Dec/Jan 2022 NZ Trucking Magazine

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CONTENTS

EDITOR

Dave McCoid Ph: 027 492 5601 Email: editor@nztrucking.co.nz ASSISTANT EDITOR

Gavin Myers Ph: 027 660 6608 Email: gavin@nztrucking.com For all advertising enquiries: Matt Smith Ph: 021 510 701 Email: matt@nztrucking.co.nz Pav Warren Ph: 027 201 4001 Email: pav@nztrucking.co.nz SUB EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

Tracey Strange

John Berkley

CONTRIBUTORS

DIGITAL IMAGING

Craig Andrews Carl Kirkbeck Faye Lougher Craig McCauley Jacqui Madelin Shannon Williams

Willie Coyle

Niels Jansen (Europe) Paul O’Callaghan (Europe) Howard Shanks (Australia) Will Shiers (UK)

PUBLISHER

VIDEO PRODUCTION

Jonathan Locke Izaak Kirkbeck Milly McCauley Howard Shanks

DIGITAL MANAGER/CONTENT

Louise Stowell OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

Georgi George Long Haul Publications Ltd 511 Queen Street, Thames 3500 PO Box 35, Thames 3500

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Ricky Harris

32

New Zealand Trucking magazine is published by Long Haul Publishing Ltd. The contents are copyright and may not be reproduced without the consent of the editor. Unsolicited editorial material may be submitted, but should include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. While every care is taken, no responsibility is accepted for material submitted.

Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of New Zealand Trucking or Long Haul Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

FOR BERT AND BEYOND Doing it Now for Tomorrow

This magazine is subject to the New Zealand Press Council.

Complaints are to be first directed to: editor@nztrucking. co.nz with “Press Council Complaint” in the subject line.

If unsatisfied, the complaint may be referred to the Press Council, PO Box 10 879, The Terrace, Wellington 6143 or by email at info@presscouncil.org.nz Further details and online complaints at www.presscouncil.org.nz

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ABC Audited circulation 7092 as at September 2017 Nielsen audited readership 95,000 as at 01–2016

50

DICK’S GREATEST HITS The Career, The History, The Stories

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REST 6 8 28 66 72 74 76 80 84 86 90 92 98 100 104 106 108

Editorial Road Noise – Industry news Hall of Fame 2021 Just Truckin’ Around Gallery – Darrin Murcotts Rust in Peace – Dodge Kew 100 Aussie Angles – T9No Compromise International Truck Stop – New DAF’s a winner Wanaka Memory New Rigs New Bodies and Trailers Million Mile Club Rhino Photo Comp Light Commercials – Best of 2021 Little Truckers’ Club Little Trucker Down Under What’s On/Cartoon

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

112 Moving Metrics 116 Incoming Cargo – eMobility traction

WATC H TH E VID EO O N YO UTUB E

120 Person of Interest – Raphael Avalrenga 124 Product Update – Austin’s Roadmaster 126 Product Profile – Getting pumped 128 Product Profile – Max-Safe 130 Business Profile – Pete’s Takeaways 132 Industry Comment 134 TDDA 136 Truckers’ Health

68 PELORUS

FLAWLESS IN Edridge Contracting’s Latest Stunner

94

THE GO ON AUSLOWE One-stop Model Shop

138 Health & Safety 140 Legal Lines 142 NZ Trucking Association 144 Transporting New Zealand 146 The Last Mile BROU GH T TO YOU B Y

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK OF THE YEAR

Associate Member

EDITORIAL

FOR THOSE WHO MOVE THE NATION

I

’ve decided the world is better off for not having any form of approved crystal ball. Apart from the fact it would take the fun and challenge out of things, knowing what might be just around the corner probably wouldn’t do much for our mental wellbeing, regardless of what was revealed. Bad news would make us overly fearful; good news, lax. Imagine if someone had told us 2020 was merely a rehearsal for 2021. Yet here we are. We’ve had our resilience tested yet again and by and large have made it through. Having said that, I acknowledge fully the tourism, hospitality, and health and beauty sectors have been tested beyond measure with little real resolve in immediate sight for the first two at least.

Yes, there are endless and ongoing topics that need raising, but hey, it’s Christmas. It’ll be a weird one for the many who wouldn’t have contemplated in August their ability to be around loved ones for the festive season would be scuppered.

I’m a huge fan of Christmas. I always have been and always will be. For me, it’s all about family and friends, sharing time and merriment. It’s probably the last festival we have across the breadth of society that allows a full-stop and underline on the calendar. That, in turn, provides the opportunity for

acknowledgement.

Matt, Margaret, and I thank everyone who supports Long Haul Publications with their business and custom. We never take lightly anyone’s decision to spend advertising dollars with us and constantly search for ways to drive value and return into that investment. Likewise, our readers. We thank you sincerely for choosing to spend your hard-won discretionary spend on our products, and again, we strive constantly for new ways to make you a part of what is essentially your publication, and deliver more and better content.

Personally, I still use the same yardstick for every issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine that I did when I took on the editor’s role in 2015. “If I were still driving and stopped at the servo, would I part with $9.50 for that?” That’s the focus question driving the editorial team, and we strive to answer it with a “Yes” every month.

Obviously, that brings into the spotlight the next group of key people for us to thank, the sales and editorial teams.

It’s a big thing when people choose to spend a portion of their life working in your business. It’s something too many employers don’t think hard enough about. We have an outstanding group of focused and talented individuals across sales, production, editorial, and contribution, who give their

TRUCK & LIGHT COMMERCIAL adapted masthead.indd 1

8/02/2012 11:02:47 a.m.

TRADER

all to producing the best content they can. For some, it’s the desire to execute their craft to their best ability; others are driven by a love of the content. The alchemy of the two results in the production of top-end products. To each and every one, without you, we’d be a name and nothing else.

Thank you for choosing us.

Thank you for everything you do.

This year we’ve produced a calendar again (there should be one attached to this book), and volume two of The Best of New Zealand Trucking, 1995 to 2004. We hope you enjoy both. To be honest, we were amazed at the popularity of Best of New Zealand Trucking Volume 1.

Maybe it’s a sign of how old my generation is getting.

The big excitement for us in the last stanza of 2021 has been the release of a brandnew magazine, Little Trucker Down Under. The feedback, support, and response to the concept has left us gobsmacked, a true sign that the industry and its kids were desperately in need of some tangible connection.

A huge thanks must go to Shannon Williams, the magazine’s editor, who has done an outstanding job getting issue No.1 over the line, as well as Rochelle Thomas and our wondergirl Milly McCauley, the first regular youth reporter. The wizard that is designer Ricky Harris must also take the spotlight for bringing words

and pictures to life in the way only he can. And to all of you amazing young people who contributed to the first edition? Take a bow. Issue No.1 will always be special to you.

Lastly, a bit of news. We’re having a wee reshuffle at Long Haul Publications in the new year. New Zealand Trucking’s assistant editor, Gavin Myers, will step into the role of editor for that publication, and I’ll move into the editorial director’s role.

What that means for you, our readers, is minimal, but it frees me up from day-to-day nuts-and-bolts stuff to help develop the new content we want to bring you next year.

Speaking of that, by the time you read this, we will be on the cusp of recording the first of our new monthly podcast series, so stay tuned for that one. There’s plenty more to tell you shortly.

That, then, is the end of 2021. It’s been a tough and challenging year, but also a hugely rewarding one. In our travels, we continue to meet people making the best of unusual times and going out of their way to support our efforts to record history as it happens. Again, we thank you all sincerely for your cooperation.

From all of us here to all of you: we wish you a relaxing and safe Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Go well, be safe, and wave to truckies!

Dave McCoid Editor

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

NEW AFTERSALES GM AT CABLEPRICE

N

ick Allan has been appointed as the new general manager of aftersales at CablePrice.

Based at CablePrice’s head office in Gracefield, Petone, Allan started the job at the beginning of November. He brings more than 22 years of experience in the automotive industry and management.

He started as an auto technician before moving on to numerous management roles, national and international, with the most recent roles as service director for Scania New Zealand and as general manager for Trucks and Trailers.

“It was important to select a general manager with a proven success record, extensive industry knowledge and great customer understanding,” said CablePrice managing director Aidan Mahony.

“Nick will lead the CablePrice aftersales team as we continue to evolve our aftersales offering and improve our customer experience,” he said.

NEW ZEALAND’S FIRST ZERO-EMISSIONS TRUCK TRIAL KICKS OFF

T

he Auckland Inner City Zero Emissions Area Trial has kicked off, signifying New Zealand’s first trial of 100% electric trucks.

The trial follows the arrival of the first Fuso eCanter 100% electric trucks – five of which are being used by trial participants Mainfreight, Bidfood, Toll Global Express, Owens Transport and Vector OnGas. The one-year trial will see the integration of the fully electric trucks into New Zealand’s commercial fleet to deliver goods in the inner city.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff said the electric trucks would pave the way for reduced carbon emissions and contribute to improved air quality in Auckland’s city centre.

“Transport makes up more than 40% of Auckland’s

emissions profile. The shift towards emissions-free vehicles is a critical step towards meeting our climate change goals,” he said.

“This trial will complement emissions-reduction work already underway

by Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, including the rollout of emissions-free electric buses across our transport network. It will also contribute towards our vision of creating a zero-emissions area in Auckland’s city centre.”

Earlier this year, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority approved co-funding for the five Fuso eCanter trucks to support the development of New Zealand’s zero-emission transport fleet.

The trial will support the integration of electric trucks

into transport and delivery systems, with support from EECA, commercial-vehicle lease specialists TR Group, and telematics experts EROAD. Fuso NZ group manager of sales and customer experience, Kathy Schluter, said that the ZEA trial launch marked “another significant milestone in the important journey towards successfully integrating fully electric trucks into New Zealand’s commercial fleet”.

“The all-electric eCanter is ideal for inner-city delivery – emissions-free, virtually silent, and equipped with advanced safety systems,” she said.

“It will deliver considerable benefits for residents and workers along with the wide variety of freight it is built to carry.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

HYUNDAI’S XCIENT FUEL CELL LANDS IN NZ

H

yundai New Zealand has unloaded the nation’s first hydrogenpowered truck, the Xcient fuel-cell electric vehicle.

The Xcient is the first of five trucks planned to run freight across the country in a realworld demonstration within commercial fleets.

New Zealand is just the second market outside of South Korea to commence a multiple-truck programme.

(The Xcient fuel-cell trucks in Switzerland are in commercial operation and have now exceeded more than 2,000,000km of regular commercial service.)

The trucks will be introduced into an on-road (in-service) demonstration

programme, with specialists in heavy-vehicle transport and road-transport logistics.

Those partners are still to be confirmed.

The Xcient fuel cell has a gross vehicle weight of 28 tonnes and a combined gross combination weight of 42 tonnes. It will operate lower than this in New Zealand due to local road-weight limitations.

Power is by a 350kW electric motor with 2237Nm of torque. Driving energy is provided by a 180kW hydrogen fuel-cell system with dual 90kW fuel-cell stacks that combine with a 72kWh battery. Seven tanks make for a combined storage capacity of about 32.09kg of

hydrogen. (The location of the tanks in the images are for transport position only. Once in operation, they are located vertically behind the cab.) The range is about 400km – the driving distance between Auckland and Palmerston North.

Hyundai New Zealand said

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each Xcient fuel-cell vehicle on New Zealand roads in place of a diesel truck would save 50 tonnes of CO2 per year (based on 80,000km per annum) from being emitted into the environment. The trucks have been secured with the help of funding from ECCA.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

HIRINGA BUILDS HYDROGEN REFUELLING NETWORK

H

iringa Refuelling New Zealand is commencing the construction phase of the first four high-capacity greenhydrogen refuelling stations for zero-emission heavy fuelcell electric vehicles, which will form part of a nationwide refuelling network.

The initial phase represents a total investment of $50 million to install the stations in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Palmerston North. This includes significant detailed engineering and compliance work and builds on close collaboration with supplier partners to create a fully integrated network solution.

“We have strategically selected the initial network locations to provide coverage for the major heavy-freight routes in the North Island. The facilities will be co-located with well-placed existing truck refuelling sites, owned and operated by Waitomo Group.

This is an excellent example of aligned companies leaning in and partnering to enable change,” said Andrew Clennett, CEO of Hiringa Energy.

Hiringa plans to expand its network into the South Island through 2023 to provide full coverage of all New Zealand’s heavy freight routes. More than 24 Hiringa Refuelling

New Zealand high-capacity refuelling stations are planned to come online across country in the next four to five years to support a growing fleet of vehicles.

“Knowing that affordable, accessible, and reliable sources of green hydrogen will be readily available is critical to creating a viable platform for Kiwi companies to innovate and create new low-emission business opportunities,” said Clennett.

“Creating material change at this scale is incredibly

exciting. This achievement is the result of collaborating with our key partner companies and working closely with central and regional government, all of whom have the central aim of making green hydrogen refuelling for heavy transport a reality in New Zealand.”

Clennett said instrumental to commencing construction was a $16 million investment from the government, as part of the Covid-19 Recovery Fund and growth capital from key investors, including Sir

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Stephen Tindall’s fund K1W1, and international investment from Asia and North America.

“These investments build on Hiringa Energy’s Strategic Alliance Agreement with Mitsui and Co. (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, and the memorandum of cooperation on hydrogen between Japan and New Zealand,” he said.

“The government’s support in the early decarbonisation of heavy road transport has played a vital role in providing many logistics operators and their customers with the confidence to invest in and support zero-emissions FCEVs,” said Clennett.

“Hiringa Energy will continue to work with leading international Automotive OEMs to ensure there continues to be access to the tens of thousands of suitable zero-emission vehicles that NZ requires to decarbonise its transport fleets.”

MAN TGX IS SUSTAINABLE TRUCK OF THE YEAR

T

he 380kW (510hp) variant of MAN’s flagship truck has been named Sustainable Truck of the Year 2022 in the semitrailer tractor category, at Italy’s Ecomondo international trade fair for material and energy.

The title is one of many

international awards that MAN’s new generation of trucks has already won since its market launch in February 2020, including the International Truck of the Year 2021 as well as design prizes such as the Red Dot Design and German Design Award.

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“The Sustainable Truck of the Year 2022 award for the MAN TGX is a particularly important new success, as it honours our focus on environmentally friendly and sustainable transport solutions that make our customers’ demanding and hectic daily business as simple, safe, and efficient as possible,” said Göran Nyberg, executive board member for sales and customer solutions at MAN Truck & Bus. “The consistently positive feedback we have received for our new-truck generation from customers, experts, and the public since its market launch makes us very proud and spurs us on to consistently continue on this path.”

ROAD NOISE NEWS

TR GROUP ORDERS 20 HYDROGEN FUEL-CELL ELECTRIC TRUCKS

H

eavy commercialvehicle leasing and rental company TR Group has ordered 20 Hyzon hydrogen fuel-cell trucks for the New Zealand market. The 447kW (600hp), 58-tonne GCM tractor units will be powered by 100% green hydrogen, the only emissions being water vapour.

The 20 HFC trucks will be made available to customers through a fully maintained operating lease (FMOL), including fuel. They will remove approximately 5000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere every year.

The first units will be in New Zealand in mid-2022 for performance testing, with the balance arriving towards the

end of the year.

TR Group has worked closely with the government and Hiringa Refuelling New Zealand (Hiringa Refuelling), which is developing the fuel supply network to support the trucks.

TR Group’s general manager, Brendan King, said: “We have had great uptake from customers for these vehicles, who share similar values to ourselves when it comes to decarbonising the transport network and making the world a greener place. If we are serious about reducing our impact on the environment, it is important that we embrace and seek to understand this technology and help develop it for New

Zealand conditions as well as helping to develop the support networks for it, such as service and repair expertise and the vital refuelling infrastructure.

This can only be done with real-world use of this technology.”

Hyzon Motors CEO, Craig Knight, said: “Hyzon is proud to participate in this exceptional partnership with TR Group and Hiringa to decarbonise New Zealand’s heavy transport sector.”

King added: “Of course, we couldn’t have done this without the support of our partners – EECA, the government, Hiringa Refuelling and Hyzon – and are incredibly grateful to them. We’re hugely excited about the learnings ahead, and we look forward to playing our part in New Zealand’s journey towards a zero-emission transport future.

There’s a long way to go, but this is a really positive first step.”

Among the first customers to order one of the Hyzon FCEVs is PBT, through its Express Freight Network.

PBT’s CEO, Dave Lovegrove, said PBT was an emissions-intensive organisation. Because of this, the company had acknowledged the role it could play to protect the environment and the need to improve and increase its efforts towards environmental sustainability continuously.

“Our customers are increasingly focused on more sustainable supply chains, and we share similar values when it comes to decarbonising the transport network and delivering a better tomorrow.

“At PBT, we’re focused on a range of initiatives from in-vehicle technology to improve fuel efficiency to electric forklifts in our branch network, and now with this exciting new and 100% green heavy vehicle technology.”

SEA ELECTRIC ROLLS OUT FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC TRUCK AS AN OEM

S

EA Electric has announced the first Australian produced all-electric truck to roll off its production line since becoming a fully-fledged OEM earlier this year.

Delivered to mining company Mineral Resources, the SEA 30085 is set to become a feature on the roads of Western Australia.

Constructed from a semi-knocked down kit at SEA Electric’s Melbourne facility, the truck is finished with the latest SEA Electric badging and branding,

complete with its own compliance plate and full factory warranty.

Rated to 8.5-tonnes, the SEA 300-85 is specified with a 138kWh battery driving a 1500Nm motor, which lends itself to a variety of final applications, including dry freight, temperaturecontrolled freight, as an elevated working platform or a tipper for municipal use in a range of trims.

Unladen, the combination has a potential range of up to 300km.

“It is incredibly exciting to see the very first truck to roll off our production line; it is the culmination of years of effort by the entire SEA Electric team dating back to 2012,” said Bill Gillespie, SEA Electric president – Asia Pacific.

“Our company’s stated mission is to eliminate more than a billion kilograms of CO2 emissions over the next five years, and that will be made possible with the efforts of early adopters of the technology such as MRL.”

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

ALEXANDER GROUP, SYMONS WIN ROCKGAS BULK LPG DISTRIBUTION

D

angerous goods logistics and transport specialist Alexander Group has been awarded the contract to provide nationwide bulk LPG distribution for Rockgas.

Rockgas is part of Firstgas Group and provides LPG safely and reliably to more than 125,000 customers across New Zealand. It is also investigating low-carbon gas alternatives, including bioLPG, to help New Zealand become zero carbon by 2050.

Hayley Alexander, CEO, Alexander Group, said a few factors helped seal the deal, including the company’s long track record in developing

innovative transport and logistics solutions for its customers.

“As one of the largest transport operators servicing the gas industry, with an unrivalled safety record and a national infrastructure, we have developed an ability to look around corners and to think differently about how we positively impact our customers’ business outcomes. We’ve successfully been doing this for 50 years,” Alexander said.

“I have no doubt that our ‘fresh eyes’ approach to Rockgas’ unique needs, including reducing on-road exposure and kilometres

driven without compromising quality and safety was key to them awarding us the contract.”

To strengthen its bid, Alexander Group has an alliance with Taranaki-based transport company, Symons Group, to service the Taranaki region. An outcome of the new contract is that the network hub will be based in Waikato rather than Taranaki, the more established heart for the energy sector.

“Integral to our approach

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The contract will see the development of Alexander Group’s hub in Waikato, including a fleet of new trucks to maximise delivery capacity.

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

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BIG RIG TRUCK SHOW IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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he USA & Australian Country Car & Big Rig Truck Show is gearing up to be one of this summer’s Hootnanny Country Rock Festival highlights.

Up to 100 trucks and 400 cars will be on display at the three-day event.

Event organiser Noddy Watts says the car and truck show adds a spectacle to the event and is sure to draw in the crowds.

He says the event is a celebration of country culture inspired by cowboys, cowgirls, pick-up trucks, boots, hay bales, tight jeans, beer, and open spaces. The festival has entertainment for the entire family with non-stop music across two stages, featuring a line-up of New Zealand’s finest country music legends and the rising stars of modern country rock.

The event also features the Trinity Country Market with 200 stalls and an exhibition arena featuring freestyle MotoX, barrel racing, tractor pull, mower racing and monster truck demonstrations. Also included are free

carnival rides.

The event will take place at the Thames Racecourse from 25 to 27 February 2022. The USA & Australian Country Car & Big Rig Truck Show kicks off on Saturday, 26 February.

Special interest USA and Australian cars and any big rig truck (no trailers) can enter the show.

“Cars must arrive before 9am while trucks will assemble at a location in Kopu before 9am. They will then convoy into Thames, parade through the Main Street and finish at the racecourse by 9.30am,” Noddy said.

Public gates open at 10am, so all vehicles will be inside the venue and set up before the crowds enter.

“But the public get the added bonus of seeing the truck parade in Thames first,” Noddy added.

Car and trucks can pre-enter only at hootnanny.co.nz. Public ticket sales can be bought from the website, and there will be a limited number of general admission tickets on sale in Thames from December.

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New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

R

FL an Innovative Kiwi Trucking Business is a new book celebrating the innovative Kiwi trucking company and its more than 50 years’ history. Written by a New Zealand trucking enthusiast, with contributions by the late George Potter and Graham Malaghan, who both had long, in-depth associations with the company, the book covers RFL’s entire story.

The story starts with the first refrigerated trucks in New Zealand and details the company’s growth in New Zealand, the entry of containers, and the expansion to and within Australia and South Africa. It explores the changes in ownership and celebrates the innovations developed along the way.

Many photos and stories of individuals add to the depth and detail.

RFL an Innovative Kiwi Trucking

Business is available at offthepress. co.nz for $55, including delivery. A $5 donation from each sale will be made to the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in Wellington.

WE ARE MOVING! | NEW AND EXCITING PREMISES | EXCELLENT LOCATION

RELOCATING to TAURANGA

40 Kaweroa Dr, Tauriko Opening April 2022

Stage 1 of 2 Our new HEAD OFFICE and DEALERSHIP presents a fabulous customer experience.

The showroom will display new FOTON & INTERNATIONAL trucks.

Featured is a highly specialised Service Department and Parts Distribution Centre.

An independant VTNZ COF Lane completes a ‘one stop shop’ for all our customers needs.

| Visit: Trademe | New FOTON Trucks Foton trucks have great specs, all with a 3 year Warranty at an amazing price. These are quality, excellent value trucks!

Our ‘Job Ready’ models range from 5,995kg to 8,995kg GVM. C&C’s range from 5,995kg up to 14,000kg GVM. We sell and deliver trucks throughout NZ. View ‘Trademe’ for details, enquiries are quickly responded to.

121-1021

A FAMILY OWNED NZ COMPANY, EMPLOYING KIWIS and SUPPORTING NZ BUSINESS.

ROAD NOISE NEWS

BUYING AND SELLING TRANSPORT BUSINESS

J

ason Fox is well known to the New Zealand trucking industry as the Bay of Plenty branch manager of Credit One, as well as his past roles in truck sales with Trucks & Trailers and Penske. Now, after four years financing trucking companies, Fox has expanded his expertise to include business brokerage.

With a specific focus on trucking and transportrelated companies, Fox says his experience of valuing and selling trucks, his understanding of spec and value, and knowing the ins and outs of transport set him apart as a business broker.

“After four years in finance looking at financials daily, I’ve seen the difference between

a good and a bad business, those that are struggling and those that are profitable, especially regarding transport because that’s what I specialise in,” he says.

Fox is REA-licenced and works with a network of specialists to ensure his clients’ businesses are ready for sale – and that they don’t regret the decision.

“I can work with business owners to get their companies ready for sale. People also might not realise their business isn’t ready for sale. Do you have all the processes in place? What are your financials like? Is your business solely reliant on you, and will the business stand on its own feet with other management structures

in place? These are things I can help people work through now if they want to sell their business in two or three years’ time.”

For those who want to sell their businesses now, Fox can do an evaluation, find interested parties, and discreetly negotiate the in-between.

Given the current constraints and delays with the delivery of new trucks, Fox suggests buying trucking businesses as a good way to expand fleets.

“If you’re looking to expand your business now but are struggling due to the current short supply of trucks, you can buy a business, add in maybe a little bit of goodwill, and have the trucks, the staff

and the work that goes along with it.”

While many business brokers sell many types of businesses, they might not fully understand transport.

“I’d like transport operators to think, ‘I want to sell my business, Jason understands it.’ ‘I’m looking for a business.

Jason understands it’,” says Fox. Contact Fox at jason@ vosperrealiy.co.nz or jason@creditone.co.nz, or 021 369 015 or 0508 300 500.

SALES MANAGER WANTED NZ Bulk Logistics (NZBL) is looking for a Sales Manager to join our team and help drive further growth, building on our success to date.

• Young team, fast growing business • Competitive Package • Opportunity to grow within the Business • Hawkes Bay based

LOOKING TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN YOUR CAREER? For more information, or to apply email Ted today.

TED DICKIE 027 275 0025 ted@nzbulklogistics.co.nz NZ Bulk Logistics is a third-party Logistics supplier operating New Zealand wide. We specialise in the supply and delivery of bulk freight through our single point of contact dispatch system. Our extensive fleet of sub-contractors allows us to move large volumes efficiently and cost effectively.

www.nzbulklogistics.co.nz

GIVE YOUR TRUCK AN UPGRADE

We can take any truck and make it better. Whatever brand, our engineering and fabrication teams can customise your existing truck to make it perfect for you.

Talk to us today.

CALISUZU.CO.NZ 0800 266 628

ROAD NOISE NEWS

ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR SUSPENSION REPAIRS

S

ince taking ownership of Auckland Truck Alignment, father and son duo Rick and Grant Ranger have slowly enhanced the company and its services to customers. The most recent enhancement is workshop expansion to include an area for suspension-related repair work on trucks and trailers that require a bit more than an alignment.

“We’re trying to set up Auckland Truck Alignment as a one-stop-shop for that kind of work,” said Grant Ranger.

“Not a lot of places do these sorts of repairs.”

For now, repairs are limited to suspension-related jobs, including truck and

trailer axle bushes, spring repairs, shock replacement, suspension rebuilds and axle straightening.

