Issuu

CELEBRATING

YEARS IN BUSINESS

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J U LY 2 0 1 4

Guardian ASHBURTON

Advertising supplement

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Contents Message Early from the beginnings chairman

A new chapter

Operations team

Livestock General freight Bulk and fertiliser

he team at Rural Transport would like to say a big thank you to their customers for their loyalty and valued business over the past 10 years. They also wish to thank Sarah Rowland, Bill Irwin and Tetsuro Mitomo for their photographic work. Rural Transport gives a final thank you to their suppliers, especially those that have contributed to this feature. â€œYour continued support is appreciated.â€?

Our people

Brian Thomson

The road ahead

Reporter Linda Clarke

Graphic design Yendis Albert Eden Kirk-Williams

Photography

Tetsuro Mitomo Sarah Rowland Bill Irwin

LUSK ENGINEERING LTD Proud to be associated with

RURAL TRANSPORT LTD 15 McNally St, Ashburton 7700 03-308 2410 PROU

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Message

from the chairman

John Dobson.

t’s 10 years since Rural Transport gave a new lease of life to a trucking operation that goes right back to pioneering Ashburton businessman Bob Burnett. Burnett Motors was an institution on the corner of East and South Streets from 1934, became Owens Transport in 1984, then Rural Transport in 2004. The company’s transformation, under local ownership, in the last 10 years has been a highlight for me as chairman. It has become a profitable transport company, with loyal staff, and a more up-

to-date fleet is an asset to the community it serves. There have been tough times. Manager Brian Thomson, a 20 per cent shareholder in the start-up company, sadly died this year after a five-year battle with illness. His shares were bought by the other equal shareholders Wilson Bulk Transport and Philip Wareing Ltd. Both shareholders are transport companies operating in Mid Canterbury and they complement the activities of Rural Transport. The consortium is proud of its roots in the Mid Canterbury community and of its success meeting customers’ needs, providing a challenging and satisfying work environment and of its modern fleet of equipment and vehicles. In fact, the investment in new trucks and trailers to cart livestock, grain, fertiliser and general freight has been a large part of the success of the company. Owner-drivers have given way to company vehicles and drivers, both now working from new premises on

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Northpark Road near Ashburton’s new business estate. In fact, Rural Transport has been turned into a more viable business by its local focus and being able to reinvest profits back into its fleet. As chairman, I can’t say enough good words about Brian and his efforts in the early years. In his day, he had to cope with a lot of hard stuff and he did a fine job retaining customers and growing the

customer base. That work is now in the equally capable hands of general manager Jim Crouchley and his second-in-command Rhys Young. They also have done a fine job in growing the company and expanding its niche in the community. With the backing of Wilson Bulk Transport and Philip Wareing Ltd, the future for Rural Transport looks bright.

Board members: John Welsh, Philip Wareing, John Dobson and Simon Wareing.

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Early beginnings Ashburton-based Rural Transport is celebrating 10 years and the move to new facilities at Northpark Road. Itâ€™s a progressive transport company with firm roots in the Mid Canterbury community.

hen Rural Transport shifted to new premises on Northpark Road earlier this year, it was the end of an 80-year tie to a block of land historically significant to the transport industry in Mid

Canterbury. The block on the corner of East and South Streets was originally bought by Bob Burnett, who began a freight carrying business in Hinds in 1927. An astute businessman and handy

A Burnett Motors J1 Bedford fertiliser spreader working in the 70s.

mechanic, he started Burnett Motors on the corner site in Ashburton in 1934 and grew a respected and well-known transport company. While the spot served Burnett Motors, and later Brambles Burnett, Owens Burnett and Owens Transport well, the growth of Ashburton town over the past decade meant the central location became not so well suited to a trucking firm. The land also became valuable as retail or commerce space. Bob was a workaholic and the value he placed in customer service is evident in Rural Transport today, with customers spanning generations of families. He was an entrepreneur at just 17, building his own vehicle repair workshop at Hinds. One day he was asked to use his vehicle to cart diesel to Longbeach Village and it occurred to him that a future opportunity lay not in repairing motor vehicles but in using them to carry goods. He started with just one truck, a Reo,

which he drove all over Ashburton County and beyond, carting goods. In 1934, he bought an acre of land for ÂŁ1200 on the corner of East and South Streets and developed a new depot there. This is the same site that Rural Transport occupied until its move in March. He had petrol pumps on East Street to serve a small but growing number of motorists. His willingness to go the extra mile was reflected in the fact that he was available to serve petrol at any hour of the day or night â€“ even after midnight on occasions. Many of his loyal customers were farmers. Despite the Great Depression hurting the economy, Bob expanded the business and built up a fleet of trucks, carrying grain, livestock and other rural goods throughout the South Island. His business survived, largely due to the goodwill of the Caltex Oil Company and National Bank, which extended him credit for long periods. The business grew and he employed

Congratulations to Rural Transport, we appreciate the business relationship.

