NZ Truck & Driver July 2025

NZ TRUCK & DRIVER

$10.90 incl. GST

| July 2025

July 2025

Fuelled for the future

FEATURE

2025 Brisbane Truck Show

BIG TEST Against the wind | FLEET FOCUS Fuelled for the future | FEATURE: 2025 Brisbane Truck Show

FLEET FOCUS

The Official Magazine of

ISSN 1174-7935

Issue 291

A new era of reliability is coming.

Visit isuzu.co.nz to register your interest and get early access to the new range.

CONTENTS Issue 291 – July 2025

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News The latest from the world of road transport including… Isuzu prepares new model onslaught…

Hino and Fuso marriage announced… New CVSC opens at Ohakea… An important move for the livestock transport sector… The 2025 Gore Truck Show winners… FIA European Truck Racing Championship begins… and America’s best custom trucks on show.

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Raising Standards Heavy salvage operators and emergency service personnel made the most of a recent training day in Canterbury.

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Southpac Trucks Legends: Heart of Gold, Hands of Steel: We pay tribute to Auckland’s Danny Lendich and look at a life of hard work and success that involved construction, trucks, family, fast race cars, and fast food restaurants.

Transporting New Zealand The monthly Transporting New Zealand update looks at the association’s recent policy and advocacy work and profiles the career of Ayna Amina at Auckland-based Angel Transport.

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A host of new trucks were revealed to a record attendance at the Brisbane Truck Show, while Australia’s best custom trucks were recognised and we also visit the Heritage Truck Association show in our wrap up of coverage from Truck Week 2025.

Giti Tyres Big Test Against the wind: The slippery shape of the Freightliner Cascadia and 600 Detroit horsepower is a recipe that Southland-based King’s Log Transport is using to deliver fuel efficiency on a new Chip Liner run. Southland provides the weather extremes for our test.

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FEATURES: 61 Record Brisbane Truck Show

77

Building Premium Partnerships

REGULARS: 80/ Double Coin Tyres NZ Transport 81 Imaging Awards Recognising NZ’s best-looking trucks… including a giant pull-out poster of this month’s finalist.

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CrediFlex Recently Registered May registration figures were marginally ahead of the previous month, but activity remains slow for both new truck and trailer sales in New Zealand.

We analyse the latest registration data alongside the monthly gallery of new rigs on the road.

COLUMNS 57 National Road Carriers Association CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers considers the benefits of PPPs (Public-Private Partnerships) for delivering much-needed infrastructure and James Smith looks at opportunities delivered in 2025 Budget.

Insurance plays a critical role for the transport industry. We survey leading brokers for advice on being properly covered.

Fleet Focus Fuelled for the future: McFall Fuel sets high standards for tanker specifications, fleet utilisation and driver training. We take a look inside a fleet that has grown significantly in truck numbers and regional coverage since our last visit 20 years ago.

MANAGEMENT

ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Publisher

Trevor Woolston 027 492 5600 trevor@trucker.co.nz

Trudy Woolston

Advertising

Victor Georgiades 021 925 600 victor@trucker.co.nz

Trudy Woolston Phone

Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz

admin@trucker.co.nz

SUBSCRIPTIONS admin@trucker.co.nz 027 474 6033

NZ subscription $110 incl. GST for one year price (11 issues) Overseas rates on application ADDRESS

EDITORIAL Editor

Colin Smith 021 510319 colin@trucker.co.nz

Associate Editor

Brian Cowan

CONTRIBUTORS

Olivia Beauchamp Gerald Shacklock David Kinch Rod Simmonds Dave McLeod Victor Georgiades

ART DEPARTMENT Design & Production Luca Bempensante – Zarko Mihic EQUIPMENT GUIDE AUCKLAND, NORTHLAND, BOP, WAIKATO, CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Advertising Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz

AUCKLAND, LOWER NORTH ISLAND, SOUTH ISLAND Advertising Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz

Phone Freephone Postal Address Street Address Web

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PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION Printer Bluestar Retail Distribution ARE Direct Publication: New Zealand Truck & Driver is published monthly, except January,

by Allied Publications Ltd PO Box 112 062, Penrose, Auckland Contributions: Editorial contributions are welcomed for consideration, but no responsibility is accepted for lost or damaged materials (photographs, graphics, printed material etc). To mail, ensure return (if required), material must be accompanied by a stamped, addressed envelope. It’s suggested that the editor is contacted by fax or email before submitting material.

Copyright: Articles in New Zealand Truck & Driver are copyright and may not be reproduced in any form – in whole or part – without permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by, the publisher.

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www.nztruckanddriver.co.nz Truck & Driver | 1

NEWS The new Isuzu F Series range will begin arriving in the New Zealand market from August.

Isuzu ready for new model launches THE LOCAL ROLL-OUT OF new generation Isuzu models across the lightand medium-duty truck segments begins in August.

Both the N Series and F Series line-ups are set for significant updates with the first of the 6-cylinder F Series models powered by the 6.7-litre DB6A Euro 6 engine scheduled as the first phase of a progressive launch from August.

Isuzu New Zealand General manager Dave Ballantyne says it’s a very significant model range update for the marque, which has been New Zealand’s top-selling truck brand for the last two years and leads again to-date in 2025.

There are key improvements to the F-Series

with all FV, FX and FY 6x4 and 8x4 models being equipped with full air disc brakes as standard, up to 30,000kg GVM. The F Series has a new cab design featuring interior and exterior styling changes and there is a significantly enhanced range of standard safety features as part of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) in all models.

The active safety system is informed by Isuzu’s ADAS camera technology, which is now mounted low on the windscreen, in combination with a long range milli-wave radar located in the centre of the bumper.

ADAS camera functions for the F Series enable the Lane Departure Warning, Attention

A new interior design provides new comfort and safety features.

2 | Truck & Driver

Assist Warning, Traffic Movement Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition with Intelligent Speed Limiter, and Adaptive Driving Beam.

ADAS camera and millimetre radar functions combine to enable Distance Warning System, Advanced Emergency Braking, and Full Speed Adaptive Cruise Control on selected models.

Passive systems include dual airbags, driver and passenger seat belt pretensioners, antiintrusion beams in the door structure and an ECE-R93 front underrun beam behind the bumper.

Convenience features available on the F Series include auto wipers, passive entry and start, BiLED headlights with auto light sensing, plus LED cornering lights and daytime running lights.

A new 7.0-inch Multi Information Display is integrated in the instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch dashtop Co-Pilot AV multimedia touchscreen enables Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity.

Driver comfort is enhanced by an ISRI driver’s seat, a new steering wheel with multi-function controls, and auto climate control system. A new windscreen provides improved ultraviolet and infrared filtering, resulting in up to 99% UV sun protection and 59% reduction in radiated heat respectively.

The 5.2-litre 4HK1 four-cylinder and new 6.7-litre DB6A six-cylinder engines are included in the F Series range. Both engines comply with Euro VI and pPNLT emission regulations and the new six-cylinder DB6A engine developed

NEWS in conjunction with Cummins will be available in 260PS (191kW) and 300PS (221kW) power ratings.

Maximum torque figures are 883Nm between 1000-2070rpm on the 260PS version and 981Nm between 1000-2100rpm for the 300PS variant.

The new DB6A engine is an evolution of the B6.7 engine engineered to further reduce NOx and particulate matter emissions to meet Euro VI using SCR technology and without requiring exhaust gas recirculation. An integrated Jacobs engine compression brake is a new feature on the DB6A. Both N and F Series models made their Australasian public debut at the recent Brisbane Truck Show. The models on show there are largely common with the NZ market.

“We’ve been working closely with Isuzu Australia to increase the amount of commonalty between the model line-ups we offer. But there are still NZ-specific models when it comes to things such as the tyre sizes and wheelbase options which best suit the New Zealand market,” Ballantyne says.

“There has already been plenty of dealer

The F Series was on show at the recent Brisbane Truck Show. enquiry regarding models and specs and there was definitely a lift in enquiry after the Brisbane Truck Show. There were a lot of Kiwis over in Brisbane taking a look at the new models,” he says.

“The new models have the looks and the new features which set them apart and the advanced safety features are a big step up.”

The Isuzu model rollout continues into Q4 of

this year when the first of the updated N Series arrives. The launch plan is for all cab chassis models to be available at the same time, with factory built tipper models to follow in early 2026.

Among the notable features of the N Series is a new 9-speed dual clutch transmission option which is available with the four-cylinder 4JZ1 engine in selected models.

Japanese brands preparing for merger PLANS TO BRING THE FUSO AND HINO TRUCK brands together are accelerating with Daimler Truck, Mitsubishi Fuso, Hino and Toyota Motor Corporation now concluding Definitive Agreements for integrating the two brands.

The two truck manufacturers will come together on an equal footing in a new combined company with over 40,000 employees. A new holding company, to be headquartered in Tokyo, is expected to list on the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Daimler Truck and Toyota will each aim to own 25% of the (listed) holding company for the integrated Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino. The holding company plans to own 100% of Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino.

The future operations of the integrated brands will include cooperation in the areas of commercial vehicle development, procurement, and production, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturers.

Further details on the scope and nature of the collaboration, including the name of the new holding company, are intended to be announced over the coming months. The deal will proceed to closing subject to approval from the relevant boards, shareholders and authorities.

Current Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation CEO Karl Deppen will take the role of CEO at the new holding company.

“With a strong new company, we combine our two trusted brands, our resources, competencies and expertise to even better support our customers in their transportation needs in the future,” says Deppen.

“I feel honoured and excited to be the designated leader of the new company and am grateful for the trust and encouragement from Toyota and Daimler Truck to make it happen.”

The new holding company will focus on issues including carbon neutrality, logistics efficiency, and to strengthen the commercial vehicle business globally through the development of CASE technologies (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric), including hydrogen.

Hino CEO Satoshi Ogiso described the cooperation among the four companies as being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while Karin Rådström, CEO, Daimler Truck says the integration of Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino Motors is truly historic.

“We are bringing together two strong partners to form an even stronger company and to successfully shape the decarbonisation of transportation,” she says.

“Together, Mitsubishi Fuso and Hino Motors have great potential to leverage scale – and scale is key to win in the technological transformation of our industry.

“Karl Deppen is an experienced and strong leader who comprehends the whole value chain of our business, and I’m therefore convinced that he can bring the new company to the next level,” Radstrom says.

The timeline for the integration is for the holding company to start operations in April 2026.

CEOs from the four companies have signed Definitive Agreements for the integration of the Fuso and Hino brands.

Truck & Driver | 3

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NTA Show & Shine 2025 Truck R Company (if applicable): Driver Name: Phone:

Email:

Truck Details All Fields Required Truck Make:

Truck Age:

Truck Model:

Speedo KMs:

Number Plate:

Truck Type:

Classic Truck

Truck Parking Options • •

Early Bird Parking Friday 7th March: 5 pm - 7 pm Saturday 8th March: 6 am - 8 am. All trucks must be park

Entry Fee and Truck Number:

Truck Entry Number and $10 entry fee payable at Show office o than one truck, please use the ‘Show and Shine Multiple Entry

Show & Shine Awards

The awards ceremony will take place immediately after the sho 8th March. Join us at the TR Group Trucking Relay Area to cele food will be available for purchase from 4:30 pm.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW

SAFETY: Children must be supervised and kept under control a no responsibility for incidents caused by inadequate supervision

WORKSHOP IN CHRISTCHURCH

By completing this entry form you agree to any photos or video and/or marketing purposes.

The truck you enter must have valid Motor Vehicle Insurance, P

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NEWS

Ohakea safety centre now open

Ohakea commercial vehicle safety centre In-road scales, cameras and digital signage locations

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cameras and electronic signage on State Highway 1/3, leading to and from the centre.

This technology collects data on passing vehicles 24/7 such as COF status, vehicle weight, load status, permit compliance, and if drivers are taking appropriate breaks.

Where a heavy vehicle is required for inspection, its number plate will be displayed on the electronic signage, indicating it needs to pull into the centre for inspection by the NZ Police.

The construction of a new roundabout on the state highway also means trucks can safely enter from both directions.

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OPER ATIONS BEGAN LATE-MAY AT THE COUNTRY’S S safety centre (CVSC), on State Highway 1/3 at newest commercial S H O vehicle W & Ohakea in Manawatū.

The new CVSC will deliver targeted enforcement by NZ Police, and efficient monitoring for heavy vehicle compliance.

25 Truck Registration Form NZTA Commercial Vehicle Safety Programme Manager Sean Bridge is confident the new CVSC will improve travel efficiencies for compliant heavy vehicle operators and level the playing field for commercial transport operators in the region.

“A CVSC screens heavy vehicles travelling past and provides data on Email: operator and truck behaviour such as heavy vehicle weight, Certificate of Fitness status, and driver fatigue. This information is used to direct operators into the centre for inspection by NZ Police,” says Mr Bridge.

“These centres will help to improve compliance at the same time as Truck Age: improving travel times for operators, because those not flagged during Speedo KMs: screening won’t need to pull into the centre.

“The data we collect will give us insight into the behaviour of heavy Truck Type: vehicles on the network. Using this data, we’ll be able to target our education and compliance work toward where safety issues are found.

“This ensures everyone is paying their fair share for use of the road; keeps compliant operators moving through more smoothly and reduces the damage caused to the road by overloading, ultimately boosting safety pm - 7 pm ucks must be parked by and 8am,efficiency NO EXCEPTIONS for all road users.”

The Ohakea CVSC is one of 12 being built on important freight routes that will monitor the behaviour of heavy vehicles across the country. ble at Show office on arrival. If you are entering more hine Multiple Entry Form’ The CVSC is connected to in-road scales, number plate recognition

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Fleet Day returns

diately after the show concludes at 4 pm Saturday, g Relay Area to celebrate the winners. A cash bar and 0 pm.

ept under control at all times. The organisers accept equate supervision.

THE 2025 EDITION OF EROAD FLEET DAY IS SET FOR Hamilton’s Mystery Creek Events Centre on Thursday July 31.

The industry showcase is billed as New Zealand’s largest fleet Vehicle Insurance, Public Liability, and Statutory management conference with the primary focus on road and driver safety, new vehicle technologies and fleet efficiency.

A full programme begins with registration from 7.30am and runs through till 4.55pm with keynote speakers, presentations and panel

any photos or videos taken may be used for promotional

discussions as well as vehicle and technology displays.

The keynote speakers for 2025 include Kiwi international rally star Hayden Paddon and All Black Sam Cane.

The event also features vehicle test drives and a vehicle safety experience.

Based on the 2024 event it’s estimated that 1,200 industry professionals and 70 exhibitors will be in attendance.

Further information: www.eroad.co.nz/fleet-managers-day/

TBT35119

A wide range of vehicles and displays were on show at Mystery Creek during the 2024 EROAD Fleet Day.

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NEWS

Among the members of the National Livestock Transport & Safety Council (NLT&SC) are (left to right) Jim Crouchley, Derek Foley, Graham Lowes, Graham Neate, and Rodney Dow.

New voice for livestock transport sector A NEW INDUSTRY ORGANISATION WILL PROVIDE A unified national voice for New Zealand’s livestock transport sector.

The three national road transport associations – National Road Carriers (NRC), NZ Trucking, and Transporting New Zealand (TNZ) – have established a new body for the sector, called the National Livestock Transport & Safety Council (NLT&SC).

The NLT&SC replaces the previous National Livestock Transport & Safety Group, with a renewed structure and terms of reference.

The restructure reflects the collective input of all stakeholders and recognises the need to strengthen the transport sector’s role within the livestock value chain.

While farmers and producers have been the focus of much regulatory attention, transport – an essential link in moving livestock safely and efficiently across the country – has often been overlooked.

The Council will highlight the vital contribution transport makes to New Zealand’s economy, connecting rural communities to markets and supporting the integrity of our food systems.

Among the benefits of the new structure are: • Council with board functions: The NLT&SC brings together elected operator representatives from all three associations, guided by a formal terms of reference.

• Independent and inclusive: The Council stands as a neutral, operator-led group with its own identity, operating within TNZ for administration but with clear independence and legitimacy.

• Regular, transparent communication: Expect clear, timely updates on decisions, projects, and industry matters. This is designed to give industry the confidence that their concerns are being heard and acted on.

• Raise the profile of Livestock transport: Claim a seat at the table to influence positive and practical outcomes for livestock transport and the broader industry.

The chair of the new group, Derek Foley, says the Council strengthens advocacy efforts by bringing together a range of industry expertise and representation under one banner, giving a more cohesive voice for livestock transport across New Zealand, while also making sure that everyone in the sector has a seat at the table.

“To support this unified approach, a ‘Terms of Reference’ was developed for the new combined group, with constitutional backing from Transporting New Zealand to ensure proper governance and protocols,” Mr Foley says.

“Over the coming weeks, the Council will finalise its budget, communications strategy, and other structural components.

“Notifications about the Council’s formation will also be sent to relevant regulators, meat industry stakeholders, and farming organisations.”

Mr Foley says livestock transporters will continue to receive regular updates on progress within the Council.

“In the meantime, please be assured that ongoing work continues with NZ Farm Assurance Incorporated and QCONZ on the transfer from AsureQuality of the NZ Livestock Transport Assurance (NZLTA) programme, along with actions addressing other current issues raised by members.”

Regular updates – including meeting summaries and key decisions – will also be shared with the wider industry to promote transparency and encourage broad engagement from livestock transport operators. To maintain clarity and fairness, the Council will not comment on commercial or pricing matters.

The Council is made up of voting members from Transporting New Zealand, with eight regional representatives from across the country. It also includes one voting representative each from New Zealand Trucking and National Road Carriers.

Supporting the Council are non-voting roles, including a sector advisor, a secretary, and technical advisors appointed as needed.

The current Council leadership is chaired by Derek Foley, with Shona Robertson as Vice Chair and Jim Crouchley serving as Secretary and Sector Advisor. The Committee members are experienced operators from across the country, representing both large and small transport businesses.

Committee Members: • Don Wilson (National Road Carriers) • Brad Kincaid (Transporting New Zealand) • Chad Stewart (Transporting New Zealand) • Eddie Swain (NZ Trucking) • Graham Neate (Transporting New Zealand) • Graeme Lowes (Transporting New Zealand) • Rodney Dow (Transporting New Zealand) Truck & Driver | 7

NEWS

Hydrogen deliveries are handled by the dual-fuel DAF HyTANKa.

Mobile hydrogen refuelling solution BRITISH HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY PIONEER ULEMCO has developed a mobile hydrogen supply and refuelling truck engineered to address the operational challenges of hydrogen delivery in off-road and construction environments.

The HyTANKa has been developed to replicate the role of the diesel bowser, providing a self-contained solution for taking the fuel to the equipment rather than the equipment coming to the filling station.

This is currently a key barrier to the deployment of hydrogen-powered equipment within the normal operational requirements of a busy site.

The construction industry is recognised as one of the most challenging sectors to decarbonise, due largely to the high energy demands of machinery, the requirement for rapid and continuous operation, and the frequent absence of fixed energy supply during the early phases of site infrastructure development.

While hydrogen-powered equipment – dual-fuel, full combustion and fuel cell – is gaining interest as a practical ultra-low-emission alternative to diesel, the absence of suitable on-site refuelling mechanisms is a significant technical challenge.

Refuelling a dual-fuel excavator on a construction site.

8 | Truck & Driver

ULEMCo says the HyTANKa addresses this gap by enabling mobile, high-pressure hydrogen delivery directly to construction machinery in the field. The vehicle is equipped with a two-way booster system that allows for both the refuelling of hydrogen machines at pressures up to 350 bar, and the filling of its own tanks from lower pressure sources, such as manifolded cylinder pallets or higher volume on-site storage.

The integration of these features allows HyTANKa to be independent of fixed power supplies or compression infrastructure, which is critical in the early phase of a site development or in remote construction environments.

The HyTANKa is also road legal in the UK, allowing it to travel directly to hydrogen production facilities for filling and around the site, in the same way diesel bowsers are used.

In keeping with its decarbonisation purpose, the HyTANKa platform is itself powered by a hydrogen dual-fuel engine, reducing the overall carbon footprint of fuel logistics and further aligning with the broader sustainability goals of modern construction projects.

The HyTANKa has already been successfully demonstrated in live construction environments as part of the Element 1 project, where it was used for on-site refuelling of 20 tonne dual-fuel hydrogen excavators. These real-world use tests confirmed the vehicle’s ability to deliver fuel loads within minutes, enabling uninterrupted machine operation.

With the capacity to refuel multiple machines per day, and to operate across dispersed or inaccessible locations, HyTANKa has proved it could match the service model of conventional diesel bowsers.

“HyTANKa provides the missing link between hydrogen production and point-of-use on active construction sites,” says Amanda Lyne, Managing Director of ULEMCo. “It is potentially a game-changer by enabling the same kind of operational flexibility and autonomy with hydrogen fuel that diesel has traditionally offered, but with a dramatic reduction in carbon emissions.

“It has been designed to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy in one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise. We believe that HyTANKa represents a key step forward for hydrogen deployment in construction and other off-grid industrial sectors.”

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NEWS

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Kiss is almost unbeatable DEFENDING CHAMPION NORBERT KISS OF HUNGARY has made a powerful start to the 2025 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship.

The new season has seen Kiss and the Revesz Racing team develop a new MAN race truck, which made a winning debut at the Misano opening round in Italy with four race victories.

Since then Kiss has scored five more race wins from six starts and he holds a commanding lead of 39 points ahead of former champion Jochen Hahn (Iveco) after the first three rounds of the championship.

There was a troubled start to the season for Kiss when he encountered steering problems on the new truck in the first qualifying session at Misano.

He recovered from 16th on the grid to cross the line of the first race in second place and then inherited the win when Hahn was handed a 5-second penalty.