“We’ve had a couple of trailers in recently where an axle has been bent by being hit on something. This new area of the workshop gives us the space to back the trailer in, pull the axle out, straighten it with an induction heater and get the job done. Otherwise, it’s a case of putting a new axle in. Not a lot of places can do it,” Grant said.

A classic Super-Liner in for COF repairs gets an almost allnew suspension, with springs, shocks, tie-rod ends, axle stubs, wheel alignment and tyres.

TRUCK & TRAILER WHEEL ALIGNMENTS SPECIALISTS

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GVW: 40,000kg

Tow Eye: 40-50mm Swappable

Suspension: MTW Air or Spring

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Tow Eye: 50mm

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ROAD NOISE NEWS

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF MERCEDES-BENZ ACTROS

A

ctros was launched in 1996, and there are now five generations, with MercedesBenz’s premium truck for long-distance, heavy-duty distribution operating all around the world.

Numerous technical milestones, such as the first emergency braking

assistance system to react independently to obstacles, Sideguard Assist, or the assistance system for semiautomated driving (level 2), all celebrated their premiere in the Actros.

At the beginning of October 2021, series production began for the new eActros with fully

electric drive for heavy-duty distribution haulage.

“For a quarter of a century now, the Actros has been the flagship of our product portfolio,” said Andreas von Wallfeld, head of marketing, sales & services at MercedesBenz Truck.

“Worldwide, more than 1.4 million trucks sold in this

premium model series are clear proof of very satisfied customers.

“The fact that each Actros generation has won the title of International Truck of the Year, bestowed by commercialvehicle journalists from the whole of Europe, is evidence of the extraordinary success of this model,” he said.

INNOVATIVE

BUILT TO LAST MAXIMISE Your

BOTTOM LINE If you’re moving wood, Mills-Tui are the experts for innovative design to maximise your productivity. Optimise your payload with new designs to meet the pro forma requirements.

mills-tui.co.nz Mills-Tui Limited 0800 MILLS -TUI (645 578)

Musson Logistics Ltd Trailer Manufacturer:Mills Tui

RFH Group Trailer Manufacturer:Transfleet

Lumbr Limited Body Manufacturer is: TL Maclean ltd

Don’t let your payload weigh on your mind!

Tipping Units, Bulk Haulage, Logging and Weighbridges Bennett Log Haulage Ltd Trailer Manufacturer: Koromiko Engineering Ltd

TKO contracting Ltd Trailer Manufacturer: Transfleet

Rotorua and Christchurch Phone: 07 349 4700

www.silodec.co.nz

ROAD NOISE NEWS LIGHT COMMERCIALS

RENAULT KANGOO, MERCEDES-BENZ CITAN, TOYOTA HILUX INTERNATIONAL VANS/PICK-UP OF THE YEAR 2022

T

he new Renault Kangoo Van and MercedesBenz Citan have been named joint winners of the International Van of the Year 2022 Award, while the latest Toyota Hilux has been announced as the winner of the 6th International Pick-up Award 2022/2023 (IPUA) for medium-sized pick-up trucks.

It is the fourth time Renault and Mercedes-Benz have won Van of the Year. The fifthgeneration Volkswagen Caddy finished runner-up, with the Stellantis small electric vans and the Toyota Proace City Electric in third.

Jarlath Sweeney, chairman for IVOTY, said the main criteria for the International Van of the Year Award was the vehicles’ contribution to the

efficiency, safety, sustainability and environmental standards of the light commercial vehicle sector.

“As the award programme enters its fourth decade, the philosophy and objectives remain unchanged, despite the high level of technology and innovation being achieved

by manufacturers and also in meeting market trends,” he said.

For the IVOTY 2022 award, the candidates included traditional diesel-powered vans and a selection of electric variants.

Initially, there were 14 new vans recently launched

Toyota Hilux wins International Pick-up Award (IPUA) The Toyota Hilux emerged victorious just ahead of the Isuzu D-Max, with the Jeep Gladiator third. Before electing the overall victor, the nominated trucks are assessed and analysed by the expert panel from the IVOTY jury at a specially organised group test. This event was held in Croatia in early October.

Previous winners of the prestigious IPUA title included the Volkswagen Amarok and Ford Ranger (both twice) and the Nissan Navara.

NEW RANGER REVEALED Ford’s next-generation Ranger ute was revealed less than 24 hours before we went to press. Set to go on sale here next year, it sits on the same platform as the outgoing Ranger and Everest, but with track and wheelbase up by 50mm.

The ageing 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel is out, replaced by a revised 3.0-litre turbo V6 diesel sourced from the larger F-150. Performance figures are still undercover, as are the variants we’ll see, but we should get that V6, with the 2.0-litre turbo diesel four still an option, with six-speed auto or a revised 10-speed auto transmission.

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New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

An electrified variant will follow – likely hybrid or plug-in hybrid, though Ford has hinted at a full electric.

Suspension improvements were also announced, along with either a selectable shifton-the-fly 4WD system or full-time 4x4 with auto ‘set and forget’. Other features include dual recovery hooks in the front bumper, selectable off-road drive modes until now only available in the Raptor, and even a work surface on the tailgate with an inbuilt ruler, cupholders and clamp pockets for tradies using it as a workbench.

by 11 light-commercial manufacturers for the panEuropean IVOTY jury to elect one overall winner.

Mercedes-Benz won IVOTY previously in 1995, 1997 & 2005, while Renault was successful in 1998, 2002 and 2012.

METRO BRIEFS

RENAULT KANGOO EV Renault’s Kangoo Van E-Tech Electric has made its debut. Its 90kW engine can link to three different charger types to deliver a 170km range in just half an hour of charging.

Renault NZ plans to sell the E-Tech in New Zealand

but can’t confirm when right-hand-drive production will start, though the on-sale date here is likely in 2023.

The Kangoo electric already on sale since 2011 has sold to more than 70,000 commercial buyers,

and makes up one in five utility vehicles on European roads. Its 300km range has gone down well, and the under-floor battery hasn’t impacted the 3.9m3 cargo capacity (more in the upcoming long format).

There is a raft of new companies racing to get electric utes into production, with Rivian now certified to go on sale in the United States. The R1T ute undertook winter testing in New Zealand recently, and the first production unit has just been built for a paying customer.

That customer could already have bought electric had they ordered the Chinese Kandi electric double-cab, with up to 241km range. At the same time, Geely is rumoured to be starting a separate electric-ute brand under its commercial division to go on sale next year.

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NORTHLAND NORTHLAND TARANAKI TARANAKI TARANAKI TARANAKI NORTHLAND NORTHLAND Mitchell Mitchell Redington Redington 021 555 021 326 555 326 Adam Adam McIntosh McIntosh 027 603 027 1023 603 1023 NORTHLAND TARANAKI Adam Adam McIntosh McIntosh 027 603 027 1023 603 1023 MarkMark Tucker Tucker 021 276 021 6428 276 6428 TARANAKI NORTHLAND AUCKLAND AUCKLAND Mitchell Redington 021 555 326 Adam McIntosh 027 603 1023 HAWKE’S HAWKE’S BAY BAY – MANAWATU – MANAWATU HAWKE’S HAWKE’S BAY – BAY MANAWATU – MANAWATU – WANGANUI – WANGANUI – WELLINGTON – WELLINGTON AUCKLAND AUCKLAND Adam 027 603 1023 Mark Tucker 021 276 6428 027 525 Steve Steve Willcocks Willcocks 027 0015 525 0015McIntosh MarkMark O’Hara O’Hara 2466 027 2466 954 954 AUCKLAND Steve Steve Willcocks Willcocks 027 525 027 0015 525 0015 WANGANUI WANGANUI – 027 WELLINGTON –MANAWATU WELLINGTON Mitchell Mitchell Redington Redington 021 555 021 326 555 326 HAWKE’S BAY – HAWKE’S BAY – MANAWATU – WANGANUI – WELLINGTON AUCKLAND Mitchell Mitchell Redington Redington 021 555 021 326 555 326 Steve Willcocks 027 525 0015 SOUTH SOUTH ISLAND ISLAND Mark Mark O’Hara O’Hara 027 2466 954 954 Mark O’Hara 2466 954027 2466 Steve Willcocks 027 525 0015 021 555 326 WANGANUI – 027 WELLINGTON WAIKATO WAIKATO Mitchell Redington MikeMike Gillespie Gillespie 027 4322 027 4322 491 491 WAIKATO WAIKATO Mitchell Redington 021 555 326 SOUTH ISLAND Mark O’Hara 027 2466 954 Adam Adam McIntosh McIntosh 027 603 027 1023 603 1023 ChrisChris Gray Gray 027 2816 027 2816 840 840 SOUTH SOUTH ISLAND ISLAND Adam Adam McIntosh McIntosh 027 603 027 1023 603 1023 WAIKATO Mike Gillespie 027 377 4322 491661 WAIKATO Tim Finlay Tim Finlay 021 805 452 805 Steve Steve Herring 021 021 661 377 MikeHerring Mike Gillespie Gillespie 027 4322 027 4322 491 491 Andrew Andrew Haberfield Haberfield 027 4798 027 4798 588 021 588 452 Adam McIntosh 027 603 1023 Chris Gray 027 2816 840 SOUTH ISLAND Adam McIntosh 027 603 1023 ChrisChris GrayGray 027 2816 027 2816 840 840 BAY BAY OF PLENTY OF PLENTY - GISBORNE - GISBORNE Steve Herring BAY BAY OFTim PLENTY OFFinlay PLENTY - GISBORNE - GISBORNE Mike Gillespie 021 377 661 027 4322 491 Andrew Haberfield 027 4798 588 021 452 805 WWW.SPT.CO.NZ OUT OUT MORE MORE WWW.SPT.CO.NZ Steve Steve Herring Herring 021 377 021 661 377 661 Tim Finlay Tim Finlay 021 805 452 FIND 805 FIND Andrew Andrew Haberfield Haberfield 027 4798 027 4798 588 021 588 452 Chris Gray 027 2816 840 OF PLENTY - GISBORNE BAY OFBAY PLENTY - GISBORNE WWW.SPT.CO.NZ OUTHerring MORE Steve 021 377 661 Finlay 027 4798 588 021 452 805 FIND AndrewTim Haberfield

Hall of Fame honours 2021 inductees Story and photos supplied Robin Clifford (Cliff) Bennetts Cliff Bennetts was born in Roxburgh in 1925. His parents and grandparents were orchardists.

Originally intending to farm, in 1950 he and wife Marj, along with business partner Colin Parker, purchased a sixtruck transport business off Herbert and Ian Guise. Mossburn Transport was born. Apart from the usual rural work, they were busy servicing the Homer Tunnel Project.

Growth saw permanent drivers replace the casual staff employed, and at times that meant digging the garden.

In 1957, Cliff, along with Mobil and two other parties, formed Gore Services, a distributor of Mobil fuel owned and operated by Southland carriers and contractors. By 1974 18 representatives sat on its board.

Mossburn Transport numbered 10 trucks by 1960, busy with Lands and Survey work in the Te Anau Basin on developing stations.

In February 1964, Cliff along with George Hedley (Lumsden Transport) and Terry Gilligan (Te Anau Transport) formed Manapouri Haulage to contract service for the new Manapouri Power

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New Zealand Trucking

Scheme. This venture was so successful that in December 1964 a complete merger happened incorporating their three businesses and Manapouri Haulage, forming Northern Southland Transport Holdings Ltd. Each company retained their identity but were controlled by one Board of Directors.

Livestock and fertiliser were major revenue streams and Cliff developed machinery to assist the transfer of fertiliser from rail and truck to farm.

Interestingly, the year prior to the formation of Northern Southland, Cliff had purchased his first Mercedes-Benz truck for £12,000. It proved so successful that Northern Southland would eventually own the largest MercedesBenz fleet in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Manapouri Haulage arm ceased trading in 1970, but the company diversified by setting up a joint venture in Queenstown called Queenstown Concrete. In 1974 Flagstaff Station at Athol was purchased, followed by Ross Holdings Westland in 1976, and Wicked Willies Tavern in Queenstown in 1981. In 1979 Cliff and Marj purchased a farm as well. George Hedley left the company in 1982.

In 1984 Cliff Bennetts passed away from cancer. He was regarded an excellent employer and community supporter, as can be seen by the accolades he was awarded, including Life Memberships of the Mossburn Rugby Club, Go Cart Club, Fire Brigade, and Bowling Club. Cliff was also honoured by the Mossburn Shears, and the Southland Rodeo Association.

Cliff gave 34 years to the industry.

He was an RTA and Groundspread Association member, and was Chairman of Northern Southland Transport for 12 years.

Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

John Alexander

Born in 1943, John Alexander grew up in Putaruru, Waikato. In 1971, John and his wife Cecile purchased a small Waikato contracting and transport firm, quickly growing it to become Alexander Grain. The mid-1970s was a time of intense growth with a contract to ship 5000-ton shipments of grain 24/7 to Mount Maunganui Port and the invention of the ‘Grain Train’, a hyper-efficient specialist unit that could bottom-dump grain, helping secure a three-year contract with Northern Roller Milling.

In the mid-1980s, John turned his attention to the wine industry, developing an intermodal service of trucks and ISO shipping, a groundbreaking alternative to costly rail and ferry.

Developing an ethanol tanker in 1982 was a significant turning point for the company, establishing its presence in the bulk tanker industry. Shell was taken on as a customer in the 1990s, and the contract grew over 10 years to cover the South Island, servicing farms, commercial, retail, bulk oil and LPG. Alexander Group was awarded the

BNZ Small Fleet of the Year in 1997 to recognise its operational excellence.

In 2002, John started bulk deliveries for BOC throughout the South Island, which expanded in 2005 to include the North Island. The growth of the Alexander Gases division grew with the addition of inter-island ISO handling and cylinder distribution throughout New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

A focus on safety and innovation was acknowledged when Alexander Petroleum was the LTSA/Road Safety Trust recipient of the Innovation and Achievement Award for an Organisation 2007/2008, recognising excellence and encouraging innovation in road safety.

Now in its 50th year, John can be proud of how far the Alexander Group has come across two generations and how forward-thinking it is today.

John has been a staunch advocate of the Road Transport Association and served on the Region 2 executive and working groups for many years supporting the industry. John’s innovation is now woven into the fabric and future of transport in New Zealand. From the invention of the ‘Grain Train’ to ethanol tankers and fuel industry safety equipment, John’s unique ability to see over the horizon is evident in his success.

Kate Bucknell

Born in Auckland in 1956, Kate Bucknell was introduced to the industry when she had an after-school job babysitting for one of her teachers.

The teacher’s husband was a tanker builder who clearly saw something in the teenager when he offered her a part-time job in his office. Kate never finished her degree at university. She was immediately attracted to the road transport industry and was determined to forge a pathway through it.

Her full-time involvement began as a salesperson and then manager of Avon Equipment Spares between 1975 and 1985. Her staff, uniquely for the time, were all women. Predictably, they were christened, ‘The Avon Ladies’.

In 1988, she became owner and director of Transcom Engineering, where she was introduced to global brands and agencies such as Jost and BPW. It was about that time Kate taught herself welding and immersed herself in CAD. In 1986, she transitioned into Jost Transport Efficiency with the Jost and Hendrickson agencies and later BPW. When BPW bought the company in 1994, the German global giant retained Kate as its New Zealand general manager. She would become general manager of Commercial Transport Spares, owner of Transport Equipment Solutions and is currently general manager of Jost New Zealand, which she formed in 2018.

Kate has served on the executive of the IRTE as its treasurer and secretary and managed no fewer than the last nine conferences for the institute. In 1989, she joined the Truck-Trailer Manufacturers Federation (TTMF), becoming secretary in 1994, and taking management of it in 2003. Kate and the late Geoff Walsh authored the much lauded and effective Manufacturer and Repair Code of Practice for our industry, on behalf of the TTMF members.

Neil Peterken

Neil Peterken has spent the majority of his life involved with the road transport industry. In 1961, Neil took up a position with Dave Domett at Domett Truck and Trailer, who was a great influence and provided guidance and knowledge.

After Dave’s passing in 1966, Neil relocated to Rotorua and took up

employment with Mills Engineering in 1967. Then, in 1969, he went to work for Manu Tuanui at Tui Trailers. Neil produced lightweight Chip-Liners in A-train format and developed the first hydraulic variable height house-moving trailer.

During this time, the new Carter Oji (Pan Pac) mill was about to fire up.

With Kenworth trucks ordered, Neil met with Carter Oji representatives and presented a layout of a logging dolly and two-axle trailer concept. The concept received the green light, so 24 units were constructed.

Alloy tipping bodies for RMD, Winstone ‘Sand Liners’ were some of the other ‘specials’ of the day.

After the merger and creation of Mills Tui Trailers, Neil opened Road Runner Trailers in 1973. The first of the long/short log combination units was constructed for Colin Poole and McCarthy’s.

In 1978, the first B-train was released at the Rotorua show, built for F.J. Ramsey. In 1980, Road Runner produced the first sliding bogie lead semi in a B-train, and also won the tender to supply ‘Live Floor’ trailers for the transportation of refuse for the Auckland Regional Authority. Neil secured an agreement for New Zealand and Australia with Boalloy of England and, in 1892, put the first Tautliner into service.

In 1969, along with the late Arthur McNae, Neil set up the Institute of Road Transport Engineers New Zealand, IRTENZ. He is still a member.

Neil has been instrumental in the advancement of the road transport

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

29

industry of New Zealand. His innovative ideas and concepts became the norm. He has seen the highs and lows of the industry, been surrounded by and made friends with many involved. He has assisted and offered opportunities and helped many engage with the transport industry.

Richard Riley

Richard Riley was born on 17 March 1948 in Christchurch. He began his career in the road transport industry during 1965 at John Brightling (‘Master Carriers’) as an office junior.

By the mid-1970s, Richard was ready to guide his own ‘ship’ and accepted an appointment with Owens Group (‘Trailways’). Over the next 10 years, he held senior positions in Christchurch, Tauranga, and Auckland for a brief stint. Returning to Christchurch, he managed a business involved in the distribution of temperature-controlled goods throughout both islands.

In 1986, he was appointed general manager and director of NZ Express Transport Group. He held this position for 20 years until the business was sold in 2005, and he retired from full-time employment.

Richard believes the three most significant influences on the road transport industry during the period were: • For Christchurch, the transition of the Port of Lyttelton from rail to road after the opening of the road tunnel in the early 1960s.

• Nationally, the global advent of the ISO container for shipping and the

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New Zealand Trucking

influence on vehicle size, design, innovation and ultimately their diversity and efficiencies.

• The introduction of legislation to allow open competition between road and rail in the early 1980s.

Richard believes the industry can only achieve strength from the numbers that commit to supporting the local association, not only financially but committing time and expertise. No one person has all the right answers, nor will the outcomes suit every operator’s business. It takes the collective energy of everyone to challenge and change the environment in which the industry operates. It is not good enough to sit on the sidelines sniping at those who give their time freely and willingly to achieve gains and insights for the benefit of all.

In 2003, SML joined the region’s other large forestry business, McCarthy Wilshire Transport, and established a management company called Canterbury Dispatch, which planned, dispatched, and provided data processing of all log deliveries for Carter Holt Harvey in Canterbury.

In 2007, SML purchased McCarthy Wilshire Transport and became the largest forestry logistics business in Canterbury.

Over the past decade, SML has maintained its status as the largest forestry logistics business in Canterbury. The passion, high

Steve Murphy

Steve started driving trucks for RR Price in the late 1960s, carting timber products to and from the local sawmills throughout Christchurch.

Steve Murphy Ltd (SML) launched in 1981 with one truck carting logs under contract to Oldins Sawmill in Christchurch. Due to the closure of the sawmill in 1984, Steve became an owner-driver for Neil Graham at Mainfreight between 1984/85.

Steve’s true passion was in the logging sector. So when an opportunity arose to work alongside Shands Road Sawmill – a customer to this day – in 1985, he went for it.

In 1993, Steve was awarded a contract for the local pulp mill in Sefton called Canterbury Timber Products. This contact was then novated to CHHF, which managed the local Forest Estate established by New Zealand Forest Services. SML still has a cartage agreement with the estate’s present owner, Rayonier Matariki Forest.

In 2000, Steve put on a log/ woodchip unit between Christchurch and the West Coast. Then, in 2001, he purchased an existing bulk cartage business, carting woodchips from domestic manufacturers into CTP in Sefton. SML continues carting out of these sawmills under contract to New Zealand Pine Processors.

Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

standards and dedication that drove SML’s success is firmly entrenched in the company’s culture and brand. SML also aims to be a market leader in safety systems and performance. This was recognised in 2017 at the Champion Canterbury Business Awards when it won the ACC Workplace Safety Award.

One of Steve’s key strengths is his personality, humour, and ability to work with people. He has a reputation for being firm but fair. He has always shared the success with his staff by rewarding them with aboveaverage working conditions, a stable environment and modern equipment.

Steve is a Canterbury forest industries icon, well respected for his ethics, dedication, innovation, wonderful sense of humour and his success. 

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COVER FEATURE

FOR BERT AND BEYOND Lilburn Transport is a rural trucking company founded on the principles of hard work, service, and great relationships.

Robbie and Niketa Lilburn are the third generation to head the central North Island trucking business, and their latest purchase shines a light on their intentions for the future.

Story by Dave McCoid

Photos and video by Gavin Myers and Dave McCoid

I Arnold Rueben 1957 – 2020 This cover story is dedicated to the memory of Arnold Reuben. A loyal Lilburn man of 35 years’ service, Arnold was known not just for his ability but his willingness to pass on the skills of his craft to those willing to learn.

“He was one of my best mates. We had something different, me and Arnie.” – Adrian Takiwa.

PART ONE

’m the seventh Robert Lilburn, I think,” says Robbie Lilburn as he ticks off past generations in his head. “But in terms of the business today, you’d go back three, I guess.”

“Oh hell, okay,” I reply.

“That’s real cool. I love that generational stuff.”

“Yeah, so there’s Bob, my granddad, Bobby – that’s dad, – me, Robbie, and our son Rob looks like being four, he’s absolutely into it. The other kids – Caelen, Chelsea, and Jack – are too. They all ‘get’ it and understand it, what it provides and that. But Rob and Adrian’s son Joey, they’re best mates and both mad about the trucks.”

“So, that puts the heat on your kids,” I laugh. “I mean, you’ve already taken Bob, Bobby, Robbie, and Rob… they might have to use Bert?”

Robbie and his wife Niketa erupt into laughter. “Bert!

That’s it. Someone’s going to have to have a Bert!” says Niketa.

I’m sitting with Lilburn Transport owners and

directors Robbie and Niketa Lilburn in the modest yet immaculate office, smoko room, and amenities building at Lilburn Transport’s home in the small town of Raetihi on the North Island’s volcanic plateau. It’s a glorious day, and while youngest son Jack and his older sister Chelsea run around, full of the beans of life, we sit and chat, surrounded by framed pictures and mementoes telling the story of the company Robbie and Niketa are immensely proud of and totally invested in.

The southwestern side of the plateau is Lilburn Transport’s ‘backyard’, and it’s as tough an environment as you’ll find in the North Island. The weather conditions are rarely benign, antagonised by Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu constantly playing their part in stirring the metrological melting pot. In addition, Lilburn’s is a rural carrying business based around the ultra-versatile drop-sider truck and trailer configuration. That means the work is hard, and the skill level required is high.

Far higher than 90% of New Zealanders could fathom.

Then there’s the issue of isolation. Yes, if you’re living in Haast, you might well laugh, but think about it. If you have a small truck fleet in Raetihi, your nearest service agent of any size and capacity is Hamilton, Taupo, Palmerston North, or through the Paraparas to Whanganui.

“We do a lot here ourselves,” says Robbie. “We have a good workshop, but anything big has to be worked into the circuits.”

Yet, for all the obvious and constant challenges, 38-yearold Robbie Lilburn’s fullbarrelled laugh is as cheerful, honest, and cynicism-free as you’ll ever enjoy. It’s the laugh of a happy bloke who appears to have written the book on humility – ever grateful, always thankful. Niketa is no different – minus the booming laugh, of course. In fact, we soon learned that the air and tenor of our conversation perfectly reflected everyone who provides Lilburn Transport’s inner soul and resilience.

What drew us here was

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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1) The Commer TS3 with a proud and very young Bobby Lilburn standing beside it. 2) A Mitsi leaving a farm with a load of wool. You can bet there wasn’t a set of cat-claws for that one! 3) The Mitsubishi Shogun Twin Turbo was a standout model in the Lilburn business. Photo: Rob van der Hoek. 4 & 5) Mitsubishis were the mainstay trucks in the fleet through the 1980s, 1990s, and most of the new century’s first decade. a truck that’s turning heads wherever it’s seen – fleet No.22, a gleaming new Kenworth K200 and MD Engineering drop-sider combo. Its driver, Adrian Takiwa, says plainly: “I left Barrett & Taura and went to Lilburn because Robbie did.

He was my boss at the time, and he left to work solely on the family business. He’s just a top bloke, and they’re an amazing family. When you work at Lilburn Transport, you’re part of the family.

You’re truly valued.”

Farm it and they will come The Lilburn Transport story starts down on the farm with Robbie’s late granddad Bob Lilburn. Bob was from farming stock, his parents owned a 4856 hectare (12,000 acre)

sheep and beef farm on the Rangitaiki, roughly opposite Lochinver Station. In time, Rangitaiki was joined by two other holdings leased from Atihau Corporation, a 99-year lease on a block along the Parapara Road south of Raetihi, and another between Tohunga Junction (SH4 and 49) and Ohakune.

Tracing the bloodline of the Lilburn ‘roll your sleeves up and get stuck in’ work ethic is not hard at all. In 1959, aged 24, young Bob Lilburn found himself in charge of the family’s significant farming business portfolio following his father’s death. In terms of challenge, they certainly don’t come any bigger. Below him in age were four siblings, the youngest of whom was 10; yet get stuck in is what he and his next eldest brother,

Stuart, did. Just how much ‘can-do’ these young blokes had coursing through their veins cannot be understated.

Not only did they develop the Rangitaiki Farm from scrub to grasslands – a huge job – they also constructed their own power generation and supply on the Rangitaiki farm.

They fared well. But servicing the farms’ transport needs when 180km separated the farthest two holdings was an ongoing problem.