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5 more staff; they became a close-knit team. Bob’s customers also went through hard times after World War Two and he paid forward the goodwill shown to him by generously providing them with lime and other vital products for the agricultural development of the district. He was always looking for ways to diversify his business and acquired the Austin agency and Todd franchise.

“

1971 with the Australian Brambles organisation, one of the biggest freight forwarding companies in Australia at the time. Burnetts became Brambles Burnett and Bob remained on the board of the company and took a close interest in its affairs. In 1980, the Mogal Corporation bought Brambles Burnett, with Bob still a director until he retired at 72 the following year.

In 1991, the company was rebranded Owens Road Transport

He was also interested in the products his trucks transported – for example, coal, which led him to acquire a controlling interest in the Mt Somers coal mine. He also bought Mt Somers Station, which he ran with the same success he achieved in the trucking business. By the 1950s, Burnetts expanded into earthmoving and was involved in several large hydro projects, including Manapouri, Roxburgh, Aviemore and Benmore, which proved enormously profitable. The firm had a substantial fleet of bulldozers, scrapers, loaders and other heavy machinery. In 1957, Burnetts owned more than 100 vehicles, employed almost 300 staff and was turning over more than £2million pounds a year. With no son to take over from him when he retired, Bob started looking for a way to secure the future of the company and this led to a merger in

In 1984, Owens Transport bought the Mogal Corporation, which saw the Ashburton trucking firm renamed Owens Burnett. In 1991, the company was rebranded Owens Road Transport, a subsidiary of the Owens Group, and restructured, including a move to owner-drivers replacing company drivers. In 2004, it returned to local ownership with investment by Philip Wareing Ltd, Wilson Bulk Transport and then manager Brian Thomson and his wife Nicky. The past 10 years have seen a return to a company fleet of 56 vehicles and drivers employed to operate them. Two Owner Drivers still remain with the company. The new Northpark Road headquarters has a spacious new administration building, bulk storage, warehousing and room for its new modern fleet of vehicles.

Owens Road Transport branding as it was in the early 90s.

A common sight on the road, particularly in the 80s and 90s, full loads of wool such as this one.

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Operations team Jim Crouchley

Rhys Young

General manager

Operations manager

eneral manager Jim Crouchley describes himself as one of the new kids on the block at Rural Transport and began as operations manager in 2009. He came from an experienced freight and cartage background, beginning in the early 1990s with a general freight business operated by him and wife Jen. After 13 years and having built a loyal customer base and wanting more time for family, they sold it to Hilton Haulage but Jim stayed on to work for the company. In 2005 Hilton Haulage sold it to TNL Freight and Jim stayed on until seizing the opportunity to work for Rural Transport as operations manager five years ago. It was a new role and designed to ease some of the workload on then general manager Brian Thomson. When Brian became ill, he was appointed general manager. Jim said Brian’s illness had a huge impact on the close-knit team, but Brian was able to hand over the role over time and remain

O part of the company he loved. “That was a really sobering time and it certainly made a few people sit up and realise life is short.” As general manager, the buck stops with Jim and while he might spend a lot of time at his desk in front of a computer, the qualified mechanic likes nothing better than to look over the fleet and get behind the wheel of one of the new rigs. He has occasionally filled in as a driver or as a salesman at the stockyards, and takes any chance he can to catch up with customers old and new.

perations manager Rhys Young is also an important part of the management team and as secondin-command helps share the management load. Rhys has been in the role for 18 months after leaving the cut-throat world of general freight transport in Auckland. The Southlander was keen to return with his wife to rural living and progressive Rural Transport presented both challenge and lifestyle. “I like the attitude here, the atmosphere and they have good equipment. It is a company going places.” Rhys spent 17 years in the Air Force before moving into the transport industry. After driving for a number of years, including a stint as an owner driver, Rhys moved into operational management roles first with McDowall Freight in Christchurch and then moved on to TNL Freighting as the Canterbury and then Auckland regional manager. He said his first truck, a 300hp unit, was dwarfed by the more powerful 600hp

“

I like the attitude here, the atmosphere... It is a company going places

trucks now on the roads. Not only are they bigger, but packed full with electronic technology – a far cry from the earlier days. As 2IC and operations manager, he has management responsibilities but can also help in the dispatch area if needed.