The Misano weekend was completed by a charge from the fourth row of the grid which earned Kiss the race two victory and he then swept the weekend with two more Sunday wins.

Round two the following weekend was the late addition to the calendar at Germany’s Lausitzring circuit, which was making its debut on the ETRC calendar.

The weekend began with Hahn claiming pole in Qualifying 1, outpacing Kiss and raising hopes of challenging the Hungarian’s early-season dominance.

However, Kiss quickly reasserted his authority. He overtook Hahn early in Race 1 to take a commanding win and followed it up with a lights-to-flag victory from pole in Race 3.

The only other winner in the early rounds was German driver René Reinert who is making his series comeback at the wheel of Kiss’ 2024 titlewinning MAN truck.

In Race 2 at Lausitzring the local driver delivered the standout performance of the weekend, charging from fifth on the reverse grid to claim victory. A decisive move on Mark Taylor midway through the race secured the lead,

Main: The only driver to take a race win away from defending champion Norbert Kiss has been Germany’s Rene Reinert, who is driving the MAN driven to the 2024 title by Kiss.

Insert: The opening race of the season at Misano with Jochen Hahn leading the pack and Kiss in the red MAN near the back of the field.

which he held to the flag to delight his home crowd.

Race 4 was cancelled following an earlier support series incident that left oil on the circuit. Following inspection and amid challenging weather conditions, the FIA Race Director deemed conditions unsafe and called off the final contest of the weekend.

After a fortnight break the series resumed at Slovakia Ring on June 7-8 and again weather conditions restricted the weekend to three races. Kiss was unbeaten in all three with Hahn taking two second places while German racers Steffi Halm (Iveco), Sascha Lenz (MAN), Clemens Hecker (Scania) and Steffen Faas (Freightliner) along with Portugal’s Jose Eduardo Rodrigues (MAN) all claimed podium places.

There has been close early season competition in the Chrome category where two British drivers Bradley Smith (Iveco) and Mark Taylor (MAN) lead the competition. Smith has 117 points from Taylor with 103 and Clemens Hecker with 98.

Round four is Germany’s ADAC Truck Prix at the Nurburgring on July 12-13 with the championship then heading to Most (Czech Republic), Zolder (Belgium), Le Mans (France) and Jarama (Sapin).

2025 Goodyear FIA ETRC standings after round 3: 1. Norbert Kiss (Hungary) MAN, 155 points 2. Jochen Hahn (Germany) Iveco, 116 points 3. Steffi Halm (Germany) Iveco, 84 points 4. Rene Reinert (Germany) MAN, 78 points 5. Sascha Lenz (Germany) MAN, 62 points 6. Jose Eduardo Rodrigues (Portugal) MAN, 51pts Truck & Driver | 11

NEWS

Linfox adding to Volvo electric line-up AUSTRALIA-BASED LOGISTICS COMPANY LINFOX will be among the first customers for battery electric trucks assembled at the Volvo Trucks plant at Wacol, Queensland.

Linfox has placed an order for 30 Volvo battery-electric trucks, the largest order to date for battery-electric trucks in Australia.

The start of production of electric trucks at Wacol is scheduled for 2026, where some of the Linfox trucks will be assembled. This means electric Volvo trucks will be built in five factories – three in Europe, one in the US and one in Australia.

“We are very proud to continue our close partnership with Linfox. The

order for 30 Volvo electric trucks is proof of their trust in our company and in zero-emissions transport as a viable solution here and now,” says Roger Alm, President Volvo Trucks.

“Our commitment to start building electric trucks in Australia demonstrates our confidence in this technology, and means we can offer an industry-leading range of purpose-built electric trucks all around the world.”

The order from Linfox includes 29 Volvo FH Electric and one FM Electric. The company currently has four electric Volvo trucks in its fleet and Linfox also operates a total of 195 Volvo FH and FM trucks with conventional drivelines.

Linfox has placed an order for 30 new Volvo battery-electric trucks for its Australian operations.

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NEWS

Condor set for 2026 return

A LINE-UP OF EIGHT MODEL variants is planned for the new UD Trucks Condor medium duty truck range scheduled for launch in New Zealand from early 2026.

Features of the Condor range will include a new Euro 6 driveline, an upgraded cab layout and enhanced safety features.

“The Condor range is an exciting step forward for New Zealand and available to order from Q3 2025. The previous incarnation of Condor was very popular with New Zealand truck owners, and we are sure this one will be too,” says Colin Muir, General Manager for UD Trucks.

The eight models to be launched in New Zealand comprise 4x2, 6x2 and 6x4 configurations with 4660mm to 6000mm (leaf suspension) and 6000mm to 6950mm (air suspension). All are powered by a 300hp Euro 6 engine paired with 9-speed Allison automatic transmissions.

“Built in Japan, these trucks will be reliable and packed with new features and an incredible suite of class leading safety systems that match the highly regarded Quon range,” Muir says.

“Along with the new driveline and quality cab

design and features, the new range is not only powerful and efficient, but it also keeps the UD brand promise of going the extra mile.”

The cab includes an ISRI seat with air suspension and heating, and SRS airbags for both driver and passenger. New safety systems include full speed adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, electronic vehicle stability control, traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning, forward vehicle start notification, advanced emergency braking, distance warning, adaptive driving beam, auto lights, and rain sensing wipers.

“To support our new range, Condor customers will have the opportunity to include UD Trust fixed price service plans,” says Muir.

“This means the Condor will offer the ultimate in mechanical peace of mind backed by our nationwide support network.”

The introduction of the new UD Trucks Condor will see the Croner range being phased of the New Zealand market. Orders for the Croner will be taken until the end of June 2025.

New Condor models with Euro 6 powertrains are available for 2026 delivery.

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Truck & Driver | 13

NEWS

Top: Top SuperRigs 2025 honours went to the Peterbilt 379 called Scrapin’ By. Above: The lights show has become a feature of the SuperRigs competition.

Right: Raiko Graveran’s 3-million-mile 1995 Freightliner FLD-120 was the Runner-Up prize winner.

14 | Truck & Driver

NEWS Second Runner-up for 2025 was the 1989 Peterbilt 379 of Oklahoma’s Buck Crombie.

Beautiful Beasts A 2007 PETERBILT 379 HAS CLAIMED THE TOP AWARD at the 43rd annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs competition in the USA. Held May 29-31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, the Shell Rotella SuperRigs competition is North America’s premier truck beauty contest for actively working trucks. Owner-operators from across the United States and Canada compete for more than US$25,000 in cash and prizes.

The winning Peterbilt 379 in a standout red colour scheme is the creation of Kenny Ziglar II from Rawlins, Wyoming. Nicknamed Scrapin’ By, the long and low 379 claimed the Best in Show US$10,000 prize and was also judged runner-up in the Best Lights competition.

Raiko Graveran from Orlando, Florida was judged Best of Show, first runner-up, receiving a US$4,000 prize for his 3 million mile 1995 Freightliner FLD-120 called Little Blue. Buck Crombie of Checotah,

Oklahoma was awarded second runner-up and US$2,000 for his 1989 Peterbilt 379. He also won the Best Theme award.

Twelve drivers were selected to have their trucks featured in the 2026 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar, and an additional driver was chosen for a place on the back of the calendar. All winners also received MyMilesMatter reward miles from the Shell Rotella loyalty programme.

Tarik Al-Amin II from Crete, Illinois won the People’s Choice Award for his 2023 Kenworth W900L. The winner was selected virtually, with voting taking place online. For every People’s Choice vote cast this year, Shell Rotella donated $1 to the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund.

Todd Scruggs from Magnolia, Arkansas won the Classic Division and the Steve Sturgess Best Theme Award with his 1982 Peterbilt 359.

The winning trucks from Shell Rotella SuperRigs are being featured on the Shell Rotella Facebook, X and Instagram platforms.

SuperRigs overall winner Kenny Ziglar II (left) and the interior of his Peterbilt 379 (below).

Truck & Driver | 15

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NEWS Right: Isaiah McLellan won the Alex McLellan Memorial Trophy for the Best Kenworth.

Far right: The Eden Haulage Kenworth K200 driven by Robert Galt claimed the 2025 King Rig award.

Gore show braves the winter blast AF TER AN UNUSUALLY MILD autumn, winter finally arrived in Southland just in time for the annual McDonough Contracting Gore Truck Show on Sunday June 1.

But the showers and some strong wind failed to deter the enthusiasm and 65 carefully washed and polished trucks turned out for the King’s Birthday weekend judging and traditional parade through the streets of Gore.

The major prize at the annual event – held

in conjunction with the Tussock Country Music Festival – is the King Rig Trophy sponsored by Carter’s Tyres.

The 2025 winner is Tater Frater, the 2016 Kenworth K200 curtainsider from Eden Haulage and driven by Robert Galt.

The top fleet prize was claimed by Open Country Dairy and People’s Choice honours went to the International ProStar logger driven by Craig Kerr from the King’s Log Transport fleet.

2025 McDonough Contracting Gore Truck Show – results:

2025 King Rig winner Robert Galt.

King Rig 2025 (Carters Tyres Trophy): Robert Galt, Eden Haulage

Best Mack (Cranleigh Haulage Trophy): Nick Young, Southern Transport

Tanker: Paul Hurley, McKeown Petroleum

New-40,000km (Downer EDI Trophy): Paul Hurley, McKeown Petroleum

Best MAN: Shaun Wilson, Waikaka Transport

Linehaul (Charlie De Theirry Memorial Trophy): Isaiah McLellan, McLellan Freight

40,000-100,000km (TMC Trailers Trophy): Shaun Wilson, Waikaka Transport

Best Nissan/UD: Dave Thompson, King’s Log Transport

Light Vehicle: Rob Singh, Carters Tyres

100,000-400,000km (TMC Trailers Trophy): Ryan Shand, Freight Haulage Ltd

Best DAF: Nathan Blondell, Freight Haulage Ltd

Best Passenger Vehicle Trophy: Anne Brown, Go Bus Gore

400,000-700,000km: Quade Payne, Waikaka Transport

Best Iveco: Jeffrey Robinson, 3 Rivers Contracting

Crane Truck (Palfinger Trophy): Ben Edgerton, Powernet

700,000-1 million km: Hayden Brookland, Eden Haulage

Best Other: Craig Kerr, King’s Log Transport (International Pro Star)

Stock Feed Unit (Balfour Engineering Trophy): Brent Robinson, Three Rivers Contracting

Truck over 1 million km: Mark Chalmers, Dynes Transport

Bill Richardson Memorial Trophy: Ryan Shand, Freight Haulage Ltd

Furthest Distance Travelled (NZ Trucking Trophy): Ron Muir, Central Machine Hire

Best Isuzu (Ian Heaps Memorial Trophy): Rob Singh, Carters Tyres

Female Driver (GFS Trophy): Anne Brown, Go Bus

Tidiest Oldest Working Truck (Gore Sheetmetal Trophy): Richard-Ken Adams

Best Freightliner (South Star Freightliner Trophy): Rohan Baynes, Baynes Machinery Ltd

Best Logger (Daikin Trophy): Craig Kerr, King’s Log Transport

Best Refurbished Truck (Beattie Auto Trophy): Mark Chalmers, Dynes Transport

Best Scania (Borthwick Family Trophy): Paul Hurley, McKeown Petroleum

Bulk Truck (Fulton Hogan Trophy): Ryan Shand, Freight Haulage Ltd

Best Vintage (Hokonui Pioneer Village Trophy): Mark Chalmers, Dynes Transport

Best Mercedes (Angus Drummond Trophy): Anton Sandford, R.T.L.

Timber Cartage Vehicle (Blue Mountain Lumber Trophy): Jamie Petterson, Scott Transport

Best Fleet Trophy: Open Country Milk Collection (Average 101.8/140)

Best Hino: Ben Edgerton, Powernet

Curtainsider (TMC Trailers Trophy): Coltin Manson, Booths

Best Paint Job: Spud 12, Eden Haulage

Best Kenworth (Alex McLellan Memorial Trophy): Isaiah McLellan, McLellan Freight

Bulk Sower (Barry Wilson Memorial Trophy): Kylah Kerr, Waikaka Transport

Best Mitsubishi/Fuso: Anne Brown, Go Bus

Stock Truck (Delta Stock Crates Trophy): Shaun Wilson, Waikaka Transport

Best Volvo (Andrews Transport Trophy): Nigel, Freight Haulage Ltd

Tractor Unit (Kevin Muir Memorial Trophy): Isaiah McLellan, McLellan Freight

People’s Choice (Michael Irish O’Brien Trophy): Craig Kerr, King’s Log Transport International.

Best Volvo (Andrews Transport Trophy): Nigel, Freight Haulage Ltd

Truck & Driver | 17

NEWS

The NZI Fleet Fit team (left) and driver Gorinda Singh (right) at the recent Paengaroa Rest Zone.

Rest zone record at Paengaroa THE NZI TRUCKIE REST ZONE programme reached a new record when the second event of 2025 was staged at Paengaroa in the Bay of Plenty on May 21.

“It was a fabulous day in Paengaroa as the NZI Fleet Fit team hosted our largest Truckie Rest Zone to date,” says NZI Marketing Coordinator Jimmy Hildreth.

670 trucks were directed though the Paengaroa CVSC while the Rest Zone was taking place.

“Our Fleet Fit team engaged with 230 truck drivers, having conversations about fatigue and safe driving, while also enjoying hot coffees, BBQ and snacks. Nearly 40 drivers took advantage of free health checks provided by

Hato Hone St John.

“A huge thank you to our partners at NZ Police, Hato Hone St John and McFall Fuel for their incredible support in making this event a success,” Jimmy says.

The next NZI Truckie Rest Zone is in Northland – at SH1 Uretiti – on Wednesday August 27.

Iveco puts electric S-Way in the spotlight A FULLY ELECTRIC IVECO S-EWAY IS LEADING the field into action at 2025 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship rounds.

Long-standing championship partner Iveco is breaking new ground by providing the official ePaceTruck, underscoring the championship’s ongoing commitment to innovation and sustainability.

“The fully electric Iveco S-eWay Pace Truck marks another important step in our commitment to sustainable truck racing,” says Georg Fuchs, Managing Director of ETRA. The Iveco S-eWay is on pace truck duty at 2025 Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship events.

18 | Truck & Driver

“Together with Iveco, we are not only writing a new chapter in the sport’s history but also sending a strong signal to the wider industry: change is happening, and it’s happening now.”

With a range of up to 500km and fast-charging capability of up to 350kW, the S-eWay is built to perform under pressure. Featuring a twin-motor electric axle, and striking grid-ready lighting system, the fully electric pace truck is a statement of intent for the future of truck racing.

The electric Pace Truck shares official on-track duties with a bio-LNGpowered pace truck, allowing Iveco to showcase a multi-energy strategy that mirrors the diversity of real-world transport needs and underlines the role of the championship as a testbed for scalable, sustainable solutions.

“With the new Iveco S-eWay as the official pace truck of the ETRC 2025, we are sending out a clear and forward-looking message: the journey toward sustainable mobility in heavy-duty transport is well underway on our roads, and it is gradually beginning to make its mark in the world of motorsport,” says Carlotta Mathis, Head of Strategy and Marketing at Iveco.

“As we celebrate Iveco’s 50th anniversary, we proudly reaffirm our longstanding partnership with the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship. Over the years, the ETRC has represented far more than a competition - it has been a platform where we share key values such as innovation, endurance, and technological progress.

“Our ongoing involvement in motorsport reflects our belief that what performs under the toughest conditions can lead progress on everyday roads.”

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King’s Log Transport has two new Freightliner Cascadia 126s on `Chip Liner’ duty in Southland.

HIS TRUCK IS SHAPED BY WIND TUNNEL DESIGN and is often working fully loaded into the real world equivalent – a southerly blasting off Foveaux Strait and head-on into anything travelling on the final southern stretch of State Highway 1.

Two new Freightliner Cascadia 126 Day Cab 6x4s have recently been added to the Southland-based King’s Log Transport (KLT) fleet.

Their “chip liner” task is a simple and repetitive one – a 35km round trip, typically 10 times a day, carting wood chip from the Southwood Export chipping plant at Awarua to be stockpiled at Southport (Bluff).

From loading at the Southwood Export hopper to the port and back again is typically a 50-55 minute round trip without any hold ups. KLT has five trucks on the job – five days a week – with the Cascadia duo being the new additions to the fleet.

The truck featuring in this month’s Giti Tyres Big Test went to work in February with a second – identical – unit following three weeks later.

The Cascadia 126 powertrain features the top-of-the-line 15.6-litre Detroit DD16 six-cylinder engine producing 600hp at 1800rpm and 2050 lb-ft (2800Nm) of torque at only 975rpm. Using a selective catalytic reduction exhaust treatment system it meets the US GHG17 emissions standard, a slightly stricter regulation than Euro 6.

A 12-speed Detroit DT12 automated manual transmission with an overdriven top gear sends power to a Meritor RT 46-160GP rear end. A high-rise wind deflector sits stop the Day Cab roof to direct the airflow over and around a 5-axle B-Train built locally by Modern Transport Trailers. The combination is 23m long and operates on a 53t HPMV permit.

The suspension is springs at the front and airbags at the rear with 275/70 R22.5 tyres on the steer and drive axles mounted on Alcoa alloys.

The tall trailers are far from new – they’ve been on chip-liner duty since they were built back in 2009.

The red trucks of King’s Log Transport are a familiar sight working throughout the southern region. KLT is the new logging entity created from the four-way separation of the D.T. Kings Transport operation just over two years ago.

For many years King’s trucks have carted logs into the Awarua mill. KLT stepped into the chip liner role from November last year when another local company with the chip cartage contract went into liquidation.

KLT tendered and won the contract, initially using the three MANs, two Western Stars and the B-train side tipper combinations acquired from the previous contractor.

The new Cascadia duo has been introduced to replace the two oldest MANs in the operation. But a major buying decision hadn’t been part of the original KLT plan.

“We weren’t looking at replacements for the MANs. We’d already spent a fair chunk on them to get them going right,” says KLT director Gordon Harding.

“But one night I saw an ad from Keith Andrews Trucks about the Cascadia, and I took a quick look at it.

“Then we started looking into it a bit more. With 600hp, being designed in a wind tunnel and with the pricing and availability, it was pretty hard to turn down.”

Gordon worked with Keith Andrews Trucks southern region salesman Tristan Duffell to arrange a chance to sample the Cascadia.

“Tristan helped us a lot. It was a good deal, and he helped us all the way through the process.

“I took one out to the chip mill and a couple of our drivers tried it out. Two of them didn’t want to drive a bonneted truck, but once they tried it, they realised you don’t actually see the bonnet,” says Gordon.

Truck & Driver | 23

Left: John Tosh, or Toshie, gets to drive the first of the two Freightliners in the KTL fleet.

Right: Wood chip from the Southwood Export plant at Awarua needs to be carted to nearby Southport, with the trucks making 10 runs per day.

Lower Right: Drivers are responsible for loading and unloading the Chip Liners.

Along with 600-horsepower and modern aerodynamics, the Cascadia has some other design features which suit this short-haul heavy work.

“It’s got a tight turning circle which is good because it’s a fairly small turnaround at the mill,” says Gordon.

“And it’s also really easy to get in and out of the cab. It doesn’t feel like you are sitting any lower, but it’s got a good door entry and it’s only two steps to get into the cab.

“That’s good when the guys are doing up to 10 trips a day and they are in and out of the cab all the time [the drivers are responsible for the chip loading and unloading].”

The Cascadia’s aerodynamics and fuel efficiency were as much a factor in the buying decision as the attractive price tag.

“It’s the windiest run we do anywhere, by a country mile,” Gordon says.

“The wind can come in any direction but it’s generally a southerly when it’s the strongest. The trucks are fully loaded, and they are punching into it the whole way. It’s absolutely worth the extra horsepower and the aerodynamics for this job.”

So far Gordon says the Cascadias are performing well, and the drivers are enjoying the trucks.

“It’s still early days but the fuel consumption is already better than the MANs,” he says.

“We thought it might be hard to get drivers for what is a pretty boring run back and forward. But we got a couple of our logging guys who are getting near the end of their careers, and it seems to suit them really well.

“They’re not having to throw chains, and I think it will serve us well in the future to have something for those guys.”

As an interesting side note, Gordon says the Cascadia selection was 24 | Truck & Driver

affirmed earlier this year when he was driving between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, on his way to watch the Warriors play.

“Nearly every truck I saw on that road was a Freightliner,” Gordon says.

For the time being the chip liner job will be handled by the Cascadias alongside the two Western Stars and one of the MANs that were acquired with the contract. The other two MANs are in reserve to cover for breakdowns or servicing.

“Sometime in the future me might look at some bigger trailers and think about going to 58t. But I don’t know if that will be enough to get down to only running four trucks,” says Gordon.

There’s only a small opportunity to increase the overall length of the units with the limiting factor being the length of the Southport tipping platform. At the port the trucks are driven up onto a ramp and then tipped on their side, with the chips falling out the left-hand-side onto a conveyor belt which sends them to the stockpile.

Our test begins on an unusually mild Southland afternoon in the last week of May. There’s sunshine, a temperature just into double figures and very little wind. KLT’s Health & Safety/HR manager Paul “Handles” Williamson brings us to Awarua to meet up with driver John Tosh (Toshie) who is piloting the first of the Freightliners to go on the road.

Paul explains the mill starts chipping at 2.30am with the trucks on the road from 5am. Both eucalyptus and pine are sourced from a number of Southland forests for the chip operation.

“Typically, the five trucks are doing 50 loads a day between them,” says Paul.

