driver, moving freight across central Australia since the 1980s. Mark took on a trade during his schooling, becoming a qualified boiler maker. Mark’s transport career began in 1998 with his first job driving road trains for Territory Transportables at the age of 18. He transported and set up school and accommodation buildings in remote locations of the NT and WA. From 2000-2004 Mark worked for Danny Orr Earthmoving. He drove side tippers for remote roadworks all over Australia. 2004-2008 saw Mark driving cattle trucks for Orange Creek Cattle Station, carting all over Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide, into QLD, WA, NSW and Victoria.
Mum Shirley would often receive a quick phone call from Mark saying he had a present for her and needed her to meet him with fresh clothes for the next leg. The present? The dirty ones of course. Mark would be gone from a few days to months.
In 2007 Mark purchased his first truck, an Isuzu body truck with a fridge box on the back. He then thought ‘What’s better than one?’ and purchased a Mitsubishi truck with a fridge/freezer.
Mark’s love of trucks and truck driving, and the work ethic that was instilled in him by his father Bruce, led him in 2009 to start his own business, Stanes Transport NT PTY LTD. He started out with just his 2 trucks carting general freight to remote areas. He was supported by Bruce and Shirley in the office. In 2010, he purchased an FM Volvo Rigid Truck. In 2025, with over 1,000,000kms she is still a fully functioning member of the Stanes fleet.
In the years that followed, Stanes Transport continued to grow. Adding trucks, FTE trailers with dual zone Thermo King units, flat tops, dollies, drop decks, machinery and more staff. In 2012 Mark added the Volvo FH Prime Mover. Raised Mack/Volvo, Mark purchased his first Mack in 2016, a Titan dubbed ‘Oberon’.
In 2018, Mark moved the business into the Ghan Road shed. He also purchased the former drive in theatre at 400 Stuart Highway to redevelop into a home for Stanes Transport. Mark has built a solid reputation in Alice Springs, with larger interstate companies contacting him to provide final mile freight services. Stanes Transport not only carries general freight for remote communities, but also bulk, oddly shaped, time sensitive and sometimes oversized items up the Tanami Track. The business has a town presence now also, moving containers and smaller freight items in the Alice Springs Region.
A day off was never a day of rest for Mark. If he wasn’t driving, he was down at the shed working on the tools, fabricating his own dollies and trailers. He still managed to find himself a good partner in Kylie, who then joined Stanes Transport in 2019. In 2019 through 2020, Mark rebuilt a second-hand 2004 Mack Titan CLR which he purchased at auction. A green machine with 1.3 million kms, 29 676 hours and a history in the Pilbara, this truck was a full rebuild from the chassis up- nothing was untouched. ‘Catdog’ was born. She is loud, she is obnoxious and you hear her well before you see her. Catdog was only meant to be a show truck, however due to increasing workload and business expansion, she works full time.
In 2019 Mark had his pride and joy built, his Mack Trident Tilt Tray. 2020 saw the arrival of another Titan, Big Mack. During 2020, in the height of the COVID pandemic, he and partner Kylie welcomed their first child, a daughter, Matilda. In 2023 they were married, with the faithful Catdog becoming a part of their day as a chocolate replica on their wedding cake. In 2021 ‘Junior’, a 2014 Titan, was added to the fleet, named after daughter Matilda. In the beginning of 2024, Mark purchased his first Kenworth, a C509 known as ‘Kendra’.
In 2024, Mark and Kylie welcomed their second daughter Maggie. Now in 2025, after 6 long years, a lot of red tape, and the help of his wife Kylie, the ground is breaking on the drive in site. A custom designed transport terminal for Stanes Transport is being built to allow the business to continue to grow. Mark is proof that the quiet ones are never to be dismissed. He is a quiet achiever and a man of few words. He is a wealth of information for his staff. He has built his business on the basis of equal opportunities, having team members from all walks of life; female drivers, drivers just starting out, staff with disabilities and staff from differing backgrounds. If Mark tilts his head, you know he is thinking. Whether he is thinking up a plan of attack or what comes next - tis always fun to be part of.