Over time, the frustration got too much, and they started looking into taking care of the business’ trucking needs themselves.

Having arrived on the scene in 1958 Bob’s son Bobby Lilburn was more into things that burned petrol and diesel than grass and hay, taking far more of a shine to the

machinery side of farming.

When the idea of owning trucks was mooted, it ticked many boxes for him.

“Dad was pretty much encouraged to leave Feilding Ag by the teachers,” laughs Robbie. “He came straight home and began working on the farm, getting into the machines and then trucks as soon as he could.”

Bobby got his HT when he was 17. Bob wrote a letter to the MOT explaining that he needed his HT because of location, and it was granted.

As with so many transports of the time, the first truck to fly the Lilburn flag on the farm was a TS3 Commer 4x2 complete with two-axle trailer, arriving about 1965. The first deployment was carting stock food from Ohakune back to Rangitaiki, followed soon after

by stock cartage. Like many TS3s of the era, when the famous ‘Knocker’ motor/antifatigue devise gave up the ghost, it was repowered with a V8 Perkins.

As is often the case, the act of solving your own transport problems soon gets noticed, and it wasn’t long before Lilburns began fielding calls from potential contract cartage customers.

But these were prederegulation days, which meant carting your own needs was one thing, contract cartage, on the other hand, was a whole different ball game. Undeterred by barriers to opportunity, the Lilburns purchased Kakatahi Transport in the mid-1970s.

The wee transport company was based in the rural area of the same name near the junction of Fields Track and Parapara Road (SH4) between Raetihi and Whanganui. It was a significant moment in the Lilburn Transport history – securing the licences it needed to access Whanganui from the National Park.

Kakatahi came with a couple of Hinos, but they were well used and replaced, in fairly short order, with two 300 series V8 Fusos.

“That was really the start of a long relationship with Jolly and Mills in Palmerston North and Ron Berg,” said Robbie.

“We had Fusos pretty much from then right through until about 2008. We moved onto FV315s and then into the square cabs. We put a big turbo on one of the 315s at one stage. It was putting out about 380hp but never really seemed to go much better.

The two twin-turbo Shoguns were the best. They put out about 402hp and went bloody well. They made a great sound, too – one had straight pipes. Arnie [Arnold Rueben] loved his one.”

Bobby reckons adding the turbo to the 415 woke the big V8 engine up and made it hum.

The Lilburn business was

100% rural service work, with the trucks all having crates, sides, and timber and wool covers. They were as versatile as possible, an ethos that’s still a key component to the business today.

“Yep, it was crates on, crates off, sides on, sides off,” laughs Robbie. “We built up solid customer relationships with the big farming families in this area, like the Frews and McDonnells. Likewise, wool cartage was a mainstay of the company work profile from the outset, and it remains a key part of the operation today.

“We’ve worked with Elco Direct for 30 years now, and we cart wool pretty much every week of the year. We have a great relationship with Elco’s Shane Eades that also goes back a long way. The wool cartage was a huge consideration in spec’ing deck lengths on the new truck. It’s an area of work we’re immensely proud of, from the perspectives of execution and relationships.”

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“No trouble at all” “No trouble at all” is a customer service ethos that has driven many a young transport start-up, but it’s in direct quote marks for a good reason, and anyone who knew Total Transport co-founder Matt Purvis will probably have a wry smile on their dial about now.

By the early 1980s, Bobby Lilburn had well and truly come of age, and although Bob owned the whole shooting-box, Bobby was running the cutter in terms of trucking affairs. Through that decade and into the 1990s, Lilburn Transport continued to evolve and grow, and like any small company on a trajectory akin to theirs, frustrating ‘holes’ in the circuits would pop up that impacted profitability. Enter Matt and Heather Purvis, and Total Transport.

Stock trucks, drop-siders, and a bunch of people willing

3 1) Father and son, Bobby and Robbie. 2) Sometimes the work has a local flavour indeed. 3) Robbie took the plunge in 2005 and bought a new DAF XF set up as a drop-side unit. Here she’s loaded with … well, do you really need telling? to work their cojones off – the name Lilburn must have been like music to Matt Purvis’ ears.

“We were doing work for local stock agents and began helping Matt with some of his corridors, fat lambs from the Taihape area to Rangiuru Freezing works at Te Puke in particular,” says Robbie. “We always had a great relationship with Matt.

The work was good, and he was always fair on the rates.

He had his cut to take out obviously, but you certainly

weren’t left out of pocket.”

Stockwork morphed into timber and fertiliser work, with Lilburns servicing Waimarino and the western National Park locations.

“It was really good, with Total having all the Tenon, Pederson, and Carters timber.

We’d be away all week, and on Friday, Matt would build loads that got us home. You’d pull in, and he’d be up on the balcony: ‘Come up, young fella’. You’d go up and he’d say, ‘We’ll build a load and get you home.’ It worked

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Robbie’s grand-dad Bob on a trip to the Hawke’s Bay with either Bruce or Chris. No stopping him!

The association with Matt and Heather Purvis’ Total Transport was a fruitful one and saw Lilburn’s specc’ing trucks that suited both businesses. Photo: Rob van der Hoek. bloody well. In fact, we started building our gear with not just our needs in mind, but his also, like curtainsiders built around 6m trucks and butt-out trailers.”

Of course, through the 1990s, the next truck-crazed Lilburn was well and truly on deck, living trucking’s golden era of endless and varied brands through the wide eyes of youth. In terms of what rolled his coal, young Robbie Lilburn was every inch his dad. Every waking moment was spent at the yard or in the cab in full ‘skillacquisition’ mode.

The mid 1990s saw significant changes in the Lilburn businesses. The Rangitaiki farm was sold, leaving the Parapara Road and Tohunga farms, although this still left three holdings as Bob had bought a farm at 1450 Mapara Road,

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Kinloch, from his brother Ken some years earlier. This coincided with a decision within the transport business to discontinue contract stock cartage. There were three reasons for this: first, the downsizing of farming operations internally with the sale of Rangitaiki; second, Matt and Heather Purvis’ decision to get Total Transport out of stock cartage; and third, the vagaries and inconsistencies of working with some stock dealers.

“Yeah, Dad had just had enough, really. He found it too frustrating,” Robbie says.

“And with Total getting out of stock, it made everything that much harder again. We kept a set of crates for ourselves, of course, but that was the end of the contract work.”

As the company grew, local competition comprised Carmichael Transport Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

and Barrett and Taura.

Carmichaels had downsized progressively over the years, and Barrett & Taura focused increasingly on stockwork as the new century progressed.

Doors might close, but they open also, and having a go is never something a Lilburn shies from. The start of the century saw them take on a contract carting containerised carrots from Ohakune to the port of Napier via Rangipo and the Napier-Taupo Road.

“They were overweight and on permits. On some bridges we had to slow to 30kph,” says Robbie. “We had a couple of Freightliner Columbias on it, and in the flush of the season Bobby’s brothers Chris and Bruce would jump in to keep the trucks running 24/7. My grandfather Bob would tag along for a ride. He loved it.

“The trucks brought

packaging home for Emmerson Transport over the Annie. Grand-dad would be there and sometimes John Emmerson would be there helping load the packaging in the middle of the night. Those old guys were incredible, weren’t they?”

The new century also heralded the next generation of Lilburn family blood arriving into the business proper. From school at Ruapehu College, Robbie had spent three years driving a snow groomer in the ski fields until he had the required licences to start full time with the family firm. He kicked things off behind the wheel of a 1983 FV315 Fuso drop-sider in 2001, honing his craft under the watchful eyes of his father and company driver Arnold Rueben.

“Arnold was a legend; that’s all you can say. He was quiet and reserved and almost looked grumpy most of the time. But if you were willing to learn and listen, he would willingly teach you absolutely everything.”

Niketa points to an article hanging on the wall that Truck and Driver did on him.

It’s titled, ‘Seems offhand – devoted, actually’. “That’s him to an absolute T,” she says.

In 2005, aged 22, Robbie took the plunge and, with a little help from his grandfather, purchased one of two new DAF XFs coming into the company. His was a dropsider, and Arnold got the other unit, a curtain.

For a spell there, grandfather, son, and grandson were all working in the business, something very cool that few get the privilege of experiencing. However, a changing of the guard on several fronts wasn’t far away.

Until 2008, the whole empire had been owned by Bob, but he was now in his 70s and it was time to herald a new era. That year the remaining farming interests were sold off, although the transport retained the depot on SH49 near Tohunga junction.

In order to understand the restructure completely, we’ll need to fill in a little background detail. Bob got his helicopter licence in the farming heyday to improve travelling and mustering efficiency. Over the years, this had sidelined into a handy tourism enterprise, and so when the 2008 restructure occurred, Bobby’s brother Bruce bought the whirlybird business. Bobby and Robbie took the trucking business, of course – goes without saying, doesn’t it?

Skinning cats A new business – not really – and a new son. Robbie and Niketa had met, wed, and all that stuff by now, and firstborn Caelen was on the scene. New horizons were everywhere, and Rob, Chelsea, and Jack were to follow over the next seven years.

Bobby continued to steer the day-to-day operations in terms of the business, while Robbie was ‘DAFing’ up a storm. By now, the work profile was taking the shape of what we see today, dominated by a mix of wool, timber, and tip-work plus anything else that needed loading, lashing, and locating.

Most of us take our OEs when we’re young. Not Bobby Lilburn. In 2012, with things humming along, Robbie came off the trucks and into the office while Dad took flight for a bit of bucket-list-ticking in the form of road-train driving for Jamieson Transport in Western Australia.

The main yard today.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun, eh?” says Bobby when we had yarn later on. “I really enjoyed it. Imagine a combination 32m longer than these that weigh 170 tonne.

She’s different all right.”

Not only did it scratch an itch for Bobby; it also gave generation three the opportunity to steer the ship for a spell.

Then in 2013, local firm Barrett & Taura was looking for an operations manager.

That coincided with the depot lease on Tohunga Road coming to an end.

The Lilburns needed a new home, so they purchased the Barrett & Taura depot in the old Raetihi railway station on Railway Road – no imagination in those days – and moved in alongside. Robbie took on the job running both fleets, amounting to about six trucks.

Bobby was also back from desert duelling, and Lilburns added a new Freightliner Argosy day cab with DD15 power to the fleet. Suffice to say, there was a bit going on.

“I did the dual role thing for about three years but then reached a crossroads in my own heart about where I should be. I needed to get out of the Barrett & Taura job and focus on building the family business. So, in 2016 I did just that. I resigned from the B and T position, and shortly after that Foley’s Transport took over the Barrett & Taura trucks.

“The next couple of years were tough. I went back out on the road from the B and T

Lilburn bought the Barrat and Taura depot on railway road in 2013. It was in fact the old railway station, as the before and after pics show. operations job, but Dad and I were getting a bit scratchy.

After all, we’d been working together my entire life. We’d lost a bit of mutual respect, and that’s not good. In 2018, Niketa and I bought Dad and Mum out of the trucks, leaving the depot in the family.

Dad took a spell and drove a milk tanker at Fonterra for three years, but he’s been back about a year now and, honestly, we’ve never had a better relationship. We’re bloody good mates. It’s just amazing, eh?”

Today, the fleet comprises the new Kenworth K200, a 2005 ex-Total Transport K104 with a Gen-2 Signature, the Freightliner Argosy, and a 2015 35.540 MAN TGX bought new.

“Niketa and I want to develop and grow the business and set it up well for future generations,” says Robbie. “When we took over, we knew there were things we wanted to change, and ironically I understood that from things Dad taught me without even knowing.

Whenever I had an idea, he’d say, ‘Bring the facts and figures, and we’ll look at it.’ Sometimes that was frustrating – he’s a hard bugger, but a good bugger with it. But it was saying that to me over the years that made me realise we needed help with some areas; we knew we had weaknesses, and it was around the numbers. We all work hard, and that’s great, but it’s no

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use working hard and not progressing.

“When we bought the DAFs, that was great, but I didn’t want to buy another round of DAF’s, even though there is a new Euro-6 coming,” he laughs. “No, what I mean is, I wanted to see a path to buying the gear we want to run eventually.

We got hold of Bob Cleland in Palmerston North to help us [Had to be a Bob, didn’t it? – Ed]. Bob’s a business mentor and consultant, and I met him when he worked with Dairy Fresh. He’s been great and just helped with education around numbers and direction.

“We use MyTrucking, both in operations now and out in the field with the app. That’s a bloody great tool. Our electronic RUC is via iBright, so at the moment, there’s no interface with MyTrucking for automated CPK, so that’s a bit of a bugger. It’s all voiceless and works incredibly well.

Culture, the mother of desire “Of course, we lost Arnie last year. I can’t tell you how sad that day was. He suffered a heart attack while his truck was being loaded with fertiliser bags at Ballance Mount Maunganui. It was just a terrible, terrible time. There were tears everywhere. He was such a great bloke, and

so many owe so much to him.

Arnie was family. I’ll never forget receiving that phone call. He was so well respected in the industry. The K2 was going to be his – he had a lot of input into it from a lifetime of experience. And then just like that, he never got to see it.

“We have a great crew now though, and we’re thankful for that. Adrian on the K2, me on the 104, dad on the MAN, and Paul Tamati, who we’ve known for a long time. He’s relieved for us over the years and recently retired from 36 years in the army. He’s come onboard fulltime.

“We’ve tidied up the old rail shed, and built a lime bin inside, so now the trucks come home loaded all the time and we can sell ex-the shed here. We’ve put a Marsh weighbridge in, they’re great people to deal with, and honestly, that’s been the best thing we’ve done since buying the trucks.

“In terms of trucks, we’re settling on Southpac product going forward. Yes, that’s aspirational to a point, but I say honestly, it’s also backup. The support they give us has been exceptional.

We bought the K2 and DAF through Mark O’Hara, and he’s great to deal with.

“That’s pretty much it, really. Just improve, work hard, serve our customers well, and run the business as

Central in the picture, Robbie and Niketa Lilburn, generation three at the wheel of the business today. Surrounding them, the next wave! (From Left) Rob, Chelsea, Jack, and Caelen. Photo taken in front of the truck dad drives of course. smart as we can.

“My boy Rob and Adrian’s son Joey have been best mates since daycare, and it’s great to watch the interest and love they have for it. It looks like we’re right for at least another round,” Robbie laughs.

Robbie Lilburn climbs into his 2005 K104 Kenworth every morning for three reasons. His family, his staff, and his love of trucks and rural trucking. Like farming, forestry, and fishing, rural trucking is vocational. You do it because you love it, because there’s nothing else

you want to do. As the old cliché goes, it’s in your blood.

Like every Liliburn generation, fostering an interest, love, and understanding for the business at the age the ‘newest’ Rob and his siblings are now is how succession happens. Through that, they understand how food arrives on the table and the work that goes into ‘good luck’.

They also learn that approach is everything and working hard is not the antagonist of happiness.

They simply have to look at their dad and mum to see that.

Culture is everything in rural trucking. It’s not hard to see why the small but tight Lilburn Transport crew gets through a powerful lot in a day. In short, it starts at the top.

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PART TWO

WHERE LAND AND SKY MEET O ur first sighting of it was when approaching Elco Direct Wool Buyers on Bell Road, Taumarunui. Once seen, it’s not difficult to understand why Lilburn Transport’s new Kenworth K200 has created the fuss it has around industry traps of resent. The gleaming stainless, polished wheels, twin intakes, underbody and top lights, and the livery – when it appears in view, truckheads of all ages are akin to possums in the headlights.

Pulling in and parking, we introduce ourselves to storeman Matt McKenzie. He is expecting our arrival and inducts us onsite. Then it’s a handshake and ‘G’day’ with driver Adrian Takiwa. He fits the Lilburn staff mould to a tee, welcoming and friendly.

He hasn’t long started loading 181 wool bales for two drops in Napier the following morning.

It’s the first reminder that driving a drop-sider requires a broad skillset. Adrian’s

driving Elco’s fork hoist fitted with a set of ‘cat claws’, an attachment with claws that pierce the wool bales from the top, picking them up in groups of three, and able to rotate them through 360°.

“Beats loading them by hand,” he chuckles. A job that generally makes even the best of them shudder.

There’s a specific way wool is loaded, and the Lilburn team are masters of the trade with the old sheep’s coat featuring throughout the company’s history. Three rows, middle facing and cap to cap, and then the top tow is turned, three across and running longitudinally.

The Lilburn trucks are regulars here, and Adrian, Matt, and storeman Ringo Makiakama are a flashback to a time when business and communities everywhere were one and the same. Ringo keeps an eye on Adrian’s progress, and when the bales are on and the work really starts, he’s right there to help.

The second row gets a lineal strap (front to back), and every row is strapped over the top with two on the ends. Then out comes the wool covers, even heartier than 16 packet timber covers.

“I had a bit to do with the design and placement of the reefers on these. They’re bloody good, actually,” says Adrian. The fit allows for the left-hand sides on the truck and trailer being in place, but reaching to the combing rail on the right. The day is hot and humid, and by the time they’re draped and sitting true, Adrian’s already got a good bead of perspiration on his brow.

“It’s not much, really,” he says. “You never know what the weather on the Annie will be like, so peace of mind and all that.”

He tilts the cab slightly to ease access to the front of the truck. It’s an electric tilt, so it saves way more time than it takes. Obviously, ‘Adge’, (Age) as he is affectionately

Adrian and ARNEZ power up the Titiokura in the pouring rain. known in the Lilburn family, is a master coverer, and 40 minutes later, we have a dead level set of wool covers over an impressive load. Woah to go? Two hours forty minutes.

The fact there was no running and or double-tracking up and down the truck proves the old adage that speed comes with smoothness, not haste. He’s an impressive act. His shades never even slipped down his nose once.

Cab down, boots and bib-overalls off, Adrian bids the lads farewell and thanks them for their help. He climbs into the cab, and the big red Kenworth carrying the personalised plate ARNEZ, rolls carefully out the gate.

The only way is up!

You would think locating your trucking company in Raetihi might be challenging in terms of weather, but the logical payoff is that every destination is down. Looking at an elevation map may well confirm that, but Lilburn trucks appear to

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‘Cat-claws certainly make loading wool easy.

climb everywhere. Their most benign routes would be to the Mount via Taupo and Rotorua or Wellington via Waiouru.

Everywhere else has hills (big ones) and windy roads (lots of them). The Spiral, Piriaka Saddle, Hiwis, Waterfall, Te Kuiti to the north, NapierTaupo or Gentle Annie to the east, and the Paraparas out west. Delightful.

“Yeah, that’s true,” laughs Robbie. “That’s why we’re always looking over them. It’s a tough life here. Our reality is you never really get much more than 700,000 or 800,000 from an engine – doesn’t matter what it is really. We’d normally be rebuilding about then.

“Some people won’t use the Annie anymore, and yeah, it’s a tough track. But based here, it’s still the quickest route to the Bay and, if we’re doing timber over to the Bay and fert out, it’s the only option really.

We’re permitted to run through at 54 [tonne] now, too, so that’s good.”

The Annie!

Yes, The Gentle Annie. We pulled out of the wool store and headed in her direction.

Out of town, over the Piriaka Saddle and up the Spiral, we swing left at Tohunga Junction and exit SH49 in Waiouru, where we have a quick catchup and a cuppa at the ‘Z’ station with Bobby Lilburn in the MAN. He’s heading to Taupo but will see us again in the morning as he’s on the same second-round job as us.

We roll on south, and Adrian swings ARNEZ left at the top of the Taihape Divi. That only means one thing for a Lilburn truck – Gentle Annie – a road that this big red jigger will get to know intimately throughout its life.

It’s one of New Zealand’s most famous and fabled trucking routes, the regional highway that dissects the North Island’s spine, linking Taihape in Manawatu to Fernhill in Hawke’s Bay. Like a ribbon dropped from a

height onto several piles of wool fadges, the Gentle Annie cuts through some of the North Island’s biggest country.

Although it saves travelling down to the Saddle Road, east of Palmerston North, or up to the Napier-Taupo, for anyone not at peace with their machine or driving skillset, accepting her enticing invitation may not be the ideal motoring decision. But if your thing is big hills, big country, steep and winding narrow roads, then Annie might just be your gal. For a seasoned rural carrier used to airstrips in the middle of ‘Middle Earth’, you’d wonder why anyone would shy away.

“It’s my favourite road,” says Adrian. “No question. I love it in there. Always have.”

As we pushed deeper into the road, the rewards come thick and fast, not just in the form of trucking Nirvana with the Cummins X-15 and Jakes both in full voice as Adrian conducts the symphony from

A full load of wool strapped, and covered, we were gone two hoursforty minutes after arriving. the Roadranger’s baton, but the views also, like the one from the top of Bonney Mary down the row of crisscrossing sedimentary valleys. It’s a view enhanced immeasurably by a bright red K200 Kenworth, loaded with covered wool, picking its way through a vast landscape.

Everything gets a workout on this road. It’s the perfect stage, the perfect moment in time to assess just how well we’ve done over 80-odd years of heavy truck R&D. The singing of the brakes as Adge does that wee tap to rub the last 5kph off on the tightest bends, the air suspensions

As big as it is, the Kenworth seems lost in the big country on the Gentle Annie.

Hard into the Gentle Annie.

You can see the road in the background.

working, and the sweet sound of gears being picked off, like ripe plums off a tree.

We wait at the famous swing bridge at the bottom of Springvale. The swinger is no longer used, replaced years ago by the bridge adjacent.

We see Adrian and ARNEZ round the top headland and wind their way to us, the Jakes in full song, down, across and into the big climb on the other side of the valley, up to the peak and the halfway point at Mangoahane turnoff. A further 25km, and we cross a small creek that marks the start of the section from which the road takes its name.

The route is now steeper, narrower, and windier, than anything previous. Gentle Annie was gravel until about a decade ago, but it is now narrow bitumen, void of fog or centrelines. Calls on the CB regularly help prevent untimely meetings on climbing or descending hairpin bends.

“Yeah, you try and avoid it,

but it has happened,” says Adrian. “That’s why we’re usually through in the early mornings when it’s dark. You can see their lights even if they’re not listening or have the radio up.”

At 54 tonnes, it’s all bottombox stuff for reasons of cornering speeds as well as grade. On the afternoon we went through, the weather wasn’t playing ball at all, the day had turned to crap. Adrian held proceedings in third direct, allowing wriggle room on the throttle in the event he needed it. Even at the best of times, it is a road where tyre life and R&M become the key determiner over truck performance. The power show is best left for the Titiokura, Kiwis, and the like.

After another lock-to-lock, Jake-blazing descent, the bridge over the Ngaruroro River marks the end of The Annie, and things begin to mellow out considerably as we roll off the foothills into

Fern Hill. Adrian’s dad Tracy lives there and he’s going to stay with him for the night.

We sign-off a great afternoon with a rendezvous time at the Wakatu Industrial Park Wool Stores between Napier and Hastings at about 7am.

Limelight The wool came off in two drops – one at the stores and the other at Hawke’s Bay Wool Scours. Side’s on/sides off is a daily fact of life at Lilburn, and the MD Engineering gear has been set up to make this as easy as possible. Like all good operators, Adrian follows a routine, aided immeasurably by the planning and thought three truckers and a truckerturned-engineer put into the build. Like the wool load, it’s a smooth glide around the unit, and he rarely covers ground already covered. There’s a place for everything, with a canny flip-up headboard cover rack providing easy access to the right-side posts. The

spring locks save pins, and it all saves time.

We meet Bobby again at Webster’s Hydrated Lime in Havelock North, both trucks loading for the Bay of Plenty.

Matt Webster shows us around and in no time, we’re heading east.

We’re in-cab with Adrian and we have to say, as odd as it seems, the Napier-Taupo looks like a motorway after The Annie.

The inside of this machine is faultless; you’d happily apply a five-minute rule to any food you dropped on the floor. In all reality it would likely be way cleaner than the hands that dropped it. Yes, it only has 42,000km on the clock, but that’s a lifetime in terms of keeping a drop-sider’s cab pristine.

“I offered Bobby a drive a few months back,” laughs Adge. “He opened the door and said, ‘Oh no. Bugger that.

Not if I have to take my boots off’.”

“That’s Adrian,” says Niketa Lilburn later. “Doesn’t matter what he drives; it’s always immaculate.”

ARNEZ is a pretty standard, proven, bulletproof mechanical fare in 21st-century Kenworth trucking. Cummins X-15 in Euro-5 trim, banging out 448kW (600hp) at 1800rpm and 2779Nm (2050lb/ft) at 1200rpm. Behind that is an Eaton Roadanger RTLO209018B 18-speed manual, with twin Meritor MFS66-122 axles on parabolic springs up front and a Meritor MT21-165GP drive set with dual diff locks at 4.3:1. Holding up the afterguard is PACCARS

Crossing the Ngaruroro River.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

41

PAYING IT FORWARD The K200 flat-roof sleeper is a cosy place to spend a couple of nights a week. The dash a classic and easy to use workplace. venerable AG-460 8-bag air suspension, with drum brakes, ABS, and EBS. It wasn’t long ago that 448kW (600hp) was the top dog in terms of power.

Nowadays, there are plenty of burners sporting loftier digits than big-red. Horses for courses-wise, this is an ideal spec, considering task, country and wear and tear – still over 10hp/tonne at 54 tonnes, delivering good trip times, and not leaving too much steer and drive tyre rubber on rural roads.

The big K’dub motored up the Titiokura in fourth

Unloading wool in Napier.

overdrive at 1650rpm and 35kph and the Kiwis half a gear up and about the same speed. Off the steepest part of Turangakumu, the Jacobs held the unit in fourth direct at 2100rpm.

The roll out beyond Taupo through Reporoa and Waiotapu was like a magic carpet. Great trucking and great company. It makes me so sad to think of the fantastic life adventures that mindless bureaucrats have denied so many of our kids, fathers, and mothers.

The load tipped off in rural Rotorua, Bobby and

“We had something different, me and Arnie. He really was one of my best mates. I was talking to him the morning it happened and then when I heard, man, I cried alright.”

Adrian Takiwa’s reflection of the events of October 20 last year clearly demonstrate that it’s still very raw. His family’s association with the man go well beyond his own lifetime.

Arnold Rueben and Adrian’s dad Tracy were great mates as young fellas in the haycontracting scene in Hawke’s Bay, so Arnold’s shock passing was felt right through Adrian’s own family as well as his work one.