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Sharon Hooper Administration manager

Rex Taylor Area manager of Kurow

Lawrence Gordon

General freight co-ordinator

Your

local

haron Hooper is in charge of administration, and over the past 21 years she has covered all office tasks – from reception and accounts payable to allocating driver revenue. She came to Rural Transport as a school leaver, employed initially as a short-term casual. Now Sharon oversees the work of two others in the department, Lynda Cameron and Claudia van den Dorpe and together they make a great team.

ex Taylor counts himself lucky. He’s been based in Kurow, working in the transport industry, since 1969 and he’s met a lot of great people. Rex co-ordinates livestock truck movements in the Kurow depot’s territory, which runs from the beautiful Hakataramea Valley out to the coast and Oamaru and down to Herbert. Straight out of school, he started as a

awrence Gordon co-ordinates orders for general freight cartage, which can mean moving anything from export seed to tractor parts all around the South Island. He says dispatching trucks and drivers is like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle every day. Customers get in touch via cellphone, landline, text or email and Lawrence works out how to accommodate them. “You have to be

“In the last 10 years my role has become more like a company accountant.” She said technology had made the job easier tracking drivers and their deliveries, as well as client information. Seeing many changes over the years, she said the change back to local ownership was an important feature of Rural Transport. Equally important was the great staff who make the work environment so enjoyable. driver’s off-sider, helping with the heavy manual labour side of the job back then. Advances in both technology and trucks means driving is now a solo job, and coordinating pick-ups and deliveries made easier with GPS tracking software and cellphones. He earned his driver’s stripes carting power station parts from Kurow’s railway yard to the hydro-electricity projects in and around Twizel.

flexible, as things change at a moment’s notice. Things happen a lot quicker these days with computer technology.” Lawrence was a stock truck driver at McCormicks for 10 years, also delivered general freight and had a couple of years in sales before coming to Rural Transport as a dispatcher 15 years ago. He says with no two days the same, the industry has got under his skin.

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Robert Armstrong Livestock co-ordinator

Lindsay Cain Livestock co-ordinator/sales representative

Hamish Esler

gement . agementsystem system .

m management system.

Bulk and spreading co-ordinator

obert has been with Rural Transport for six years and comes with a background in transport spanning 30 years. He has also spent time working on farms, so knows what farmers are up to when they dial his number to move animals. He said moving stock was a competitive business, but Rural

indsay has been at Rural Transport for nine years and works alongside Robert Armstrong dispatching drivers and co-ordinating deliveries. He has been in the transport industry for 25 years and travels each day to Ashburton from Geraldine, where he grew up on a farm. He works the saleyards north of

amish Esler has almost chalked up nine years with Rural Transport and says the go-ahead company provides plenty of challenges as it continues to grow within the industry. He comes from a transport background and knows the importance of being both reliable and flexible in an industry that has undergone rapid change. “A lot has also happened in the last nine years in regards to technology and

Transport prided itself on doing the job efficiently and carefully and had a long list of loyal customers who appreciated it. As co-ordinator he takes calls from farmers wanting to move sheep, cattle, pigs and the occasional mob of deer. Pick-ups and drop-offs are strategically planned with attention to both fuel efficiency and animal welfare.

Ashburton and can be found at Coalgate or Canterbury Park on sale day coordinating stock transport for farmers who have bought on the day. “It can get pretty demanding trying to piece together all their transport requirements on the day. Some days we don’t seem to have enough trucks, but we make it all work.”

computers.” The technology allows him to move bulk grain from farms to mills or dairy farms, and send fertiliser trucks to spread growth-promoting fertiliser and lime on paddocks. With seven bulk trucks at his disposal, Hamish co-ordinates the collection and transport of bulk grain from farmers all around Canterbury; together with five fertiliser trucks that stick mainly within the Mid Canterbury district.