“It’s five trucks running back and forwards and you’d think it would be straight forward, and it would look after itself. But there’s always something to take care of. Usually, it’s the covers getting torn by the wind.

“The trucks go until the pad [from where a Hitachi loader feeds the hopper] is clear in the afternoon.”

The drivers are responsible for the loading process, positioning the trailers and then operating the hopper. The trucks go across the weighbridge both entering and leaving the Southwood site and the load weight varies depending on the condition of the chip.

In dry weather the chips are light, and the trailers run out of volume before they reach maximum weight. To get the trailers fully loaded the drivers need to accelerate forward a couple metres and then hit the brakes so the chips settle and the covers can be closed.

Paul says that part of the process will sometimes send him an event notification, triggering an alert from the LYTX DriveCam Event Recorder.

After a quick introduction to Toshie we get some photos of the chip being loaded before departing on the first shuttle run to Southport.

The weighbridge confirms our first load is 49t and then it’s a couple of hundred metres back to the intersection where Kekeno Rd joins State Highway 1. It’s a busy road with a dairy factory and freezing works next door to the chipping mill.

It will be Toshie’s eighth load of the day.

“A good round trip normally takes us 55 minutes, give or take a bit,” he says.

“It’s usually 10 trips a day. I usually do five and a half hours, take a break, and do another five and a half hours.

“Our job with the five trucks is to have it [the pad] clear by the end of the day.

“We are always full [heading to the port], but the weight of the load can vary a bit,” says Toshie.

“I’m 49 (tonnes) at the moment and I’m allowed 53t on this Truck & Driver | 25

Above and below: The unloading process involves a tipping platform, side doors on the trailers and a conveyer belt system to move the wood chips to a stockpile. permit. It can change depending on the type of wood and the forest it comes from, but mainly whether it’s dry or wet.

“I’ve also got scales up where I load from [at the hopper]. It’s a good help.

“You need to be spot on so that’s the idea of putting the scales up in the hopper.”

Toshie says the Cascadia has 12,500km on the odometer.

“I’ve been driving it since February. This is the first one and it already had a couple of thousand [kms] on it when it arrived down here.”

Toshie was one of the drivers who initially wasn’t convinced about bonneted trucks.

“I hadn’t driven a six-wheeler since about 1989 and I’ve been driving cab-overs since 1994,” he says.

“This is the first long nose truck I’ve driven since then, and it took a little bit of getting used to for the first week.

“But you can’t really see the bonnet out in front of you. It slopes

26 | Truck & Driver

away and it was all good as gold after the first week.

“Before this [the Freightliner] I was driving a Volvo FMX 500 logger. Over the years I’ve done bulk work and some stock, flat decks and then I went logging,” he says.

“I did logs for about 15 years and then this job came up.

“I reckon it’s my retirement job. I’m 66 and I’ll keep cruising along for a while. I’ll do this for a couple of years and see how it works out.

“It’s a good easy job. There’s a few levers and buttons but there’s no chains or lifting or anything like that.

“They [KLT] are a good outfit to work for. Monday to Friday is what I like about it, and you can plan your weekends.”

I mention to Toshie that one of my first observations is that the floor height and bottom edge of the door are at a low height, but once seated in the truck it doesn’t feel low.

“It’s actually really good to get in and out of,” Toshie says.

Toshie says the Cascadia is also easy to drive.

“It’s comfy and quiet. It’s got good seats and a 600-horse Detroit.

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TD33833

• Rear loading, rear discharge (tip out)

Above: Modern Freightliner dash layout and controls share design and operation with other Daimler Truck brands.

Below: All of the main information is accessed from two tablet-style displays.

“There’s definitely plenty of power, a nice 12-speed auto and a good exhaust brake. I can’t really fault it any way.”

There’s moderate traffic on the highway to Bluff and the Cascadia makes very little effort to reach 90kph and settle into an easy cruise.

In the overdriven 0.778:1 top gear at 90kph the Cascadia is cruising at a relaxed 1300rpm.

There are small crests and rises but there isn’t a hill of any consequence on this run and Toshie says he leaves the transmission to do its own thing.

“I just leave it in auto. There are no big hills or anything. It’s got a Manual mode and an Off-road mode, but we don’t need that. I use the cruise control a bit on the straight pieces of road.”

The conditions are perfect and certainly nothing like those the trucks works in at times.

“It still pulls nice and easily in top gear when we are heading into the wind. It doesn’t drop back much at all and I’m quite rapt with it.

“These trailers do catch a lot of wind when they are empty.”

The Day Cab layout is simple and offers everything required for

z

TD33833

on

this short-haul run.

The Daimler pedigree is clear in the two tablet style displays. One is immediately ahead of the driver and can be configured to show a selection of primary speedo/tacho information while Toshie has the second display atop the centre console set-up to show engine temperature, oil pressure, and transmission temperature.

“It’s straight forward and all you really need, and everything is in easy reach,” he says.

The transmission selector and exhaust brake are located on the on right hand steering column stalk.

“It’s got three stages, and it works really well. I hardly ever need to use the brakes,” says Toshie.

“It’s a nice, comfy leather steering wheel. The cruise control is on there and the phone if you want it.

“The steering wheel is adjustable for reach and for height. You can push it forward to get in and out, but I just leave it in position.

“We’ve got a pretty tight turnaround to get under the hopper, but I reckon it’s got a pretty good lock for a long nose 6-wheeler.”

KLT has fitted a CB and RT ahead of the driver and above the

Truck & Driver | 29

Above: There are 320-litre fuel tanks on both sides of the Cascadia...The 16-litre Detroit DD16 develops 600-horsepower. windscreen and there’s a handy storage box between the seats.

“There’s a first aid kit up in the left side [the upper storage compartment] and a fire extinguisher under the passenger seat.

That’s about it. My wet weather gear is in the toolbox outside.

“It’s just a Day Cab but it’s all you need for this.”

The standard spec on the Cascadia includes the Detroit Assurance safety and driver assist features such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, active brake assist, and auto lights and wipers with intelligent high beam assist.

The lane departure warning is a loud buzzer that sounds abruptly when the truck ventures anywhere close to the fog line.

“Kim Harris [the driver trainer from Keith Andrews] came down and went through the truck with me. He showed me a few things

30 | Truck & Driver

and gave me a good idea of the technology that’s in the truck.

“It’s got the side noise if you go to close to a line and there’s a sensor on the fuel tank on the left-side that gives a warning if there’s anything in your blind spot.”

Toshie is referring to the Side Guard Assist element of the Detroit Assurance suite.

It’s only 15 minutes heading before when we reach Bluff, turn across the causeway to Southport, and work our way around to the tipping platform.

There’s a truck ahead just completing the unloading process. The full unit is driven up a concrete ramp and parked on the platform.

The driver gets out, opens the side doors and walks to a small cabin where the platform controls are located.

“I’ve got three diff locks on this truck. If it’s wet, I use them driving up on the concrete ramp and onto the platform. When you go off the concrete and onto the chequer plate it can be as greasy as.”

The platform then tilts to near 45-degrees and the chips discharge out the left hand side onto a conveyor belt which takes them to wharf side stockpile.

It takes just a couple of minutes.

“On nice day like today the chip runs out good,” says Toshie.

“On a wet day it can come out in big clumps, and it can stall the belts. You just have to take it quietly.

“Now we just go back, get another load, and do the same again.”

Or in this case Toshie will hand his Cascadia over to Hayden Woolston for the ninth trip of the day.

On the return run Toshie scrolls through the trip computer

info and says the truck has been achieving fuel consumption of 51L/100km.

It’s an efficient figure considering the short haul operation and amount of each 55 minute run is spent loading and unloading.

“They trucks stay at the mill overnight. There are fuel tanks in the yard with most of what we need. If there’s a problem with the trailers the mechanics will come down from Invercargill or we can go back to the workshop if we have to,” says Toshie.

Toshie’s biggest question mark regarding the Cascadia is one that plenty of others in our part of the world have been asking as well.

“I don’t know why they don’t make 8-wheelers,” he says.

“It’s a shame. They’d be an ideal truck really and the old Argosy was a popular truck for a lot of years. If they still made an 8-wheeler, I reckon it would be an ideal truck for a lot of owner-drivers.”

Main pic: The Cascadia 6x4 and 5-axle B-Train are working on a 53-tonne HPMV permit.

Truck & Driver | 31

F

OR A TRUCK TEST, THIS ONE ISN’T exactly demanding – but there’s a good reason for that.

On the day I took the Freightliner Cascadia for a spin, Southland turned on the charm with some perfect weather. All the locals told us not to let the secret out about how good it gets down here… sorry, Southlanders!

But the weather talk isn’t just small talk. Southland is known for its extreme conditions, including fierce winds rolling in off the ocean. That’s what makes this test so relevant.

The Freightliner Cascadia, as Gordon Harding – General Manager of Kings Log Transport Haulage – puts it, “was designed

32 | Truck & Driver

in a wind tunnel”. That aerodynamic design, combined with a smart purchase price, made it an easy decision for Kings Log Transport to add two of these trucks to its fleet.

These trucks are tasked with short, repetitive 35km round trips between the Southwood Export chipping plant and the Port of Bluff. It’s not a long haul, but it’s a route that often faces strong headwinds when the trucks are fully loaded. That’s where the Cascadia’s aerodynamic profile really pays off, helping to reduce fuel consumption.

My test drive consisted of a full load on the outbound leg and an empty return run.

Climbing into the cab is straightforward,

Hayden Woolston thanks to the low entry height that requires only two steps to enter the cab. Once settled into the driver’s seat, I was pleasantly surprised by the visibility – it doesn’t feel like you’re sitting too low to the ground.

The cab interior is clean, modern, and easy to get familiar with. The wraparound dash puts everything within reach, and the dual digital displays are excellent. These

• SPECIFICATIONS • are clearly influenced by Daimler, and if you’ve driven a modern Mercedes, you’ll recognise a few elements of the layout.

Truck manufacturers are doing a great job simplifying driver interfaces, and the Cascadia is no exception. Having driven the latest Fuso and Mercedes-Benz trucks, I found the setup familiar and intuitive. It’s a real plus for drivers moving between brands.

Once ready to go, gear selection is handled via a stalk, and the take-off from stationary is smooth. With no steep hills or tight bends on the route, the 15.6-litre Detroit DD16 engine with 600hp makes light work of the drive.

The 12-speed automated transmission shifts seamlessly, and it doesn’t take long to reach the 90kph speed limit. At that point, the engine is cruising comfortably at just 1300rpm.

What stood out most during the test was the ride quality and cabin noise – or lack thereof. The driver’s seat and steering wheel offer plenty of adjustment, making it easy to get comfortable while the folding armrests are

a welcome addition for this kind of relaxed, repetitive work. Noise levels are impressively low, and the bonnet is so unobtrusive you might forget it’s even there.

After completing the 35km round trip, I can honestly say it was one of the easiest truck tests I’ve done. But, as I mentioned earlier, we had ideal weather. A couple of days later, before returning to the airport, we grabbed the opportunity for a few more photos of the trucks in action – and the weather had completely changed.

Winds were gusting close to 100kph, with rain, hail, and thunderstorms thrown into the mix. Not an easy day for a high-sided bulk chip unit, whether full or empty.

This is the first truck test I’ve done where aerodynamics have been the main focus – and what a place to test it. I’ve since spoken to a couple of other operators who run the same route, and they both confirmed that fuel consumption takes a serious hit when the weather turns nasty.

Freightliner Cascadia 126 6x4 Day Cab Engine: Detroit DD16 six-cylinder (GHG17, Euro 6 equivalent) Capacity: 15.6 litres Maximum Power: 447kW (600hp) at 1800rpm Maximum Torque: 2800Nm (2050 lb-ft) at 975rpm Fuel capacity: Diesel 640 litres (2 x 320L), AdBlue 49 litres Transmission:Detroit DT12-OVX 12-speed automated manual Ratios: 1st – 12.793 2nd – 9.958 3rd – 7.564 4th – 5.888 5th – 4.600 6th – 3.581 7 th – 2.781 8th – 2.165 9th – 1.644 10th – 1.280 11th – 1.000 12th – 0.778 Reverse – R1 14.18, R2 11.04, R3 3.08, R4 2.40 Final Drive ratio: 3.58:1 Front axle: Meritor FG-941(14,600 lb) Rear axles: Meritor RT46-160GP tandem drive with differential lock (46,000lb max axle loading) Brakes: Disc with ABS/EBS Auxiliary brakes: Jacobs Engine Brake Front suspension: Tapered leaf springs and anti-roll bar Rear suspension: Airliner 46K air bags GVM: 26,000kg GCM: 65,000kg

Truck & Driver | 33

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Driving the economy

Making the most of difficult times T

HERE’S AN OLD CHINESE saying, or curse: “May you live in interesting times.”

We’re lucky not to have war or civil unrest here, but we live in a time of global economic uncertainty and unprecedented trade volatility. At this time,

by Dom Kalasih Transporting New Zealand needs to be delivering for Chief Executive Ia Ara Aotearoa our members and the wider industry.

Transporting I have spelt out some of the things we’ve been doing New Zealand for members in a video which is on the Friday Blog section of the Transporting News website. We will be making these regular features, and you will also hear from Cam Bagrie, our Board Chair, and others.

My key message is that if we can move freight smarter and more efficiently, then our industry and our members can play a key role in improving the productivity of the nation. Key to unlocking that opportunity is our policy and advocacy work.

These are just a few examples: • NZTA has heeded our advice and no longer intends to add a new set of traffic lights on Dunedin’s inner-city motorway; • 110 km/h speed limits are being introduced on good fit for purpose roads, Christchurch Southern Motorway being the most recent, with more to follow; • WorkSafe has proposed a single code of practice including the legal requirements and what good practice is for all supply-chain players involved in forestry and harvesting operations. This integrated collective approach across the supply chain clearly demonstrates the expectations of shared responsibility. This is something we’ve been pushing hard for; • NZTA is rolling back on some of its proposed wire rope median installations. It’s now taking much more consideration on the inconvenience and additional travel impacts on people.

We’re also taking a stronger evidence-based approach and ensuring we know what matters to our members and the industry.

• We’ve just completed the National Road Freight Survey, the most comprehensive industry snapshot completed in over 10 years.

• We’re also building a stronger picture of national freight demand, so we’re

better placed to advice NZTA on the next 10-year National Land Transport Programme.

Government’s ferry delays start to bite Since KiwiRail announced the retirement of the Aratere, I’ve heard from many frustrated members. They are concerned about reduced capacity across the Cook Strait, rising freight costs, and the disruption this will cause to their businesses.

This frustration is completely justified. The country will now wait until the end of 2029 for new rail-enabled vessels.

Transporting New Zealand have been warning since the iReX cancellation that extended delays in purchasing replacement ferries would come at a cost.

As is often the case with supply chain disruptions, road freight companies will bear the brunt of making it work.

It is inevitable that this move will undermine the resilience of the Cook Strait connection, particularly when the remaining ferries require routine or unscheduled maintenance.

Our members can be assured that we will continue to hold Rail Minister Winston Peters and KiwiRail accountable, emphasising the cost of indecision and delay on businesses and consumers across the country.

Vocational training On a positive note, we welcomed the announcement from Vocational Education Minister, Penny Simmonds, that MITO (the training organisation for commercial road transport and the motor industry) will emerge from the disestablishment of Te Pūkenga as an industry-owned, industry-led organisation.

Our members need reliable vehicle fleets so we think this is good news.

MITO has also played an important role with commercial road transport and the Road to Success qualification regimes, so guaranteeing its future is important. We have pushed for this outcome over the last 12 months.

Industry is best placed to develop the frameworks that support learners and ensure they are equipped and ready for the industry. There is still some way to go in terms of establishing the structures but this decision was a positive step.

Truck & Driver | 35

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Driving the economy

t

m l e h e h t t a s r a e 20 y t r o p s n a r T l e g n of A

s

By David Kill

ick

Ayna Amina, of Angel Transport battled hard to achieve success and is now celebrating 20 years in business. In 2019, she won Transporting New Zealand’s Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry award.

A

TD35286

YNA AMINA HAS PLENTY TO SAY ABOUT THE industry that has been a big part of her life for 20 years.

“I founded Angel Transport in 2005 with my dad,” she says.

“Right now, I am the general manager. I manage day-to-day running of the business. We have about 25 staff right now.

“The highest number of staff I had under me was about 65 – this was straight after Covid when things went overboard for the transport industry. Right now the industry has quietened down quite a lot so it’s gone down to 25 staff.”

Angel Transport is based in Auckland, where 90% of its work is.

“We do a lot of work out of Auckland as well for our clients. That’s North Island, because we are an urgent door-to-door service.”

But their trucks do go to the South Island when needed.

“We have been down to as far as Queenstown and Bluff when they needed the stuff in the next couple of days.

“We have 85 trucks in our fleet. They are all owned by the company, we don’t have owner drivers.

“We’ve got all the specialist trucks, we’ve got four wheelers, sixwheelers, Hiab, semi-trailers, truck and trailers, you name it.

“We’ve also started working for a medical institute as well. This is a new business that we’ve started a couple of years ago. We are doing their sterilisation equipment service. There’s nothing in the transport industry

that we haven’t done.”

But the road transport industry was not Ayna’s first choice of career.

Having arrived from Fiji at age 12, she did well at school and got good grades. She was accepted into a nursing course and started on a Bachelor of Science degree straight away without needing to complete foundation studies and had just finished one semester when her dad asked her if she wanted to be part of a new venture.

“My dad has always been a business-minded person, and he owned a business back in Fiji as well.

“When he came here, he did do some work for a good friend of people like FastWays and TransAuck. Then he decided he wanted to build a different niche in Auckland because there was nothing like Angel Transport was doing – and that is solely a third-party business where we would hire out trucks with our own drivers to the transport industry, which was struggling to deliver their freight.

“He said he wanted me to be a face of the business. I thought why me, because I am one of four siblings. I said, give me some time to think because this was a big change for me.

“It just took me a night because I am my daddy’s daughter, and I said yes to him. I resigned from my course and in 2005 in October. I stepped into the transporting industry with my dad, with three trucks in Auckland.”

Truck & Driver | 37

Driving the economy

B

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F D b Left: Ayna Amina enjoys driving big utes as well as sporty cars like a Nissan GTR. Right: Angel Transport’s early fleet included Fuso Canters.

Starting off was tough, Ayna says. “To be honest, when I first started, being 19 years old, I didn’t enjoy anything. I was thrown into things with a truck driver because this is the way my dad thought I would learn about trucks, going with a driver out on the road and just learning how things are done.”

It turned out the driver was learning the ropes as well: “So we went out together and we were learning together – how to open the truck, how to open the tail lift. At that age it was really easy and I was a fast learner.”

Then it was back to the office to learn about the business side – the most challenging part. This included the law, tax, and employment regulations. On top of that was promoting the business.

Being a woman from a diverse background was especially challenging in a male- dominated industry.

“I would say that was the biggest challenge. There was this brown Indian girl cold calling all these big tycoons, trying to sell her service – ‘hey, we are a third-party business, we’ve got trucks available if you are stuck, call us and we will get you some trucks on hire’.

“Sometimes I would cry to sleep because nobody would listen, or someone would have said really mean things to me. I would have left a message for a call back – no call back, email, no reply, and that was really heart-breaking. Obviously, people thought, what sort of skills does this Indian girl have in the transport industry?

“And one day I was really upset where I was told off ” ‘we don’t want to do business with a brown Indian girl.’ That was really awful, that was really bad.”

Ayna’s dad provided reassurance. “When I was really upset that day, my was dad like: ‘it doesn’t really matter, Ayna, what anyone says, you do what you do and you do the best.’

“So dad has always been my rock, he will tell me like no, Ayna, let it go.

“And then it was waking up the next day and a new day and giving it a shot again, so it was a lot of hard work and a lot of effort just telling myself that I can’t let this get to me because I need to go somewhere, I need to be somewhere one day.

“It was very hard. But after that hard work, and building your trust and reputation in the industry, that has helped me to be what I am right now, so I think everyone in the Auckland transport industry knows Ayna!

“So it was proving to them that, hey, I am here, on a mission to prove myself.

“I have been through the hard yards, know how to open a curtain, tail lift, pallet jack, or a hand trolley. So that’s how I’ve learnt, and I knew that the service was required in the industry, that people did want to have a

back-up trusted third-party, and I’ve proved to them that this is the thirdparty that they can have, where they could trust the professionalism.”

Health and safety is crucial. “Public safety, the driver’s safety, the truck’s safety, so many safety aspects we have to cover, and right now if a driver is going to be driving one of our trucks, he’ll be going through all this training before he is selected to drive.”

In 2019, she won the Outstanding Contribution by a Woman in the Road Transport Industry award, was a turning point.

“That’s the day I realised hey, all that hard work, and the effort that I’ve put into my business had actually paid off.”

This year, Ayna is celebrating her 20th year in the industry with Angel Transport. It is also her 39th birthday this year.

“It is hard work. It is gruelling. It’s just proving to everybody that you mean business. You know what you’re doing. And you have to put your head up every day and know what you’re talking about. Now I deal with major transport companies, and we are there only as the trusted thirdparty operator… Anyone can beat my cost, but nobody can beat the service that Angel Transport provides for them.”

As well as the transport business, her family keeps her busy. Ayna has two daughters, aged 17 and 15, and two sons, aged 12 and 11. (She is also one of four siblings, two boys and two girls.)

“I always wanted to have three babies. God blessed me with four, which is a good thing! I don’t take that back, because hey, it’s so hard to get good drivers, and who better than your own kids in your own business?”

Though it’s entirely up to her children what they decide to do.

“I would love it if my kids took over my legacy, and my dad’s obviously, that’s the third generation. But I don’t know, they might have other plans, and Angel Transport will keep on rolling with or without the third generation. That is just my personal opinion, and I would love to have them here, but if they have other plans, so be it.”