“Yep, I’m a Hawke’s Bay boy originally,” says Adrian Takiwa who’s best described as the archetypal gentle giant.

He’s a big bloke, solid, and clear of six feet. Immaculately presented, polite to a fault, and genuinely interested in what you have to say. He takes it in, no question.

“I left school early because I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Dad’s a truck driver, and there was always a fight between my brother and me over who was going with him in the trucks,” he laughs. “Dad drove for a few local contractors on ERFs, Fodens, but his favourite – and ours – was the Eagle

he drove for Doug Whitfield.

That was a cool truck. My brother Russell, he’s got into combines and tractors in Aussie. Loves it, eh!”

Sixteen years ago, Adrian and partner Wiki-Lee ‘Wix’ moved to Raetihi from the Hawke’s Bay. Adrian had got a job working for market gardeners Kim Young & Son, but there was an added benefit in being sort of a midway point between the Bay and Wiki-Lee’s hometown of New Plymouth.

“I was driving a Ford N-series V8 from the field, back to the pack house through the paddocks and back roads. I was green-as!

They had other cool gear, too, a Mack Cruise-Liner and Kenworth K104B. I got to have a play in those at times, too. I stayed there two years.

It set me up well and I left with my class 2 and went to work for McCarthy Transport.”

Still only 20 years of age, McCarthy’s put Adrian through his remaining licences, and he ended up on a 700 Series Hino 8x4 and 4-axle trailer, carting logs from the Waimarino Forest back to the Tangiwai Sawmill.

“I really enjoyed that. It was a good truck, and real mountain goat. That thing could climb, man!”

Experience grows ability, and the confidence that comes with that heightens the sense of adventure. From McCarthy, it was to Barrett & Taura on an International 9800i eight-axle stock unit with Cummins ISX 525 power.

“That was a cool truck too!

Anything American,” chuckles Adrian.

Moving to Barrett & Taura was a significant step in the broader context of Adrian’s career. It was at Barrett & Taura that the friendship with his dad’s old haymaking mate, Lilburn driver Arnold Rueben, really flourished.

And it was there that he also began working for one Robbie Lilburn.

When Robbie gave away the Barrett & Taura operations role in 2015 to focus on the family business, Adrian followed him to Lilburn Transport.

“He’s just a great bloke to work with and work for. They all are. Bobby, his dad – he’s a great bloke and, like Arnie, I’ve learned so much from him, too. I mean, I’ve pretty much been here since 2015.

You wouldn’t stay in a job if the people weren’t right, would you? There’s certainly something special here.”

Adrian’s first ride at Lilburn’s was a near-new MAN 35.540, the one Bobby drives now. “It only had a few thousand on the clock.”

He stayed on the MAN until the wheel of the Kenworth K104 came up for grabs.

“That thing is a beast. I put a resonator on the exhaust, and she really barks. It’s got a GEN-2 signature in it. She goes.”

As we said in the main story, the skill sets acquired on drop-side work are formidable, and the variation in work, vast. However, there are long, tough hours and regular nights away from home. In early 2020, Adrian took a break and went back to McCarthy Transport to drive a bin-wood truck. It meant he was pretty much home every night and could spend more time with WikiLee and their son Joey.

But there are some truisms in life and trucking. However good a job might be, you

have to be happy in yourself, and you can take the man out of rural carrying, but you can’t take rural carrying out of the man. As great a place as McCarthy’s is, Adrian soon longed for that varied skillset and work profile the bin-wood truck just couldn’t deliver. While covering 181 bales of wool on a hot spring day might not be everyone’s cup of tea; for others, it’s like sipping a cup of freshly brewed English Breakfast.

“Yeah, it was the monotony that I just couldn’t take. Arnie kept ringing me, too,” he laughs. “Yeah, I came back, and of course, Arnie passed away. When Robbie offered me this, I was just blown away.

“I couldn’t believe it. I mean, it’s a dream truck for me – a flat-roof K2 – but there’s also so much of Arnie in it. I asked if it could carry Arnold’s ARNEZ number plates. It was going to be Arnold’s truck, and it always will be. So, yeah, it’s pretty cool.”

Outside of life at Lilburn Transport, Adrian enjoys

family life, riding his Harley Davidson with his mates on their machines, and hunting pigs and deer. “Yep, when I’m not in here, home, or riding, I’ll probably be hunting,” he laughs.

Wiki-Lee works locally in hospitality, and 13-year old truck-mad son Joey attends Palmerston North Boys with his best mate Rob Lilburn, and Caelen the eldest of the new Lilburn generation.

Adrian Takiwa is an integral part of a wonderful story.

Having met him, got to know him, watched him work, you’re left with the feeling that obvious beneficiaries aside, some lucky young guy or girl out there will one day meet their own Arnold Rueben, someone with a vast knowledge they are more than willing to pass on. The relationship will be pivotal in that young person’s life.

They’ll emerge from under Adrian’s wing undoubtedly a better person, with a skill set few truckers ever achieve.

You just have to ask yourself, how lucky will they be?

Adrian Takiwa, the perfect role model for any young aspiring truck driver. Immaculate is the only word that sums him up.

Living the dream of two in this amazing piece of rural trucking kit.

Adrian and son Joey on a father-son weekend hunt.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

43

Adrian de-side their rides, ready for the last mission of the day. You know watching them that if one Lilburn driver motored off and left another to deal with his sides alone, it would be a clear sign the planet had moved on its axis.

There’d be more chance of dinosaurs returning, or Greta T buying a top fuel dragster for commuting.

Our next adventure was also a regular Lilburn gig … the postal service.

One thing we noticed in our wonderings was the welcoming reception we got at all our pick-up points. That had to be a direct reflection of the colour of the trucks arriving and proving the old

point that whether it’s cops or customers, your demeanour accounts for at least half the success of all interactions.

We meet Steve Hawkings at Perma Pine in Reporoa, and he caps the day off just nicely.

Standing in the safe zone, we have a good old natter while Adrian loads posts for down the island. The Volvo loaders have a hectic daily schedule with a steady stream of trucks. The load-out pads are concrete, always a bonus, and it’s a scene where everyone is well versed in the ‘what, where, and how’.

And again, the set-up of the unit shone with chain hooks right there every time Adrian bent over and reached

Loading at Websters Hydrated Lime in the Hawkes Bay.

44

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

underneath. Before long, we were rolling, heading for an overnight at home, on-carting tomorrow.

First past the post The K200 flat cab’s a lot more snug than the standup pavilion that is Aerodyne.

That said, it’s an uber cool place, and the absence of an engine tunnel means there’s room aplenty, including ample storage. There’s lockers above the bed, under cab on both sides, under the passenger seat, as well as the usual pullout locker and fridge under the bunk. Adrian has a tele to watch on nights away. It’s an easy place to live in for a couple or three nights a week.

The K200 cockpit is incredibly driver-friendly and always has been. They’re an easy, comfortable truck to drive.

A quick cuppa in Taupo at the Mobil on the bypass and it’s home to Raetihi (uphill, of course) via SH47 through an appalling windstorm whipping across the basin, and then left onto SH3 at National Park.

Adrian pulled the yellow brake valve about 7.30pm, and with a hiss of air, there she sat.

A powerful lot of work had been done in 24 hours, with some real driving to boot. That’s life at this wee company.

As a tool of trade, the truck itself is all about choice. You

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S buy a philosophy when you buy a truck, regardless of brand. In Kenworth’s case, it doesn’t matter how many glitzy advertising pics you see of blinged-up gigs, Kenworth’s reputation was built on tough trucks that last in shitty conditions. That’s going to be tested as much with this machine in Raetihi as anywhere else. If you’re a newly assembled truck and you emerge from the factory with a red cab and blue chassis, with a Raetihi sticker on the windscreen, then brace yourself – shit’s about to get real.

Body and trailer gear, though, that’s a different story. That’s about finding

someone who will listen, certainly contribute, but in the end, build exactly what you ask for, because you know what it is you do, and what it is you need. For Robbie and Niketa, Michael Jelly and MD Engineering fitted that mould perfectly.

While the embellishments, the chrome, the stainless, the lights make ARNEZ look so damn good, it’s the practicality and usability that really impress. Put in the right hands, this is a winning truck, and Adrian Takiwa is certainly the right hands. There may be a lot of truck, but he’s a lot of operator. And, hey, we know by the number plate, he’s not alone in this!

Loading posts at Perma Pine.

Kenworth K200 8x4 rigid – 2.3m flat-roof sleeper Tare:

12,500kg (Load Certificate)

GVM:

32,000kg

GCM:

97,000kg

Wheelbase:

5550mm

Engine:

Cummins X-15

Capacity:

15.4-litre

Power:

448kW (600hp)

Torque:

2779Nm (2050lb/ft)

Emissions:

Euro-5

Transmission:

Eaton Roadanger RTLO209018B 18-speed manual

Clutch:

Spicer 2250lb/ft Ezy Pedal Advantage 3-VCT+clutch (Manual Adjust)

Front axle:

Meritor MFS66-122

Front axle rating:

13,200kg

Front suspension:

Parabolic leaf springs and shock absorbers

Rear axle:

Meritor MT21-165GP dual diff locks at 4.43:1

Rear axle rating:

20,900kg

Rear suspension:

PACCAR AG-460 8-bag air suspension

Brakes:

Drum. ABS/EBSS

Auxiliary braking:

Jacobs Engine Brake

Additional safety:

ATC (Automatic Traction Control), DTC (Drag Torque Control), FUP

Fuel:

530 litres

DEF tank:

160 litres

Wheels:

Alcoa Dura-Bright

Tyres:

275/70 R22.5

Electrical:

12V

Cab exterior:

2.3m flat-roof sleeper

Features/Extras:

Stainless-steel drop visor, grille bars, twin air intake system, stainless-steel panelling and additional light bars (MD Engineering). Additional roof lights, back-lit grille and underbody lighting.

BroLube greasing system.

Cab interior:

Crimson interior. AM/FM/CD player with Bluetooth.

Full suspension driver’s seat. Climate control, heated electric mirrors. Fridge.

Features/Extras:

TV, silver gauge bezels.

Custom stainless/ light work:

MD Engineering Balclutha

What goes in must come out.

Tipping off in rural Rotorua.

WALK AROUND WITH ROBBIE

W High-tensile construction keeps strength at a maximum, and weight to a minimum.

1

2

3 1) Rub pads on the sides prevent unsightly wear when stacked.

2) Springlocks prevent pin loss.

3) Angled post slots flick debris away from the shiny bits.

elcome to the new show, Walk Around with Robbie. Jokes aside, it was by far the best way to get to the nitty-gritty on this unit. There’s a hell of a lot to see on any drop-sider, but this one is something different again.

Take a family of multidecade drop-side operators.

Add a 35-year veteran of their business to the planning ‘roundtable’, then give the must-haves and ideas to a South Island transport engineer who is a former trucker himself, always building from the viewpoint of the person who has to work the thing. You’ll end up with something quite spectacular.

There’s no shortage of North Island trucking companies that go south of the channel for a drop-side build, and Lilburns is no exception with Cowan, TES, MTT, and MD all represented.

The demographics and farming profile of good old Te Waiponamu still make it a sweet spot for trucking’s most versatile gig.

Interestingly, there’s an increasing number of droppies

Adrian places the trailer posts and the cover rack hinges back down on top. Note the flip-latches that allow the whole thing to come off.

popping up again in the North Island, and that has to be a reflection of margins and compliance costs.

“The South Island gear is all pretty good really, eh?” says Robbie. “This one’s MD Engineering and so is the next one in the pipeline. Michael [Jelley, from MD Engineering] has a reputation for building high-class gear and being an ex-truck driver himself, he gets right into the project, listens, contributes, and then builds it. You’ll say, ‘We need this’, and he’s like ‘Oh yeah, okay’ then comes up with a solution. Yeah, just a bloody good guy.”

Right then! Off we go…

Tare and decks: “We’re more than happy with the end result. It can do anything and sitting here, it’s come out at 20,690kg fully kitted. At 54-tonne HPMV, that gives us a 33-tonne payload.”

“There is a lot of truck, isn’t there? But, honestly, we’ve had no issues. We deliver to farms and airstrips.

It comes down to the operator. The trailer’s been stable, the scissor makes a huge difference.

“The reason for the size is

twofold – wool and timber.

The truck’s 7.6m deck is designed to take 20 bales on the deck cap to cap, and the trailer at 10.6m is for wool and butt-out timber.”

Sides: “The sides are all designed to fit neatly inside the deck width. To get that, we need the little wings at the front of the truck body, but they come off and store under the deck if needed.

“We’ve also put rub pads on the sides to stop them from chaffing against each other when stacked.

The alloy blackens if they chaffe, and it looks horrible.

I think Michael’s fitting them standard now?

“The sides are coated with PremoShield, a hydrophobic coating. It’s bloody awesome stuff and makes cleaning so easy.

“The posts are all springlock fixed, so there’s no losing pins anymore, and sides and posts on the left side of the unit are built slightly meatier than the right. That’s because they’re under pressure when the wool is on. The post slots on the front of the truck deck are angled to flick debris away from the polished bits.”

No double swingers, but ease-of-use front-of-mind.

Placing the load on the deck, not your mind.

Tailgates: “We don’t use double swingers. They are light enough for one man to handle easily. They do need to have their lifting handles fitted though.”

Cover racks: “Michael designed a system for us that allowed the headboardcover racks to hinge up so the posts can be slotted in front of the headboard. Then it comes back down on top of them. It’s mint! The whole thing can also come off when the covers need cleaning or airing.”

Rope rails and chain hooks: “I don’t like rope rails that break their lines over the drive wheels, especially if there’s nothing up underneath to tie-off on. We wanted continuous rails for ease of use, cleanliness, and looks.

Michael told us that would come at a small deck-height penalty, but that was nothing for us.

“We can tie off right along, and there are chain-hooks on every dropper. That makes diagonal securing of posts and all that a lot easier.

“There are vertical rope rails on the corners also. That’s primarily for lineal strapping of

How it arrived. Ready packaged.

wool, but they’re also bloody handy for everything. She’s got to have the rope rails fitted across the back of the truck and trailer yet. That’s on the way.”

Toolboxes: “We just wanted everything easy. There are separated chain boxes in them and twitch locaters plus enclosed bearer and cover racks. The old-style twitches were the driver’s choice.”

Inflation management and central lubrication: “Yep, we roll them over the pit every 7000km and give them the once over. But both inflation management and onboard greasing just help.

“Always having air in the tires and grease in the holes can save thousands in this work. Fert and dust, it’s all abrasive. The air system is PSI and came from TATES, and BroLube supplied the grease system.”

SI-Lodec scales: “You’ve got to optimise your payload, but not ‘over-optimise it!’.

They’re a no brainer in 2021.”

Packaging and prep: “Mate, we couldn’t have asked for better than Michael and Mark [O’Hara, at Southpac]. They’ve both been

bloody fantastic right through.

We all sat down with the drawings, and then Mark got the truck built pre-packaged.

“Everything you see here – the stainless diesel and DEF tanks, where they’re placed and all that – was how it arrived. I think Michael had to adjust two little things. I can’t even remember what they were.”

General: “We’ve used lots of stainless because it doesn’t oxidise and is easy-care, as well as looks good. The work’s not easy, so you want to be able to clean them up as quick as you can. Willie Malcom blanked out the sleeper vent because they buggered up the company logo. That man is a genius.

There’s no question about that.”

But, there’s the old adage, ‘You can’t have it all’. Robbie laughs, “Yeah, true. We wanted a Lilburn-stencilled stainless flash on the side of the cab, but the tolerances were just too tight, so we had to settle for a stainless light bar.”

PSI inflation management and BroLube help keep the wolf from the door between formal tyre and maintenance visits.

The unit is festooned with tiedown and lashing points. Fulllength rope rails, vertical rope rails and chain hooks galore.

A place for everything and everything in a place.

Blanked-out vent so as not to ruin the company logo, and a stainless light flash.

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S

MD Engineering – body and 10.6m five-axle drop-side, full tip Truck Body:

7.6m high-tensile

Side:

1.2m alloy

Lift gear:

Twin underbody with cordless remote

Additional:

Protective Coatings and Treatments – PremoShield on alloy sides and taildoor.

Trailer

Acknowledgements What a family. There’s no question the best of all Kiwi traits reside behind the Lilburn Transport sign on Railway Road, Raetihi. Thanks to Robbie, Niketa, Caelen, Rob, Chelsea, and Jack for the time, welcome, and inspiration.

Adrian Takiwa only reinforced that New Zealand’s finest carry the county. A wonderful bloke you should take time to meet.

(How do those shades never slip down?)

Thanks also to Mark O’Hara and the Southpac team for their relentless and enthusiastic help on everything.

And thanks, too, to Matt McKenzie, Ringo Makiakama, Matt Webster, and Steve Hawkings for the welcome mats you so willingly rolled out at all the stops. Hugely appreciated.

Chassis:

High-tensile

Body:

10.6m high-tensile

Axles/suspension:

ROR CS9

Brakes:

Disc-braked axles with Haldex EBS

Wheels:

JOST polished alloy wheels

Tyres:

265/70 R19.5

Sides:

1.3m alloy

Preparation/paint:

Creighton Sandblasting and Painting, Balclutha

Additional:

SI-Lodec scales, PSI inflation management on trailer (TATES), Protective Coatings and Treatments – PremoShield on alloy sides and taildoor.

Custom work:

MD Engineering, Balclutha

PROTECT YOUR TRUCK AND TRAILERS ALLOY SURFACES PRIMOSHILED is a clear, permanent, Direct-to-Metal (DTM) coating for stainless steel and aluminium. Created utilising nanotechnology, it is sprayed on to deliver proven protection against corrosion and the effects of UV exposure, plus resistance to most chemicals, to provide a durable and high-performance coating solution for owners and operators of highly visible assets.

ANTI-CORROSION SALT AND CHEMICAL RESISTANT SCRATCH RESISTANT IMPACT RESISTANT HEAT RESISTANT WEIGHS LESS THAN 1KG PER UNIT SELF CLEANING SURFACE

PROUD TO SUPPLY LILBURN TRANSPORT

OTBURY REFINISH SOLUTIONS LTD sales@otbury.co.nz For technical information phone 021 151 5389

Alex A Shine alloy wheels.

NZ DISTRIBUTORS

Total Trailer Solutions from T.A.T.E.S

ROR axles

PSI tyre inflation system

Haldex EBS

Drop-sider truck body and 5 axle Trailer, manufactured

by MD Engineering Balclutha for Lilburn Transport Ltd ROR axles,.fitted with, PSI tyre pressure adjustment, Haldex EBS system, Alex A Shine alloy wheels and V Orlandi coupling on the truck.

Alex A shine alloy wheels

V Orlandi coupling on the truck

DICK’S GREATEST HITS A lot can happen in five and a half decades, especially if you’re Dick Parker. A man for whom little introduction is needed, 76-year-old Dick is one of the most affable characters of the New Zealand trucking community. He’s been there, done that, and has the stories to keep you entertained.

Story by Gavin Myers Photos by Gavin Myers and Dick Parker collection

Y

ou can judge the character of a man by the company he keeps, or so the proverb goes. When that man is Dick Parker, and the company he keeps says in jest “I’m not sure you can print those stories!”, before bursting with laughter, well… you know you’re dealing with a man of immense character. Even if the man himself is quite modest about it.

With a career approaching six decades long – and still going – Dick’s made the acquaintance of countless people, and a select few

remain friends today. Friends such as Neil Peterken, Graham Sheldrake, and Gary Johnstone – immense characters in their own right.

This is some good company, and it doesn’t take long for the stories to flow.

“I wrote some notes, there’s probably a story on each chapter [of my life],” says Dick.

“Whether or not anyone will want to hear about all of that I don’t know.” There’s that modesty again…

Born in 1945 and raised in the eastern Waikato farming area of Ngakuru, Dick attended Sacred Heart in

Dick on the White (literally) doing logs in Waipu, October 1965.

Auckland but left at the age of 15 with the ambition of being a traffic cop. Prohibitive school results put paid to that ambition and so Dick landed up back on the farm.

“When I was a kid, we had to milk cows from day dot, and of course I hated that. My mother found me a job as a shepherd on top of the Mamakus – that was interesting,” he says. But for two-and-a-half years something other than sheep would grab Dick’s attention as he’d stand in the hills. “I’d watch the trucks go by all the time and I thought, ‘That’s me.

I want to be a truck driver’.”

Hard work in a different era After a short stint at Shorts Transport in Rotorua, Dick moved to Northland to drive logging trucks for the man he worked for on the Mamakus.

“And that was the hardest I’ve ever worked,” Dick recalls.

Dick and his two colleagues had to fell the trees, haul them and then cart the load (one a day) from Tinopai bush into Lovett’s Mill, Whangarei.

“We had no safety helmets, gloves, nothing. It was bloody unreal. It’s a wonder we didn’t

Balancing logs without a grab. “It’s a wonder we didn’t kill ourselves.”

Geany’s depot on Te Ngae Road, Rotorua – it was a big outfit with all sorts of trucks.

Dick’s 2233 Mercedes-Benz, the only new – and best – truck he drove.

One of Geany’s Mercedes-Benz stock units.

kill ourselves. The loader never had a grab, we had to balance the logs. Mate, you try do it, it’s bloody hard!” Dick says.

Unfortunately, Dick’s time on this job came to a fiery end.

“One night we came in late, it was about 10pm. I said to the guys I wanted to take the load into town and pick up my car, and I’d come in with them in the morning. They said no, we’ll stay overnight and go get it in the morning. So we did… and my car was burnt to the ground. Some savage arses took the motor out, wheels off and burnt the rest!

“The boss thought it was a

helluva joke. I was that wired I told him to stick his job up his backside and I left. Left his truck right there.”

It was time for a break, and so Dick and his family headed back to Rotorua. In town, Dick’s then-wife happened to see Dennis Geany at the Princess Gate Hotel. “She jacked up a job for me with him,” Dick says. Geany’s was one of the largest carriers around in those days, carting nationwide with about 30 livestock trucks based at the company’s yard on Te Ngae Road in Rotorua. (You wouldn’t find that yard today…

One of two Internationals Dick drove in the early days.

It’s under a shopping centre.)

In his 10 years with the company, Dick drove everything from S-model Bedfords, Commers, Internationals, and the best and only new truck he drove – a 2233 Mercedes-Benz. His driving career would come to an end at Geany’s when he broke a windscreen coming back from Taihape one day.

“In those days, the windows just shattered. I came back to Rotorua, put a new one in, and they sent me to do a job in Auckland. I kept rubbing my eye and the next morning I woke up and my eye was out here,” Dick demonstrates holding his hand in front of his face. That, combined with the “long, long hours” at Geany’s, meant it was time for Dick to move on.

He bounced around for a few years, working as “a grease monkey”, driving trucks and buses, and working in retail. Sometime around the mid-1970s, he found himself looking after an electrical shop when Neil Peterken of Road Runner Trailers came in.

“He bought a vacuum cleaner. And he said I should come work for him. Then he came and bought a shaver.

He came back about three times, but I was looking for a business to buy and not in a hurry,” Dick says with a smile.

“One day Bill Assen [the shop owner] came in and said there was a set of keys for me. I said ‘what?’ There was a brand new Toyota Corolla outside for me, he said. I didn’t know anything about it, but I took it home and parked it in the shed and just waited. The next thing Neil came into the shop and said ‘Well, aren’t you going to come work for me?’

“I said I was still thinking about it. He said, ‘Come out and see me on Saturday, bring the car back and we’ll decide then.’ So I did; they were having a party for some reason and I thought ‘Gee, what a great bunch of guys.

I’d better work there’.”

The match of Dick Parker and Road Runner Trailers had been made and the rest, as they say, was history.

Trading a trailer for cabbages “Did he tell you about the bloody cabbages? That was funny, aye?” asks Neil Peterken when I call him to chat about the Road Runner days. “Dick was a typical salesman. He’d do anything to get the deal – giving things away – and I’d have to figure out how to make it up,” Neil says with a laugh.

“But he was good; he had the gift of the gab, but he knew what he was talking about.”

It’s clear Neil and Dick have great affection for one another.

“Neil was one of the best guys I ever worked for. He was great. I made a lot of mistakes but he backed me. I could make decisions and sales, which was really great.”

Decisions that today would probably land you dusting off your CV. “One particular time, we had a trailer we couldn’t sell. It sat for ages – but I finally got rid of it,” Dick says with a wry smile. “A Pukekohe grower was interested in it and wanted to trade a Fairlane car for it. I told them sure, if they fill the boot with cabbages and lettuce for us. Well, they didn’t just fill the boot – they filled the whole car up!” Dick laughs.

“I didn’t tell Neil, and when he turned up, I wasn’t at the yard. He rang me up, asked me what I did and gave me a bollocking! So I told him, and he said ‘Well, what are we going to do with the car?’ I’d already sold it to the painter, and Neil said ‘that’s a good deal!’. And the whole staff helped themselves to cabbages,” Dick says, still laughing.

“I used to shudder at times and think, ‘What the hell have you done now, Dick’,” Neil

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April 1985 write-up on Dick and the Roche TV show.

As seen on TV: Road Runner Tautliner and Mack R-model from Roche.

says with a laugh.

In the end, it was all worth it – Dick took Road Runner’s secondhand sales into making a profit when new sales weren’t. Naturally, he was shifted across.

[trailer manufacturer] was looking for a salesman, and they offered me a job too. I was like, ‘holy hell’! From not having any real job all of a sudden, everybody wanted me. Neil wasn’t very happy about it, but he said. ‘I’ll see you right’, which he did.”

Showing the Aussies how it’s done Dick’s time at Road Runner was filled with opportunity.

One of the first – and one Dick remembers fondly – was to get three trailers over to Australia, build them up and show them off. “We were way ahead of them. We had the steering jinker and other things they didn’t have at the time,” Neil explains.

Dick recalls: “Unbeknown to me, while we were there, Mercedes-Benz wanted us to demo one of the trailers with a brand new Merc truck and all the set-up. They didn’t have a driver, and Neil jacked me

up to drive for about a week, which I enjoyed very much.

“They wanted to know what I’d do different. Well, the truck was too new and so stiff it should never have been a demonstrator. It wouldn’t go.