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Virginia Mangin

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Grant Shaw

Kerry Williams

Dave Hughes

Sales representative

Sales representative/ co-ordinator in Fairlie

General, bulk and spreading co-ordinator at Kurow

HAMISH MCGREGOR PAINTING PROUDLY SUPPORTS RURAL TRANSPORT Congratulations on the completion of your new Ashburton premise. We were pleased be part of the team working on this project.

HMP painters working on the exterior of the new Rural Transport office.

rant Shaw is a well-known face at Rural Transport in Ashburton. He attends stock sales and clearing sales around Mid and South Canterbury arranging pick-ups and deliveries for existing and new clients. He enjoys the interaction, knows just about everyone in his territory and is the go-to man for clients. Grant has spent a life-time in the agricultural sector, from shearing to farm

erry Williams started driving trucks for his father at 17 and it was the start of a long career with the transport industry. He has run his own business and worked for others, but been part of the Rural Transport team since 2005. He said the Fairlie depot is an important link between Ashburton and Kurow, allowing Rural Transport wide coverage and back-up.

ave Hughes has been driving machinery for most of his life. He spent about 20 years with a local roading company as foreman and driver, before moving to Rural Transport five years ago. He travels each day from his home in Oamaru to Kurow, where he co-ordinates the movements of five trucks (three carting general freight and two spreading

ownership and began working for Rural Transport when it was Owens back in 2000. He can be found Mondays at Temuka and Tuesdays at Tinwald, when sheep go under the hammer; he’s also at clearing sales helping existing clients and looking for new ones. He said the company’s expansion over the past three years had enabled it to take on more bulk grain and general freight clients.

Kerry works more from the office these days co-ordinating two stock trucks, two fertiliser spreaders and a tip truck from Fairlie. His drivers cover many kilometres, especially on sale days when back country sheep stations have fat lambs needing to be transported to sales. He says his crew are both resourceful and resilient, with experience valued by their loyal customers.

fertiliser). He said co-ordinating freight movements involved keeping a strict eye on fuel efficiency and kilometres travelled, as most pick-ups and deliveries were between 60-100km from the Kurow base. This could prove a challenge because, despite careful planning, jobs were constantly changing to include new pickups or back loads.

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A new chapter

The new ofﬁce block at Northpark Road.

ural Transport’s move to Northpark Road was a five-year project managed by director John Welsh. The move was prompted by the need for better storage and parking facilities and with more trucks on the road, and Mid Canterbury expanding

in population and agricultural development, the busy corner site at East and South Streets was becoming a traffic issue. “It really wasn’t suitable for what we wanted,” John said. “We wanted a large storage area and better facilities to park our trucks.

Plus it was hard to get onto the main road.” He was aware of a small farm block coming up for sale on Northpark Road. The 12 acres there was an ideal size to accommodate Rural Transport and its future vision, and was right next to the Ashburton District Council’s new industrial park. The land was bought and a long planning period ensued. First the site had to be rezoned for commercial use; then award-winning Timaru builders Thompson Construction and Engineering were commissioned to draw plans and eventually erect an office block of 560 square metres, and a 3000 square metre warehouse with a 1200 square metre canopy. “The builders were exceptional and have done some quality work. We sat down and told them what we were after, and they designed it. They are only young guys but very knowledgeable, and they made a good job.” The area includes a modern administration building and bulk storage shed, with work space at ground level for administration, logistics and management, and a large upstairs smoko room. There is also upstairs office space that Rural Transport has the ability to lease out.

There is a public weighbridge on site and a huge hotmixed area where trucks, trailers and other vehicles are parked. John said the hotmixed area met latest environmental conditions and ensured any vehicle run-off was contained and not able to leach into soil.

“

The new base provided modern facilities for Rural Transport’s drivers and office staff, and allowed space for the company to grow in the future

The new base provided modern facilities for Rural Transport’s drivers and office staff, and allowed space for the company to grow in the future, he said. Technology is a feature of both inside and outside space. Keeping track of the company’s fleet is vital and GPS software allows office staff to let farmers know if a truck is

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11 five minutes or five hours away. Data collected also shows truck speed and kilometres travelled. Technology onboard the newest vehicles is also impressive with electronic road user charges and GPS location on both the truck and the trailer. General manager Jim Crouchley said Rural Transport had invested heavily in both the new building and machinery. “And that has been good with regards to staff morale, they love the new gear.” Rural Transport now employs some 60 staff, including 12 in Kurow and six at Fairlie.