With such a full-on schedule, what does she do to relax?

“I travel. I travel a lot. Even if it is four days to Fiji, with my husband, no kids, no work, no laptop, no phone – or a trip up north or down south.

I’ll just turn my phone off, everything off, be myself.”

She also likes driving performance cars.

“I own a [Nissan] GTR, and a GMC, what I do is I just take it out on a long drive, park up, and just look at some nice view.

“I love doing that. I’m not really into a lot of reading, but do like reading things off my phone, for relaxing. And I pray. The best mediation in the world is praying … you to the Lord and just speak up and say to him how you are feeling. It’s just a great relief, so that’s what I do.”

38 | Truck & Driver

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Driving the economy

Our wins in advocacy benefits all of the industry H

AVING A HEAD OFFICE IN Wellington means Transporting New Zealand is well placed to engage with central government on the issues that matter most for members. We meet regularly with ministers and officials to press members’ concerns and make submissions to select committees.

However our proximity to the wheels of government

By Billy Clemens, doesn’t always make for a cosy relationship. We have to Head of Policy and be willing and ready to challenge the government of the Advocacy day – no matter what its political stripe.

We have advocated successfully for increased funding for road transport, including the need for better roads and infrastructure.

We have also focused on local transport concerns, meeting with NZTA and territorial authorities on issues like reducing the use of raised platforms and speed bumps in Wellington, the impact of one-way traffic in Dunedin, improving SH76 Brougham Street in Christchurch, and many more.

Over the past year, our team has made submissions on more than 40 pieces of legislation, transport proposals, and policy changes. We have put out more than 50 press releases and are the trusted voice for authoritative and informed comment on transport issues.

Some key achievements have included: Keeping the Manawatū-Tararua highway toll-free The highway, known as Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū-Tararua Highway, is New Zealand’s newest highway, being officially opened this month. It replaces the old Manawatū Gorge road, which was closed by a huge slip in 2017.

We challenged former Transport Minister Simeon Brown and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi on tolling the new highway. Local communities were also strongly opposed to tolling the road.

While we appreciate the need to fund quality infrastructure, and support tolling in some cases, we said this highway was not the place to do it. We support tolling for two other new road projects: the Ōtaki to north of Levin Highway, and Takitimu North Link, near Tauranga. Unlike the ManawatūTararua Highway, both projects were well-signposted as being toll roads.

Meanwhile, we are backing the Greater Manawatū City and Regional Deal Proposal. Transporting New Zealand actually helped develop the proposal, ensuring that members’ concerns were considered.

We believe the deal will support the region’s role as a vital centre for freight and distribution. Key benefits are reduced congestion, improved safety, more efficient freight access, and long-term economic growth.

Transporting NZ supported the case to not have tolls on the new Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū-Tararua Highway and is voicing strong concern over ongoing delays to the replacement of the Interislander ferry fleet.

40 | Truck & Driver

Pressing for urgency on the Cook Strait ferries Finance Minister Nicola Willis cancelled the iREX (Inter-Island Resilient Connection) project at the start of 2024, citing a budget blow out.

However, she did not announce a Plan B and it wasn’t until April 2025 that new Minister for Rail, Winston Peters, was able to give us a significant update: that two new ferries will be built, and that they will be rail-enabled.

However, we still don’t know how much they will cost, who will build them, or what they will look like. The new vessels won’t go into service in December 2029 at the earliest.

Transporting New Zealand has voiced its strong concern over ongoing delays. New ferries are badly needed: KiwiRail’s existing Interislander fleet is nearing the end of its serviceable life, and the ferries have been bedevilled by numerous problems.

Our 2025 National Road Freight Survey shows that 79% of road freight industry participants agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “the delay in replacing the Cook Strait ferries is a major risk for the road freight industry and New Zealand economy”.

The withdrawal of the Aratere later this year means there will be just four ferries being operated by the Interislander and Bluebridge companies for nearly four years.

Planned maintenance, or unexpected breakdowns which could happen as these ships near the end of their service lives, could put real pressure on capacity for freight.

We have urged Minister Peters to get the new ferries on the water as quickly as possible.

A pragmatic approach to speed limits Transporting New Zealand backed the government’s decision to reverse speed reductions on state highways.

Our position was that blanket speed reductions did not consider the impact of increased journey times, dangerous overtaking and tailgating by frustrated drivers, and increased freight costs for businesses and consumers.

Many speed limits reduced since 2020 will be reversed, and there will be greater use of variable speed limits outside schools, rather than fulltime 30kph limits covering extended local areas.

The new rule will also allow make it easier to set expressway speed limits at 110kph, and we support limits of up to 120kph where roads are safe enough.

While that doesn’t directly affect trucks, given their 90kph speed limit, we supported the increase mainly because a road that’s been designed and built for higher speed limits is inherently safer to drive on.

Also, a 20kph difference means it’s much easier for cars to pass trucks and stay on side with the law. Trucks are also typically only 10% of the traffic

Driving the economy

stream so the speed limit increase means a lot of other road uses can get to where they want to get to faster and more safely.

Greater access for HPMVs and 50MAX Transporting New Zealand is advocating for changes to streamline the VDAM (Vehicle Dimensions and Mass) rule and increase uptake and open up access for HPMVs, including and 50MAX vehicles.

There are many benefits of having bigger, but fewer trucks on the roads: They reduce emissions, boost productivity, reduce congestion, and improve safety.

Changes are needed, however, mainly to rules and regulations, as well as roads and bridges.

Most of the 50MAX vehicles can operate on most local roads and state highways, but they cannot use certain roads and bridges due to loading restrictions. Routes are on state highways. This can require trucks to go on lengthy diversions or not be able to complete certain trips at all.

Pushing for better roads We are pleased that the coalition government has pressed ahead on upgrading our roading network. Many of these projects are big and bold, and necessarily, costly. In the last few years it’s become obvious we can’t afford not to do these things.

A record $32.9 billion investment in New Zealand’s transport network was announced in last September’s National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) 2024-2027.

NZTA’s forecasting shows a growing revenue deficit, reaching $6 billion per year by 2030. This requires a dramatic rethink of New Zealand’s approach to paying for projects. Already there are moves to broaden RUC, or road user charges, to capture e-vehicles not paying fuel excises, and tolling for new routes.

We are open to new funding sources and support some of those things, when we think they are sensible.

Supporting driver licensing changes We have welcomed proposed changes to driver licensing rules, and believe they will help encourage more young people to become truck drivers.

The changes would remove the need for new drivers to take a second practical test to get their full licence.

Attracting more young drivers is critical for the future of the industry. A large proportion of truck drivers are older, with many of them over 60, and as they retire that will lead to a driver shortage, which in turn will hurt the economy. Other countries are also facing this issue.

In the recent 2025 National Road Freight Industry survey, conducted by Research New Zealand, almost all industry respondents ranked workforce challenges as one of the top issues facing the industry with 94% of respondents agreeing that the industry needs to attract more young people. There was also general agreement the current heavy vehicle driver licensing system makes it too difficult for new entrants to join the road freight industry.

Getting their class one licence is the essential first step for young drivers progressing on to more specialised heavy vehicle licences.

Transporting New Zealand is advocating for changes to the VDAM (Vehicle Dimensions and Mass) rule and opening up access for HPMVs, including and 50MAX vehicles.

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand’s team is available to asist our members around New Zealand Ia Ara Aotearoa – Transporting New Zealand PO Box 1778, Wellington 04 472 3877 info@transporting.nz Dom Kalasih, Chief Executive 04 471 8285 • 027 441 4309 Dom@transporting.nz

Vicki Harris, Membership Benefits Advisor 027 534 3848 • Vicki@transporting.nz Keith McGuire, Membership manager Upper North Island 027 445 5785 • keith@transporting.nz Odette Geyer, National Membership Manager 027 274 0792 • odette@transporting.nz

Lindsay Calvi-Freeman, Membership Manager, Lower North Island, Upper South Island 027 556 6099 • lindsay@transporting.nz Jim Crouchley, Membership Manager Lower South Island 027 261 0953 • Jim@transporting.nz

www.transporting.nz

Truck & Driver | 41

FLEET FOCUS

42 | Truck & Driver

Story Colin Smith Photos Gerald Shacklock

Truck & Driver | 43

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The Volvo FM has become the core of the McFall Fuel tanker fleet.

DELIVERING FUEL TO WHERE IT’S NEEDED – WHETHER IT’S TO KEEP farm, forestry and civil equipment working, send a luxury cruise ship to its next destination, or to restock a busy petrol station – has kept the McFall Fuel trucks on the move for more than 40 years.

While the primary task remains largely the same, a huge amount has changed at McFall Fuel since the company featured in New Zealand Truck & Driver 20 years ago.

Our 2005 Fleet Focus traced the history of the McFall family businesses, and at the time fuel and lubricants had been the sole focus for only five years.

That had come about in 2000 when founder Morris McFall and his son Allan sold their Waikato-based McFall Enterprises civil construction and quarrying operations to Excel Corporation [subsequently becoming part of the Downer Group in 2009] and decided to concentrate on the fuel distribution side of their activities.

In 2000 there were five trucks, a relationship with BP that had begun in 1983 and continues today, and the beginnings of an industry-leading approach to truck and trailer specifications, training, and customer service.

Morris McFall’s initial venture into the fuels sector in the mid1980s had largely been an in-house solution to service the needs of the McFall Enterprises equipment working in remote locations.

Expansion followed with the delivery of home heating oil and farm fuel around the Waikato and King Country regions from a base at Te Awamutu.

A large portion of the early work were the deliveries that were deemed time-consuming or challenging for the bigger oil company trucks.

Since 2000 multiple acquisitions have seen McFall Fuel grow in size and widen its regional coverage and McFall Fuel is now a North Island-wide fuel supplier operating from 10 locations and running a

fleet of 88 trucks.

Mount Maunganui has been McFall Fuel headquarters since 2002.

A major step to becoming a fully North Island-wide operation came in 2017 with the purchase of Palmerston North-based Rural Fuels, which gained a footprint across the lower North Island and doubled the fleet size and staff numbers.

And in 2022 McFall Fuel purchased the Toll Petroleum business in Northland, taking its operations north of Warkworth for the first time.

In 2025 the McFall fleet is both larger in number and is seen working in more locations. With each build generation the specification of the trucks, the logistics systems that manage them along with the training provided to the drivers continues to be refined.

If you think you’ve seen a few more late-model McFall Fuel trucks on the road in recent months, then you’d be correct.

Transport manager Hayden Holmberg says: “We completed our largest-ever fleet renewal programme in 2024, adding 17 new trucks and six new trailers.

“It was a significant undertaking—almost two units per month were new into the role that year,” he says.

The company’s expansion into new regions and increased demand led to a replacement schedule that had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We initiated the fleet replacement plan after acquiring Rural Fuels. But the pandemic impacted supply – first cab and chassis availability, then the Heil barrels from Thailand – causing a backlog.

The 2024 build effort was about catching up.”

Going forward the build plans are a little closer to normal with plans for seven new trucks during 2025.

Hayden joined the company in 2008 as a 21-year-old driver in one of the 450 CAT-powered Foden Alphas. He says the tanker fleet Truck & Driver | 45

12:12:17 PM

Along with the tanker fleet, McFall Fuel also operates a 6x4 UD Quon for lubricants distribution. numbered 17 trucks at the time.

“I drove for almost eight years, mainly truck and trailer with the odd bit of semi work delivering to farm, forestry, agricultural customers and service station deliveries,” he says.

In 2015, he transitioned into the planning department, and by 2017 had taken on the role of Operations Manager for Bay of Plenty and Taupō, overseeing 20 drivers and 16 trucks. In January 2024, he stepped into the Transport Manager position, succeeding 20-year

The Step-Up programme trains drivers from Class 2 Licenses. There are currently five graduates in the company.

veteran Scott Jeanes.

“Scott followed a similar career path, progressing from driver to planner to manager. We worked closely, especially on vehicle commissioning in Wellington, where I’d often handle the final inspections and drive them back. That experience made the transition seamless,” Hayden says.

The Transport Manager role sees Hayden with responsibility for fleet purchases, the detail build specification of the trucks and trailers, along with maintenance and inspection schedules.

“The fleet composition at the moment is 88 trucks and 34 trailers, which is made up of mainly Volvos and the balance of the fleet is Mercedes, Scania and UD Nissans,” says Hayden.

There’s a mix of semi-trailers [both quads and tri-axles] and the balance are dog trailers.

McFall Fuel operates from key locations across the North island: Auckland, Whangārei, Mount Maunganui, Te Awamutu, Taupō, Gisborne, Napier, Palmerston North, Wellington, and Taranaki.

Fleet utilisation is crucial and is now assisted by building each unit, so the larger trucks and trailers are interchangeable.

“Fleet utilisation has become a major operational focus.

The truck and trailer fleet are built to be interchangeable by design which helps manage service schedules and enables shift optimisation,” Hayden says.

Various shift patterns accommodate customer-specific needs.

From left: Earlier McFall Fuel Volvo and Foden tankers and the early days of both civil construction and fuels work.

46 | Truck & Driver

“We run four-on/two-off rosters that involve three drivers sharing two truck and trailer units along with a few Monday-to-Friday shifts tailored to forestry and civil contractor clients,” he says.

“We also have dedicated night-shift drivers who prefer this shift schedule, paired with corresponding day-shift counterparts.”

The company is currently developing a bespoke logistics planning platform, tailored to the fuel industry’s specific requirements.

“Off-the-shelf solutions did not quite meet our needs. Our roadmap includes significant IT development, driven by customer service focus and demand for real-time responsiveness and timecritical deliveries.”

One area where the variables are minimised is the choice of Volvo as the preferred truck supplier.

“There’s always been a big safety focus. Going back, the Fodens were a safe truck for the time and running mainly Volvo means we now have one of the safest truck fleets available.

“Volvo ticks every single box, and we make sure we have the latest safety features as soon as they become available. The newest of them to come through is the passenger blind spot detection warning system with live rear facing camera feed of the passenger’s side while indicating left.”

Hayden had first-hand experience of the company’s progression to Volvo product.

“We introduced our first Volvos in 2008—a trio of 480 FM I-Shift trucks. They offered a noticeable improvement in comfort and driveability.”

“Volvo is at the top end of driveability and comfort. I came out of a Foden with an 18-speed Roadranger, and you’d knew you had done a full day. Even with those first Volvo I-shifts you’d get to the end of the day and feel like you could still go for a few hours more.”

Today the favoured model is the FM range of 8x4 & 6x4 rigids but there have been five FH models recently introduced allowing 58t HPMV operation. The most recent addition to the fleet is an FH 700 working as a 9-axle truck and trailer unit.

“We like to work on a minimum of 10hp per tonne when we spec a new vehicle, considering vehicle longevity, fuel efficiency, driver comfort, and staff retention,” Hayden says.

“The performance and reliability over the years has been impeccable from Volvo. The support we get from MTD and from Sime Darby is absolutely outstanding.”

Alongside Volvo, the other key partner and hardware provider is Tanker Solutions. The Wellington-based company has been McFall’s exclusive tanker build partner for 16 years.

“We use Heil barrels, which suit our operations perfectly,” says Hayden. “The builds typically take about eight weeks from chassis arrival to road readiness.”

Each of the barrels, imported from Thailand and fitted to the Tanker Solutions trailers, should serve the company for a lot longer than the trucks themselves.

“What we try to do is get three truck lifespans out of each barrel.

Wellington-based Tanker Solutions is a key supplier to McFall Fuel.

That’s around seven years double-shifted to get to 21 years out of a barrel life,” he says.

“We’ve recently had the first one that’s come off the road and is now going on its third cab and chassis. So, it’s been on the first version of I-shift in New Zealand, then went onto Version 3 model and now been removed off the current truck, heavily inspected and repainted, and it’s going on the latest Version 6.”

Upgrading to Euro 6 emissions powertrains has been a McFall priority, and also a work in progress. This was a major selection feature in adding the UD 6x4 to the fleet with its early adoption of Euro-6 with shared Volvo component running gear.

“The first [Volvo] Euro 6s turn up for us in 2026. There was a change on the Volvo Euro 6 platform that initially didn’t suit our build layout with the new and bigger mufflers to meet the emission standard,” Hayden says.

“Euro 6 Volvos are available for this year’s build schedule, but they couldn’t be engineered to suit the fuels industry with the drastic changes to the chassis layout and new components. Volvo have since come back very quickly to the market with the right product for us.”

A Euro 6 solution has been found by adding the first Scania’s to the fleet with three trucks (two G 500 XT 8x4 and a G 420 XT 6x4) going on the road this year. That move was prompted by the availability of Euro 6 models but required close attention during the spec process.

“Our trucks are very bespoke. When we made the move to bring

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Scania into the fleet, it was a three-month process working with them to make sure we had the cab/chassis spec exactly right.

“That’s working with the body builders, getting the measurements and layout right and also making sure those trucks can also work with any of our four-axle trailers,” says Hayden.

During last year’s big build effort Hayden also took the opportunity to add some new features to the trucks.

“We’ve added hand washing stations on the passenger side of the truck, for sanitation and it helps keep things cleaner inside the cab,” says Hayden.

“And we’ve got red proximity LED laser lights that shine down along each side of the truck and create an exclusion zone, alongside the cones and barrier arms. We still need to put the cones out to create the physical exclusion zone, but it’s an added layer of visual protection.

“We also changed the layout of how the guns are holstered so it’s a bit more ergonomic. They are just fine little tweaks, but last year’s build programme was a good opportunity to introduce them.”

Maintenance and inspections also fall under the Transport Manager view.

“Unlike most transport operators we don’t just have the regos, the COFs and servicing. We’ve got 14 other inspections we have to comply with in the dangerous good transport industry.

“The way we maintain our fleet is very heavily regulated and very data driven with a lot of check points.”

Maintenance on the McFall Fuel fleet is performed exclusively by authorised service providers.

“We rely on the likes of MTD and Sime Darby for Volvo and UD maintenance. We are looking for trends from faults identified and we work with MTD on any findings to ensure we minimise downtime.

“The management and maintenance side is really important to me. I believe we do fuel and lubricants really well and we rely on the service providers do the maintenance and servicing well to keep the

fleet road fit. Most of fleet is on Volvo Contract Maintenance for the first portion of their life.”

McFall’s striking yellow branding was introduced during a 2013 rebrand moving away from the earlier straight white livery.

“We marked Tanker Solutions’ 500th build with the addition of their special logo amongst our brand last year.”

The fleet also includes a UD Quon 6x4 curtain-sider for distributing packaged lubricants and AdBlue across the North Island, direct to the customer base and regional hubs.

Despite the slower build schedule for 2025, Hayden remains focused on continuous improvement.

“I enjoy both the daily operations and long-term strategic planning, especially integrating new technologies,” he says.

Part of the long-term strategy is the McFall Fuel Step-Up programme, which trains drivers from Class 2 licence holders and now includes five graduates.

“We’re adding two 4x2 UDs this year for that purpose. They’re not the most efficient vehicles, but they serve an essential training role.”

Hayden highlights several advancements over recent years.

The McFall Fuel operation has always specialised in delivering fuel to more remote forestry and agricultural locations.

Truck & Driver | 49

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50 | Truck & Driver

Mills Tu

Left: Keeping cruise ships and other large vessels on the move is an important part of the McFall Fuel logistics service.

Above: Latest drive camera, EROAD telematics and Volvo Side Assist safety features are part of all new McFall Fuel trucks.

Below: A new addition on the latest builds is a hand washing station.

“We adopted I-Shift transmissions to reduce driver fatigue, transitioned from Teletrac Navman to EROAD for fleet and compliance management, and installed DriveCam systems across the fleet. These provide live front facing views and event-triggered footage, these are valuable coaching tools for us to help our drivers.”

Hayden says there is plenty of scope for future additions of technology in transport moving forward into the future.

Looking ahead, McFall Fuel is preparing for industry transformation.

“Last year, under new CEO Stephen Fraser, we underwent a restructure aimed at shifting from an operationally driven model to a strategically led business,” Hayden says.

“It’s part of preparing for the future of bulk liquids and energy transport while aligning with decarbonisation goals and staying

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focused on current excellence.

“Many businesses rely on us to keep their operations running—from forklifts and earthmovers to cruise liners and container ships,” says Hayden.

He also highlights the company’s strong internal culture; “Whether it’s the trucks, systems, or people, we’re often seen as

industry benchmarks. There’s always room for improvement, but I believe we have a strong mix of fleet, staff, and locations.

“What I value most about McFall Fuel is the culture of action. If a staff member raises a concern or suggests an improvement, something gets done. That’s what has kept me here.”

A demonstration of the new LED perimeter lighting fitted to McFall Fuel trucks.

AMONG THE RECENT CHANGES AT MCFALL FUEL MADE WITH THE future very much in mind has been the 2023 appointment of Stephen Fraser into the CEO role.

Fraser brings an extensive energy industry background, and his priority is to prepare McFall Fuel for future energy industry developments.

“The previous six years [prior to joining McFall Fuel] I headed up the generation division for Trustpower, which is 43 power stations.

And prior to that I worked for Shell globally in their upstream business, and all up I’ve had about 17 years in the oil and gas industry,” Stephen says.

“I grew up in Rotorua and spent most of my time working overseas before coming home.”

He says McFall Fuel is preparing to make a big step.

“In general terms we’ve completely reset the strategy to transform the business into an energy company. That means our physical assets will need to evolve to deliver alternative products – biofuels, hydrogen, methanol, ethanol or whatever.

“We are on the cusp of taking a large step forward. We are going to be a strategically led company, and we have started to imagine how that company will look.