My arm just about fell off in the end, trying to get it into low gear for the steep tracks.

“One night, a big German guy came up to me and asked me to dinner with them. When I told Neil he said, ‘What? I wasn’t invited?’ The whole reason was they wanted me to work for them as a Mercedes-Benz demonstrator in Australia. I didn’t know what to say because Neil only just gave me the opportunity. They offered quite a good wage, a Mercedes-Benz car, and a house. It was too good to be true. The guy said, pointing to his shirt, ‘You see this badge; you can go anywhere in the world with this badge.’

“At the time, Hammlex

Salesman turned stunt driver Many will remember the shortlived TVNZ truckie show called Roche, but not many will know that the man doing the truckdriving stunts was one Dick Parker. MTD’s Ron Carpenter loaned the Mack R-model hero truck, Road Runner loaned a branded Tautliner trailer, and once again, Dick’s expertise behind the wheel was volunteered by Neil.

“The producers came up to see me to get some stories on trucking. We used to have a ‘gardening session’, we’d call it, on Saturdays at lunchtime,

Dick at NZT.

In the office at Road Runner during the 1970s. “I’ve gotta be careful what’s in the background here,” laughs Dick.

a whole bunch of truckie guys … all experienced drivers. So they came to the pub to get stories. A lot of stuff in the film was actual stories of things that happened,” Neil says.

“I got $110.65 a day. I was a class-B actor, a stunt driver.

We drove from Wellington to Auckland, and they took pictures here, there and everywhere. I drove through pickets, high-speed chases…

They cut a lot of it out. I believe they cut the best bits out,” Dick says.

Perhaps his most famous stunt was ‘parking’ the baddies’ old Atkinson (which, incidentally, was bought off of Neil for the show) in a river after they flogged the Road Runner trailer. “I was going down into the river, and the crew was recording me. I threw it into a bit of a slide and straight into the river. It was perfect! But the way they had the cameras set up, they

GOLDEN MEMORIES “I’ll tell you a story I believe is really important in business. In 1996, I wanted three identical trailers over three years. I went to three different trailer manufacturers. I’m still waiting for the quote from one of them. Dick and his wife were down for a wedding, so he came and saw us in the smoko room and signed us up. And the third manufacturer I called the following day to say we’d made a decision – he said ‘when do we start’ and I said I’d actually gone with Roadmaster, even though they were $10,000 dearer. They’d come to see us, and it’s really hard to say no to someone sitting across you at the table.”

– Gary Johnstone.

Dick shows off the Road Runner steering jinker in Australia. “We had people leaning out the window looking back; they couldn’t believe it was steering.”

thought I was going to run them over, and they didn’t get it on film because the cameramen scattered!” laughs Dick.

The old Atkinson was retrieved, revived and reset for the shot. “We re-did it, but it wasn’t the same,” says Dick.

“One thing I couldn’t believe, we had a S-model Bedford bus where everyone got changed. The women just stripped off, they didn’t care! I couldn’t believe it!” says Dick as he demonstrates how he’d ‘hide’ behind his newspaper while the women got changed.

“I fancied a couple, thought ‘gee, they’re quite neat’. But nah…” says Dick, recalling a big night that was put on for the Roche team. “I thought, ‘this’ll be good’. Well, all the girls danced together, and all the boys danced together – I just couldn’t believe it! The guy who was organising it, he was a good bugger. He said, ‘different scene here, hey boy?’ I said, ‘shit you’re not wrong!’.

It was around that time Dick courted a little controversy.

He shows me a write-up on Roche from the April 1985 issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine. “This really pissed me off. They did a write up on me and the show. I can’t remember who it was but he said, ‘Off the record, what are

Breaking-in the Mercedes-Benz demo truck across the ditch.

Dick’s NZ Couriers Isuzu: “Did 500,000km in the Isuzu, never cost me a quacker, never let me down.”

“When we were travelling around the States we found this sporting goods store called Dick’s. Yes, we had to stop and take a photo.”

– Graham Sheldrake.

“He knows everybody, and everybody enjoys talking to him. Even if he’s pissed them off, they still enjoy talking to him.”

– James Worsnop.

“We’d be putting orders through and we’d look at it and go, ‘There’s got to be a tyre carrier on that, Dick, where have you priced it in?’ And he’d say ‘Ah shit, that’s okay just add it in.’ He’d talk his way out of some of that.”

– Neil Peterken.

“I’ve known Dick since his Road Runner days. He was excellent to deal with and really honest. If the deal went a bit sour, he’d help you out. Even today, I’ve done a bit of business with him at NZT. He’s ended up being a good mate. We spent a lot of time together, and he’s good, good fun.”

– Craig Stokes.

“A lot of people I don’t think twice about telling you to piss off… I have a lot of time for the way Dick holds himself as a salesman.”

– Beau Maru.

“When we collected the first trailer, Dick picked us up. We went and had a couple of ‘Milos’ as he calls them, and then he invited us to stay over at his place. We didn’t know each other from a bar of soap. And he’s been a friend ever since. He’d give you the shirt off his back. The kids still call him Uncle Dick.

We’ve sung many a karaoke song and drunk many a pint.”

– Gary Johnstone.

Dick and his partner of 35 years, Sonja.

Left: Hoot ‘n Nanny poster. Middle: Jodi Vaughan entertaining at one of the Hoot ‘n Nanny events. “She used to keep the truckies happy,” recalls Dick.

Right: The ill-fated Swissmaster concertina doors, brought in by Road Master, could’ve really been a winner with the right mechanisms, says Dick. the actors like?’ I told him they were a bunch of poofs and he writes it in here! I had to face the guys after that. I honestly thought they were going to lift my head off!” Dick laughs.

Dick’s time on Roche led him to do some other work for TVNZ, and there he met a chap called Arthur Russel, who ran Russel Towing. “He was a fantastic guy,” recalls Dick. “I ended up at his place every now and then playing cards or whatever, and all of a sudden the emergency siren on the police radio would go, and he’d be off to be first at the accident to pick up the cars!

“Once, we retrieved two people from the Paraparaumu Beach. They were parked up having a bit of a cuddle, and the tide came in, and we had to tow them out. Things like that were quite funny. He was sharp, made a lot of money too.”

Lubricating the business process “One day, I was sitting at a table at a funeral…” begins Dick as he dives into his next anecdote. “One of the blokes, Beau Maru, got up and said, ‘Got to go, off to Patchell and Kraft.’ I asked why, and he said he wanted to get some skeletals built for Laos. I said, ‘No, stay here, I’ll get another jug…’”

Fortuitously, Dick and colleague Paul Cranston ended up shipping parts for four units to Laos and heading over there to assemble them.

“He came over there and assembled the trailers in the middle of the jungle. They weren’t used to working in those conditions. It was quite interesting watching that,” says Beau.

“That ended with us selling 28 trailers and heaps of parts for a copper-ore operation over there. That was quite

The things you see in Laos…

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Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

an experience for me, seeing how they live in Bangkok, and Laos,” Dick says.

“They arrived there and had to wash out of a big 200-litre drum and eat insects instead of having a Western meal. I remember they came back out and I was already in Bangkok, and the story goes Dick and the guy with him got off the plane, saw a McDonald’s at the airport and raced to it!”

Beau laughs.

“One time Paul had an EBS unit in his bag, and I had some Manco couplings in my bag, and at the airport they thought they were bombs!” Dick continues. “In fact, we weren’t even supposed to be doing what we were doing. But it’s all corrupt over there, and we took a lot of whiskey.”

Great mates, great states Another of Dick’s fondest memories is a more recent one

when he and three mates – Graham Sheldrake, Matthew Sheldrake and Gordon Gallagher – went on a boys’ tour of the United States. The main event of the trip was attending the Mid-American Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky. “That was a real highlight,” says Dick.

“But this was the best holiday I ever had, and I couldn’t believe how friendly Americans are. Each of us had a wish list of what we wanted to do. Sheldrake wanted to go to a rifle range – he bruised himself from shoulder to hip from the recoil. While we were there. I wanted to shoot a .44 Magnum one-handed, like Dirty Harry. Boy, even holding the gun with both hands, it nearly flew out of my hands!

“My wish list included going to Nashville. We didn’t realise there were 400 nurses on course there. We went to bars; bands played two hours at a time before the next one came on. It was great! They had a bucket in front of them, you threw money in, and that’s how they got paid. You could see which were great and which weren’t,” says Dick.

“Dick is a country music fan and loved our time in Nashville,” says Sheldrake.

Of course, more truckingrelated activity was to be done, and the lads headed for a tour of the Freightliner plant in Cleveland, North Carolina.

ROAD RUNNER

FIRSTS INNOVATION FORE-RUNNER

T

Life member of the Rotorua Citizens Club.

“The travel agent sent us to the wrong Cleveland! We had to drive about 400 miles to the right Cleveland,” Dick laughs.

“But that was great, we called into the truck stops along the way.”

Stories for days From driving trucks and selling trailers to making friends and memories in far-flung lands, what Dick has achieved in his professional career he’s managed to replicate in that other important side of his life, sport.

Over eight years during the Geany’s days, Dick drove stock cars, racing for the Rebels for three of those years. “Stock cars was really great. The sport was a lot better back then because you could build a car for $5000 and the regulations weren’t as strict as they are now.”

But if Dick had to claim one sport as his, it would be tennis, which he played competitively for 25 years. It’s also the reason he left Road Runner after 10 years to buy a courier run with NZ Couriers and Parceline. “In my time with Road Runner, we were wining and dining and eating and drinking – putting on too much weight and getting awfully unfit. That was the reason I did the courier run, to keep fit.

I did that for five years and, in that time, we got five New Zealand veteran titles.”

he time that Dick spent at Road Runner Trailers with Neil Peterken and Pat Mear can be summed up in one word: innovation. We’d be remiss to write a story featuring these legendary names of the New Zealand trucking fraternity without looking at the contribution they made to the industry under the Road Runner brand.

This was a golden time for trailer building in New Zealand, when new ideas were brought to the fore, and the way things were done would be changed forever. In this regard, Road Runner was arguably at the head of the pack.

“There were a lot of firsts,” Dick says. “Neil was so innovative.”

This innovation included air suspension, the first movingfloor trailer for the Auckland Regional Authority, three-axle self-steer hard siders, and the modern house-removal trailer.

And in the late-1970s/ early-1980s came two trailer configurations we see everywhere today, B-trains and Tautliner Curtainsiders.

“Neil brought in Tautliner curtainsiders from England, and he went over to America and came back with the idea of B-trains and introduced those here. Shorts had the first tipping B-train,” Dick recalls.

“When these innovations entered the market, they changed the game. It snowballed, especially the B-trains.”

The introduction of both Tautliner and B-trains, sometimes combined, were big coups for Road Runner.

The first company to hook onto the Tautliner idea was Transport Container Pull Hire, and with them, Road Runner went big on the launch of this new gear, driving and parking the units all down Auckland’s Queen Street.

“I heard about Tautliner through IRTE, which I started in 1969,” Neil says.

“I contacted them to see if I could take the Australasian rights for it. I kept ringing the guy and, in the end, hopped on a plane and ended up with the rights.

“It was a bloody mess the way they were doing it. It was in its infancy. I came back and built a curtain factory, no one knew how to do it here.

I had to get a high-frequency welder made locally, too,” recalls Neil.

“There were quite a few firsts with Tautliner,” says Dick.

“We also did the first insulated curtainsider semi for TNL to cart ice cream.

Dynes commissioned the first Tautliner to transport chip.”

1

2

3

4

5 1) The first Tautliner demo unit.

2 & 3) The first B-train built in New Zealand, carrying posts for Ramsay’s.

4) The first moving-floor unit in fibre glass, made for the Auckland Regional Authority.

5) One of the first tipping B-trains.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

55

Most recently, Dick was dragged into a veterans Pickleball tournament in 2019. “I’d never played, and I didn’t really want to do it, but we went up to the North Shore and cleaned up!”

Today, brother-in-law Craig Beazley gets the ‘thanks’ for introducing him to trout fishing…

Not that that’s all that keeps him busy.

Dick has two demanding grandchildren, and the role of senior vice-president of the Wasps Rugby Club and life membership of the Rotorua Citizens Club ensure he remains a valued member of the community.

And of the trucking community, too.

Dick can be found selling used trucks three days a week – “or four, or five”, he says – at NZT in Rotorua. “James [Worsnop] contacted me and said, ‘You’re not retiring, you’re going to

Trailers or trucks, Dick’s a trusted name in the game.

come work for me’,” Dick says. “He’s an expert and a breath of fresh air. At NZT, the circle is a lot bigger, selling a bit of everything – I’m learning fast about selling trucks.”

“In my eyes, he’s one of the industry’s legendary salesmen. We’re lucky having him onboard,” says James.

With James’s recent acquisition of Kraft Trailers, I ask if a move back to trailer sales could be on the cards for Dick – it would be the fourth trailer manufacturer to be associated with him (including Roadmaster and the shortlived Opinion).

“We’ll see. I used to deal with the fathers. Now I’m dealing with their sons.

Things are a little different,” Dick says.

As they would be after more than 50 years. But what a career, what history, what stories.

Dick would like to acknowledge some of the other people he didn’t get the opportunity to mention, especially those from Dynes, Lamberts, RFH, Hira Bhana, Vowles and Normans. “I’d like to mention a lot more … but we couldn’t fit everybody in. I’ve met many good friends in the transport business and made friends with my trailer opposition and truck manufacturers. Most of all, I’d like to thank Sonja Beazley, my partner of 35 years, for all her support.”

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A great truck, good times, and creating great memories. Father and son at shift change on a brand new truck they both own.

The Western Star 4884 that served Orringe Trucking so well.

A DASH OF ORRINGE Immense mutual admiration, passion, and pride are evident when chatting with Doug and Ash Orringe. An undeniable bond is clear. Yet it was a simple newspaper advertisement back in 1959 that has led to a combined 110 years in the transport industry for this proud father-and-son team.

Doug’s dash through the decades Doug Orringe had no interest at all in trucks until he visited his Uncle Fred. While reading his uncle’s newspaper, he noticed a job advertised for an apprentice diesel mechanic at EF Nattrass, an International Harvester agent in Napier. He applied and was successful above 20 other applicants. During his two and

Story by Alison Verran

a half years working on trucks and machinery, Doug wasn’t inclined to drive trucks.

“A chap named Hugh McAllister would often pop into the workshop. Over time, Hugh pestered me to come and drive for him and carry out some mechanical duties as well.”

This led to what would

become a lifetime career on (and off) the highways of New Zealand. “In 1962, my first driving job was on the Napier-Taupo Road, just after they built the current Mohaka Bridge. We carted metal for the road rebuild and maintenance work. The first truck I drove was an ex-RFL S Bedford tractor unit with a tipper on the back. I’ll never forget coming up past the

Mohaka Bridge, metalling the new road near Waitara Road. The truck had a very short tipper body. You had to make sure you tripped it early, otherwise it would rear up with the wheels off the ground.

“A great day was the day we sat under the new bridge and watched them blow up the old Mohaka Bridge. It was pretty amazing – like watching

Photos: Orringe collection

The International C1800 Doug drove on roading work on the NapierTaupo Road at the same time he was in the bush at Maungataniwha.

The F1800 Doug drove for Bob Woolston. He carted one load a day from Kaingaroa to the Napier Wharf. The young fella in the photo is Ewen Simpkin. Doug’s brother-in-law’s son.

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Great mates. Always have been, always will be. Doug and Ash Orringe in Ash’s shrine to trucking.

a movie. It all just floated down the river. You wouldn’t get away with that these days.”

Doug progressed to an International AA164 petrol, blue diamond motor. It was a 4x2 with a six-yard tipper back then. “We metalled the road from the tip of the Titiokura Hill to the Rangataiki Plains. The roads were mostly gravel, with some sealed parts.

“Hugh got a job metalling a new road at Maungataniwha (a 6120-hectare native forest in northern Hawke’s Bay), a couple of hours’ drive from civilisation. The road was going to be used for carting

out the native logs.

“I was based in Napier then, still living at home, a townie, so not used to the bush living. All we had at Maungataniwha was an old railway hut with a potbelly stove, a couple of bunks and a table. No running water, no nothing. We had to go down to the stream to get water.

We would stay in the hut up there for a month at a time.

We were out in the middle of nowhere, carting the metal and grading the road. In the morning, one of us would start the dozer (an Allis Chalmers HD16), while the other cooked breakfast. Then we would swap over and the

other person would clean up.

We did the same at dinner time. There were always two of us on the dozer during the summer, but in winter, I was there on my own, metalling and grading the road … and doing a lot of hunting.

“One day up in the bush, I was dying to cut down a tree… Nobody ever said you couldn’t. I saw this massive bloody rimu. I had a Canadien chainsaw, but I realised it wasn’t long enough. I thought to myself ‘this is gonna be a cock-up’. I went round and round, cutting… Next thing I hear crack, crack, crack and down it went. I thought, ‘if it lands on the road, I’ll be in

the shit!’ Luckily it went down a deep ravine. I’ve always wanted to go back and see if that log is still there.”

It wasn’t all isolation. At times Doug would come out of the bush job to help road metalling contracts on the Napier to Wairoa road.

He reckons those six years working up at Maungataniwha were the “best days of my life”. During this time, he met and courted young Kathy.

They married in 1968, and three children (Kerryn, Ashley and Stephanie) soon followed.

Doug had always hankered to drive a log truck. “When I was up at Maungataniwha, T.Doidge Ltd had a truck in there, a brand-new petrol R190 International driven

by Tony Bekkers. This truck really impressed me. I was a real big fan of International trucks. The gear was so big, compared with what we were used to. Doidges then got ‘Brutus’ an ex-NZFP Sterling, rebuilt by Ross Todd Motors with an International cab (New Zealand Trucking, October 2020 – ‘With Heart and Soul’).

I was even more impressed with this truck. I would park up the grader, stop Tony, and cadge a ride back to camp. I loved it so much, I pestered Rotorua log-truck operator Bob Woolston for a job. He ended up ringing me and he said, ‘I’ve got a brand new International F1800 for you to drive.’ I told Hugh I wanted to leave today. His reply was, ‘You can f&%k off now, but if you stay, you can have a Ford

(Left) Doug’s brand-new W-Model outside the Doidge yard, Tokoroa, in 1976. (Right) Dragline loading with a 30RB (Ruston Bucyrus) in the bush at Artiamuri.

Now in Orringe livery, loading under a dragline, a common scene back in the day.

and new The original W-Model’s day was done into the fray. ed stepp W-Model with Caterpillar power

Doug’s first full-time berth in a Kenworth – the LW923 he drove for Tadman McLean. It had Cummins NH250 power.

D1000 truck and trailer and I’ll pay you $1.50 an hour.’ I had been on $1 an hour, so it was a pretty good increase.

I decided to go to Bob Woolston, even though he was only paying 98c an hour.

I would have my own truck there and no double-shifting.

I didn’t want to share.”

Doug started with Bob (RG Woolston) in 1969.

“I have fond memories of that F1800. It was a bloody nice truck to drive, with the twin stick gearboxes, a fivespeed main and four-speed auxiliary. Bob Woolston really looked after me. When I was cold in that truck, he gave me an order number and said, ‘Here, go and get yourself a heater.’ It was a Natra heater wired into the truck. I was rapt!” (It wasn’t until the 1970s that most trucks had heaters from new.)

After a year on the F1800, Doug moved on to an International DCF400 6x4 tractor unit, with an 8V71 Detroit engine and 13-speed Roadranger gearbox. A single-axle dolly and a twoaxle long-pole trailer followed behind. First, he carted logs out of the Kaingaroa Forest to the Napier Port. However, the work changed and he had to decide whether to finish up or move the family to Rotorua.

The move took place, and Doug was soon carting logs

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New Zealand Trucking

to Mount Maunganui.

Over time, Doug dreamed of having his own truck. “I always thought, ‘If I win the Golden Kiwi, I’m gonna go to Tokoroa, give someone all of the winnings and say ‘I’ll have your truck.’”

In 1971, Doug’s brother-inlaw, Robbie (Grant Robinson), stopped him and said, “There are two guys at the Mount looking for a driver for a Kenworth carting logs for NZFP [NZ Forest Products], Kinleith to the Mount.” These two men were Shirley Tadman and Brian McLean. Doug grabbed the opportunity and ended up driving a Kenworth LW923 with an NH250 Cummins, towing a two-axle spring trailer carting pine logs. After two years, Tadman McLean decided to sell up, allowing Doug the option of purchasing the Kenworth.

“I paid $30,000 for the truck and the goods and service licence. You had to go to court back then and stand in front of a judge to apply for the licence. It was only valid for a certain region of New Zealand, though. Mine covered South Waikato to the Taupo area and over to the Bay of Plenty. I couldn’t go to Auckland, couldn’t go to Napier. I could get as far as Taumarunui.”

The Kenworth purchase was the start of 16 years of Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

truck ownership for Doug.

“I had that truck for five years before I bought a new Kenworth W924 in 1976, still with NZFP. It had an NTC350 Cummins and RTO9513 13-speed Roadranger gearbox. Back then, they came in knocked down and were assembled in Palmerston North. At the time, I owned a 1974 Valiant Regal V8 in ‘Sundown Yellow’. I said to Ron Wood, the painter, ‘I want the Kenworth the same colour as the Valiant.’ He copied the colour and chose to paint it the same design as Monfort Meats, a well-known trucking company in the USA.” Doug upgraded the Kenworth in 1981 to another W924, adding more grunt with a CAT380 and 15-speed Roadranger. Roy Brown of Te Awamutu was the guy to add colour this time. “I asked for the same design, but Roy said ‘no, that’s old-fashioned’, so I let him paint it the way he wanted. Same colour, just a different design.

“Things were changing in the industry with maximum payload increased. I put a lazy axle under that truck for a better payload. You could only get 37 tonne gross with five axles. So with six, I could go to 39 tonne.

“After only a year or so, I decided to change again.

I bought a four-axle Tidd hydra-steer quad bailey bridge trailer. The Kenworth wasn’t really suitable for the new trailer, with too little space between the cab and trailer when loaded. We had removed the bull bar, but it was still too tight.”

In 1983, Doug decided to replace the Kenworth with a cabover International Eagle F4870 with an NTC400 Cummins Big Cam 3.

“That truck did a bloody outstanding job. It was an honest truck. I didn’t care how it looked. I bought it because it had plenty of room in it.

“I loved contracting to NZFP during those times. It was the best company, and the best people. I still follow NZFP on Facebook because of the great memories.”

Doug’s wife Kathy chimes in and comments: “Those were great days. There were no worries at all. You could pay your bills and have money in the bank. We were happy, with not a worry in the world.”

In 1984, Doug sold the Eagle to Arnold Hema, an NZFP driver, with Doug looking into a new venture.

Unfortunately, that fell through. But then another opportunity arose to purchase a 375hp V8 Mack FR797, carting stock all over

3

1

2

1 & 2) Living the dream: a young Ash Orringe growing up in and around the late-1970s early-1980s Kinleith log-truck scene. He felt genuinely sorry for any kid whose dad didn’t drive a log truck! 3) The Cat-powered W-Model in its original guise as a straight longs unit with traditional pole trailer. 4) Later as a bailey bridge. the North Island for Total Transport in Taupo.

Doug did not intend to drive the Mack full-time, so employed Graeme Benson, a top stock-truck driver. Doug had other plans up his sleeve.

He teamed up with his mate, Gary Ross from Tokoroa and together purchased two Ford LTD limousines. “We were based in Tokoroa, but mainly worked out of Rotorua. Gary and I were chauffeurs for dignitaries and the very rich from around New Zealand and all over the world. There were multi-millionaires… I felt big time!”

Things weren’t going so well on the trucking side, however. The stock industry took a dive in the mid-1980s, and work for the Mack dried up. After sitting idle, it was sold to Chris Parker, another Total Transport stock-truck owner/driver.

Then came the 1987 sharemarket crash, and that really put a dampener on things, especially the limo industry.

This put Doug’s backside firmly back in the seat of what he knew best, a logger, this time for Colin Sargison at RFH (Rotorua Forest Haulage).

“Back then, Colin only had five trucks. There may not have been many drivers, but there were plenty of shenanigans while we were there! Jim Paget and I had a

discussion one Friday night over a few drinks. We decided the smoko room wasn’t big enough. I went home and got my chainsaw and before you know it, the wall was cut out into the empty room next door. Job done... bigger smoko room! Jim and I had some hard-case moments during my three years there.”

By 1990, Doug’s hometown of Napier was beckoning. A shift of town and a shift into the seat of a Wagner log stacker on the Napier Wharf.

“Those were five years of great camaraderie and good times with an awesome crew.

The truck drivers coming in to unload were the best. We also had the perfect manager, Phil Coulton. He was a great guy.

If he were still there, I would still be there.”

Unable to settle, Doug moved back to Tokoroa to take on a log-splitting contract at Kinleith. “The price was too low, so I decided not to accept. My old logging manager and mate, Bob Third, had previously said, ‘If it doesn’t work out, I’ve got a job for you on the log stackers at Kinleith.’ I decided to take up that offer and ended up there for seven years. I still did the odd bit of driving – mainly on a Friday night on my son-in-law Jamie Stephen’s truck.”

By 2002, Doug was

4

yearning to own his own truck again and get back into the industry full-time.

He purchased an ex-Panpac 1985 CAT-powered Mack Super-Liner, with a Caterpillar 3406B engine, kitted out with a Jacobs and a BrakeSaver.

Contracted to RFH, he was carting logs mainly from Kinleith to Mount Maunganui.

The Super-Liner purchase led Doug into a new chapter in his life, teaming up with son Ash, who was in the process of purchasing his first truck.

In 2005, they formed LMC Roadways, known as Orringe Trucking.

The Ash dash Trucking had always involved the kids in the Orringe family.

Doug and Ash recall trucking together in those early days, when Ash was just a kid.

“The kids rode with me a lot.

I remember one trip down to Tauranga-Taupo on a Sunday.

I took Kerryn and Ash – they were about five and three at the time. Whenever I took Ash in the truck, he would fall asleep. I would always put him on the floor to sleep while Kerryn had the seat. With each corner of the road, Ash would slide across the floor and end up under my clutch pedal. I had to lean down and push him back to the other side so my clutch pedal didn’t hit him in the head!