Jim said the company was proud of its progress in the past 10 years and how it had adapted to meet the needs of Mid Canterbury’s changing agricultural landscape. The move to dairying had presented both opportunities and challenges. While Rural Transport had continued to support and be supported by loyal farmer clients, it had also sought out new work involving other go-ahead Mid Canterbury businesses, such as Neumanns Tyres, ANZCO Foods, Verkerks, Dairy Holdings to name a few. “Some of our farmer clients go back to the days of Bob Burnett and we honour that legacy,” Jim said. An aerial view of the partially completed Northpark Road site in late 2013.

Gordie Leov and Lawrence Gordon helping with the shift.

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Our people An 80-year history of reliable and expert service ensures Rural Transport stands out in the trucking industry.

ith a legacy going back to the days of hard-working Bob Burnett, Rural Transport today serves rural customers with the same passion. The firm has a loyal clientele in

Mid and South Canterbury and North Otago carrying livestock, fertiliser and bulk grains with a fleet of 56 modern vehicles based at depots in Ashburton, Fairlie and Kurow. With name changes over the decades

Pete Hamish Esler

Ian Donaldson

Bradley Scott

Jordan Hooper

Trevor Begg

Stuart Walker

Graham McLennan

Gary McIntyre

Colin Lamb

Gordon Leov Robert McLauchlan

Alex Beach

Rhys Young

James Shierlaw

Grant Edmondson

Shane McAllister Andrew Milne Chris Allison

Brent Miller

Jim Crouchley

Ian Fyfe

Andrew MacDonald

Lynda Cameron

Lindsay Cain

Lawrence Gordon

John Rennie

Paul Marriot

Neville Little

James Marti

Congratulations to the team at Rural Transport on the opening of their new premises. We wish them all the best for the future.

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from Burnett Motors to the Owens Group and then Rural Transport 10 years ago, Rural Transport is fiercely loyal and owned by Philip Wareing Ltd and Wilson Bulk Transport. Some 63 administration and driving

staff are spread over the three depots, with new Ashburton headquarters opened on Northpark Road in March this year. The move was bitter-sweet â€“ the company was expanding and needed

er Squire

Nick Jenkins

Mitch McIntosh

Mark MacDonald

more room, but part-owner and general manager Brian Thomson passed away just a week before the shift. People remain its best asset, from experienced job co-ordinators to expert and friendly truck drivers.

Stewart Pollard

Stephen McHaffie

Rural Transport carts livestock, from fat lambs to dairy cows; bulk grain and dairy feed; moves bulk fertiliser and runs fertiliser spreaders; and operates a general freight department with regular runs around the region.

Mark Bain

Grant Shaw John Gemmell Ian Doig

Mark Fox

Harry Gibson

Rex Taylor

Robert Paterson

Mark Harraway

Sharon Hooper

Lance Bramley

Scott Young

Dave Hughes

Kent Rowland

Aaron Tait

Tim Ward

Steve Clements

Nathan Barnes

Malcolm Bennie

Grant Kenny

Andrew Oâ€™Reilly

Kerry Williams

Gordon Russell

Claudia van den Dorpe

John Mangu

Robert Armstrong

Merv Thorn

Nick Kelland

Congratulations to Rural Transport on their 10 year anniversary and the building of their new premises. We wish you all the best for the years to come.

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Livestock

obert Armstrong spends a lot of time on the phone. He is in charge of the livestock department in Ashburton and co-ordinates the movements of tens of thousands of sheep and cattle annually. He takes calls from farmers, logs their jobs then organises trucks and drivers to pick up and drop off their live cargo. It might sound straightforward, but there’s an art in meeting deadlines, not wasting time and fuel, keeping farmers happy and animals safe. He says the work is constant throughout the year, though there is pressure on with dairy herds moving at