“We’ve already done a lot of hard work. I have brought in a new executive team, and we have a real clarity of focus. It’s a clarity around what the competition are doing, what is our point of difference, and what is going to make us number one.

“I believe our point of difference is our people, our attention to detail and putting the customer first,” he says.

Planning for a fast-evolving energy future doesn’t mean a 52 | Truck & Driver

lessened focus on the present.

“Transportation and how we delight our customers is our game, and it will be for a long into the future,” Stephen says.

“We are looking at how do we get longevity with that within the context of decarbonisation. That’s our long term focus.

“Technology will underpin our strategy. We want to embrace technology, data and insights.

“We want to transform and make sure we maintain relevance and be part of the energy transition. We see that as any opportunity rather than as a threat.”

Stephen Fraser is leading a strategic shift for McFall Fuel.

Mike Crandon has developed the comprehensive McFall Fuel driver training and safety programme.

By Colin Smith

MODERN TRUCKS AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE A BIG contributor to safe fuel delivery, but McFall Fuel puts an equal emphasis on upskilling the people driving the trucks and pumping the fuels.

The company continues to refine its industry-leading driver training and incident response programmes, an area headed up

by Mike Crandon until he moved to the Head of Logistics role with McFall Fuel at the end of 2024.

Mike has led the evolution of the McFall Fuel training programme.

“Our training is right up there. It’s world class,” says Mike.

The programme is based around the company’s own senior driver “buddy trainers”, I-endorsed driver trainers and outside specialists.

“It’s all been developed in-house, led by our team of extremely competent trainers and myself,” he says.

“We started by looking at the way people learn. A lot of our truck drivers are kinaesthetic learners, very hands-on and very visual, so we adopt the training package to suit that.”

The training is structured into modules and fully documented into multiple volumes covering specific areas of the industry.

“They are very visual and to the point. We are constantly updating with any changes that are required, but it’s really only fine-tuning now.

“We have three volumes of product training that covers off transporting liquids as well as health and wellbeing, fatigue management and body mechanics. Volume four is underway at the moment and it’s really specific to what we do in the lubricants delivery side.

“Volumes one to three are mainly fuel-related while volume four is more specific to curtainsider operation. It goes into things as basic as opening and closing the curtains safely, using the straps, tail lift operation, pallet jacks and other things,” Mike says.

The McFall Fuel driver training programme starts with an initial six to eight weeks of buddy training with a senior driver in the cab at all times with a new staff member coupled with a mid-training point check-in with our I-endorsed driver trainer.

“When the buddy trainer (a senior driver) says a new driver is good to go we get one of our I-endorsed driver trainers to go out with them for a couple of days, to assess their competency,” Mike says.

“It’s not just about the driving and the characteristics of the vehicle. They need to learn how to pump fuel into farm tanks and into commercial tanks. A lot of it is about product handling and keeping themselves safe.

“We’ve developed a lot of training aids which demonstrate the specifics of transporting liquids and things such as Static Roll Threshold models,” says Mike.

“If new drivers come [to McFall Fuel] with fuel industry experience we still go through all the standard operating procedures, but it might only take two or three weeks rather than six. They won’t get signed off until they are competent and confident at delivering fuel.

“After they have gone out into the workforce we do a follow-up observation with them.

“Within the first six months they will also attend a two-day Driver Induction Course. It’s a group of about 10 new staff and drivers each time.

Truck & Driver | 53

Training with Police and Fire personnel has become a regular part of the McFall Fuel emergency response strategy.

“Every two years they will also do a Driver Refresher course. It’s a refresher on driver awareness, back care, safe product handling, fire extinguishers and a lot more. Again it’s in groups of about 10 and last year we ran five Driver Refresher courses and put about 50 staff through,” Mike says.

There are several other elements to the training available at McFall Fuel.

A successful part of the training has been the Step Up programme, bringing drivers through from a Class 2 license beginning on smaller 4x2 trucks.

“We actually have someone at the moment we have brought through from a car license to the Class 4 they are currently on,” Mike says.

“We also do in-house DG endorsements and we have a trainer who is qualified to do that.”

McFall Fuel also provides light vehicle training for sales staff who are driving the company utes.

“And there’s a more advanced light vehicle training course where we take the team to the TECT Park [between Tauranga and Rotorua] and do some light vehicle offroad training for the sales staff who are visiting customers in forests and on farms, so they know how to handle the vehicles on those roads.”

The ongoing development of the training structure saw the introduction of the Operational Emergency Response course last year.

“We teamed up with the Wood Group [specialist trainers based in

54 | Truck & Driver

New Plymouth] to do simulated incident response and management.

“We ran three courses last and there will be a refresher course later this year. We are constantly looking at upgrading our training package,” Mike says.

“It’s an opportunity for staff to work with the Emergency Response trailers we have based in each region and to work alongside the emergency services. We involve the three emergency services in our training courses.

“We have it set-up where a car has crashed into an old tanker we acquired a few years ago. The Fire Service cut the roof off the car and we also make sure all the details are covered, like the driver taking the Dangerous Goods documentation out of the door and handing it to the Police who are attending.

“There’s a situation where the Fire Service has foamed down the area and we go through the process using the equipment carried in the Emergency Response trailers.

“We drill into the tank, insert a spear, connect the pump and pump it out into another truck,” Mike says.

“If we have a tanker roll over we want to be sure our entire team is trained in what they need to do.”

The structure of the McFall Fuel training regime makes sure that all staff are fully trained.

“Even Allan McFall, our managing director comes along. He’s involved in all our training. He holds a truck license and he’s been known to deliver fuel for us, especially during the post cyclone Gabrielle regional support a couple of years ago,” Mike says.

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National Road Carriers

Public-Private Partnerships the key to accelerated infrastructure delivery

T

Justin Tighe-Umbers, CEO, National Road Carriers Association

HE LATEST ON SCHEDULE PODCAST FEATURING VICENTE Valencia, highlights the compelling case for increased use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to fast-track infrastructure delivery in New Zealand. In somewhat of a wake-up call to political leaders one of the key out takes was that if New Zealand wants worldclass infrastructure delivered within a decade – not generations – we must embrace PPPs as a central tool in our development arsenal.

Why PPPs work PPPs are not simply a funding mechanism – they’re a delivery model. They combine the public sector’s need for infrastructure with the private sector’s appetite for risk, capital, and efficiency.

As Vicente eloquently pointed out, PPPs allow for the transfer of significant risks – such as cost overruns and delivery delays – away from taxpayers and towards private partners who are better equipped to manage them. PPPs also give the government access to global infrastructure expertise of the kind that is not normally available in New Zealand.

This model brings cost discipline, innovation, and speed.

PPPs demand that infrastructure projects are shovel-ready and structured, with clear milestones and outcomes. It’s a model that has delivered success globally. I had the privilege of working with the government on arguably New Zealand’s most successful PPP – the ultrafast broadband project. New Zealand’s fibre-based broadband is the envy of the world, and whether I wore a taxpayer hat or an investor hat it was a good deal. Australia, Canada, and the UK have all transformed transport, education, healthcare, and social infrastructure through successful PPPs. The political gap in New Zealand

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Unfortunately, history has shown, New Zealand has been reluctant to fully engage with PPPs. The result? Delays, budget blowouts, and a credibility gap with the private sector. Interestingly, both sides of the aisle in Australia support PPPs, a more mature approach that New Zealand would benefit from.

It is clear that political inconsistency is New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure risk. We lack a stable pipeline of projects that investors can rely on. When governments change, priorities shift, and years of planning are often tossed out. This uncertainty deters investment and drives talent offshore. This is why NRC has been

calling for a 50-year roading infrastructure pipeline, out of reach of the political cycle. Pleasingly, the Infrastructure Commission, and the National Infrastructure Agency are both working to build this pipeline.

The talent issue is particularly pressing. Infrastructure experts – planners, engineers, financiers – need consistent, long-term visibility of work. Without that, they leave. New Zealand risks losing its best people to Australia and beyond, where the infrastructure pipeline is stable, politically bipartisan, and decades long.

A better way forward What New Zealand needs is not just more PPPs – it needs political courage and clarity. Something we are starting to see signs of with the coalition Government and Minister Bishop and his predecessor Minister Brown.

To meaningful move forward we must: 1. Establish a cross-party Infrastructure Accord We need a bipartisan agreement on New Zealand’s long-term infrastructure priorities and be clear on the projects that will meet them. This must outlive election cycles and remove the temptation for successive governments to “re-litigate” major projects. Without political consistency, there can be no confidence from investors.

2. Maintain a clear and transparent pipeline The New Zealand Infrastructure Commission must be empowered to maintain a real-time, 10–30-year pipeline of projects. This transparency gives investors’ confidence and gives local industry the ability to plan workforce and resources.

3. Embed PPP expertise in government Government agencies often lack the expertise to structure and negotiate complex PPPs. Australia’s strength lies in embedding commercial expertise within the public sector. New Zealand must invest in similar institutional knowledge and retain it across successive governments.

4. Incentivise private capital Globally, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and institutional investors are seeking long-term, stable infrastructure assets. New Zealand must be open for business. That means clearly structured PPP frameworks, streamlined procurement processes, and competitive returns.

continues on page 58 Truck & Driver | 57

National Road Carriers continued from page 57 From 50 years to 10 Vicente is correct. New Zealand doesn’t have 50 years to get this right. Our housing crisis, transport bottlenecks, and outdated water infrastructure are already costing us billions in lost productivity, social cohesion, and public health. The private sector is ready. The capital exists. The expertise is here.

Now we just need the political will to make it happen.

We need to stop treating PPPs as a last resort and start seeing them for what they are: a smart, effective way to deliver public outcomes.

Countries that have embraced PPPs are building faster, more resilient infrastructure. There’s no reason we can’t do the same.

In ten years, New Zealand could have delivered modern hospitals, better roads, efficient public transport, and safer water systems. Or we could still be arguing about business cases and shifting goalposts.

The choice is ours. And it begins with a change in mindset – one that sees the private sector not as a threat, but as a partner.

There is a compelling case for increased use of PublicPrivate Partnerships (PPPs) to fast-track infrastructure delivery in New Zealand.

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National Road Carriers

Budget 2025 is a green light for transport transformation

By James Smith, GM Policy & Advocacy, National Road Carriers

B

UDGET 2025 HAS DELIVERED A LANDMARK INITIATIVE that could signal a turning point for New Zealand’s freight and transport sector. National Road Carriers (NRC) strongly supports the Government’s “Investment Boost” tax incentive and sees it as a practical, forward-thinking measure that could be the catalyst for long-overdue modernisation across our industry.

At its core, Investment Boost allows businesses to immediately deduct 20% of the cost of eligible new assets – including vehicles, machinery, and commercial buildings – from their taxable income in the year of purchase, over and above standard depreciation. For transport operators, that means meaningful tax savings when upgrading trucks, expanding warehouse capacity, or investing in logistics technology. In an industry where capital costs are high and margins are often tight, this policy could provide the breathing room and financial incentive businesses need to act now, rather than delaying investment.

This is not just good for business – it’s good for the country.

Treasury projections estimate this initiative will increase GDP by 1%, wages by 1.5%, and capital stock by 1.6% over the next two decades. Half of these gains are expected within the first five years. Such figures underscore how pivotal investment is to longterm economic resilience. By incentivising companies to reinvest in productive assets, the Government is enabling real, on-theground change in how our economy operates and grows.

For the freight and transport industry, which is the backbone of domestic trade and a vital link in every supply chain, this couldn’t have come at a better time. Operators are facing escalating costs – from fuel to compliance – and battling infrastructure constraints that make delivering goods less efficient than it should be. Add to that the urgent need to decarbonise fleets and upgrade to cleaner, more sustainable technologies, and it becomes clear that Investment Boost offers more than tax relief – it offers a clear path to transformation.

Let’s consider a practical example. A transport firm investing

$500,000 in new Euro 6 trucks – a substantial upgrade in emissions standards and fuel efficiency – would be able to claim an additional $100,000 tax deduction in the year of purchase, alongside regular depreciation. That might translate to over $28,000 in tax savings. These aren’t theoretical benefits – they’re tangible incentives that could tip the scales for operators considering whether to invest in modern, cleaner fleets.

Equally important is the inclusion of new commercial buildings in the scheme. This marks a departure from previous tax rules, which excluded depreciation deductions for commercial buildings altogether. For freight depots, warehousing, and logistics hubs, where space and efficiency are crucial, this opens up real opportunities for expansion and upgrades. With better facilities come streamlined operations, reduced costs, and improved service levels across the freight chain.

NRC believes this policy is not only economically sound – it is equitable. Unlike a general company tax cut, which provides a uniform benefit regardless of reinvestment, Investment Boost rewards action. It favours the doers – the businesses ready to grow, adapt, and modernise. In this way, it channels government support towards productive activity that generates long-term value for workers, customers, and the economy as a whole.

The $6.6 billion cost of the scheme over the forecast period is not insignificant. But we believe this is a strategic investment in our future productivity. The alternative – continuing to limp along with ageing fleets and underperforming infrastructure – is far costlier in the long run. By investing now, the Government is seeding the conditions for stronger, more resilient supply chains and a more competitive economy.

NRC commends the Government for this bold move. We urge our members to take full advantage of the opportunity. Whether it’s upgrading a fleet, expanding a depot, or embracing new logistics software, now is the time to act. This is not just a tax break – it’s a chance to move our industry forward.

Let’s make it count.

Truck & Driver | 59

FEATURE

The 2025 Brisbane Truck Show filled the huge Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre and attracted record crowds.

By: Colin Smith

Record Brisbane Truck Show SOMETIMES THE THEME OF AN EVENT IS MOST CLEARLY defined by what isn’t in the spotlight.

And there seemed to be one noticeable shift in focus at the 2025 Brisbane Truck Show held May 15-18.

Recent editions of the biennial show have increasingly placed electric trucks in the spotlight. The intensity was dimmed somewhat this year – the latest EVs were still in attendance but were no longer the centrepiece of displays or the dominant topic in the presentation speeches from the leaders of major brands.

The wide-ranging Daimler Trucks exhibit provided an example of this revised messaging. Both Mercedes-Benz eActros and eEconic BEV models were part of show line-up along with the new generation Fuso eCanter.

But the key message on the Daimler stand reminded the industry that although Australia adopts new ADR 80/04 emissions standards from November this year, Daimler models which have offered Euro 6 (or equivalent) status since 2016 have already travelled more than 3 billion kilometres on Australian roads.

The Daimler presentation had latest generation Detroit diesel engines on display, positioned a customised Unimog 5023 as the centrepiece of the stand, and the electric models were lined up alongside combustion engine stablemates.

In part it was a statement that EVs are just a normal part of the model line-up. But it was also an indication that they are not the headline makers at the moment.

The three brands on the Daimler Truck stand made an impressive arc with the Australasian debut of the Mercedes-Benz Actros Pro Cabin at the centre.

The Pro Cabin brings aerodynamic enhancements to the Actros range, reported to deliver a further 3% fuel efficiency improvement over the conventional cab design in European tests.

The Actros 2663 Pro Cabin show unit in Brisbane marks the beginning of Australian validation testing with a market launch scheduled near the end of 2025 in both Australia and New Zealand.

The ProCabin is set to replace the current large cab Actros models, including the 2.5 StreamSpace and GigaSpace configurations.

A bonneted solution to aerodynamic efficiency also grabbed attention on the Daimler Truck stand with a mildly camouflaged version of the next generation Freightliner Cascadia from North America.

The fifth-gen Cascadia was only launched in North America last October and there’s no introduction date announced yet for Australasia.

The ongoing product focus for the Freightliner brand is fourth generation Cascadia, with a special edition version revealed at the show to celebrate the brand’s roots that go all the way back to 1942.

The 1942 special edition pack adds a black-out theme for the wheels, bumper, tanks and guards as well as special seat embroidery and exterior design highlights.

Another upcoming new model on show and currently undergoing evaluation tests ahead of a late-2025 on-sale date was a more powerful Fuso Shogun.

Along with an updated cab design, the premium Shogun model gets a performance boost for its twin turbo 13-litre engine, lifting from its current 510hp output to 530hp and 2600Nm of torque.

The power boost headlines a range of upgrades across the Shogun range with exterior cab changes including full-LED headlights.

A new cloth ISRI driver’s seat is being added to 11-litre Shoguns, while the 13-litre 530 Shogun will now gain a heated leather ISRI driver’s seat.

Interior upgrades include a new electronic park brake and a new key fob that no longer needs to be inserted into an ignition barrel. Minor improvements have also been made to the interior trim, information cluster and multimedia unit.

Safety has been boosted with a new active Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS) that uses five radars and a forward-facing camera.

Dimming the electric spotlight and championing new diesel technology was also evident on the Volvo Group stand.

Low emissions through aero efficiency gains were showcased by the introduction of the sleek new Volvo FH Aero with the I-Save 13-litre engine, which shared the product focus with the new 17-litre Euro 6 diesel engine that will power future Volvo and Mack premium models.

The new D17 engine which develops up to 780hp and 3800Nm of Isuzu launched its new F Series range, topped by the 335hp FX models.

Truck & Driver | 61

Only seven months after its North American reveal,

Daimler Truck had the new generation Freightliner Cascadia on show in Brisbane. torque was in the spotlight powering a Volvo FH16 XXL prime mover.

Volvo did have a new electric premiere for the show with the first FMX Electric to arrive in Australia. It was exhibited with a Volvo Construction Equipment L25 electric wheel loader.

The Mack side of the Volvo Group display put the focus on the brand’s global 125th birthday celebrations taking place this year while the big product news was the debut of an upgraded Super-Liner that will go on sale in 2026.

There’s an exterior restyle for the Super-Liner – along with its Titan stablemate – and in a notable policy change within the group allows the premium Mack models to gain access to the top-spec 17-litre engine with 780hp performance, which Mack labels as the MP11 engine.

The new Super-Liner on show also featured the largest 70-inch Big Bunk integrated sleeper option while an Anthem display was powered by the latest Euro 6 MP8 High Efficiency compound turbo engine.

For the UD Trucks brand the primary display was a Quon CG 460 8x4 tipper which showcased the 11-litre GH11 engine in Euro 6 spec with the 12-speed ESCOT-VI automated transmission.

A relatively small Scania display was a reminder the Swedish marque has a much stronger market share and presence in New Zealand than it achieves in Australia. In fact, it was the first time since 2019 that Scania had been officially represented at the Brisbane show.

For Australians the headline news was the introduction of the premium S 770, a truck that has been a familiar sight on Kiwi roads for

almost three years.

Scania had plans for an EV main attraction, but they were scuppered by a shipping delay. The plan had been to debut the battery electric G 40 boasting a 400kW powertrain, and a 416kWh battery pack in Brisbane.

Scania also had two examples of its latest 13-litre six-cylinder Super trucks on the stand with a G 560 and P 500 to communicate the fuel efficiency and performance options available in this segment.

The Penske display was mainly about special paint schemes and drawing attention to Penske global motorsport success, with the stand centrepiece being a show car display of the Porsche 963 LMDh sports prototype racer campaigned in the FIA World Endurance Championship and North America’s IMSA Series.

The bold red, white and black Porsche racing graphics were carried across to a couple of MAN show trucks while the main new MAN product debut was the first Australian example of the high-spec TGX Individual Lion S equipment level.

Recently launched Western Star 47X and 48X models were on show, branded with a special paint scheme to launch the StarNation social media initiative in Australia.

Special colour schemes, spec levels and badging were also in evidence at Iveco, which celebrates 50 years as a commercial vehicle manufacturer in 2025.

Iveco Australia announced it will extend a European marketing initiative with Metallica by providing vehicles and sponsorship when

Euro horsepower, Volvo’s new 780hp FH 16 XXL (left) and the DAF XG+ with the upcoming 660hp Cummins X15D engine.

62 | Truck & Driver

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the band completes it world tour with an Australian leg in November.

That includes the bold black and yellow colour scheme used for the European tour.

The notable upcoming new product for Iveco is an update of the EuroCargo medium-duty range. The new EuroCargo on show in Brisbane was the ML140 E28 model – denoting a 14t GVM, the 280hp Tector 7 Euro 6 (Step e) engine with a new ZF 8-speed automatic transmission among its core features.

The styling and interior of the EuroCargo has been freshened and the safety roster further updated.

The widest ranging display of new models featured on the PACCAR stand which again dominated one end of the Brisbane Conference and Exhibition Centre floor space.

New generation Kenworth T620 and T620 SAR models with Cummins X15 power debuted alongside new PACCAR MX-13 powered T420 and T420 SAR models and a new T320.

The T620 and T620 SAR are the evolution of the equivalent T610 models which were introduced back in 2016. The new designation signals a move to Euro 6 spec X15 engines, developing 485hp to 625hp and with 1850 to 2050 lb-ft of torque.

The PACCAR stand received plenty of attention with the Ron Burgundy paint colour the common theme across the Kenworth display.

With the T620 upgrade the new Eaton Endurant XD Pro 18-speed automated transmission makes its debut in an Aussie-built bonneted Kenworth and the latest generation Fusion active safety suite is available.

The visual changes are minor - bold new air vents on the bonnet of the T620 are the most obvious visual exterior update while the red ‘T’ on the model badging is a change to denote the Euro 6 status.

There’s also an interior and equipment upgrade for the new models based around PACCAR 15-inch digital driver display, 8-inch AV display, Smart steering wheel, and wireless phone charging features first introduced when the cab-over K220 models debuted two years ago.

New Zealand importer Southpac Trucks says the first bonneted 20’ models for the New Zealand market are scheduled for September build slots with local arrival from Q4 of this year.

The T420 and T420 SAR deliver the same design and features with power from the MX-13 engine (460 and 510hp) and the PX-12 and PX18 automated transmission options.