“I carted Ash everywhere with me – after school, school holidays, as much as possible, really.”

Ash pipes up, “Orringe base to 891. We had a CB radio at home. After school, I would call up Dad and try and get a ride somewhere. Sometimes I would be watching TV and I would hear ‘891 to Orringe Base’. I was there like a shot to see if I could head off somewhere with Dad. “When I was four years old, my uncle asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up. I said ‘truck driver’.

He laughed at me, and I wondered why. I just wanted to be like my dad. He was my hero, and he still is.

“I thought every kid at school had a dad driving logging trucks. The first time I realised not every kid’s dad drove trucks, I felt sorry for all of the other kids – they didn’t get to ride with their dads in a Kenworth logging truck!

“I was in my dad’s truck as many hours as possible, even wagging school to have rides around the countryside.

I spent hours getting dirty, pulling tyres off, and touching all the greasy bits. I did this so I could use the Swarfega [industrial handwash] to wash all the dirt and grease off.

One day at the Doidge yard in Tokoroa, Roger Clotworthy gave me a big growling. I had

New Zealand Trucking

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John Thompson’s Mack Super-Liner off-highway doubles unit with 12m on the front and 8m on the rear. Ash drove the truck for a spell, and 100-tonne payloads were the norm. used way too much Swarfega.

I had it right up my arms… I was covered in it! He was not impressed at all.

“I was as happy as a pig in mud, being around trucks, lying underneath them, getting as dirty as I could … like my dad. I would wash Dad’s truck for the reward of being allowed to rev the truck’s engine to a maximum of 1500rpm. Sometimes I would rev for up to three hours while Dad was having a beer upstairs with the boys.

I was stoked. I didn’t need to drive a truck when I could do plenty of revving!

“When I was about 17 and truck-mad, I was still riding around with Dad. As always, I knew I wanted to be a truck driver and needed to learn more. I continued to spend as much time as possible with Dad, learning from my idol.

“Whenever we left the Mount empty, Dad would let me drive back to Rotorua.

That was the highlight of my week. My first experience on a loaded truck was from Paengaroa to Kawerau with Dad beside me. He was giving me instructions the whole way, ‘Go left, go right, change down, change up.’

I’m changing up through the gears when suddenly Dad yells, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, turn right here.’ Luckily, even as a young fella, I knew not to

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New Zealand Trucking

turn suddenly. I hit the picks and kept it straight because I didn’t want to turn the truck upside down! This led to my first practise backing up a road. I had to back up to the intersection, before cars started lining up behind me. I had Dad yelling at me the whole time. ‘Didn’t you see the f&$king sign saying Kawerau?’

“In 1988, as soon as I turned 18, I wanted to get my HT licence. Colin Sargison let me use one of his trucks to sit my licence. He also organised a job for me with Murray Jackson in Rotorua.

“My first truck was an International S-line with a 270 Cummins, pulling a transporter with a roller and digger on, the machines used in the roller-spreading of chip seal for roading.

“Galatea Transport would regularly get their trucks serviced at the Jackson workshop. I loved the look of their trucks. They always had a great paint job and looked cool. It was my dream to work for them.”

That dream was to come true when Leon Batchelor turned up one day to offer Ash a job. “I spent the next two years working with a bunch of young guys, all learning off each other and helping each other. We carted general freight on flat decks Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

The W-Model Ash drove for TD Haulage, sitting on the No.3 chip pad at Kinleith. Note the polished bins … that’s dedication!

with freight gates. You put your gates up, then you tarped it. I remember getting back to the yard after a really wet night. I had about 50 boxes of oil heaters stacked up on top of each other. The rain got on the deck. I didn’t realise you should never put cardboard straight onto the deck – there should have been pallets first. Leon said, ‘If you’re not going to stack your freight properly, I’ll take the freight gates off you. See how good you are then!’ I learned from that day on, to take more care with the stuff I’m carting. Someone has to pay for those damages.”

At 20 years old, Ash had a six-month stint driving his brother-in-law Jamie Stephens’ ERF E-Series, ‘Madison Blues’ at Trailways/ Owens Road. Soon after, Ash took up a position in Tokoroa with John Thomson, on NZFP731, a 1989 Mack Super-Liner off-highway double unit. The rig hauled 100-ton loads to the Kinleith Mill, with the regular make-up being 12m export logs on the front trailer and 8m export on the back.

“I also spent time on John’s 1979 R797 375hp V8 Mack, known as ‘Galactica’. This started my love of V8 Macks.

“John was a great teacher.

One day, he gave me the biggest telling off. I had been

slacking on maintenance and hadn’t been adjusting the brakes and doing the basics.

I was extremely embarrassed and pretty much pulled my pants up from that day on! I remember thanking John for that. He made me realise I needed to take responsibility for my gear.

“John is also grandfather to my twin boys, Sam and Tyler.

The boys would often come for rides with me in the SuperLiner. One day, they went for a ride with John out to the back blocks behind Raglan.

It rained and rained, and everyone got stuck. The boys had to spend about 18 hours in the middle of nowhere, stuck in the truck. That was the day they decided trucking was not for them!”

During Ash’s NZFP years, Doug was living in Napier and was not always available for mentoring. Ash was very appreciative of the help and watchful eyes from a few of the older guys he worked alongside at NZFP. “I learned a lot watching those guys and always took their advice.

“I overtook Gary Paltridge one day on the Maungatapu Highway (Tauranga to Mount Maunganui). When he arrived at the wharf, he grabbed me and told me ‘never do that again’. He said, ‘If your old man saw you do that, he would kick your ass.’ I

ORRINGE INFLUENCE D THE

The Freightliner Argosy “Rocket ship” Ash owned and drove at Total Transport. It was the purchase that sparked the beginning of Ash’s half of the Orringe Trucking partnership. respected him and pulled my head in and learned to be a better operator.”

After a short time of relief driving and a few months driving in Australia, Ash’s driving career took him to Mount Maunganui-based TD Haulage in 1994. “I spent two years falling in love with my 1984 Kenworth W924, running an 8V92 Detroit Diesel engine.

I decided one day it would look really cool if I polished the bins. Once I started, there was no going back!

In total, I spent 10 full days polishing bins over several months. It was worth it, they looked amazing. People still remember me doing it, today.

TD Haulage was a company full of super-truckers, so I was honoured to be part of the team, at only 25 years old.”

In his early 30s, Ash had a brief move to Whangarei to drive a self-loader Mack Ultra-Liner 454 for Paragon Haulage, followed by a stint as night-shift driver for Ivor Gainsford in Rotorua, then a return to John Thomson, carting for Total Transport.

By his mid-30s, in 2005, Ash was ready to purchase his own truck. “Matt Purvis of Total Transport helped me into my own 2005 Freightliner Argosy. It had a 90” sleeper cab and ran a Cummins Gen-2 Signature at 620hp.

It should have been called

What does an Orrin ge do in retirement?

Yep you guessed it. Doug went back to the pla ce associated with the happiest of times to do some logging, Maun gataniwha.

Ash’s latest dash – the S73 0 he drives for Brett Marsh.

oug Orringe is an old-school legendary truckie who has created lasting impressions and great memories for a current legendary truckie, Bruce ‘Roadie’ Clotworthy.

“I was about 12 or 13 when I first met Doug.

He used to park his truck at Doidge’s yard in Tokoroa. I would be hanging out at the yard a lot with Dad (Roger Clotworthy). I looked up to Doug, mainly because he had a Kenworth!

“I would try and ride in Doug’s logging truck whenever I could in the school holidays and on weekends. If Doug’s son, Ash, wasn’t in the passenger seat, I was! When us young fellas rode around in the passenger seat, that’s where we did our learning. Once we’d had a ride, of course, you’d wash the truck as payment. Washing it also meant we would be able to drive the truck around the yard and park it up. We would do anything to be able to do that!

“When I was about 14 or 15, Doug would let me drive his Kenworth down to Hutt Timber, about half a kilometre down the road from the yard.

They had a gantry, so I would lift the trailer up or down and drive back to the yard. Ash would help me wash

New Zealand Trucking

the truck, and he would come for a ride with me. He was just a young boy then.

“By the time I was 16 or 17, Doidges’ moved their yard further up the road, so it was a couple of Ks drive along to Hutt Timber.

Sometimes Doug would come with me, but often it was just Ash and me. That drive was along the main road through Tokoroa.

I had a car licence but no truck licence.

“I used to love going for rides with Doug, off-highway, up into the bush. Doug would jump out and start talking to the bush crew. He would say to me, ‘Here, back it under the hook, Bruce.’

I would back it up, lift the trailer off and then connect it back up to the truck, ready for the next load of logs. All the while, Doug would still be chatting to the foreman.

“Once I had my truck licence and was serving my time at TRT in Hamilton, I would come home on the weekend and drive for Doug on a Saturday. I would take his Kenworth 350 up the off-highway and pick up logs for local mills or export for the Mount.

“Doug gave me valuable experience back then on a truck that I loved. Nearly 50 years on, Doug and I are still friends today.”

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‘Rocket Ship’ because it went like one!”

This Freightliner purchase marked the beginning of Ash’s half of the Orringe Trucking partnership.

Team Orringe As Orringe Trucking, Doug and Ash purchased a P510 Pacific with 444 Cummins, painted in RFH colours. This replaced Doug’s ex-Panpac Mack Super-Liner.

Ash laughs: “We parked up the Mack on the front lawn for a year. It was our new garden ornament! Nobody wanted it back then. We couldn’t get rid of it. We ended up selling it for $10,000 just to get it off the lawn. These days you could probably sell it for $100,000 with Super-Liners being so rare.”

After two years of Ash driving the Argosy, it was sold. He moved on, and John Thomson’s Scania R144, 580hp, V8 logger with RFH was purchased. “Dad drove the Scania and I jumped on the Pacific, which I found was too slow. It was like going back a hundred years.

We decided to look for something else and a 1997 FLB Freightliner with N14 525 Cummins came up. It had a 31.5-tonne payload capability.

“Unfortunately, that truck was trouble from day one.”

Doug and Ash continued their father/son partnership for more than a decade. With the logging industry fluctuating, Orringe Trucking decided to diversify and purchased a 1994 525 V8 Mack Ultra-Liner log deck to utilise backloading options.

Team Orringe opted to finish with RFH and became shareholders of CCC (Challenge Carrying Company). “This gave us the security of permanent work with no downtime. We were never parked up,” says Ash. A new Western Star came along in 2011. A 4884 with Cummins ISX EGR fitted with Koromiko logging gear.

“It was a great-performing

truck,” says Ash. “It was a relief to have decent, reliable gear. I made the mistake of letting Dad have a week on nights. He loved the quiet roads and wouldn’t let me back on nightshift.”

Ash’s face lights up when talking about the Western Star. “When that truck arrived, I decided I wanted to do something as a tribute to Dad. I wanted to paint it like his 1976 Kenworth. It had the very well-known colour scheme of Monfort Meats, from Colorado in America.

They had the fastest, biggest gear in the States, with the biggest horsepower. In America, they call the fast lane on their interstates the ‘Monfort Lane’ because their trucks were always in that lane, being the most powerful trucks on the road at that time.

“The Western Star had too much bling, and I wanted to bring it back a bit more oldschool. It was all about the paint job. Lots of pinstriping, scrolls, lights and bold colour rather than stainless.”

“The Scania was the next truck to go,” recalls Doug. “I was glad to see the back of it. The best day was the day I saw the Scania drive away with someone else owning it. That thing cost us a lot of money.”

The Western Star continued under the Orringe Trucking banner for four years, being doubleshifted by Doug and Ash. The industry continued to change, making it no longer sustainable for them. Their shares in CCC were sold and the father/son driving team went their separate ways.

Ash’s current dash Ash stayed behind the wheel of the Western Star for two more years at Aztec Logging before selling. His career has brought him to Brett Marsh Transport, where he has “loved three years on good gear, with good pay, a great

The Argosy and the Pacific: Orringe Trucking lookin

g sharp!

Running an MH Mack and R580 Scania, the dynamic duo in business with Rotorua Forest Haulage. team, and good people to work for”.

Ash is currently driving Brett’s 2019 S730 Scania.

“I’m all around the country and loving it. I’m living the dream.

“I’m also lucky to have a supportive wife. Back in 2013, after dating Colette for a couple of months, I took her for a ride up into the Mamakus for a load of logs back to the port. While I was hooking up the trailer, the drawbar moved to the right before reaching the ring feeder. I pulled it back, and my thumb got caught as it missed the ring feeder. It took about 1cm off the end of my left thumb. I finished setting up the truck to be loaded and walked to the passenger side of the truck to get my firstaid kit from under the seat. I casually asked Colette if she

was OK with blood. She said ‘Ohhh yeah, why?’ I showed her my thumb. She fell to bits and started blubbering. I grabbed a bandage, wrapped it up and wrapped some insulation tape around it to hold it on. I tried not to make a big deal about it, despite it hurting like hell every time I changed gear. I didn’t want Colette to think I was a sook!

Colette thought it was just a normal trucking thing to lose thumbs and stuff. After returning to the yard and swapping with Dad, I went to hospital, where they removed some bone so it could heal.

Colette reckons that’s why she married me … she wanted a tough Kiwi bloke!”

Doug’s dash to semi-retirement With the Orringe Trucking partnership over, Doug’s

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The ex-PanPac 1985 Mack Super-Liner Doug bought in 2005 to go truckin’ again. Carting for RFH, he went mainly between Kinleith and Mount Maunganui. memories of the years spent building roads at Maungataniwha drew him back to the place he had loved so much. JB Logging (John Burt) provided an opportunity to return. At 71 years old, Doug climbed into a Western Star 6900 with 600hp Cummins EGR engine, carting stems off-highway. “I enjoyed close to two years back up there, reliving the memories.”

Age is no barrier for Doug.

The past three years have seen a selection of part-time driving jobs on both trucks and loaders. Now, at nearly 77 years old, Doug can be found on a local tipper truck

with Addline Transport. “I’m enjoying it. I don’t want to sit around and do nothing.

“I’ve had over 61 years in the industry, and I wouldn’t change it.”

A note from the writer: It has to be noted, chatting with Doug Orringe was an incredibly entertaining experience. If I had a dollar for every time Doug said, “Oh, that’s another funny story”, I would be a wealthy woman. His stories were endless. In fact, I think he should write a book.

Doug would like to thank all the friends and colleagues who have offered and given him valuable help over the years. You will all know who you are. “You learn something new every day and right up until today, I am still learning,” he says.

Ash would like to thank his Dad for “always being there, being my best mate and great role model”. He would also like to acknowledge John Thomson and Ivor Gainsford, who have “both provided a bundle of knowledge and helped me out when I was starting out”. Thanks go to Leon Batchelor and Ra, who “took on young guys, trained us up and gave us opportunities”. Lastly, Brett and Leonie Marsh. “I thought about giving up trucks. I was only going to work for them for six months, but three years later, I’m still there! It’s such a great place to work.”

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Devin Murcott Devin Murcott was in Mount Maunganui, busy tarping a load of fertiliser before heading off to Waipukurau, when Alison and Mike Verran stopped to have a chat. With eight years’ driving experience behind him, Devin is currently behind the wheel of Twist Trucking’s International 9870 with a 458kW (615hp) Cummins engine and 18-speed Roadranger gearbox. He carts both bulk and flat deck products anywhere from Hawke’s Bay to Whangarei.

“I’ve always had a passion for trucks,” says Devin. “I went for rides with the old man, all around New Zealand. I think I had my first truck ride when I was two years old. My grandfather was a truck driver for the Thames Valley Dairy Company. My uncle (Darrin Murcott) drives trucks. It’s a family thing.”

Devin’s passion for trucking means he can spend his days chilling out listening to sounds while travelling the highways.

He also enjoys meeting new people each day.

He has noticed there is a lack of the traditional trucking camaraderie these days. “If a driver is stuck somewhere,

not everyone stops to help.”

When asked the vexing question if he favoured lawns or concrete, Devin says he doesn’t mind mowing lawns at all.

“It’s all about the lawn porn.”

disadvantages of trucking these days is not being able to take young ones with you out on the job.

“That’s the best way to learn. It’s the way we all learned.”

Pie or quiche was the vexing question

of the day. Glen had no hesitation in expressing his love for pies. “I make my own pies every night. Today, I’ve got a cheeseburger pie, as well as a potato, gravy and popcorn chicken pie.”

Glen Ireland While on his way to the Port of Tauranga with a load of logs, Glen Ireland stopped at the Caltex Truck Stop on Hull Road for a quick catch up with Alison and Mike Verran. Glen drives for Rossiter Log Haulage in an impressive and well-presented Western Star 4884 with a 525 Detroit under the hood. Every working day is spent carting logs around the central North Island. After unloading at the port, Glen was heading off to Acacia Bay near Taupo for his next load.

Glen was brought up around trucks.

“My old man was a truck driver.

I went for rides all of the time.”

Glen completed his diesel mechanic apprenticeship after leaving school. A recession at the time forced the decision to go truck driving instead. Glen now has 14 years of experience behind the wheel.

He enjoys the freedom of being out on the road. “You don’t have to sit inside all day, and you get the best view in the world.” He notes one of the biggest

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Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

JUST TRUCKING AROUND www.trt.co.nz

Overseas Andrew Hickey Howard Shanks joined Andrew Hickey on a run to collect four decks of cattle from a station east of Croydon, Victoria, near the head of the Gilbert River. Andrew was to truck them to the port at Karumba in Queensland.

After changing a flat tyre on his rear trailer, Andrew was tightening the wheel nuts when Howard snapped this picture.

Up the front of the road train is a first-generation T950 powered by a Cat C15 that punches out a healthy 410kW (550hp). The Cat is coupled to an Eaton RTLO22918B transmission with Dana D52-190 rear axles.

Back on the black top and the big Cat under the hood purred effortlessly northward. Meantime, Andrew added that he reckons his original T950 is one of the best models that Kenworth ever made. “That’s not merely due their reliability, but the simplicity of their design makes them easier for outback operators like me to maintain,” he said.

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TOP TRUCK

FLAWLESS IN

PELORUS

Like much of New Zealand, the Nelson/Marlborough area is home to many established family-owned businesses with long-standing supplier relationships. Mike Edridge Contracting is one such company and it has a history of commissioning unique and head-turning Scanias in heavyhaulage roles. The latest addition to the fleet ticks that box once again.

Story and photos by Craig McCauley

L

ocated between Havelock and Rai Valley in Marlborough is the poplar camping spot of Pelorus Bridge, also the home base of Mike Edridge Contracting (Edridge Contracting), known locally for its fastidiously presented fleet of Scania trucks and Caterpillar machinery.

Established by Mike Edridge in 1987 with a small excavator and Bedford truck, the business is a major player in the top of the south, supplying earthworks, roading, drainage, quarrying and heavy-haulage services to the civil and forestry sectors.

Today, Mike’s son Malcolm is managing director, and Edridge Contracting has a staff of 80. It operates more than 50 major items of plant from bases at Kaituna (near Blenheim), Pelorus Bridge, and Nelson.

Since the beginning, trucks have been an integral part of the operation and the current heavy-truck fleet numbers nine – three Mercedes-Benz and six Scanias.

This month’s New Zealand Trucking magazine Top Truck is a Scania R730 A6X4HB 6x4 tractor unit put to work

by Edridge’s, predominately on heavy-haulage work.

Behind the prime mover is a TRT 3x8 Swing Wing Widening low-loader trailer, with a TRT 2x8 widening load divider able to be added, giving the combination the ability to carry a payload of about 64 tonnes under permit conditions.

Motivation is provided by an all proprietary drivetrain.

The Scania 545kW (730hp) DC16 108L01 engine produces a peak of 3500Nm (2581lb/ft) of torque, while an Opticruise-equipped GRSO926R transmission with standard, power and off-road performance modes turns horsepower into tractive

Two marques that are proven winners in building the Edridge business – Scania and Caterpillar.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

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1

2

3

1) REM Ltd in Rai Valley repurposed a surplus fuel tank into a handy toolbox and access step. How cool is that? 2) A farm electric-fence connector mounted under the cab allows Hud’s gloves to dry in the draft from the engine. 3) Antony Huddleston ‘Hud’, has clocked up 18 years in Scanias with Edridge’s.

effort via a pair of 4.21:1 ratio RBP835 hub-reduction rear axles riding on air suspension. Hold-back is provided by Scania’s proven R4100D retarder.

Antony ‘Hud’ Huddleston drives the R730. He’s passionate about the Scania product, having clocked up 18 years in Scanias with Edridge’s.

A low-roof CR20 sleeper cab was specified for extra clearance when manoeuvring around obstacles, particularly in the forest. Inside, ‘Hud’ has all the usual Scania in-cab comforts, including leather seats.

The R730 left Scania’s Zwolle assembly

plant in the Netherlands painted in the yellow and green fleet livery, and Power Signs of Nelson added the company’s eye-catching graphics.

Edridge Contracting maintenance manager Ben Todd managed the local portion of the Scania’s set-up with REM Ltd of Rai Valley fitting the fifth wheel, fabricating a cab-protecting headboard and turning a surplus Scania fuel tank into an extremely tidy combination toolbox/ step arrangement. Bigfoot central tyre inflation was also fitted to aid traction and tyre wear.

The R730 is one of two heavy-haulage

units Edridge Contracting operates, shifting the company’s own equipment plus that of outside clients predominately around Nelson and Marlborough.

When questioned ‘Why Scania?’

Malcolm replied, “Hud likes Scania – they’re a driver’s truck”, and it’s about looking after good drivers.

Good staff and good equipment are modern business benchmarks. If you’re in the Nelson Marlborough region, keep a lookout for the Mike Edridge Contracting Scania R730. You won’t be disappointed.

Hud’s previous ride in the foreground. This time they’ve gone for the flat-roof variant to improve overhead clearance.

PATC CH HE ELLLL PAT GROUP OF COMPANIES After another challenging year we thank all our valued customers and staff for their patience and loyalty over the past 12 months.

The Patchell Group is looking forward to the new year and celebrating its

50th year in business We wish you all the very best for 2022 and hope you enjoy safe and happy times with your families.

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BACK DOWN THE ROAD A BIT

THE SNOWMAN If the world were filled with Darrin Murcotts, there’d be no war, crime, violence, or moaning. Everyone would work their butts off and enjoy their family, work, and life to the max. Not only is he one of the genuine nice guys, but he’s also a first-rate truck operator with a vast experience.

Oh, and a great cameraman, too. If you see the PTS Mack Super-Liner hydrogen peroxide tanker in your travels, be sure to give it a huge wave.

I’ve been a bit naughty this month. Darrin sent in plenty of pics but I’ve only given him four slots. The reason is, he sent in one of my all-time favourite pictures ever, and I wanted to give it a decent amount of space.

You’ll be able to see why already. – Ed

“Spending half of my childhood in National Park certainly sparked the truck thing along. When on the old-school buses, everyone would try and name the approaching trucks and their company. We were all really good at it. To tell the truth, I don’t think my childhood ever ended. I just started photographing them through the years along life’s path.”

After the Kodak Brownie, I moved up to a Pentax compact camera (my first 35mm film camera). As such, photo quality went up another level. As winter is my favourite time of the year, this image of two W-Model Kenworths belonging to Direct Transport, taken in the snow at National Park during the mid1980s, always makes me look forward to the winter months.

The Provincial Freightlines Mack Super-Liner, which

TD Haulage loading at Tongariro

As a truck photographer/enthusiast, your camera

I operated for a couple of years, is still at the top of

Timber, National Park, with Mt

must be with you all the time as you never know

the list of trucks I’ve driven. Interestingly, it’s the

Ruapehu in the background. The

what you may come across – like this MAN of the

ex-Storm Hema ‘Mighty Mutt’.

sound of that Detroit would echo

New Zealand Defence Force on the Desert Road,

through the village as they rolled in

again with Mt Ruapehu in the background.

and then again as they left.

72

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

w w w. f r u e h a u f . c o . n z

LE A D E R S I N T R A I L E R M A N U FA C T U R ING

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RUST IN PEACE

New Zealand is littered with trucks that have long since had their glory days. Some lay hidden in dusty back lots on the outskirts of town. Some stand in the middle of the nation’s paddocks, covered in moss, almost blending into the scenery. But each has a story to tell; each was once a valued partner on the road, someone’s first truck, someone’s million-miler. In this new series of pictorials, we’ll give these forgotten heroes one more moment in the limelight. And, where we can, share their stories.

THREE PARKS, WANAKA

DODGE KEW 100 Story and photos by Gavin Myers

W

e’re still at Three Parks in Wanaka this month. While the International AR-160 from last time round was perched high and proud overlooking the venue, parked up among some old machinery beside a back fence in a rear section of the venue was this 1955 Dodge 100 Kew. This two-axle truck was still wearing its tipper body and, if you looked past its blanket of dust and cobwebs, seemed from afar to be in somewhat salvageable nick.

Though its missing windows, leaky hubs, smooth tyres, bent propshaft and decaying interior would suggest having been out to pasture for quite some time, it stood out in the red-and-black livery of E.G. & G.R. Foster – Coromandel. Coromandel to Wanaka, that’s a fair journey we wanted to know more about…

George Foster (the G.R., E.G.

74

New Zealand Trucking

being his father Ernie) says that he bought it in 1963 and owned it for nearly four decades.

The truck was sold to the Caterpillar Museum in Rotorua when it was opened by Lindsay Willis in 2005. It followed the Cat collection when it was taken over by the Gough family, and most recently when it was bought by Allan Dippie – which is how it ended up in Wanaka.

The Dodge 100 Kew was built from 1949 – 1957 at Dodge’s British factory in Kew, London.

It was fitted with the Dodge flathead six-cylinder petrol engine.

While the Wanaka Kew is a little beat up and “rusted through”, as Allan describes it, it’s easy to see the distinctive shape of its bonnet and grille that led to this model earning the nickname of ‘parrot nose’.

The model achieved some fame in the 1957 film Hell Drivers.

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

AUSSIE ANGLES

T9NO

Story and photos by Howard Shanks

COMPROMISES

There is a fine art in specifying an extreme heavy-duty truck robust enough to endure the off-highway punishment of mine site corrugated haul roads and rough bush-exploration tracks, yet light enough to deliver a viable payload.