the end of May, or at calving or winter grazing times. The livestock business is structured around a large clientele throughout Mid Canterbury and the greater Waitaki Valley, most commonly taking lamb, cattle and deer to local killing facilities. Rural Transport has the capacity to carry livestock anywhere in New Zealand. As dispatcher, Robert knows where the 14 trucks based at Ashburton are at, how soon they might reach a destination – even how fast the driver is going. The job is computer-focused, with GPS tracking software and real-time tools to

collate orders and resources. Robert says good planning is vital and he is always thinking about the next day’s schedule and where jobs can be slotted in. Rural Transport operates trucks all over the South Island, shifting sheep, cattle, pigs and sometimes deer from Invercargill to Nelson, but most commonly within the Otago and Canterbury regions. The huge red 500hp trucks and their experienced drivers are a familiar site on local roads with some drivers chalking up decades of experience in the industry. The Kurow livestock department has

a beautiful, if cold, neck of the woods to work in. With six stock trucks under the control of Kurow manager Rex Taylor, customers can be as far afield as Omarama, Hampden or the remote Hakataramea Valley. The cold mornings actually work for the transporters, who can get their big rigs across frozen ground without getting stuck in wet winter conditions. The drivers in Kurow are part of the small community, they play sport with their farmer clients and often take milk, groceries and other essentials to remote farms. Rex knows the area like the back of

Trucks getting ready to load at Tinwald saleyards.

PROVIDING YOU WITH A COMPREHENSIVE BEEF LIVESTOCK SALES SOLUTION

CONGRATULATIONS TO RURAL TRANSPORT ON YOUR NEW PREMISES

The Ashburton Trust wishes Rural Transport all the best for all the years to come and looks forward to a continued working relationship.

FIVE STAR BEEF LTD P.O.BOX 42, ASHBURTON 7740. P 03 308 1599. F 03 308 8530 Michael Coote

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his hand and co-ordinates loads of sheep and cattle between saleyards, farms and meat plants. Between Ashburton, Fairlie and Kurow, Rural Transport covers a big patch, but their ability to network brings operational efficiencies and reduces empty running and driving hours. Five days a week, for most weeks of the year, Five Star Beef uses Rural Transport to cart valuable beef cattle from its feedlot at Wakanui to ANZCO Foods’ Canterbury plant at Seafield, 20km away. Five Star Beef manager Jamie Gordon said the feedlot had used Rural Transport, and its predecessors, since it began fattening angus cattle for export 23 years ago. The transport company was not only reliable, its drivers took good care of the cattle – with each beast weighing about 650kg and its meat destined for lucrative Asian export markets, Five Star doesn’t want stressed or bruised animals arriving for slaughter. “Our cattle are very valuable and need to be taken good care of.” Rural Transport carts up to 700 specially-bred angus steers a week from the feedlot to Seafield. The truck units back into the feedlot’s loading facilities and staff load them up a ramp then pass responsibility on to the

experienced drivers on the route. “Rural Transport, and Owens and Burnetts before that, have been our sole transporter of the cattle from the feedlot to the meat plant for 23 years. It is critical we have someone who has good

quality gear and has drivers that handle stock with care. We spend a lot of money getting cattle to the condition they are to produce meat for a highly discerning market. They have to be treated properly.”

Rural Transport has proven to be reliable and experts in their field, he said. ANZCO Foods also uses Rural Transport to cart offal from its Blenheim plant for processing at specialist rendering facilities at Seafield.

One of Rural Transport’s nine-axle 50-tonne capable stock trucks.

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General freight

eneral freight co-ordinator Lawrence Gordon doesn’t say no to many job requests. Rural Transport can move almost anything, from extra long loads, to dangerous goods, export seed, expensive tractors and even hen houses still full of hens. He says the company’s general freight vehicles are versatile and flexible, and carry out both regular and on-demand requests.

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I don’t say no to too many jobs. We can arrange to have things moved to most destinations

Rural Transport’s general freight is mostly rural-related such as hay, silage, machinery, fertiliser and seed, mainly throughout Mid Canterbury and Lawrence co-ordinates job orders that come across his desk in Ashburton. The company has a daily freight run from Ashburton to Christchurch and

back and two other curtain-sider units for carting other freight. Goods like chemicals or specialist seed are carried under strict transport conditions; export seed transported to container ships in Lyttelton also has strict chain of responsibility conditions. Lawrence said the general freight department also has two lift-outside tipper trucks (tip trucks with sides that come off) able to shift baleage and hay or be fitted with silage bins for extra versatility. Three hiab units are also available to lift stacks of pallets or heavy machinery and even tractors or silos. He said two extra long truck units able to carry 46 foot containers were part of the company’s specialist service delivering export seed to port. For unusual-shaped loads, Rural Transport can also arrange a pilot vehicle. “I don’t say no to too many jobs. We can arrange to have things moved to most destinations.” Neumanns Tyres uses Rural Transport to distribute its products to tyre shops all around the South Island and manager Alan Neumann said it was an important job.