The Kenworth T320, which is a rarity in the New Zealand market, was shown as a flat-bed car transporter while a T909 was on show with a Euro 6 spec Cummins X15.

One of the talking points of the last Brisbane show in 2023 was the reveal of a DAF 6x4 prime mover for the Australian market, powered by the new generation Cummins X15D developing 660hp.

Two years later a production version was on display and since the last show, changes to Australian Design Rules will mean the 2.55m wide cab won’t need to be modified for Australian regulations.

There were XG+ and XG 660 models on the PACCAR stand and there remains plenty of interest from potential New Zealand buyers.

However, the official word from Southpac Trucks is that DAF models for the New Zealand market will continue to be sourced only from Europe, which means the 15-litre isn’t on the agenda for New Zealand.

However, the new truck does preview the design of the next generation XF, XG and XG+ models that will launch in New Zealand

Top: The ProCabin version of the Mercedes-Benz Actros is designed for fuel efficiency.

Left: The Cummins Integrated Powertrain display showcases the full Cummins, Eaton and Meritor driveline solution.

Below: Battey electric DAF XB (left) and the Iveco S-Way ready to support the Metallica tour of Australia later this year.

Opposite page:

Top: New Kenworth T620 SAR and T620 models debuted in Brisbane.

Middle row: Customised Mercedes-Benz Unimog 5023 and upcoming 530hp Fuso Shogun on the Daimler stand.

Bottom: Volvo’s electric range expands with the FMX Electric (left) while Penske showed off the MAN TGX with Individual Lion S equipment package.

64 | Truck & Driver

next year with PACCAR MX-13 powerplants.

There was also an electric flavour to the DAF display with a 19t XB electric model on show alongside a PACCAR recharging station. The XB Electric is being evaluated for introduction in Australia.

Isuzu is Australia’s top-selling truck brand – even though the large Giga models aren’t sold there.

The upcoming renewal of both the N Series and F Series line-ups was the prime focus of the Isuzu Australia display with models ranging from its popular Work Ready N Series models and multiple examples across the full spectrum of F Series.

Much of the attention in Brisbane was on the new FX models.

In Australia the FX is available in eight variants which offer GVM capability up to 26t.

The new generation is powered by a Euro 6 version of the 9.8-litre 6UZ1-TCC six-cylinder engine which develops 259kW (335hp) and 1437Nm of torque from 1400rpm while all FX models have the Allison 4400 six-speed automatic transmission.

The FX range is supported by the new FR, FS, FT and FV derivatives that introduce Euro 6 four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines.

The 6.7-litre six-cylinder is the new DB6A unit in 260hp and 300hp versions and equipped with an integrated Jacobs Engine Compression Brake.

For Hino the show focus was its 300 Series Hybrid Electric models,

and a look at the battery electric Dutro Z EV light truck which is being evaluated for the Australian market.

The hybrid models represent a point of difference for Hino in the low emissions space for the Japanese brand, delivering up to 22% in fuel savings and emissions reductions with no range or recharge restrictions The display featured a 300 Series 916 Hybrid Electric Wide Cab with a Kyokuto Single Car carrier body, which acts as a recovery vehicle in the Repco Supercars Championship.

Hybrid Electric models offered in Australia range from car-licenced 4.5 tonne GVM, up to light rigid-licenced 8 tonne GVM. Previewed at Brisbane was a 300 Series 716 ‘Built to Go’ hybrid electric tipper, set to go on sale later this year using the same Kyokuto Kaihatsu body that is fitted to the conventional 300 Series diesel.

Hino is also trialling a 300 Series Z-EV electric truck in Australia and the Brisbane show marked the first public display in Australia of the zero emissions Dutro Z-EV walk-through van with an ultra-low floor.

The Z-EV will undergo trials to interrogate its cost, range and payload in Australian conditions.

Returning to the theme of noticing what wasn’t in the Brisbane spotlight, it was also obvious the second-tier EV promotors were no longer in attendance.

Truck & Driver | 65

Volvo introduced the FH Aero (left), and Iveco is readying an upgraded EuroCargo line-up.

In spite of announcing plans to list on the Australian Stock Exchange, the Janus Electric venture was a no-show in Brisbane. And SEA Electric, which had significant floor space at the 2023 show, were nowhere to be seen two years later.

Nor was there a wave of new Chinese brands with EVs to promote.

There was a Sitrak HD EV tucked away on a tiny stand, but with the prominence given to latest diesel powered C9H. The Sitrak HD EV is a 6x4 tractor with a 600kWh LFP battery, peak power of 825kW and a claimed 2080% fast charge time of 20 minutes.

The biggest product news out of China was the Australian debut of the DFAC brand with a light truck model that will go on sale from September.

The DFAC Captain E will be available in 4.5t and 6.0t GVM models with Euro 6 Cummins engines offering 121kW/400Nm performance and a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Plans were also announced for a 9.5t DFAC model with a 176kW and 850Nm Cummins Euro 6 engine. It’s expected to launch in Australia from 2026.

Whatever the changing themes over the years, the Brisbane Truck Show was bigger than ever with a record 2025 attendance that cements its

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status as Australia’s largest industry exhibition and also the biggest truck show in the Southern Hemisphere.

The official figures reported a recordbreaking 54,790 attendees across the four days, smashing the previous high of 42,855 in 2023.

Todd Hacking, CEO of show organiser HVIA, says the amazing result confirms the show’s standing as a truly worldclass event.

“What started back in 1968 as an event to connect members with their customers has become much more than that – a week-long festival of all things trucking,” he says.

Notably, the all-time-high attendance was underpinned by record numbers of industry decision makers on Thursday (13,865) and Friday (15,551). Saturday recorded the biggest single day in the show’s 58-year history with 17,404 attendees through the doors.

The huge Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) offers 35,000 square metres of exhibition space across three levels and was packed with stands featuring the latest trucks, trailers, parts and accessories and related technologies - ranging from impressive manufacturer statements to small booths.

The truck show is the only BCEC event which fills the entire show space.

TD34534

14/04/23 4:08 8:18 PM AM 29/07/20

New styling and features for the Mack Super-Liner arrive in 2026 with the 17-litre MP11 engine available.

FEATURE

Left: The tri-drive Kenworth K200 of Trent Schaeffer attracted plenty of admirers.

Right: Overall National Championship Show N Shine honours were claimed by the Cornwill Transport Kenworth Legend SAR.

Shining on South Bank A THEME OF THE BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW IN RECENT YEARS by Slattery Auctions. The T909 with dramatic custom murals was has been the effort to shift part of the industry showcase outside representing the Alexandra Truck Show in Victoria and the hardof the main Exhibition and Convention Centre and into the wider working unit has already travelled 500,000km. public eye.

There were some impressive classics in the Show N Shine In 2025 the focal point of this initiative was the inaugural line-up, among them the 1983 Mack Super-Liner in the red livery Silverback Show N Shine National Championship with a line-up of the Cootes Quarry Products fleet. The restored bulldog which of 28 trucks – comprised mainly of regional truck show winners – has travelled 2 million kilometres earned its place in the National assembled in the Little Stanley St and South Bank Plaza area as final representing the Castlemaine Truck Show. part of the Truck Week 2025 programme.

Another Mack from two decades earlier was the pristine 1966 A mixture of restored classics and modern rigs were on show model R600 Flintstone of the Giacci family, restored to period outside the South Bank restaurants and cafes with a Sunday prize correct specification with 210hp END711 engine. presentation announcing the Cornwill Transport 2022 Kenworth Restoration of the Flintstone was a five-year project and cost Legend SAR – aptly named Dynamite – as winner of the Champion $400,000. The white and turquoise truck made the trip from West of Champions Award.

Australia and was representing the WA Mack Muster and Truck The Geelong-based Cornwill brothers – Troy, Wayne and Rick Show.

– have named and customised the 2022 Legend SAR as a tribute The line-up included a handful of European brand trucks and to the TNT SARs that used to work on Victorian highways. The among the standouts was the Scania R 620 XT heavy salvage tow Legend SAR is powered by a 615hp Cummins X15 and earned its truck for ACT-based Aplus Towing. Named Thor, the V8 Scania place in the National event by taking Truck Of The Show honours is equipped with an Ekebol boom rated at over 100t. The bold at the 2024 Castlemaine Truck Show. graphics and lighting made it a centre of attraction on Little Judges awarded the runner-up prize to Andrew Derham’s 1989 Stanley St. Mack Value-Liner called Stayin’ Alive which is based at Little River, Victoria.

The classic lines of the Giacci family 1966 Mack R600 Flintstone from Western Australia.

The 3.2 million kilometre Mack has been immaculately restored and is powered by a 500hp E9 V8. It represented the Koroit Truck Show in Victoria.

Trent Schaeffer’s state-of-the-art tri-drive Kenworth K200, Summer Jam, from Campsie, NSW and representing the Bathurst Truck Show, claimed third place.

The big Kenworth tows a single trailer and with its 600hp Cummins X15 engine, is capable of hauling a B-double load on a single set-up. The white and blue livery and the name are actually inspired by a classic VW Kombi van with chrome and scrolls to produce an eye-catching look.

Karma, the 2021 Kenworth T909 finished in all black and belonging to Auswide Transport Solutions claimed the People’s Choice Award sponsored Truck & Driver | 67

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Heritage Highway THE WIDER TRUCK WEEK 2025 EVENT PROGRAMME RUNNING alongside the Brisbane Truck Show again included the Heritage Truck Association annual show at the Rocklea Showgrounds on May 17-18.

Some heavy rainfall on the Friday evening before the show opened to the public required last-minute reorganisation of the parking arrangements and display layout at the low-lying Rocklea venue – which is prone to flooding – but didn’t dampen the turnout or the enthusiasm for the classics.

There is enough hard surface area around the showgrounds arena to line-up more than 150 trucks, a handful of which were over 100 years old and ranged from hard-working and weathered originals to the meticulously restored.

Celebration themes at the 2025 show marked 125 years of the Mack brand worldwide and also 90 years of UD Trucks.

The timeframe of the Mack exhibits stretched from a 1919 AC model through to a 2025 Anthem and also included military models, classic R Series and special edition 100 Years models on display.

Trucks were on show from throughout Australia with the truck travelling the furthest being a 1987 500hp V8 Mack Super-Liner from Tasmania – which combined a stopover at the Heritage show with the delivery of a classic CAT D8 bulldozer from Tasmania to Rockhampton.

A similar 1988 Super-Liner named Sir Sid was among the

standout restorations on show at Rocklea. Named after cattle king Sir Sidney Kidman, the truck originally worked in the Fraser’s Livestock Transport fleet.

Powered by an E9 V8 developing 500hp, it’s now owned by Dennis Kelly who selected the name after reading the story of Kidman while the truck was being restored.

The HTA show always draws a strong crowd of enthusiasts and families to view the line-up of road transport vehicles – big and small – from yesteryear.

Among the rarities on show was a 1982 Leader. The ex-Brambles heavy hauler is owned by Peter Zinn and after a lengthy restoration

The restored Mean Machine drag racing truck was on show aboard its tow vehicle.

Truck & Driver | 69

Top: Mack Super-Liner hauling a CAT D8 called into the Heritage Show on its way from Tasmania to Rockhampton.

Below: Old timers on show included 1919 model Mack AC and early Napier.

Right: Mercedes-Benz 1418 duo provided some European classic flavour.

70 | Truck & Driver

this year’s HTA show was the first public display for the classic which runs a Caterpillar 3406 engine with a five-speed Mack gearbox matched to a four-speed Joey box.

Brambles ordered four of the trucks but only three were built and delivered – the fourth cancelled before it was manufactured – from the Toowoomba-based manufacturer.

Leader was founded by Cyril Anderson and Western Transport Group and built nearly 2,000 trucks between 1972 and 1984.

Another unique truck on display was the big-winged 1961 Mean Machine B61 Mack drag racer that was campaigned in the 1970s by Bill Gordon and restored between 2020 and 2022 by Bernie Tobin.

The racing Bulldog has a 8V71 supercharged Detroit boosted by a nitrous oxide injection kit, developing between 900 and 1000hp.

The Heritage Truck Association Australia Inc. was formed in 2002 to cater for the growing interest in historic trucks. The annual Rocklea show is the association’s major event and celebrates the contribution of the men and women who drove and lived with these great machines of the past.

The association’s mission is “keeping old wheels turning” and many of the trucks on show had been driven long distances to Rocklea to offer a contrast to the latest technology on display at the Brisbane Truck Show.

FEATURE

A bus rollover simulation was used by the Fire Brigade and St Johns to treat crash victims.

Raising Standards

Story: David Kinch Photos: David Kinch and Brett Flower

NIGEL HOPE IS THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT HE’S ALWAYS BEEN involved in other people’s misfortunes.

It’s a career that started back in 1976-77 when Nigel left school and went to work for British Pavements as a truck driver on the Twizel project. The ‘high country’ is a land of harsh climates in both summer and winter, and the gear often got stuck.

Nigel then served his time as a fitter with British Pavements which included travelling overseas. Then came a switch to the engineering department and, when Fulton Hogan took over British Pavements, the mistakes were still happening every so often, so they’d take the old Hamilton crane out and deal with it themselves.

“Between the crane and the old British Pavements Scammell we used to deal to our own problems,” Nigel says.

Moving forward 20 years the late Milton Durham bought a Kenworth and was operating a 24-hour recovery operation, but this eventually became too much work for a one-man crew, so Milton sold the business to Nigel and his business partner at the time, Ray Holly.

For the next ten years Nigel and Ray expanded the business to include machinery moving for factories along with recovery work, which required more trucks and staff.

Things really started to pick up around 2006, which lead to New Zealand Insurance (NZI) wanting to have a “broker day” with all the salvage people and insurance brokers in attendance.

Bruce Harris travelled up from Timaru with a Hilton Haulage crane truck and BTR had three trucks in attendance. Local companies like Robsons and Protranz were invited along and everyone watched from a curtainsider as three trucks were rolled over in different situations and the operators then demonstrated how an accident

scene could be cleaned up.

“That started everything in the way of training and demonstrating what they could do,” Nigel says.

Then in 2007, while on a training course run by Truckworks in Adelaide, South Australia, Nigel discovered the “air bag technique” which could be used for lifting and catching a vehicle in a recovery situation.

“A set of airbags was purchased because of the number of rollovers we were attending,” Nigel says.

The next ‘broker day’ was held in Mosgiel, with local operators involved, but as insurance companies moved on the “broker days’ stopped.

In the meantime, Nigel had joined The Towing Recovery Association of America who are very much into training operators using a thorough online course and test format.

Unfortunately, interest in the course from fellow operators around New Zealand wasn’t good as it was deemed “too hard” due to the large amount of reading involved which made it feel like they were going back to school.

BTR were then approached by the Lincoln Fire Brigade to have a day out, so Nigel organised the pit at Robinsons Road. Using crashed cars in different scenarios, the Fire Brigade could practice and improve their rescue and recovery techniques.

Following this, the NZ Heavy Haulage Association got involved and an advert was placed inviting new operators to a training day at the Robinsons Road pit. This time the Rolleston Fire Brigade and St. Johns Ambulance attended with four different scenarios set up.

Nigel often had wrecks left in his yard, so he asked the relevant people if they could be used for Fire Brigade training. After a while Truck & Driver | 71

Above: Attendees at the most recent Recovery Day get together for a group photo.

Left: A number of different recovery companies are working together to improve industry standards.

Right: BTR Ltd (Bus Truck Recovery) owner Nigel Hope.

Nigel built up quite a collection of wrecks that were still mobile enough to travel to the demonstration days and be used for different crash and recovery scenes.

It’s hard to believe, but there hasn’t been a training standard in New Zealand for recovery operators. So, Nigel asked the NZ Heavy Haulage Association to record what was done at these exercises with the aim of creating an industry standard in the near future.

“It’s always been learn as you go. If you stuff it up, remember it and don’t do it again,” Nigel says.

The next get together was held in the pit at the Protranz yard with operators involved from all over New Zealand.

“Once complete though, things went a bit quiet for about 18 months or so. I was often asked when I was doing another one, but I

72 | Truck & Driver

tried to encourage others to run a day in other parts of the country,” says Nigel.

In March 2025 the latest recovery day was held at a pit owned by Road Metals in Christchurch. It was an ideal location with different elevations and plenty of space to carry out the different exercises for all involved.

“Everyone pays their own way to the event and I’d like to thank the companies that made the effort to turn up,” Nigel says.

“Raising standards is the aim of it all and we’re working together with the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association and MITO to create an industry standard.

“We had a meeting on Friday morning with the NZTA to resolve some of the technical issues, Friday afternoon consisted of a trip

The Recovery Day allowed Fire Brigade personnel to simulate a car crash scenario. to Gerard Daldry’s truck collection and Friday night we met back at the Hornby club. On Saturday morning the NZHHA Chairman Mark McNeilly came along to see the recovery exercises, which was good.”

The Saturday consisted of five different scenarios. A tour bus that was stuck in a riverbed and recovered, a rolled over concrete mixer which was righted using air bag technology, a bus crash that had crash victims who were attended to by Fire and Emergency and St Johns Ambulance, a silage unit that had gone down a bank and a

truck with a bitumen tanker that had rolled over.

The emergency services were thankful for the training opportunity.

“If it wasn’t for Nigel providing us with this opportunity to practice and hone our skills we just wouldn’t get the chance, especially with something like a tour bus,” says John Trounson from the Rolleston Fire Brigade.

In closing Nigel says; “Everybody contributed in some way. I was just the co-ordinator.”

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LEGENDS

Heart of gold and hands of steel

A

Danny Lendich: 19 January 1944 – 13 May 2025

UCKLAND’S DANNY LENDICH MUST STAND AS ONE OF THE most dynamic and multi-faceted figures in the earthmoving and transport industry, a man whose life stretched across agricultural toil, mechanical innovation, business empires, and deep community roots. Born in 1944 to Croatian (former Yugoslavia) immigrants, Lendich’s journey from childhood hardship to success is not just a story of a selfmade family man, but a testament to resilience, vision, and unyielding drive - in other words, a Southpac Legend.

Early Years: Hardship and the Birth of Ambition Danny’s life began on an apple and pear orchard on Moire Road in Massey – a property his parents Filip and Ruze Lendich, purchased after his father started life in New Zealand as a gum digger up north.

“My grandfather came here many years before my grandmother, laying the foundation down before she and their four children came.

My dad was born here after that, here in NZ,” says Danny’s daughter Joanna.

The Lendich family’s poverty left its mark: as a boy, Danny could not afford shoes and famously attended school with cow dung on his feet. This earned him the schoolyard nickname “Danny cowdung”—a reflection of humble beginnings but also a badge of hardiness that would define his life’s work ethic. Croatian was his first language, and while he cherished his heritage, he determined to chart his own course

74 | Truck & Driver

beyond the expectations of his family and community, eager to build a better life for himself and those around him.

Leaving the academic world behind, Danny’s practical interests emerged early. At just 12 years old, he started using his father’s tractor to do jobs for local farmers after school and on weekends – a small business that marked the beginning of his lifelong passion for machinery and contracting. By the age of 14, with the support of his family, he was able to acquire his own bulldozer, diving headfirst into the world of heavy machinery at an age when most children were still studying basic arithmetic.

Building a Contracting Empire What began as small jobs on the family tractor blossomed into a lifelong enterprise. Danny was working as a contractor, rapidly developing a reputation for tireless work and innovative solutions.

Danny operated under different business names over the years— transitioning from Lendich Brothers to Lendich Construction as the company evolved, the label “Lendich since 1956” became a hallmark of his long-standing operation.

Overcoming significant obstacles, Danny, supported by his wife Dianne, aimed to modernise and expand their operations. A pivotal moment came in the early ‘70s when Danny and his wife travelled to Australia, pondering their next move. They spent time watching trucks

crisscross the Queensland highways, meticulously deciding which make of truck would best suit their ambitions. After considerable deliberation, they settled on the Kenworth brand, a decision that would become central to their business identity. That first Kenworth, “PM1” (Prime Mover one), was a foundation stone for a growing fleet that over time grew to “PM10”.

Danny’s commitment to excellence extended to every detail. His acquisition of heavy-duty trailers, inspired by a visit to midget car races in Denver, Colorado, led him to commission custom-built tipulated trailers from Fruehauf. Danny had them made extra strong with extra ribs as in his words, ‘he wanted to build them to last forever’ – hallmarks of Lendich’s insistence on durability and quality.

franchise in New Zealand. After being introduced to Wendy’s in the United States during a lunch with Midget Car racer Sleepy Tripp, Danny was so impressed by the food and service that he decided to acquire the franchise and opened his first Wendy’s restaurant in New Zealand in 1988. Over time, the business grew to 25 locations nationwide.

Lendich’s managerial style was hands-on and deeply invested.

He cared about customer experience, often visiting his restaurants personally, and was relentless in maintaining product quality. Danny resisted corporate pressures to change key menu items – refusing to switch to skinny fries or shrink burger buns – believing New Zealanders deserved generous portions and consistency. Wendy’s New Zealand remains unique globally for retaining these original menu staples.

Infrastructure Influence and Civil Works

Diversifying into Service and Retail

Lendich Construction quickly became a major force in New Zealand’s developing infrastructure. Projects included the iconic Sky Tower, the sprawling Spaghetti Junction interchange, the Northwestern Motorway beginning at Grafton Gully, on-ramps for the Auckland Harbour Bridge, and even the demolition of such landmarks as the Majestic Theatre, Cinerama, Auckland Market, Salvation Army building, Star Hotel, Shakespeare Tavern, and the New Zealand Herald building. Danny’s company played a pivotal role in the creation and modernisation of Auckland’s built environment. Other significant jobs included the tunneling and damming of the Tongariro Hydro Scheme, gold mining around Murchison, forestry roading around the East Cape, the Marsden Point pipeline and the gas lines in New Plymouth.

