Long-standing North Wollongong trucking company Barnett's Couriers has closed, after a cyber attack crippled its operations.
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In an email sent to staff and contractors, overnight on Tuesday, the company announced it was unable to continue operating.
An automated reply to email inquiries on Wednesday confirms the worst.
"Although we have been working tirelessly with leading IT consultants to restore our systems, regrettably we have been unable to overcome these challenges and we have made the difficult decision to cease operating Barnetts Couriers," the email reads.
"We want to thank you, our customers, for the loyalty you have shown to our business for over 40 years."
A similar automated message is played when calls are made to the company's office.
The company was brought to its knees by a cyber attack that afflicted its business in April.
After quickly ceasing operations, staff were stood down and new orders refused.
At the time, the company said it was working to ensure deliveries that had already been received would reach their destination.
It is a dispiriting end for the business that began over 40 years ago when founder Bob Barnett travelled to Sydney and back to secure a spare part for a truck that had broken down at the Golden Fleece service station in Figtree that he previously owned.
Mr Barnett grew this niche into a successful trucking business, which expanded up and down the east coast from its base on Montague Street.
The company also maintained a warehouse in Newcastle, serving northern NSW and southern Queensland.
In 2016 the business was raided by police after two fatal crashes in four years, and a family member who was also a driver was jailed over a double fatality in 2012. The business was also entangled in disputes with drivers and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) in 2012 over pay.
Mr Barnett died in 2021, aged 84, and passed the business to his daughter Karen.
The Mercury understands that employees and contractors are now trying to work out what they may be owed after being stood down for two weeks. The TWU had already been engaging with the business to sort out workers' entitlements.
Both NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police did not have reports of a cyber attack and were not investigating.