“It’s a regular service every week of the year and we never have a problem.” Rural Transport driver Mark Bain drives around 2300km each week taking tyres to and from Neumann’s retread plant in Christchurch to outlets as far south as Invercargill and as far north as Motueka.

He starts in Ashburton with a full load of retread tyres on a Monday morning (or Sunday night if he thinks the weather could be dicey down south) and heads to Invercargill, stopping to drop off and collect tyres from Neumann’s various branches.

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He returns to Ashburton late Tuesday, drops off stock at Neumann’s Wills Street headquarters, then hits the road again on Wednesday. He drives through Christchurch, loads up at the retread plant, then goes north to Blenheim, Nelson and Motueka. He returns home through Christchurch on Friday, stopping again at the retread plant, then back to Ashburton.

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We are a tyre company, not a transport company, so we leave the logistics to Rural Transport

“We are a tyre company, not a transport company, so we leave the logistics to Rural Transport. They’re carting tyres 95 per cent of the time and Mark can usually tell us exactly how many tyres he has on board at any given time. “They are regular, they don’t let us down, they have good staff and modern trucks.” Rural Transport has been doing the delivery run for over four years and Alan said delivering tyres around the South Island had become a stress-free part of his job.

One of our experienced Hiab drivers, Trevor Begg, delivering a milk vat on the farm.

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Bulk and fertiliser

amish Esler runs the bulk grain and fertiliser department out of Ashburton. Rural Transport trucks take grain from farms throughout the region and deliver it to flour and feed mills, and dairy farms. They also cart dairy feed like palm kernel and pellet supplemental feed.

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Rural Transport’s new spreading truck equipped with the latest technology and a dual side tipping trailer for quick and easy movement of product.

Y VERE I L E E D WID FREATION N

The fertiliser side involves co-ordinating five fertiliser spreaders and seven bulk trucks around farmers’ seasonal requirements

Hamish said the big bath tub units were specially designed for carrying grain, and the company also carries its own equipment to move material between farm silos into trucks. Equipment includes augers and a grain vacuum, which moves the product quickly and safely.

We wish Jim and the team the best of luck at their new premises. JO EN

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Main South Road, P O Box 6, Hinds, Mid Canterbury. For your catalogue of all our products please phone 03 303 7228 Contact Andrew 0274 434 777 or Don 0274 332 212 andrew@robfarm.co.nz | www.robfarm.co.nz

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P 03 308 7400 A South St, Ashburton W www.ashcon.co.nz

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Rural Transport also runs a storage facility with seven silos at its new Northpark Road site and shed storage. Hamish said work was steady yearround though the warm season from December to May sees demand peak when farmers are harvesting wheat, cereal and other seed crops. “In the harvest season we actually bring in sub-contractors so grain can be moved without any hold-ups.” The fertiliser side involves coordinating five fertiliser spreaders and seven bulk trucks around farmers’ seasonal requirements. In Kurow, the grain and fertiliser departments, and general freight, are Dave Hughes’ domain. He said the depot’s three freight trucks and two spreaders worked the territory around Kurow and down to Palmerston, so co-ordinating jobs was vital because of the number of kilometres travelled. “Everything we pick up is 60-100km from the depot.” General freight includes tractors, wool and posts, as well as bulk grain and fertiliser spreading. Customers praise the company’s reliability. Rural Transport is a long standing provider of freight services to PGG Wrightson Seeds in the Canterbury region, moving product from storage

sites to processing sites. It’s a relationship that spans decades, says PGG Wrightson Seeds’ David Green. “We use them because they are reliable and cost effective. They are

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also accessible, have capacity and move product when we need them to.” Rural Transport’s local focus and their record of reliability made them stand out from other transport operators, David said.