Perhaps most monumental was the contract to prepare foundations for the massive power pylons stretching from Taupaki all the way to Whangarei. Every one of those pylons rests on ground levelled and prepared by Lendich. This extensive pylon project prompted the company to open operations in Kaitaia.

The Lendich business also undertook work overseas, with Danny being proud to say that they extended the runway to accomodate larger aircraft at the Western Samoa airport, and Lendich also had a branch in California, USA. Lendich’s work ethic was relentless. He prided himself on tackling jobs others would shy away from, often working through holidays and weekends, running jobs around the clock under the Ministry of Works and local councils.

Identifying gaps in the local market, Danny also ventured into retail fuel, founding a gas station when his contracting fleet needed convenient refuelling in Massey, West Auckland. The venture quickly became one of New Zealand’s highest-volume gas stations. The sale of that iconic Royal Heights station to Mobil after deregulation provided vital capital to build the All-Seasons centre in Te Atatu.

This multifaceted approach – heavy contracting, retail, and fast food – showcases Danny’s holistic and entrepreneurial way of seeing opportunity in every direction.

“He had great ideas and great foresight, and he was always correct, he took some risks, and they always paid off,” says Joanna. “And then my mother, she’s an excellent financial head, so she always made everything work. So, they were a great team.”

Entrepreneurial Spirit and Expansion It was not just in contracting and trucking that Danny Lendich proved himself a visionary. Every overseas trip was an opportunity for inspiration and new ideas. A trip to Europe led him to import Smart cars and retrofit them with diesel tanks, revolutionising how his company could refuel its machinery quickly and efficiently on-site.

The same spirit of curiosity and adaptability led to one of his most significant accomplishments: Operating the Wendy’s fast-food

Motorsport: From Digger to Dirt Track Legend Motorsport was a constant thread in Danny Lendich’s life and legacy.

His early exposure to the scene came at age 12, when neighbour Roy Hanbury took him to watch stock car races in Auckland.

“Dads first race experience was to go and watch Louis the Leopard (Louis Antonievich) in stock cars at Epsom Showgrounds,” says Joanna.

“Louis had a bright red car with a white leopard down one side. He was 12 at the time.”

Joanna continues; “He then first visited Western Springs speedway when he was around 14 years old with a family friend, Arthur Biggs, to watch the motorbikes. From here he started to crew for Roy Hanbury and his midget car. Dad’s sponsorship of Hanbury’s midget car launched a tradition of supporting and owning competitive teams at Western Springs Speedway and abroad.”

Danny would go on to sponsor, engineer, and manage teams with some of the most legendary names in dirt track racing, including previously mentioned Roy Hanbury, Barry Butterworth, Sleepy Tripp and Jerry Coons Jr. Danny was the first New Zealander to win a USAC (United States Auto Club) feature race in America as a car owner – and he and his teams

Truck & Driver | 75

collected 19 career USAC feature wins, an extraordinary achievement that made Lendich a respected figure on both sides of the Pacific.

Though he didn’t drive the race cars himself, he did famously compete in truck racing – most notably winning an early 1970s Pukekohe truck race in his Kenworth, outpacing the more common British Bedfords and other mid-size trucks of the era.

His loyalty to the speedway community was legendary. Even in his final weeks, Danny fought passionately to preserve Western Springs Speedway, advocating from his hospital bed as others sought to have the speedway converted to an event venue.

Sponsorships and Community Commitment Beyond business and motorsport, Lendich was fully invested in his local community. He regularly contributed to school fairs and local causes, famously delivering scaffolding for the Holy Cross School Fair in his prized Kenworth truck, much to the pride of his children.

Joanna says that Danny was also a rugby guy, he played continuously for Waitemata for 25 years, from juniors to seniors, and made Auckland selection. He was known to be tough and uncompromising on the field; he was fiercely loyal and remained a lifelong member of the club.

When the opportunity to sponsor New Zealand’s top sports teams arose, Danny’s ambitions were large, but practical. Unable to afford a deal with the All Blacks, (thanks to his friend John Hart) he pivoted to the New Zealand Warriors rugby league team, becoming a key sponsor for 19 consecutive seasons. To this day, the Wendy’s logo on Warriors’ shorts is a visible legacy of Danny’s commitment and pride.

Character, Hardships, and Sacrifice Those who knew Danny best, especially his family, describe him as a man with “a heart of gold and hands of steel.”

Larger than life, he was a straight-talking, sometimes intimidating presence, but also deeply caring, generous, and fiercely loyal. He worked nearly every day, often with only a few hours’ sleep, dragging his family into the whirlwind of his ambitions – school holidays and

76 | Truck & Driver

Christmases were spent at gas stations, building sites, or behind the counter at Wendy’s.

Despite an intense work ethic and business drive, Danny overcame severe personal hardship. Diagnosed with renal nephritis at 30, (ironically the same disease as his rugby idol Jonah Lomu), he ultimately received a life-saving kidney transplant from his wife – a match that allowed him to live another 25 years, making him one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving transplant patients.

Even amid illness, Danny maintained a relentless routine, crediting his wife and daughters (Danielle and Joanna) as the champions alongside him, and later, his grandchildren, Savannah, Olivia, Danny, Roman and Ariana.

Legacy and Reflection Danny Lendich’s story is one of ceaseless motion – a life run at “100 miles an hour”. He revolutionised industries, built Auckland’s backbone, gave rise to fast-food culture, and cheered as his teams triumphed both on the field and the racetrack. His presence inspired awe and unquestioned respect; his hands built a city, while his heart held the family and community close.

He was often described as a pillar, not just of his family, but of the wider Auckland community, a man whose large hands may have shown the marks of heavy labour, but whose actions revealed the deeper marks of loyalty, integrity, and love.

Danny’s mantra, “Go quietly,” was a phrase he shared in times of trouble – a quiet wisdom from a man whose life was anything but gentle or silent.

As Joanna recalled at his funeral, people still ask: “How on earth did one man do so much in one lifetime?” The answer lies in tireless effort, deep loyalty, a refusal to quit, and a faith in the value of always giving more. Whether in business, family, or giving back, Danny Lendich remains an enduring example of what it means to build, to serve, and to leave the world stronger than you found it.

“Our pillar has fallen, his legacy lives on. Go quietly Pocivaj u miru.”

FEATURE

When things go wrong in the transport industry, having the right insurance cover makes a big difference.

Building premium partnerships IT COULD BE EASY TO THINK OF AN INSURANCE BROKER AS someone who just finds the best price. But what shines through after talking to leading brokers is they are really business advisors linking the right people and knowledge together.

“Not just a middleman” Eamon O’Connor, founding Director of O’Connor Warren Insurance Brokers says: “It’s about getting the best outcomes for the client” and his mantra of “there’s always something else” plays intentionally into a client centric way of operating.

Based in Tauranga, O’Connor has built his firm out of deep experience in the heavy transport sector and his client focused way of doing business It’s bringing recognition from his peers too. O’Connor Warren Insurance Brokers, has been named Insurance Business’ No. 1 Elite Broker of 2025, topping the list of high performing insurance professionals across Australia and New Zealand.

Similar sentiments are echoed by Di Dixon and Kim Oettli, codirectors of Affiliated Insurance Brokers, who’ve spent decades advising clients in the logistics and freight world.

The ethos behind their business is a customer relationship focus – in fact it’s why they started the business. They were unhappy with what they felt was a `profit before people’ culture in the company they worked for at the time and wanted to provide a better alternative.

Over the last seven years the business has grown well and there are four offices across the North Island with the Bay of Plenty opening in May. This `people first’ approach has really come to fore in recent years, as Covid and natural disasters both here and abroad have meant insurance costs have risen. Add to this parts and equipment delays

in the supply chain, operators losing runs and prices increasing across the board from freight charges to parts to fuel and you’ve got a pretty challenging environment for transport operators. This is where relationships are key.

“Understanding the business is absolutely critical,” says Di. “We go out and see the yards, talk to drivers, learn how the operation actually runs. That’s what allows us to give the insurer the full picture,” she says.

A good broker will also have excellent relationships across the chain.

“We have strong relationships with the insurers, motor assessors and repair networks,” Kim says.

“It’s important to have those relationships. If you don’t have strong relationships you’re probably not going to get the right outcomes for the client.”

A sentiment Angus Lochore, Managing Director of Altranz agrees with.

“Having the right broker through Di and Kim at Affiliated, their experience has been invaluable to our Heavy Transport Business.”

One of the insurance pitfalls for a transport operator is having gaps in their cover or being under-insured. If anything happens there may not be enough in the business to keep the wheels turning, which is why a good broker should be looked on as a trusted business partner. The advice they give could have significant impact on your business.

Philip Toohill, Transport and Commercial Manager at ICIB Brokerweb, brings over 40 years of experience to his role.

He advises; “not to shop around. Make a decision on the broker first and stick with it.”

“There are only handful of insurers that will cover things like linehaul in New Zealand and having multiple brokers making multiple submissions only muddies the water and effects the quality,” he says.

Truck & Driver | 77

“Sometimes you end up in the position of more brokers making submissions than there are insurers and if the first broker in the market doesn’t make a good submission it won’t matter what we say, the terms have been issued and insurers will generally follow those terms.

“Once you have the right broker don’t chase the cheap dollar. Build the relationship.”

Tailored advice and strategic cover With the right broker in place, that’s job done... Right?

“The insurance placement of a transport operation can be multifaceted – with linehaul, logging and metro all have different underwriting considerations. Transport and Logistics operations are generally more complex because they can have many layers of risk,” says Eamon.

New technology now provides operators with indispensable tools that take risk management to new levels. There are long-running programmes where insurers will fund tech and training into a clients business.

The NZI Fleet Fit initiative is a long running and well known example.

The goal is to prevent the accident before it happens.

By assisting in the safety performance of their customers fleets, brokers are able to deliver real time risk management tools and insurers know that fleets are being proactive to address common risks like fatigue.

Di Dixon sees this as a real innovation in the industry: “It’s this innovation that’s coming through that’s just going to get better and better.”

Eamon describes this as one of the additional touch points that transport brokers should be looking for.

“Are they [transport operators] using risk management tools? Do they have good risk management processes? How does that reflect in their claims history data?

“Claims history data shouldn’t be the only consideration for underwriters. Being able to articulate the quality and being able to attach that to a projection of payouts in claims in a reasonable insurance year is a really important thing,” Eamon says.

This kind of data is what underwriters look for in submissions. It tells the story of the business and not only provides piece of mind for the operator but gives the underwriter the full picture to assess. Eamon describes it as “controlling your risk profile.”

Thinking of your broker as a trusted business advisor is something Di Dixon and Kim Oettli, co-directors of Affiliated Insurance Brokers.

78 | Truck & Driver

Garry Taylor, Executive General Manager Business at NZI. emphasised by all the brokers we spoke to.

Kim describes the process of making sure new clients understand were the operational risks lie.

“For an operator starting out with a truck and trailer unit, fully financed and relying on that income, we would talk about Loss of Use cover,” she says.

“So if that vehicle is off the road they are able to hire another and keep the income stream going.”

All the brokers suggested that operators looking to start out should go to a broker for advice beforehand.

Phil advises further that new operators; “don’t spend on the bling for the truck, invest in the tech and budget for the premiums.”

Eamon advises; “make sure you really understand your contracts and have a conservative cost model. Ensuring you sign solid working contracts, or at a minimum obtaining a commitment letter confirming the volumes, rates and length of work is crucial to the success and longevity of any transport business.”

The operator’s view: “They know how we tick” From the operator side, Graham Redington, Managing Director of Northchill Group, sees his broker relationship as a key part of his company’s risk strategy.

He operates a mixed fleet across New Zealand with varied range of contracts – from chilled and frozen food transportation to concert and event equipment transportation.

Redington says he’s seen people try to do it on the cheap.

“Our concert business is on declared liability, you can’t just have carrier’s liability insurance at $2,000 because it doesn’t work. There’s no such thing as cheap insurance. Anyone with half a brain in business has good insurance.”

Graham says he’s known of operators who were under-insured and its always “bitten them in the arse big time. You just can’t be that person.”

“A lot of customers want to see cover notes for insurance and they want to see public liability and declared value insurance. Then there’s no arguments. It keeps things simple and most importantly keeps things moving.”

Graham says programmes like NZI’s Fleet Risk really support the business and even financially assist with things like Guardian camera installation, which he describes as “the ambulance at the top of the cliff.”

But for Redington, the value isn’t just about handling the worst-case scenario. He talks about switching to his current broker because they are customer focused, industry centric and will go that extra mile while managing the needs of the business.

“I’ll never change from Eamon O’ Connor at O’ Connor Warren.

He’s 100% behind you.”

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Philip Toohill, Transport and Commercial Manager at ICB Brokerweb.

The insurer’s perspective A business partnership is exactly what insurers like NZI are looking for.

“NZI is a significant insurer in the commercial transport world,” says Garry Taylor, Executive General Manager Business at NZI. “We engage with our valued customers via our partnerships with professional insurance brokers.”

Taylor says brokers play a vital role in helping both client and insurer achieve the right outcomes.

“A good insurance broker will understand the key drivers in your industry and take time to understand your unique risk exposures,” he says.

“If they only ever discuss price, they are unlikely to be serving you well. Your broker should also be able to articulate what each insurer offers in terms of added value.

“With NZI, that includes access to a dedicated team of fleet risk managers who can help you to access our FleetFit offerings around fatigue management, use of GPS data, driver coaching and training, and overall guidance on building a strong safety culture.”

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A factory ordered Kenworth K220 logger for Tokoroa’s S.C & S.J Livington continues a threegeneration family history in hauling logs that dates back to 1948.

Owner-driver Steve Livingston contracts to Gilmour Transport with the new 2.3m flat roof sleeper finished in factory metallic gold paint. The Euro 5 Cummins X15 is rated at 600.615hp with 2050 lb-ft of torque, driving to an Eaton RTLO 22918B manual 18-speed Roadranger, Meritor 46-160 rear axles with full X locks, Kenworth load share front suspension, Airglide 460 rear suspension and disc brakes. The exterior features include stainless drop visor, step infills, mesh headlight covers, full front guard stainless wheel flares and back of step infill panels. The K220 has a Red Dot roof mount AC condenser and works with log bolsters and trailer manufactured

by Evans Engineering. Sold by Adam McIntosh.

May is marginally better THE NEW ZEALAND TRUCK MARKET CONTINUES ITS quiet 2025 performance, with May figures confirming low volumes across both new truck and trailer registrations.

The May 2025 registration total of 279 new trucks (with a GVM of 4.5 tonnes or more) is just head of the April figure of 270 units. Trailers performed slightly better with 71 new registrations, up from 65 the previous month.

Total new truck sales in the first five months of the year are now 1466 units, down from 2399 registrations in the January-May 2024 period.

The 71 trailer registrations for May lifts the year-to-date (YTD) total to 391 units, a long way behind last year’s YTD total of 674 and 2018’s record figure of 702.

In the overall 4.5t to maximum GVM new truck market, Isuzu retains the lead with 49 new registrations for May – taking its 2025 total to 257 registrations, well behind last year’s 501 YTD total registrations.

Hino (223/54) continues to strengthen its hold on second spot and is one manufacturer still holding firm on its 2024 sales volumes. Hino YTD total registrations are just behind its 2024 total of 233, while its market share at 15.2% compares to 9.7% for the same period last year.

Meanwhile third-placed Fuso achieved 35 registrations for May and reaches 200 YTD, representing a market share decrease from 17.9% last year to 13.6% this year.

Scania (YTD 164/May 23) remains in fourth position with Volvo (104/34) moving ahead of Kenworth (100/17) and Iveco (89/11) in sixth and seventh. DAF (54/7), Mercedes-Benz (53/8) and UD (49/9) retain positions to round out the top-10.

The crossover 3.5-4.5t GVM segment is a very tight battle for leadership with Fiat (125/34) regaining the number one spot for the first time this year, just one registration ahead of LDV (124/24).

In the 4.5-7.5t GVM class, Isuzu (93/16) continues a lead ahead of

second-placed Fuso (67/17). Iveco (53/7) follows in third place.

The 7.5-15t GVM category is another where Isuzu (104/28) leads with Hino (83/21) and Fuso (64/10) next. Foton (17/6) retains fourth ahead of Hyundai (15/4).

Hino (31/7) retains the number one spot in the 15-20.5t GVM division. Fuso (10/0) holds second, ahead of UD (5/1) in third ahead of newcomer Volvo (4/4), while MAN (2/0) and Scania (2/1) are now tied in fifth.

In the tiny 20.5-23t segment, Hino (6/2) continues to hold the top spot with six registrations. Scania (2/1) picked up the only other registration for the month.

Registrations in the premium 23t to maximum GVM segment see a continuation of Scania’s leadership with 21 registrations in May boosting its YTD total to 159 units and holding a YTD share of 22.3%. This is a long way off last year’s 267 YTD registrations but the same market share of 22.3%.

Kenworth (100/17) and Volvo (100/30) are now tied in second position, Volvo achieving an impressive 30 registrations to top the segment for the month.

Hino (68/15) moves into fourth place at the expense of Isuzu (59/5) while Fuso (58/8) retains sixth. DAF (54/7), UD (42/7), Iveco (23/4) and Mercedes-Benz (16/1) all retain their top-10 positions.

In the trailer market, Fruehauf (61/13) is building its lead. Although it achieved 90 registrations at the same period last year, Fruehauf is continuing to grow its market share from 13.4% to 15.6% year-on-year.

Second-placed Transport Trailers (36/7) stays ahead of Patchell (28/3) in third just ahead of both Domett (25/2) and Roadmaster (25/5) tied in fifth. TMC (17/2) retains position ahead of M.T.E (16/3) while Transfleet (15/3) moves ahead of TES (14/2) and Lowes (13/2) continues to round out the top-10.

Truck & Driver | 81

A new Kenworth K200 8x4 for Jesse and Larissa Folkerts is working in the Booths Logistics fleet. The 2.3m Aerodyne sleeper is powered by 600hp Euro 5 Cummins X15 developing 2050 lb-ft of torque. The manual Eaton 18-speed RTLO 20918B transmission drives to a Meritor MT21-165 DCDL rear end with 4.10:1 ratio.

The K200 rides on Meritor non-load share front suspension with Airglide 460 rear suspension, Dura-bright alloys with 275/70 tyres and has ABS and EBS braking. A Domett Trailers curtainsider body and 5-axle trailer provide the load capability and features include fridge, microwave, Bluetooth audio and phone, wood/leather steering wheel and chrome gauge package. Sold by Mark O’Hara.

4501kg-max GVM Brand ISUZU HINO FUSO SCANIA VOLVO KENWORTH IVECO DAF MERCEDES-BENZ UD FOTON HYUNDAI VOLKSWAGEN MAN FIAT SINOTRUK JAC FREIGHTLINER INTERNATIONAL MACK SHACMAN SANY FAW OTHER Total

Vol 257 223 200 164 104 100 89 54 53 49 47 37 25 12 11 8 8 6 5 4 4 1 1 4 1466

2025

% 17.5 15.2 13.6 11.2 7.1 6.8 6.1 3.7 3.6 3.3 3.2 2.5 1.7 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.3 100

Vol 49 54 35 23 34 17 11 7 8 9 9 9 6 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 279

3501-4500kg GVM Brand FIAT LDV MERCEDES-BENZ FORD VOLKSWAGEN IVECO RENAULT RAM PEUGEOT Total

Vol 125 124 55 39 36 16 9 6 1 411

2025

% 30.4 30.2 13.4 9.5 8.8 3.9 2.2 1.5 0.2 100

Vol 34 24 8 11 12 1 2 1 0 93

4501-7500kg GVM Brand ISUZU FUSO IVECO HINO MERCEDES-BENZ FOTON VOLKSWAGEN HYUNDAI FIAT JAC RAM Total 82 | Truck & Driver

Vol 93 67 53 35 33 30 25 21 11 7 4 379

2025

% 24.5 17.7 14.0 9.2 8.7 7.9 6.6 5.5 2.9 1.8 1.1 100.0

Vol 16 17 7 9 6 3 6 5 1 1 0 71

May

May

May

% 17.6 19.4 12.5 8.2 12.2 6.1 3.9 2.5 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.2 2.2 1.4 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100

% 36.6 25.8 8.6 11.8 12.9 1.1 2.2 1.1 0.0 100

% 22.5 23.9 9.9 12.7 8.5 4.2 8.5 7.0 1.4 1.4 0.0 100

Hino moves up to second spot 7501-15,000kg GVM Brand ISUZU HINO FUSO FOTON HYUNDAI IVECO MERCEDES-BENZ SHACMAN UD SCANIA JAC Total

Vol 104 83 64 17 15 11 4 3 2 1 1 305

2025

% 34.1 27.2 21.0 5.6 4.9 3.6 1.3 1.0 0.7 0.3 0.3 100

Vol 28 21 10 6 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 72

15,001-20,500kg GVM Brand HINO FUSO UD VOLVO MAN SCANIA IVECO FREIGHTLINER SHACMAN ISUZU Total

Vol 31 10 5 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 58

2025

% 53.4 17.2 8.6 6.9 3.4 3.4 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.7 100

Vol 7 0 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 13

20,501-23,000kg GVM Brand HINO SCANIA FUSO IVECO Total

Vol 6 2 1 1 10

2025

May

May

% 38.9 29.2 13.9 8.3 5.6 0.0 1.4 0.0 1.4 0.0 1.4 100

% 53.8 0.0 7.7 30.8 0.0 7.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100

May % Vol % 60.0 2 66.7 20.0 1 33.3 10.0 0.0 10.0 0.0 100 3 100

23,001kg-max GVM Brand SCANIA KENWORTH VOLVO HINO ISUZU FUSO DAF UD IVECO MERCEDES-BENZ MAN SINOTRUK FREIGHTLINER INTERNATIONAL MACK SANY FAW HYUNDAI Total

Vol 159 100 100 68 59 58 54 42 23 16 10 8 5 5 4 1 1 1 714

2025

% 22.3 14.0 14.0 9.5 8.3 8.1 7.6 5.9 3.2 2.2 1.4 1.1 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.1 0.1 0.1 100

Vol 21 17 30 15 5 8 7 7 4 1 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 120

Trailers Brand Vol FRUEHAUF 61 TRANSPORT TRAILERS 36 28 PATCHELL 25 DOMETT ROADMASTER 25 TMC 17 M.T.E. 16 TRANSFLEET 15 TES 14 13 LOWES JACKSON 11 TANKER 11 CWS 9 KRAFT 8 FAIRFAX 7 MD ENGINEERING 6 SEC 6 MILLS TUI 5 LUSK 5 TRT 4 MTC EQUIPMENT 4 WARREN 4 EVANS 4 STEELBRO 3 TEO 3 HAMMAR 3 LILLEY 2 OTHER 46 Total 391

2025

% 15.6 9.2 7.2 6.4 6.4 4.3 4.1 3.8 3.6 3.3 2.8 2.8 2.3 2.0 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.5 11.8 100

Vol 13 7 3 2 5 2 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 1 2 1 2 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 10 71

May

May

% 17.5 14.2 25.0 12.5 4.2 6.7 5.8 5.8 3.3 0.8 3.3 0.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100

% 18.3 9.9 4.2 2.8 7.0 2.8 4.2 4.2 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.8 4.2 1.4 2.8 1.4 2.8 0.0 2.8 0.0 1.4 1.4 1.4 0.0 0.0 1.4 0.0 14.1 100

Exclusive Boat Haulage doesn’t do things by halves—and this stunning Hino 700 Series SH 1845 4x2 tractor unit (pictured left) is proof. Built for hauling some of New Zealand’s finest vessels from Kerikeri to the far reaches of the country, it’s packed with top-shelf extras and custom features including full air management kit, super single Dura-bright alloys and full leather interior upgrade by RVE Driven by Design. The custom paint is by Te Puke Panel & Paint, signage by Wrapped Auto Signs, fifth wheel and guard setup by Underbelly Engineering and LED lighting by Taylor Auto Electrical. Sold and supported by Shane Kemp, Hino sales account manager for Northland.