K

algoorlie’s industrial hub operates in full swing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In the small hours of the morning, fitters’ rattle guns echo through the streets while a constant parade of quad side tippers rumble through town as drivers come and go rotating on their rolling shifts.

Over the east coast of the country, most folks are still snuggly tucked up in their beds. But not here in Kalgoorlie. In the predawn greyness, the mercury in the thermometer is about to creep into the 30s.

“He’ll be down on the wash bay,” the receptionist says with a smile when I mention that I have an appointment

with Gammon Haulage owner, Craig Gammon.

Craig Gammon, or ‘Gammo’, as most folks in the Goldfields know him, is passionate about keeping his truck looking new, which is no small feat given that most of the time, this T909 operates on the red dirt tracks in the remote goldfields region of Western Australia.

Sure enough, Craig’s T909 sat parked on the wash bay.

Meantime, the man himself was busily spraying it with a homemade cocktail of truckwash detergent and kerosene.

“You found the place all right then,” Craig says with a smile, glancing in my direction as he continues waving the spray wand in an

up-and-down motion. “This won’t take long.”

He explains how he sprays his detergent mix over the Kenworth, and then lets it soak for a few minutes to remove the bitumen and road grime. He uses this method during the week when the truck is busy on double shifts, like today. But he assures us that he gives it a thorough sponge wash on weekends.

Half an hour later, we were well on our way to the old abandoned Bonnie Vale townsite, roughly 14km north of Coolgardie, to load sand for the nickel smelter back in Kalgoorlie.

As Craig guides the T909 into the sandpit, it is hard to imagine that back in 1897, out here in this barren wasteland, the town of Bonnie Vale was gazetted. It was apparently named after a prospector called Bonnie, who picked up a 7oz (220g) nugget back in May 1894, which at today’s

gold prices would be about $17,500.

Today, there are few remains of the township of Bonnie Vale, other than it serves as the railway station for nearby Coolgardie on the Perth to Kalgoorlie passenger service, aptly called The Prospector.

The sand in this pit is 98% silica, highly sought after in the nickel-smelting process and predominantly used as furnace flux.

Today, nickel smelting often occurs with flash smelting, when electricity and oxygen combine to quickly reach the high temperature needed to melt the nickel ore. That is an incredible 1453°C. The nickel ore melts until it becomes a product known as liquid matte, which is usually about 45% nickel and 55% slag and other metals.

After the nickel smelting is complete and cooled, it gets used for many different

Sand in this pit is 98% silica, highly sought after in the nickelsmelting process.

All power dividers engaged to get moving on soft sand. purposes.

Once the removal of slag occurs, the remaining product gets sold to other industries. For example, nickel is commonly used as an alloying agent with steel and other metals because it is corrosion-resistant and can be highly polished when required.

Craig pulls the road train in a straight line parallel to the pit wall then wanders over to the loader. This wheel loader has a 15-litre engine producing 350hp and 1244lbft of torque, which runs through a four-speed powershift transmission allowing operators to choose between manual or automatic shift modes. In addition, it boasts onboard scales built into the lift arms to allow on-the-go weighing of the material in the

bucket. This feature allows operators to load trucks more accurately and efficiently. In addition, the bucket scoops up to 5m3 of sand at a time.

Craig said that this dry sand weighs roughly 1600kg/m3, which means he is tipping about eight tonnes of sand into the trailers with each bucketful. He wastes little time on the loader and puts four generous buckets in each of the full-length trailers and two buckets in the shorter A-trailer. All the while, he checks the weight with the loader’s onboard scales.

It takes roughly half an hour to load three trailers and roll out the tarps. Then it is time to get down to the business side of the operation. We are here to investigate how the big-bore Cummins handled

getting 170 tonnes and 86 wheels rolling in soft sand.

The soft sandy road base in the pit makes it hard for any truck to get rolling. But Craig has all the power dividers engaged to ensure each axle is getting power. In no time at all, the engine is working at 100% capacity.

The turbo boost gauge needle hovers up at 260kPa. In the cabin, you can hear the air getting sucked down the high-rise air intakes as the big 15-litre Cummins gobbles up to 45,000 litres of air per minute when Craig has the throttle fully opened up.

It’s well worth checking out the gauges in the dash of this unique T909 because you don’t often see such a welloptioned and practical dash package like this these days.

Located in the top row of the centre binnacle are the axle oil-temperature gauges for all three axles. Below is the all-important turbo boost gauge. Then the engine oil temperature and the main transmission temperature gauges. For remote Outback road-train operators such as Craigs, monitoring component oil temperature is vital.

A sudden spike in temperature is a sure earlydetection tell-tale that something requires attention.

For instance, in the middle of summer, when the ambient temperature is hovering at about 40°C, it could simply be a matter of dropping down a gear and slowing the road train down a few kilometres to lower the temperatures.

There are two Murphy

Everything is neatly packaged.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

77

Keeping an eye on all the temps is critical when operating in 40+°C heat. switch gauges with black bezels on the main centre dash panel. They are paramount for operators such as Craig, and it’s worth spending a moment investigating how they work and why they reside prominently in the main dash panel.

The Murphy switch gauges first appeared in the late 1930s, and their popularity quickly ensued due to their robust, simple design, ease of adjustment and simplicity for operators to test.

What makes the Murphy switch gauges so reliable is their full mechanical operation. They don’t require temperamental sensors or electrical wizardry to function.

The pressure and temperature models are diaphragm-actuated, with built-in electrical switches that can trip alarms or shut down equipment if required.

These vapour-actuated gauges feature a sealed capillary tube and a sensing bulb. When subjected to heat, the liquid in the sensing bulb changes to vapour, creating pressure against the diaphragm mechanism.

The diaphragm translates this vapour pressure into a mechanical gauge reading.

Meantime, the gauge pointer acts as a pressure or temperature indicator (depending on the gauge) and as one switch pole which completes a circuit when it touches the adjustable limit contact.

As a result, the contact gets grounded through the gauge

case. A corrosion-resistant coated steel case encloses the gauge’s mechanism.

The lens is constructed from break-resistant polycarbonate for added protection, and the gauge is available with a polished, stainless steel or black bezel. Importantly, these gauges have a self-cleaning motion to enhance electrical continuity.

Thankfully, today, even with the mercury nudging 44oC, the Murphy gauges didn’t sound any alarms. Still, with all this weight, the coolant temperature sat comfortably at 97°C. Also, it’s worth looking at how the transmission radiatorcooler mount is concealed into the construction of the front of the rear mudguard bracket.

The extra thought that Craig meticulously put into this truck’s detailed specification is what makes it so unique, productive and durable.

“It’s all about keeping the running gear cool,” Craig says. “It’s certainly not your average run-of-the-mill Kenworth. There are some good engineering outfits here in the west that really know how to fine-tune these trucks to survive in our conditions.

The cooler we can keep the components, the longer they live out here.”

He deliberated for some time on the decision to specify traditional hypoid drive rear axles over the heavierduty hub-reduction rears.

“There are two big disadvantages for me with hub-reduction rear axles in my operation. Firstly, in

a tri-drive configuration, they add a lot to your tare weight. If we operated solely off-road on mine sites, then the hub-reduction rears might be the better option.

Secondly, the hub-reduction rears get extremely hot and will prematurely destroy the outer planetary drive if they are driven over 80kph for extended periods, such as with on-highway driving.

"These Meritor drive axles, on the other hand, have more than proven their worth in this

country. That’s why I chose the Meritor rear axles – for a tare weight advantage and on-road productivity gain,” says Craig.

“It certainly wasn’t a cheap exercise – that’s why it’s got the ‘Money Muncher’ written in the side of the bonnet. But I’m expecting to get 20 years out of this truck, with a scheduled major overhaul at 10 years.

"I’m looking at the big picture. That’s why it’s worth investing in premium gear like the Murphy gauges to help protect my investment.”

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S

Kenworth T909 Engine:

Cummins Signature

Horsepower:

462kW (620hp) at 1850rpm

Torque:

2780Nm (2050lb/ft) at 1100rpm

Gearbox:

Eaton RTLO22915B 18-speed Roadranger

Air cleaner:

Dual Cyclopacs with stainless raised air intakes

Fuel filter:

Fuel Pro and fuel/water separator

Electrical:

160A isolated alternator

Front axle:

Meritor MFS73L

Front suspension: 7.2-tonne multi-leaf Power steering:

TRW Ross TAS 85

Rear axles:

Meritor RZ78-388G tridem drive

Rear axle ratio:

5.52:1

Rear suspension:

Neway AD369/10

Brakes:

HD (P-type) drum brakes with auto slacks

Windscreen:

Two-piece, flat

Interior:

Crimson cab trim, HD Diamond pleat vinyl

Seats:

Charcoal HD Extreme air-suspended driver’s seat

Bumper:

Polished alloy bullbar

Battery box:

Slide tray LH under cab above tank

Extras: Severe service kit, Murphy swichgages, lower radiator pipe shield, remote diff breathers, extended grease lines to clutch, pressurised bell housing, Sleep-Air sleeper air conditioner, chassis checker-plate, dolly pull to rear of chassis, 60-litre freshwater tank, gantry-mounted hydraulic tank, gantry-mounted chain box, transmission radiator cooler, PTO side tipper, Lightforce driving lights.

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©2019 Hendrickson USA, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks shown are owned by Hendrickson USA, L.L.C., or one of its affiliates, in one or more countries.

INTERNATIONAL TRUCK STOP

Story by Will Shiers

Photos supplied

GOT THE CREAM Will Shiers gets a closer look at the new XG+ on a 400km drive from Frankfurt, Germany, to DAF’s head office in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.

W

hen I was a child, we had a ginger cat called Tiddles.

He was as hard as nails and loved nothing more than getting into a good scrap. But as tough as he was, all this fighting took its toll, and he carried plenty of battle scars. Most prominent of these were his two missing ears. As I stand in a German aircraft hangar, looking at a line-up of the new DAF XF, XG and XG+ trucks, deciding which one I want to drive first, I’m reminded of Tiddles.

The only difference is, unlike him, the lack of side protrusions rather suit the New

Generation DAFs. Before starting my 400km drive through Germany, Belgium and on to DAF’s HQ in Eindhoven, I take a good look at the exterior. The Digital Vision System, which replaces conventional mirrors with external cameras and screens (see sidebar), is one of many fresh design approaches on this latest family of trucks. In fact, everything about the cabs is new, with no carry-over features at all. But the fact that it doesn’t pay homage to its predecessor is no bad thing. After 34 years, an entirely fresh start was needed.

Automotive designers often talk about ‘clean sheets of paper’, but in reality, such a thing rarely exists in the world of truck design. Most are forced to adapt an existing body, while even those with entirely new cabs must work within the strict confines of long-established maximum dimensions. DAF’s designers, however, did start with something resembling a clean

sheet. Several years ago, the European Commission announced that it would be introducing new mass and dimension legislation, allowing slightly longer cabs to improve fuel consumption, safety and driver comfort. The new DAFs are the first trucks to take advantage of these changes.

Ron Borsboom, director of product development at DAF Trucks, tells me: “We couldn’t take our existing cab and make it longer, so we started from scratch. This was a unique opportunity for us – to design and build a completely new class of truck.”

At the start, almost nothing was ruled out. DAF even built a working prototype with an exaggerated protruding nose, reminiscent of a high-speed train. But this was dismissed when it was discovered that the aerodynamic gains were barely any better than when using a more subtle bulge. It was also less manoeuvrable and heavier. The final design, on the front of all three New Generation trucks (XF, XG and

XG+), is a 160mm tapered protrusion. It boosts aerodynamics by 19%, equating to a 6.3% improvement in fuel economy compared with the current XF (which remains in production). Meanwhile, the XG and XG+ both get an additional 330mm of length at the back of the cab, while the flagship XG+ also has 200mm of extra roof height.

I make a beeline for an XG+.

Inside story Access is via three steps, which although not all progressive, are easy to climb.

They’re aided by a door that opens through 90 degrees and well-positioned grab handles.

There is some debate over the origins of the phrase ‘no room to swing a cat’ and whether it refers to an unfortunate moggy or a cat o’ nine tails whip. What is for certain is that either one could be successfully swung in a voluminous 12.5m3 XG+ cab. Don’t get me wrong. I know that this isn’t big by Antipodean standards, but in Europe, it’s considered cavernous.

Floor space is impressive, and uncluttered, and is enhanced further in this truck by the optional fold-away cinema seat on the passenger side. It makes 100% sense for one-man operations.

Storage is good too, for both large and small items, but it’s disappointing that you can’t delete the upper bunk in favour of rear wall-mounted lockers.

The dashboard is completely new, featuring a 300mm digital display. Drivers can choose between modern or classic settings, tailoring them to show as much or as little information as required. The steering wheel is largely unchanged, although now the speed-related buttons

Heated, foldable, state-of-the-art cameras for excellent view under all circumstances are optional.

Digital Vision System

H

ot on the heels of MercedesBenz’s MirrorCam comes DAF’s Digital Vision System.

Two cameras located on the sides of the roof project rear-view images to a pair of screens mounted on the A-pillars. The one on the passenger side is 380mm high (the same as Mercedes’), while the driver’s one is smaller (312mm).

The system works the same way as MirrorCam and offers a similar 1.4% improvement in fuel economy, but DAF is keen to point out that this is a superior system.

“Sometimes it is best not to be the first to market,” says Borsboom. “We were able to do a lot of benchmarking.”

One area where it differs is that DAF’s cameras are electrically retractable, controlled by a button on the driver’s door. This function is only operational at very low speeds and could be useful for squeezing onto ferries.

Like MirrorCam, the lenses are heated, so they shouldn’t freeze.

However, they’re mounted higher on the cab roof, which should keep them further away from road spray.

They’re set deep inside the casings, too, preventing precipitation

from landing on the lenses and obstructing the view.

The picture on the screens follows the back of the trailer during cornering. They also have lines on them, indicating the back of the trailer and informing the driver when it’s safe to pull in after an overtaking manoeuvre.

A unique feature is Corner View, consisting of a camera located just beneath the windscreen on the front nearside edge of the truck and a secondary screen on the nearside A-pillar. It does away with the physical mirrors, normally located above the passenger door window and the windscreen.

Having spent a day behind the wheel of a Digital Vision Systemequipped truck, I have to say I’m impressed. It certainly didn’t take long to get used to it anyway, and the Corner View is going to be a welcome addition for anyone driving in urban areas. It’s so much easier and effective to glance at this one screen, rather than at two different mirrors.

But until I get a chance to spend longer with it, including some manoeuvring and night driving, I’ll refrain from fully endorsing it.

However, I can say that DAF’s new conventional rear-view glass mirrors are superb. The new housings are slimmer, more aerodynamic, and have a large gap between the main (upper) and wide-angle (lower) sections.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

81

are grouped on the left, and the audio controls on the right.

It’s part of DAF’s ‘hands on the wheel, eyes on the road’ philosophy.

I like the liberal sprinkling of wood and brushed aluminium, which improves the overall ambience. Despite being a preproduction model, it all feels very well screwed together.

DAF has definitely upped its game in this respect.

As you’d expect in a flagship tractor like this, creature comforts are abundant and include a pair of fridges, and an electronically adjustable 800mm wide bunk, which is larger than a standard European single bed.

On the rear wall, there’s a comprehensive control panel.

From here you can operate the lighting (with no less than 16 colours to choose from), windows, roof hatch, temperature, and even turn on the camera surveillance (and, if necessary, sound the panic alarm). Then there’s DAF’s new infotainment system, with an optional 260mm display, which incorporates Apple CarPlay.

Visibility is outstanding, helped by a low beltline and dashboard. You can also specify it with an optional ‘vision door’ – a window cut into the bottom of the passenger door.

On the road Although there aren’t any more horses on offer, DAF has eked out a bit more torque from its MX-11 and MX-13 engines. While the top-rated 395kW (530hp) version gets an additional 100Nm in top gear, unfortunately, there’s no more for the 355kW (483hp) truck

I’m driving. Peak Torque figures are 2350Nm at 900-1400rpm (2500Nm at 900-1125rpm in the highest gear).

Given how steep some of the hills are in this part of Germany and Belgium, I could definitely do with a bit more oomph. On more than a few occasions, I find myself overriding the Eco-mode by planting my foot firmly on the floor. But on regular climbs, the 12.9-litre engine copes perfectly well at 40 tonnes.

There’s certainly no complaints with descending hills, though, thanks to the uprated MX engine brake, which now delivers 20% more torque at lower revs. Working in conjunction with the Predictive Cruise Control, it keeps the speed in check on all but the steepest of gradients.

The ZF TraXon 12TX2210 gearbox comes as standard, and a manual ‘box doesn’t even appear on the options list. Apparently, just 3% of its European customers were still demanding three pedals.

Improvements to the Predictive Cruise Control and EcoRoll functions and other engine and driveline enhancements have resulted in a further 3.9% improvement in fuel economy. So, when combined with aerodynamics, the new trucks are up to 10.2% more efficient than the current XF. The New Generation trucks are also significantly quieter.

Not only is there less road and engine noise, but of course, there’s no wind circulating around the non-existent mirrors.

In terms of ride and handling, again, I am pleasantly

Top: What driver would complain about these living quarters? (No, that’s not Will… – Ed.) Bottom: New Generation DAF has a high-class interior. surprised. It absorbs light bumps with relative poise and serenity, gliding along, successfully ironing-out potholes and other small disturbances. But, because I’m sitting higher than in the XF, any significant movements are magnified. DAF says that cab roll is no greater in this than in the XF, it simply gives the impression of being more significant due to the elevated driving position.

While DAF is the first truckmaker to take advantage of the new European length laws, it’s safe to say that it won’t be the last. However, for now, it has a massive competitive

advantage, especially in terms of driver retention.

Europe is currently suffering from a shortage of truck drivers, and the XG+ can only help to alleviate this. In fact, not many drivers will complain about being given the keys to anything in the New Generation range. What’s more, if the claimed 10.2% fuel economy improvement is to be believed, European operators will also be grinning like the cats that got the cream. *DAF says it has no timeline for when the New Generation trucks will be available in New Zealand.

SPECIAL REPORT

DOUBLE TRUCK OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR DAF DAF’s New Generation, including the XF, XG, and XG+, has been named International Truck of the Year 2022, while the DAF XF Hydrogen has won the 2022 Truck Innovation Award.

T

he International Truck of the Year jury, consisting of 24 commercial vehicle editors and senior journalists representing 24 major trucking magazines throughout Europe, has selected the New Generation from DAF as the 2022 International Truck of the Year.

DAF’s New Generation range received a winning score of 150 votes, beating Iveco’s recently launched T-Way construction series and Mercedes-Benz’s secondgeneration battery-electric eActros.

“With the introduction of the New Generation, DAF has delivered a high-tech heavyduty truck range that sets a new benchmark in the truck industry,” says International

Truck of the Year chairman Gianenrico Griffini.

The annual award is presented to the truck introduced into the market in the previous 12 months, which has made the most significant contribution to road transport efficiency. This judgement relies on several critical criteria, including technological innovation, comfort, safety, driveability, fuel economy, environmental ‘footprint’, and total cost of ownership.

Taking full advantage of the EU’s new mass and dimension regulations, DAF has created a truck range that dramatically improves aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, active and passive safety, and comfort for the driver.

During recent extended test drives in Spain and central Europe, the ITOY jury members appreciated the excellent visibility provided by a large, curved windscreen, side windows with low beltlines and the kerb-view window. These features – along with the digital vision system that replaces the traditional rear mirrors and the new corner view camera – offer excellent all-around visibility, protecting

vulnerable road users.

The ITOY journalists also praised the performance of the new highly efficient powertrains, based on the Paccar MX-11 and MX-13 engines, coupled with TraXon automated gearbox, and the advanced features of predictive cruise control with extended Eco-roll functionalities.

“In addition, it is futureoriented, as it also represents a complete platform for new generations of alternative drivelines,” Griffini says.

DAF XF Hydrogen Also presented by the International Truck of the Year jury plus the South African member publication, the Truck Innovation Award acknowledges the enormous technological changes and energy transition taking place within the automotive sector.

Nominees must be advanced-technology vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tonnes that are fitted with an alternative driveline or fuel system. Otherwise, it must feature specific hightech solutions regarding connectivity (whether semior fully autonomous driving

Story by Gavin Myers systems), a ‘platooning’ capability, or advanced support services such as remote diagnostics.

This year the DAF XF Hydrogen – a prototype of a hydrogen-fuelled heavyduty truck with an internal combustion engine – fought off the competition from Mercedes-Benz’s GenH2 Truck, a fuel cell-powered long-haul vehicle, with a winning score of 92 votes.

The ITOY jury praised the prototype’s handling characteristics, seamless acceleration, and userfriendly human-machine interface (HMI), shared with the New Generation range.

The journalists appreciated DAF’s innovative approach to alternative propulsion and energy transition, which takes advantage of the dynamic qualities of the internal combustion engine while ensuring zero CO2 emissions from the tailpipe.

Griffini commented: “A transition to CO2-neutral transport requires a wide array of viable solutions.

Hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine vehicles can play a role in the future powertrain mix for mediumand long-haul applications.”

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

83

WHEELS AT WANAKA MEMORIES

We bring you a pictorial memory from the phenomenal 2021 Wheels at Wanaka event – to keep the embers well and truly lit on the run-up to 2023!

After seeing the images of Doug Orringe’s early Kenworths being dragline-loaded in this month’s feature on page 58, we just had to grab a photo of Alister Macdonald working his 10RB dragline at this year’s Wheels at Wanaka.

Driving draglines is 90% art and 10% science – ‘you’ve got it, or you don’t’. In the event you had a deck chair and refreshment to hand, you could have easily spent the whole day watching Alister swing and throw the bucket, doing his thing at the far end of the earthmovers’ play pit.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY N EW Y E AR !

l, A wave to you alst yle!

Wheels at Wanaka

ucking Media and the Both New Zealand Tr ew wish you a happy Wheels at Wanaka cr d a prosperous 2022. and safe Christmas an

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NE W RIGS ON THE ROAD

LIVING THE HIGH LIFE

Scania R650 B 8x4 NA rigid – Highline sleeper

OPERATOR: D A Windle, Raetihi

suspension ENGINE: Scania DC16 16-litre 485kW BRAKES: Disc ABS, EBS (650hp) SAFETY: Full Scania safety package TRANSMISSION: Scania Opticruise BODY/TRAILER: Truck – Ross GRSO926R 12-speed AMT with 4100D Engineering, Feilding, Delta Stockcrates/ retarder Trailer – Domett, Mt Maunganui, Delta REAR AXLES: Scania RB662 Stockcrates REAR SUSPENSION: Scania air rear FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air-management

SELF-LOADING LONGBOAT Volvo FH600 8x4 rigid – sleeper cab OPERATOR: Self Loader Logging ENGINE: Volvo D16G 448kW (600hp) TRANSMISSION: Volvo I-Shift 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Volvo RTS2370B with diff and cross-locks REAR SUSPENSION: Volvo B-Ride spring suspension – high clearance BRAKES: Disc ABS, EBS SAFETY: OCSAFE plus driver safety package BODY/TRAILER: Patchell Industries FEATURES/EXTRAS: Straight beam front axle. SILodec scales. Stone guard, alloy wheels. Fridge.

PAINT/SIGNAGE: Paint – ex-factory/signage – Quality Signs Taupo OPERATION: Log cartage, Central North Island DRIVER: Anton Winiata SALES: Todd Martin

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kit, stone guard, alloy wheels.

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Tony Walton’s Custom Art OPERATION: Livestock Cartage, Central North Island DRIVER: Kerry Windle SALES: Callan Short

International 9870 R8 LRS 8x4 rigid – sleeper

KING HIT! OPERATOR: DT King, Pukemaori ENGINE: Cummins X-15 15-litre 433kW (580hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton Roadranger 20918B 18-speed manual REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160 SUSPENSION: Front: Lead

axle on parabolic spring and second steer ECAS Rear: IROS (International Ride Optimised Suspension) BRAKES: Drum. EBS/ABS BODY/TRAILER: MTT (Modern Transport Trailers), Invercargill. Body and five-axle trailer. Lift-out side tipper/log

frames FEATURES/EXTRAS: Alloy bumper, wrapped DEF tank, stone guard, stainless steel drop visor, alloy wheels PAINT/SIGNAGE: Paint, exfactory OPERATION: Bulk/freight/ logs, South Island, based in

Otautau DRIVER: Wayne Todd SALES: Shaun Jury

Photo Credit: Israel Anderson

TWO NUGGETY BLOKES OPERATOR: DPS Haulage, Whakatane ENGINE: MAN D26 Euro-5 403kW (540hp) TRANSMISSION: MAN Tipmatic 12 28OD 12-speed AMT with off-road deployment and Retarder 35 REAR AXLES: HPD-1382/HP-

MAN TGS 35.540HC 8x4 rigid (x2)

1352 Hub reduction rear axles REAR SUSPENSION: Parabolic rear springs BRAKES: Front – disc/rear – drum. MAN Brakematic electronic braking and ABS/ EBS SAFETY: ASR (Anti-Spin Regulation), ESP (Electronic

Stability Program), cruise control BODY/TRAILER: Patchell Industries FEATURES/EXTRAS: Straight beam front axle and 9” off-set rims. Drop visor.