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Fulton Hogan

The Fulton Hogan team are extremely proud to have had the opportunity to design and build such a dynamic multipurpose site for Rural Transport to base its operations. This site is not only durable and built to last, it exceeds environmental and building standards whilst being extremely functional and highly presentable.

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BrianThomson

he Rural Transport family bid a sad farewell to former general manager and part-owner Brian Thomson this year. Brian’s battle with a brain tumour came to an end in February, not long before the company moved into its new Northpark Road headquarters. His death was felt throughout the company, where he counted many mates. General manager Jim Crouchley said it was a sobering time. Brian was not only a key part of Rural Transport, he was a much loved husband of Nicky, adored father of Grace and great friend to many. His reach was obvious in the 800 mourners that attended his funeral in the Ashburton Trust Event Centre. Those who came remembered him as a family man, a businessman, a rugby man and simply a great mate. Brian had been with the company since November 1997, initially employed in sales and marketing. He became area manager in September 2000, after Owens Transport acquired the Kurow operation of Waitaki Transport. He had many years of experience in the rural service industry, having worked for Wrightsons in several divisions, including three years as a livestock representative. He also had five years with Cropmark as a grain and seed representative, and

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as regional manager, before joining the industry with Owens Transport. In 2004, Brian was instrumental in returning the company to local ownership. He took a 20 per cent shareholding, with Wilson Bulk Transport and Philip Wareing Ltd subscribing 40 per cent each.

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He was always proud of the company and knew it would work

Rural Transport chairman John Dobson said the early years were not easy and Brian put in hard yards, always aiming to take the business to a higher level of performance. Brian’s wife Nicky said he was enthusiastic and passionate about Rural Transport and worked hard to make it a success. “In his latter years, the move to Northpark Road was his real passion. “He knew a transport company couldn’t be operating from the middle of town and it’s a shame he didn’t see the end result. “He was always proud of the company and knew it would work.”

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The road ahead

he transport industry has made some huge advances in the past 40 years and Rural Transport has kept up with the frontrunners. Modern trucks and their drivers have the latest technology, tracking software means journeys use as little fuel as possible and the loads themselves are heavier than ever. Government regulations increasing

maximum weight loads have also driven change, in Rural Transport and its owner companies Philip Wareing Ltd and Wilson Bulk Transport. Philip Wareing, a director of Rural Transport, said that, 40 years ago, the maximum load was 40 tonne. Now it was 50 tonne, and even 58 tonne on a select few roads with bridges and infrastructure heavy enough to cope.

In Rural Transport’s operating zone, bridges over the Rakaia and Waitaki Rivers are limited to 50 tonne vehicles and this has dictated the big rigs in use. Modern truck units with technology and improved braking systems capable of handling heavier loads cost around $500,000 each, and are being ushered into fleets as investments in the future. These are nine-axle vehicles, 20m in

length from the first to last axle, and have a big impact. Philip said other road users would actually notice the difference with fewer trucks on the road. “A motorist passing a line of seven trucks with 50 tonne loads would have to pass nine trucks under the old system.” The aim is more customers and fuel efficiency.

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23 “At the end of the day, we hope the extra income will be shared between customers and ourselves.” Drivers too had changed, with those behind the wheel responsible for not only their load, but expensive machines and logbooks detailing exact driving hours, weighbridge dockets and other required paperwork. Drivers would soon have tablets in their trucks, with load information, delivery instructions and the truck manual, and be able to send and receive updates. “Drivers are an under-rated group. They are our company rep out there on the road and have to look after these expensive bits of equipment, and they have to fill in lots of different paperwork.” A modern fleet and experienced drivers was creating a solid base for Rural Transport in Mid and South Canterbury and North Otago, he said. And it would place the transport company in a position where it could respond to changes in the farming and rural scene in the decades to come. “We have been able to accommodate the dairying boom but often things are cyclical and maybe sheep, beef and cropping will play a more important part again in the future. We just want to be a part of whatever lies ahead.” Philip said Rural Transport was proud of its local ownership and 80-year-old links to the community but it was focused on being fit and ready for the future.

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Philip Wareing said Rural Transport was proud of its local ownership and 80-year-old links to the community but it was focused on being fit and ready for the future

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Ashburton - 03 308 4079 Kurow - 03 436 0135 (Rex) - 03 436 0849 (Dave) Fairlie - 03 685 8911