A top-of-the-line Scania R 770 B8x4NA logger is new to Harper Log Transport (Rob and Fiona Harper) working for Pan Pac in Hawke’s Bay. Powered by a Euro 6 DC16 16-litre producing 770hp, the Scania features the GRSO926R Opticruise transmission with 4100D retarder, RB735 hub reduction rear end, spring front suspension, rear air suspension and ABS/EBS disc brakes. A new Patchell log set-up and Patchell 5-axle multi trailer is fitted with EXTE chain tensioners. Extras include scales, CTI, V8 leather trim, fridge, LED light bar, Dura-bright alloys, drop visor by Caulfield signs, and marker lights by Brody at 24/7 Auto Electrical. Cab and chassis paint by Haddock Spray Painters and sign writing by Caulfield Signs Rotorua. Sold by Callan Short.

Progressive Carriers based in Helensville has replaced its Kenworth K200 with a new K220 contracted to Ryal Bush Transport. The spec of the 8x4 2.3m Aerodyne has lots of input from owner Bruce Boyle and driver Ben Grace with a 600.615hp Cummins X15, Eaton RTLO 22918B transmission with Hendrickson PAX 462 series rear suspension and Meritor MT21-165 differentials. The stand out colour is Make You Blush with soft trim in red garnet. Extras include microwave and air fryer, twin slide out fridges, big screen TV and DVD, a custom Icepack ES unit supplied and fitted by Haultech Engineering in Melbourne, and Kentweld Bruiser Series 5 bullbar. Signs by Truck Signs, Mt Maunganui while the tool box with pullout table and hand wash tank are by Rick Leonard Engineering in Taupo. The K220 is fitted with refurbished Nationwide stock crates. Sold by Steve Willcocks.

Truck & Driver | 83

Rob and Robyn Gardner (Gardner Transport) have selected the efficiency of a Scania G 540 A6x4NA tractor unit towing a quad-semi for an Aramex run between Whangarei and Auckland. The G Series is powered by a Euro 5 spec 540hp DC13 with Opticruise GRSO905R 12-speed transmission and 4100D retarder, RB662 hypoid rear end, spring front suspension and air rear suspension with scales. Disc brakes with ABS/ EBS along with AEB and ACC are fitted. The sleeper cab has leather trim and a fridge with the exterior features including Dura-bright alloys plus drop visor and sign writing by Caulfield Signs. Sold by Callan Short.

Former NZ speedway champion Graeme `Skinny’ Colson from Katikati is driving a new 7-axle bulk unit for Matamata-based Daltons. The DAF CF 530 6x4 with sleeper cab has a Euro 6 PACCAR MX-13 with 530hp and 1920 lb-ft of torque, the TraXon 16-speed AMT and features disc brakes, cross locks and weigh scales. A refurbished Transport Trailers alloy body and matching 4-axle trailer is hauling Daltons potting mix and landscape supplies all over the North Island. Sold by Adam McIntosh.

84 | Truck & Driver

A second new Kenworth K220 logger was recently handed over to Tokoroa-based Gilmour Transport. Driven by Shane Runga, the K220 has a 600.615hp Cummins X15 with the new Eaton Cummins Endurant automated transmission and Meritor 46-160 rear axles. The 8x4 has non-load share front suspension, Airglide 460 rear suspension, disc brakes, air ride cab, LED headlights and load lights, stainless sun visor and seven roof marker lights.

A factory K220 bumper is fitted with a single Patchell tow pin. Sold by Adam McIntosh.

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DRIVELINE RANGE ALL FULLER ROADRANGER ALLTDM FULLER ROADRANGER TRANSPORT, DIESEL & MARINE SELECTION OF YOKES, COMPANION TRANSMISSION PARTS TRANSMISSION PARTS FLANGES, UJ’S, STRAP KITS HI & LOW BASE

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8209 MISSIONS AILABLE

AND PARTS AVAILABLE YEAR/500,000KM WARRANTY $1500+GST THEFIVERIGHT PARTS . . . THE RIGHT PRICES . . . RIGHT HERE!

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SPRING BRA JAPANESE DIESEL JAPANESE TORQUE CHAMBERS ENGINE ROD 6109 AND 8209 6109 BUSH AND 8209ALL FULLER ROADRANGER 6109 AND 8209 GENUINE GENUINE 6109 AND 8209 REMAN TRANSMISSIONS CLUTCHES REBUILD KITS HUBO’S REMAN TRANSMISSIONS CLUTCHE 2424 / 2430 / 303 PARTS REMAN TRANSMISSIONS $30.00 EACH + GST TRANSMISSION REMAN TRANSMISSIONS PARTS FIVE YEAR/500,000KM PARTS AND PARTS AVAILABLE AND PARTS EACH + POA AVAILABLE WARRANTY From $65.00POA AND PARTS AVAILABLE RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

AND PARTS AVAILABLE

6109 AND 8209 REMAN TRANSMISSIONS AND PARTS AVAILABLE

ALLTDM FULLER ROADRANGER DRIVELINE RANGE 6109 AND 8209 EASY PEDAL 15” X 2”COMPANION 10SPL SELECTION OF YOKES, TRANSMISSION PARTS REMAN TRANSMISSIONS CERAMIC VCT 1850 FT LBS

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HUBO

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JAPANESE TORQUE JAPANESE TORQUE ALL ROADRANGER ALLFULLER FULLERROD ROADRANGER TDM DRIVELINE ROD BUSH BUSH ALL FULLER ROADRANGER TRANSMISSION PARTS SELECTION OF YOKES, CLUTCHES HUBO’S TRANSMISSION PARTS $30.00 EACHBASE + GST $30.00 EACH + GST HI & LOW ALL FULLER ROADRANGER POA WARRANTY TRANSMISSION PARTS FLANGES, UJ’S, STR YEAR/500,000KM RECONDITIONEDFIVE EXCHANGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE TRANSMISSION PARTSOPTIONS AVAILABLE

RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE

RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE$1280+GST OPTIONS AVAILABLE

RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE $495+GST

+ GST

2424 / 2430 From $65.00 E

PARTS

SELECTION OF YOKES, COMPANION 2424 / 2430 / 3030 EACH + GST FLANGES, UJ’S, STRAP KITS $30.00 EACH + HI$30.00 & LOW BASE From $65.00 EACH + GST GST POA

10SPL CERAMIC 1650 FT COMPANION LBS SUIT SELECTION OF YOKES, EACH + GST JAPANESE WITH CLUTCH BOOSTER FLANGES, UJ’S, STRAP KITS PARTS HI$30.00 & LOW BASE $1600+GST POA

JAPANESE TORQUE ROD BUSH $30.00 EACH + GST

Can’t find the parts you need? Call us we can help www.tdm.co.nz

Auto Air Mechanical Auto SPRING& BRAKE SPRING BRAKE Conditioning Service Repairs JAPANESE TORQUEElectrical CHAMBERS CHAMBERS Available at our Penrose and Papakura locations ROD BUSH GENUINE GENUINE 2424 / 2430 / 3030 2424 / 2430 / 3030 $30.00 EACH + GST PARTS From $65.00PARTS EACH + GST From $65.00 EACH + GST

INE TS

ORQUE SH

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POA RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE GENUINE

Auto Air Mechanical Auto JAPANESE TORQUE SPRING JAPANESE TORQUE ROD Service BUSH Conditioning & BRAKE Repairs JAPANESE TORQUEElectrical JAPANESE TORQUE CHAMBERS Available at our Penrose and Papakura locations TDM DRIVELINE RANGE ROD BUSH TDM DRIVELINE RANGE VALUELINE NON EASY PEDAL 15” X 2” $30.00 EACH + GST ROD BUSH ROD BUSH GENUINE

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8 Prescott Street, Penrose, Auckland Email: ray@tdm.co.nz I john@tdm.co.nz Can’t find the parts you need? Call us weJAPANESE can helpTORQUE JAPANESE TORQUE ROD BUSHwww.tdm.co.nz ROD BUSH 

86 | Truck & Driver

TRANSPORT, DIESEL & MARINE

Ph: 0800 501 133 $30.00 EACH + GST

PO

PO

EG35334

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HI & LOW BASE

JAPANESE TORQUE SPRING BRAKE ALL FULLER ROADRANGER CHAMBERS ALL FULLER ROADRANGER TDM DRIVELINE RANGE ROD BUSH GENUINE ISUZU GIGAGENUINE CLUTCH ASSY GENUINE GENUINE R202010 FASTSET NO REAM CLUTCHES SELECTION OF YOKES, COMPANION TRANSMISSION PARTS CLUTCHES 2424 / 2430 / PARTS 3030 TRANSMISSION 8983373390 / SP208935271 PARTS PARTS KINGPIN FG931, MFS13, MFS14 FLANGES, UJ’S, STRAP KITS $30.00 EACH + GST PARTS HI &KITLOW PARTS POA $2050+GST From $65.00 EACH + GST POA BASE

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CLUTC

SPRING BRA CHAMBERS TDM DRIVELINE RANGE 6109 AND 8209 GENUINE SELECTION OF YOKES, COMPANION HUBO’S CLUTCHES TDM DRIVEL REMAN TRANSMISSIONS 2424 / 2430 / 303 HI & LOW BASE FLANGES, UJ’S, STRAP KITS SELECTION OF YO PARTS FIVE YEAR/500,000KM HI & LOW BASE WARRANTY AND PARTS AVAILABLE POA From $65.00 EACH FLANGES, UJ’S HI & LOW BASE POA

$30.00 EACH + GST

8 Prescott Street, Penrose, Auckland  Email: ray@tdm.co.nz I john@tdm.co.nz

EG34473

8209 NE SMISSIONS TS VAILABLE

SPRING BRAKE CHAMBERS ALLVALUE FULLER ROADRANGER LINE 15” X 2”AND 10SPL CERAMIC 6109 8209 1650 FT LBS SUIT HINO / FUSO / ISUZU REMAN TRANSMISSIONS TRANSMISSION PARTS 2424HUBO’S / 2430 / 3030 WITH CLUTCH BOOSTER HI & LOW BASE AND PARTS AVAILABLE $65.00 EACH WARRANTY + GST FIVEFrom YEAR/500,000KM

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Truck & Driver | 87

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0+ ye6ar s

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WHEEL SEALS WHEEL WHEEL WHEELSEALS SEALS SEALS Four outside diameter seal points to ensure Four Four outside Four outside outside diameter diameter diameter sealseal points seal points points to ensure to ensure to ensure Four outside diameter seal points to ensure Unique multi-zone labyrinth design provides the best protection andlabyrinth thedesign lowest friction Unique Unique Unique multi-zone multi-zone multi-zone labyrinth labyrinth design design provides provides provides multi-zone design provides theUnique the best the best protection best protection protection andlabyrinth and the and the lowest the lowest lowest friction friction friction the best protection and the lowest friction

Roadranger Rebuilt and or Factory New + Spicer Clutch to suit – $POA Rubber front face protects from brake heat Rubber Rubber Rubber front front face front face protects face protects protects from from brake from brake brake heat heat heat Rubber front face protects from brake heat reduces run-in period, reduces required torque andreduces keeps the seal cool from therequired outset reduces reduces run-in run-in run-in period, period, period, reduces reduces reduces required required torque torque torque run-in period, reduces required torque andreduces and keeps and keeps keeps the the seal the seal cool seal cool from cool from the from the outset the outset outset and the seal cool from theprevents outset Largekeeps crumple zone/safety gap internal damage Large Large Large crumple crumple crumple zone/safety zone/safety zone/safety gapgap prevents gap prevents prevents Large crumple zone/safety gap prevents internal internal damage damage damage 2ND HAND internal internal damage Wide inside diameter with three rubber-ribbed points toinside ensure proper sealing capability Rebuilt Wide Wide inside Wide inside diameter diameter diameter with with three with three rubber-ribbed three rubber-ribbed rubber-ribbed Wide diameter with three rubber-ribbed points points toinside ensure to ensure to ensure proper proper proper sealing sealing sealing capability capability capability Rebuilt points points to ensure proper sealing capability

Core Change may apply RTLO14918 RTLO16919 RTLO18918 RTLO20918

Rebuilt RTLO18918AS3 FO-18E318BMXP Rebuilt FO-20E318BMSP Rebuilt Factory New & RebuiltSEAL RANGE MERITOR WHEEL MERITOR MERITOR MERITOR WHEEL WHEEL WHEEL SEAL SEAL RANGE RANGE RANGE RTLO22918 RebuiltSEAL MERITOR WHEEL SEAL RANGE SKF Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER RTLO18918AS3 Rebuilt CLASSIC SKF SKF SKF Part Part No. Part No.No. INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY CODE CODE CODEE-BARRIER E-BARRIER E-BARRIER Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER

MER0113 MER0113 MER0113 MER0113 MER0113 MER0123 MER0123 MER0123 MER0123 MER0123 MER0136 MER0136 MER0136 MER0136 MER0136 MER0143 MER0143 MER0143 MER0143 MER0143 MER0164 MER0164 MER0164 MER0164 MER0164 MER0173 MER0173 MER0173 MER0173 MER0173

40136 40136 40136 40136 40136 42623 42623 42623 42623 42623 35066 35066 35066 35066 35066 46305 46305 46305 46305 46305 43764 43764 43764 43764 43764 47697 47697 47697 47697 47697

708 708708708 708 701 701701701 701 704 704704704 704 702 702702702 702 705 705705705 705 709 709709709 709

MER0213 MER0213 MER0213 MER0213 MER0213 MER0223 MER0223 MER0223 MER0223 MER0223 MER0236 MER0236 MER0236 MER0236 MER0236 MER0264 MER0264 MER0264 MER0264 MER0264 MER0273 MER0273 MER0273 MER0273 MER0273

40129 40129 40129 40129 40129 42627 42627 42627 42627 42627 35058 35058 35058 35058 35058 43761 43761 43761 43761 43761 47692 47692 47692 47692 47692

808 808808808 808 801 801801801 801 804 804804804 804 805 805805805 805 809 809809809 809

Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER Part Part No. Part No.No. INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY CODE CODE CODEE-BARRIER E-BARRIER E-BARRIER Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER

EASY-FIT & TOUGH DESIGN FOR SUPERIOR EASY-FIT EASY-FIT EASY-FIT && &TOUGH TOUGH DESIGN DESIGN DESIGN FOR FOR FOR SUPERIOR SUPERIOR SUPERIOR PROTECTION & OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE. EASY-FIT &TOUGH TOUGH DESIGN FOR SUPERIOR PROTECTION PROTECTION PROTECTION & & OPTIMUM & OPTIMUM OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE. PROTECTION & OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE.

STEMCO NATIONAL 37 VOYAGER STEMCO STEMCO STEMCO NATIONAL NATIONAL 373737 VOYAGER SKF STEMCO CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC NATIONAL VOYAGER VOYAGER NATIONAL 37 CLASSIC VOYAGER 40136 370036A 373-0113 40136 40136 40136 40136 42623 42623 42623 42623 42623 35066 35066 35066 35066 35066 46305 46305 46305 46305 46305 437643 437643 437643 437643 437643 47697 47697 47697 47697 47697 SKF

370036A 370036A 370036A 370036A 370065A 370065A 370065A 370065A 370065A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370025A 370025A 370025A 370025A 370025A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370003A 370003A 370003A 370003A 370003A NATIONAL

373-0113 373-0113 373-0113 373-0113 373-0123 373-0123 373-0123 373-0123 373-0123 383-0136 383-0136 383-0136 383-0136 383-0136 373-0143 373-0143 373-0143 373-0143 373-0143 383-0164 383-0164 383-0164 383-0164 383-0164 393-0173 393-0173 393-0173 393-0173 393-0173 STEMCO

APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION

TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - STANDARD - STANDARD - STANDARD FORGE, FORGE, FORGE, DANA DANA DANA TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA TRAILER - FRUEHAUF PROPAR TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF PROPAR PROPAR PROPAR TRAILER PROPAR STEER -- FRUEHAUF MERITOR, EATON STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, EATON EATON EATON - MERITOR, EATON TRAILERSTEER - MERITOR GENERAL PURPOSE TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - MERITOR - MERITOR - MERITOR GENERAL GENERAL GENERAL PURPOSE PURPOSE PURPOSE TRAILER MERITOR GENERAL STEER - MERITOR FL941 -PURPOSE MFS STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR - MERITOR - MERITOR FL941 FL941 FL941 - MFS - MFS - MFS STEER - MERITOR FL941 - MFS DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, DANA DANA DANA DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA

APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION

Factory New EATON FS-8309A Transmission – ONE ONLY. Needs to be moved, Priced to sell.

PLUS XL SKF SKF SKF SKF PLUS PLUS PLUS XLXLXL PLUS XL 40129 40129 40129 40129 40129 42627 42627 42627 42627 42627 35058 35058 35058 35058 35058 43761 43761 43761 43761 43761 47692 47692 47692 47692 47692

5NATIONAL STAR NATIONAL NATIONAL 5NATIONAL STAR 5 STAR 5 STAR 5 STAR 380036A 380036A 380036A 380036A 380036A 380065A 380065A 380065A 380065A 380065A 380001A 380001A 380001A 380001A 380001A 380048A 380048A 380048A 380048A 380048A 380003A 380003A 380003A 380003A 380003A

DISCOVER STEMCO STEMCO STEMCO STEMCO DISCOVER DISCOVER DISCOVER DISCOVER 373-0213

TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA 373-0213 373-0213 373-0213 TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - STANDARD - STANDARD - STANDARD FORGE, FORGE, FORGE, DANA DANA DANA 373-0213 TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA 373-0223 TRAILER - FRUEHAUF PROPAR 373-0223 373-0223 373-0223 TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF PROPAR PROPAR PROPAR 373-0223 TRAILER PROPAR 383-0236 STEER -- FRUEHAUF MERITOR, EATON 383-0236 383-0236 383-0236 STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, EATON EATON EATON 383-0236 STEER - MERITOR, EATON 383-0264 STEER - MERITOR FL941 - MFS 383-0264 383-0264 383-0264 STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR - MERITOR - MERITOR FL941 FL941 FL941 - MFS - MFS - MFS 383-0264 STEER - MERITOR FL941 -UNITISED MFS 393-0273 DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA, K-HITCH AXLE 393-0273 393-0273 393-0273 DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, DANA, DANA, DANA, K-HITCH K-HITCH K-HITCH UNITISED UNITISED UNITISED AXLE AXLE AXLE 393-0273 DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA, K-HITCH UNITISED AXLE

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TD34616

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TAKING ORDERS NOW

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SCAN TO ENTER COMPETITION TIME! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN EXCLUSIVE WESTERN STAR MERCHANDISE WORTH UP TO $200!

The most-tested Western Star ever, the all-new X-Series is seriously tough. Boasting our legendary Star durability, the X-Series features a powerful integrated driveline, advanced safety systems, and superior comfort - even in the most rugged of applications. But talk is cheap. Experience it for yourself.

ERA OF THE

*Competition terms and conditions apply.

For information visit: www.westernstar.com.au/new-zealand-competition-2024

PHONE – 09 250 7808 NZSALES@PENSKE.CO.NZ WESTERNSTARTRUCKS.CO.NZ