PAINT: Haddock Spray Painters, Whakatane

SIGNAGE: Signs Direct, Whakatane OPERATION: Log cartage, Eastern BOP/Gisborne DRIVER: Dave Harford/Taylor Ohlsen SALES: Mark Ellerington

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

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NE W RIGS ON THE ROAD

Sinotruk C7H 6x4 tractor – G cab sleeper

ALL THE SIGNS ARE GOOD OPERATOR: VT Transport, Auckland ENGINE: MC13.54-50 12.4-litre TRANSMISSION: HW25712XA 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: MCY13 with diff and cross lock REAR SUSPENSION: Sinotruk 8-bag air suspension BRAKES: Disc ABS, EBS SAFETY: ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) FEATURES/EXTRAS: Cab side skirts, alloy wheels

SUN, SURF, AND A T410 SAR! OPERATOR: Raymond Transport, Mount Maunganui ENGINE: PACCAR MX-13 Euro 5 13-litre 380kW (510hp) TRANSMISSION: Eaton FO-20E318AMXP UltraShift PLUS 18-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Meritor 46-160 with diff and cross locks REAR SUSPENSION: PACCAR AG400

PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: NS Sign Prints, Auckland OPERATION: General cartage, Auckland, Northland and Waikato DRIVER: Melino Latu ‘VTTOKO’ SALES: Robbie Pasley

Kenworth T410 SAR 6x4 tractor – IT sleeper

BRAKES: Disc ABS, EBS BODY/TRAILER: Tractor rigged by Southpac /Mega Pacific Hydraulics with remote hoist controls FEATURES/EXTRAS: Kentweld polished alloy bumper, Alcoa DuraBright wheels, painted fuel tanks. Premium KW leather seats, 42-litre fridge, TV. PAINT: Ex-factory

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SIGNAGE: Marty’s High Performance Signs, Mt Maunganui OPERATION: Container cartage, Central North Island/BOP DRIVER: Eugene Isles SALES: Tim Finlay

Photo: Mark Carter

Fuso Shogun 6x4 tractor – hi-top sleeper

CONROY COAST TO COAST OPERATOR: Conroy Removals, Christchurch ENGINE: Fuso OM470 11-litre 313kW (420hp) TRANSMISSION: Fuso ShiftPilot Gen-3 G330 12-speed AMT REAR AXLES: Fuso D12 Hypoid tandem drive, inter-axle lock REAR SUSPENSION: Trailing arm 2-bag air suspension BRAKES: Disc ABS, EBS SAFETY: Full safety suite – EBS, ESC, adaptive cruise control, active brake assist (ABA4), lane departure, FUP

NEVER LATE IN 278 OPERATOR: Philip Wareing Contractors, Methven ENGINE: PACCAR MX-13 Euro-6 13-litre 390kW (530hp) TRANSMISSION: ZF TraXon 12TX2610 OD 16-speed AMT REAR AXLES: PACCAR SR1360T with dual diff locks

SETUP: Homan Engineering Services, Hastings FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit. Stone guard, polished alloy wheels, EROAD OPERATION: Furniture transport, nationwide DRIVER: Craig Aitchison SALES: Chris Holloway

DAF XF530 Euro 6 FAD 8x4 rigid – Space Cab sleeper REAR SUSPENSION: PACCAR air with electronic hand-control adjustment BRAKES: Disc ABS, EBS SAFETY: Full safety suite BODY/TRAILER: Jackson Enterprises/ Total Stock Crates PAINT: Ex-factory SIGNAGE: Timaru Signs and Graphix

FEATURES/EXTRAS: Air management kit, stone guard, polished alloy wheels OPERATION: Livestock cartage, South Island DRIVER: Allan Bun ‘Bunny’ SALES: Mike Gillespie

Free phone: 0800 50 40 50 New Zealand Trucking

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new Kiwi bodies & trailers New Zealand Trucking brings you New Kiwi Bodies & Trailers. Bodies and trailers are expected to last twice as long as trucks, and new technology and advanced design features are showing up almost every month.

New Zealand has a rich heritage of body and trailer building and, each month, we’re proud to showcase recent examples of Kiwi craftsmanship. If you want a body or trailer included on these pages, send a photo, as well as its features and manufacturer’s name, to trailers@nztrucking.co.nz

Shepherd’s delight Stickability in road transport doesn’t come any better defined than the colours of Waiuku’s Knight and Dickey Carriers. The latest edition to the stock division is this smart 8x4 Scania R650 with an equally slick Total Transport Engineers LP 7.62m stocktruck deck. The body features stainless-steel deck and extruded alloy coaming rails, alloy effluent tanks, handwash tank and toolbox.

A Nationwide Stock Crates flat-sided cattle box is fixed on the deck. The truck tows Features (deck): Stainless-steel deck and extruded alloy an existing Total Transport Engineers LP coaming rails. five-axle trailer with a matching Nationwide Total Transport Engineers LP Stock Crates cattle box.

Highways and byways There’s no doubting this new TMC 6-axle flat-deck 20/40 B-train will see many kilometres of the nation’s main arteries with its new owner STL Linehaul, not to mention cart some pretty interesting loads. Just as well, then, that she sports over-width panels with lights.

axles, STL’s instantly recognisable trailer livery of black coaming rails and red chassis and guards is given extra ‘pop’ via stainless-steel doors on the alloy toolboxes, rear under-run infills, and Alux polished alloy wheels.

Fitted with TMC’s own disc-braked air suspended

TMC

Features: TMC disc-brake axles and air suspension.

WABCO braking system.

KIWI 16/17

Contact John O’Donnell 027 226 9995, Jim Doidge 021 190 1002 or Hayden Jones 0800 549 489 | sales@kiwityres.co.nz |

0800 KIWI TYRES (0800 549 489) | kiwitrucktyres.nz 90

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KIWI 175

Northland Pines are Patchells Wellsford’s Segetin Cartage intends to move a lot of wood for a long time with this Patchell Industries set-up built around a Kenworth T659 power unit.

The truck has a galvanised cab guard, alloy chassis covering, TRT Traction Air and load-restraint winches. The uber-slick five-axle drop chassis billet trailer with riflebolt extension pins also has the winches for restraining the payload and matches the truck’s shine with a set of Alcoa DuraBright feet.

Features: (Trailer) Hendrickson INTRAAX disc-brake axles and air suspension. Hendrickson TIREMAAX PRO inflation-management system.

Patchell Industries

A tip-off for the City of Sails Abdul’s Truck, Trailer and Vehicle Services recently drove this sweet number out of the MillsTui workshops and lined her up on the go line. The uber-versatile Hino 500 wide cab has been fitted with a 5m steel bathtub, manufactured from G450 wear plate, and features ‘Diamond Strength’ top coaming rails.

Bringing the body to life are a two-way tail-door, Edbro rams, and a PowerTarps semi-wet weather retractable tarp with a tarp-protection cover.

Mills-Tui pull-out safety steps for the operator ensures the only thing that slips is the payload … right out the back.

Features: Manufactured from G450 wear plate, ‘Diamond Strength’ top coaming rails, Edbro hoists, PowerTarps.

Mills-Tui

Spec your trailer on KIWIs – the new tyre of choice for KIWIs KIWI 16

KIWI 17

KIWI 175

Wide grooves will not hold stones Heavy duty case Excellent mileage performance 17mm extra deep tread

The KIWI 16’s tougher twin Super heavy duty case Puncture resistant 17mm extra deep tread

Multi use tread pattern Urban/highway/off road Puncture resistant 17.5mm extra deep tread

265/70R19.5

215/75R17.5 265/70R19.5

265/70R19.5

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THE BUGS HAVE ARRIVED

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e were beginning to wonder. Two months into the Bridgestone New Zealand Trucking magazine Million Mile Club and we’d not seen sight or sound of a Kenworth!

But when the first one did roll on in, it put a smile on our face. We all agreed the first K’dub title went to a deserving recipient. Lisa Compton from CV Compton in Auckland, a long-time home for the KW brand in the City of Sails, was excited to send us two

worthy inductees.

However, there was plenty more to celebrate. The company celebrated 40 years in business in 2021, a wonderful achievement, and we send them huge congratulations. As such, we’re going to put both the old girls in the Million Mile Club this month, as they’ve obviously played a huge part in reaching the milestone.

The first of the two Compton trucks to make the grade is a 1991 W900B, an American model never sold here through official channels. Fleet No.12 runs a 3406 Caterpillar, 18-speed

Roadranger, and Eaton diffs on Kenworth six-rod suspension.

Driven by third-generation driver Brian Compton, the second cap and badge winner is a decade newer, and hails from Australia. Fleet No.24 is a 2002 model T904. Also running Caterpillar power, this time in the delightful C15 form, she too sports an 18-speed Roadranger with Meritor diffs and Kenworth AirGlide rear suspension.

What a pair of honeys, and with their mechanical spec, they are likely to line up for the Two Million Mile Club when we kick it off years down the track.

CALLING ALL TRUCKS ON OR OVER 1 MILLION MILES (1.6M KILOMETRES)

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FREIGHTLINER! EXACTLY WHAT THE NAME IMPLIES

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taying with the Caterpillar-powered fraternity, Johnson Brothers driver Shaun ‘Wattie’ Watts has sent in his baby, a 2009 Freightliner Argosy raisedroof sleeper.

The truck and trailer, lift-out side unit is home to a 500hp C15 motor, with an 18-speed Roadranger,

Meritor rear end and Freightliner Airliner rear suspension sitting behind the big yellow burner.

The shine, extra lights, plus the other titivations he’s added clearly indicate Wattie’s level of passion for both his machine and industry.

You have to take your hat off to any driver who polishes the sides on their lift-out sider.

Bridgestone and New Zealand Trucking Media want to recognise trucks that have achieved this milestone in the act of carrying the nation on their backs. Each month, up to eight trucks will be selected, and will feature in this new section of the magazine, as well as on our social media.

Although home base for Johnson Bros is Westport, Wattie operates out of Timaru, carting anything and everything to anywhere and everywhere. With 1,635,690km on the dial, this hard-working truck has well and truly earned its place on the honours board.

TO JOIN, EMAIL:

Those selected will get a Million Mile Club cap and badge for the truck.

Terms • Only owners can submit • NZ trucks only • Supply chain may affect the timing of cap and badge arrival

editor@nztrucking.co.nz • Quality image of the truck • Name of owner and driver • Basic spec (model, engine, trans, rear end) • Contact details

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MINI BIG RIGS

THE GO ON AUSLOWE ■ Story and photos by By Carl Kirkbeck

Trans-kits are a big part of the Auslowe

You can check out all that Nigel and Renee have to offer at Auslowe Model Accessories, auslowe.com.au

business, providing model truckers the world over the opportunity to think outside the square.

Last month, we featured Marty Crooks from Wellington and his replica build of Mike Lambert’s 1993 Kenworth K100E tri-drive logger. Marty’s extreme scratch-building skill sets were apparent. But, behind the scenes, his build also owes a lot to aftermarket component manufacturer Auslowe.

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couple of hours south of downtown Melbourne, tucked away on a residential street in the beachside settlement of Cowes on Philip Island, you will find the home of Auslowe Model Accessories.

The brainchild of Nigel Lowe, who started it nearly 30 years ago, Auslowe has become the holy grail for model truck builders the world over, providing

solutions to scratch-building problems we all face when looking to replicate real trucks.

Yes, our friends at AMT, ERTL, Italeri and the like provide us with the bare basics with the kitsets they manufacture.

However, it is when you want to add an extra steer axle sitting on a set of artilleries, convert a sleeper cabbed Peterbilt into a day cab, or as in Marty’s

case, looking for a tri-drive axle and suspension set, Auslowe will most likely have the solution you are searching for.

Knocking on the front door, we are greeted and made welcome by Nigel and Renee Lowe, the brains behind Auslowe. Chatting over a cappuccino and yummy jam and cream-filled ‘Long John’, we find that Nigel’s interest in trucks stems from when he was a youngster growing up watching local logging trucks operating, the likes of SAR Kenworths and Mack Super-Liners etching a lasting impression on the young lad’s grey matter.

“I would hear a truck coming down the road and watch it go by and go check that out,” says Nigel. It is here

Need to re-power a model to replicate the real

Looking for a sleeper cab? This 36” hi-rise

1:25th scale Mack Cruiseliner plumbing –

rig? Auslowe has a selection of resin-cast options

Mack unit is just one of the many options

Nigel’s attention to detail is phenomenal.

– this Series 60 Detroit is just one example.

available.

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Clockwise from above: The brains behind Auslowe Model Accessories, Nigel and Renee Lowe. Alloys are cool, but artilleries are cooler. Nigel’s desire to scratchbuild a typical Australian self-loading log jinker for his collection has resulted in the development of this resin cast kit that now features in the Auslowe catalogue and is available for sale – what a man!

that Renee pipes in with a good laugh and says, “The little toy purple logging trucks you got given every Christmas probably had something to do with it as well.” “Yeah, that probably had a bit to do with it,” says Nigel with a chuckle.

Nigel started building model trucks aged nine when he was given a 1:25th scale ERTL International 4300 Transtar kitset as a Christmas gift. “I built that and thought, ‘Wow, I really love this stuff’,” he explains. “It was from here that I started making my own bullbars and bits and pieces I needed for my models, and people would come up to me and ask me if there was any chance I could make one for them too. Soon, I had enough people chasing me like this

The old and the new: generation 1 SAR alongside the new Legend SAR, currently being developed by Nigel.

for parts they required that I was starting to make a little bit out of it.”

In 1992, Nigel was faced with health issues that required him to stay close to home, so the decision was made to register Auslowe Model Accessories and start operating the business full-time from a workshop out the back of the house.

Like all small endeavours, Auslowe started with a handful of products, selling to a handful of customers. Renee remembers how the very first Auslowe catalogue they published was simply printed on four pages of A4 paper. The current catalogue now consists of no less than 65 pages and is full from cover to cover with more than 900 individual, handcrafted items. It is a true reflection of the incredible efforts applied by the couple to the business over the past three decades.

“Over the years, we have had orders phoned through to us, sent via the fax machine and, of course, also the post. Sometimes I would go out to the letterbox, and it would be stuffed full of letters all with orders inside of them,” Nigel says with a laugh. The advent of

the internet and social media certainly has had a profound impact on the business as well. “We have clients from all corners of the world now – all the usuals, like England and America, but also places like Holland, Slovenia, the Canary Islands and even Japan,” says Renee.

It is the local market that keeps them eternally busy. Renee and Nigel actively support the local hobby industry through the many model shows held annually throughout Australia. They meet directly with new and regular customers by attending as a trader and setting up a stand with items for sale at these shows.

Alongside this, over the past 16 years or so, they have also organised their own show held late in March on Philip Island.

It has become somewhat of a pilgrimage with many clients, now close friends, making their way to Cowes to attend.

“We get in excess of 400 entrants now across all forms of scale-model building, not just the trucks,” says Renee. “It is a fantastic weekend, a real social gettogether. Friends from all over Australia – even some Kiwis have popped over.

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1) This period SAR Kenworth logger is one of Nigel’s personal builds, a true snapshot from his childhood memories; 2) Typical of the era: an early 1980s SAR running an 8V92 is so well detailed you can nearly hear the jakes screaming at 2500rpm. 3) Once again, Nigel’s eye for detail at work – bark and twigs scattered about as well as wear and tear weathering that seriously defies belief; 4) Even the underside has received Nigel’s attention – mud and diesel stains and the mandatory 8V92 oil leaks.

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All profit from the weekend is donated to local non-profit organisations such as the Country Fire Authority (CFA), who have a hard job getting the equipment they need to keep us all safe, so it is great to be able to help out in this way.”

Stepping outside and into the workshop, we see the array of various parts neatly hanging, ready for picking, packing and despatching – it is nothing short of impressive. From all manner of artillery wheels to aluminium mudguards, sleeper cab conversions to tri-axle trailer suspension sets, it is all here, solutions that turn any model trucker’s worst nightmare into their favourite daydream.

Ask Nigel and Renee what they feel would be the most popular items within their catalogue and they are both quick to point towards the various wheel and tyre options, agreeing that they are a staple item for all modellers. The smaller items like wheels, air cleaners and diesel tanks are all problem-solvers for everyday builds. But, from there, you move up to the top shelf, into a realm for the more adventurous modeller.

The top shelf is where you find a specialist area in the market for Auslowe – an incredible line-up of transkits. These packages contain all the components you need to successfully convert an off-the-shelf kitset into something more obscure. You will find trans-kits that turn an Italeri #717

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Western Star Constellation into a Mack Titan or the AMT W925 Kenworth ‘Watkins’ into a true blue Australian sloped-hood SAR. The line-up of transkits is incredible and forever-evolving.

Recent additions like the Australian version of the Mack Cruiseliner, with its twin-stacked rectangular headlights, and the 86” version of the Australian Kenworth Aerodyne further adding to the list of options.

Alongside production, there is always development and, whetting the appetite a little, Nigel is now working on a new trans-kit package based on the SAR Legend currently rolling off the production line just up the road at Bayswater.

Nigel’s eye for and attention to detail is phenomenal. Looking closely at the level of accuracy applied to the development of each part leaves you in awe of his abilities, not to mention his gauge of correct scale and proportion.

The casting process and the resin that Nigel and Renee use is a secret recipe that is guarded akin to how the good Colonel protects his list of herbs and spices.

“Over the years, we have worked hard at getting this process as good as we possibly can and it is not an easy job, but we feel we have a great process now that is achieving the finish we need,” explains Nigel. We could not agree more,

the accuracy of the finest details such as rivet heads as well as nuts and bolts is nothing short of remarkable.

As we bid Renee and Nigel farewell, thanking them for their time and hospitality (especially the Long Johns), we journey back towards the Melbourne CBD and reflect on what we have just seen. It is fair to say that the decision Nigel made the best part of 30 years ago when faced with medical adversity to set up a little business at home and provide model truck builders like myself with resin-cast solutions to their problems, has had a profound impact on the hobby at a global level. Looking at photos on various model-truck Facebook pages from around the planet, you will see many models sporting products directly from the workbenches of Nigel and Renee, assisting yet another model trucker in achieving the build result they want, and for that, we say a sincere thank-you for what you do and the passion you do it with.

Do you build model trucks?

Would you like to share your stories and model builds with our readers?

Please feel free to contact us by emailing carl@nztrucking.co.nz.

These pages are dedicated to supporting the hobby, and we would love to hear from you.

Scan the QR code to watch the Rotary Lift Flex in action.

RHINO PHOTO OF THE MONTH COMPETITION

DEEP SOUTH SUNRISE

S

eeing the sun rise and set is one of the truly great things about trucking, and something drivers will always highlight when talking about the best parts of the job. On

a crystal clear morning on SH93 between Clinton and Mataura, Southway Transport driver Dig McMahon snapped this absolute pearler of his Scania R450, capturing to a T the pristine solitude a sunrise and empty road

always deliver. Dig’s clever composition of the shot encompassed the key elements perfectly. And now for the busy day ahead delivering the freight to the good people of the lower South.

Thanks, Dig, for a great shot, You are our Rhino Photo of the Month winner.

Thanks to Jo Pauletich of Southways for submitting it.

“Dig takes heaps of amazing photos,” she says.

GO IN THE DRAW TO WIN $800 TO SPEND AT RHINO NZ

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Each month we will select the best photo from readers and publish it in NZ Trucking magazine plus social media.

The industry leader in mudguards (aluminium, stainless steel, plastic), chassis poles, saddle and clamp mountings, toolboxes and a large range of accessories.

Visit www.rhinogroup.co.nz to see the full range.

Entrants agree to their name and photo being used by NZ Trucking and Rhino for marketing purposes.

Photos must be Hi Res 3MB+ showing Trucks working in our great NZ environment.

Email pics to editor@nztrucking.co.nz

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LIGHT COMMERCIAL TEST

New-design vans are returning to longer bonnets to improve impact safety.

BEST OF 2021 Highlights from 2021 included the large Isuzu Daily van and the standard-size Mitsubishi Express to the American ‘truck’ styling of the latest Nissan Navara and the more streamlined shape of the Mazda BT-50.

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t’s round-up time of year again, our second since Covid-19 arrived and threw a grenade into life as we knew it. Overseas, illness, lockdowns and closed borders acted like the proverbial pebble dropped into a pond, and even as New Zealanders spent much of the year living what passed as normal life in this brave new world, that pebble’s ripples still impacted local business.

Closed borders don’t just stop tourism, but goods.

Covid-19’s effects moved

Story and photos by Jacqui Madelin

like a malicious Mexican wave through overseas manufacturing strongholds, resulting in shortages of components that affected the production of everything from cameras to cars and trucks.

At the same time, reduced ship and air traffic cut back on the arrival of goods – to transport cargo, or those needed to keep the country’s commercial wheels rolling.

All that impacted New Zealand Trucking, too – if nothing else because our team of writers couldn’t

access the usual array of newly launched vehicles.

So, this year’s wrap covers a smaller range than usual, in a sector of the market never bustling with new vehicle launches: vans often have a 10-year lifespan, considerably longer than cars or even utes.

Our comparo is, of course, no less valid. Any business buying a new vehicle is looking for the best at its budget, and when it comes to vehicles, best usually means newest – especially now a vehicle is as much a

Mitsubishi Express adds some rear-end design interest to a basic cube with the vertical light cluster, while Iveco can’t disguise its added height.

Nissan takes an all-American line for ute design; the Mazda is a more streamlined contrast.

workplace as the warehouse floor and needs to be as safe.

The biggest news, of course, was Mitsubishi’s Express van, a long-overdue replacement for the L300, which exited the New Zealand market in 2015 when it couldn’t meet modern safety standards.

A redesign of Renault’s Trafic, built in France, the Express comes as a short wheelbase 2WD panel van, with a twin-turbo 1.6-litre diesel and six-speed manual, or the two-litre single turbo and six-speed auto we drove.

Its variable-nozzle turbo with speed sensor makes for fuel efficiency, as does the double-clutch auto, both of which we put to work on a

longer-distance laden highway run as well as the more usual round-town deliverystyle circuit. Two sliding side doors and paired rear doors, which open out to 160°, eased loading and unloading, and there’s a trap door for longer loads. We liked the lifting seatbase that revealed a 46-litre compartment for valuables, the efficient suspension which, not surprisingly, was at its best with a load aboard, and plentiful cabin storage.

The plain layout delivered decent ergonomics for various body sizes while cornering headlights were especially appreciated when manoeuvring after dark.

Iveco’s Daily has also been

a constant in the commercial market, as it debuted back in 1978.

Our three-litre test example was loaded with safety tech – including crosswind assist, appreciated due to Daily’s sheer size. While the Express is compact, the Daily measured over 7m long.

Handling and engine response was impressive. This is a large van, yet it tackled country roads without complaint.

Clearly some care is needed around town due to its outsize footprint, but even an unfamiliar driver can soon get comfortable with manoeuvres – while comfort in the cabin is a given if the buyer opts for the independently suspended seat, which adjusts according

to driver weight.

Safety tech even includes Roll Over Mitigation and Load Adaptive Control, while the load bay is easily accessed, with the back doors including stops at 90° and 270°.

Naturally, this larger vehicle retails at a higher price than the Mitsi, at $74,815 as standard – without the array of targeted packages available.

If you need a van, you may not look at a ute, but the latter still has plenty to offer – especially these days, with increasingly car-like interiors and road-friendly suspension.

Ford’s Ranger was hit by Covid-19 issues cutting parts and delivery numbers, but we tested other options, not least

The Nissan even appears boxier from the rear compared with the Mazda.

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the Nissan Navara. Compared with the outgoing generation – little had changed since 2014 – this latest Navara looks like an all-American battering ram, but if you like that look, you will love this.

Also loaded with tech – lanedeparture warning, lane intervention, auto emergency braking and forward crash alert all included in the model we tested – a 4x4 double cab with rear diff lock, an off-road monitor and reverse parking camera with surround view, including rear cross traffic alert. Forget the larger tray and bigger brakes – if you spend a lot of time steering and backing around piles of timber or small unloading spaces, that rear vision alone will save you time in fenderbender fixes.

Navara now offers 16 variants, including a 2.3-litre twin-turbo diesel 4x2. We noted a quieter, less jolting ride and greater refinement, though swapping drivers underlined, we’d have liked reach adjust for the steering wheel.

We like the Utili-Track twochannel cargo system in the tray and Navara’s $41,990 starting price, though this higher-end version retails higher, just below the Ford it has its sights on.

Last but not least, Mazda’s BT-50, now with mechanicals and structure shared with the newest Isuzu D-Max. Powered by a three-litre diesel with a six-speed auto, we sampled the GTX 4x4 with a locking rear diff, and again, plenty of safety tech, including a blind spot monitor, and even traffic sign recognition as well as trailer

sway control, and more.

If you hate the Nissan’s boxy look, you’ll love the sharper design and the fact the GTX doesn’t give away much spec to the higherpriced Limited. We enjoyed its on-road manners, too, though we couldn’t test it fully off-road. Instead, we appreciate the low-end torque and excellent traction control systems on slippery but not too steep or lumpy going.

Really, our only quibble was that the lane-keeping alert was a little too trigger-happy and intrusive on back roads.

The Mitsubishi Express retailed at $44,990, with the smaller 1.6 with its higher towing and payload capacity undercutting it at $39,990.

You pay a lot more for the Iveco Daily – from $74,815 – not least because it’s so much larger, with 4680/7252mm cargo/overall length to the Mitsi’s 2537/4999mm.

However, the Mitsubishi’s 1080kg payload just beat the bigger Isuzu’s 1067kg, the latter fighting back with a 3500kg tow rating to the smaller van’s 1715kg. Price and tow rating may be the deciders for you.

Regarding the utes, we’re not all fans of that blunt nose but we couldn’t dispute how well matched the $67,490 Nissan’s engine and transmission are, nor what a good blend this ute delivers of on-road manners and cargo useability.

As for the $58,490 Mazda tested, we liked its sleeker looks, its 1070kg payload (to the Nissan’s 1024kg), and of course its price, while missing the surety of the Nissan’s surround camera features.

1 & 2) The Mazda ute interior is very car-like, as is Nissan’s, but the latter’s leather seats trump the more affordable Mazda’s cloth pews. 3 & 4) The Express’s cabin is utilitarian but comfy and usable. The Iveco is equally utilitarian but large controls and the central V design of the dash add more visual interest.

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New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

1 2

3 4

SERVICE • KNOWLEDGE

QUALITY • LATEST RANGES

DRUM ROLLER MOUNTS

• BITELLI • BOMAG

• DYNAPAC • HAMM

• SAKAI • IR

• KOMATSU • PNUEVIBE

• VIBROMAX

WHANGAREI . HENDERSON . PENROSE . HAMILTON . PALMERSTON NORTH . LOWER HUTT . CHRISTCHURCH

LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB

Well done, Henry, for finding the Little Truckers’ Club logo in the November issue.

HI LITTLE TRUCKERS!

I

t’s Christmas time! HO! HO! HO! Yes, I am feeling extremely jolly because not only will Santa be visiting us all very soon, but it’s also summer and the school holidays are upon us. It’s a fantastic time of year.

There’s lots of time to go out trucking with your family and friends. I am so excited; I can’t wait to hear about all your adventures.

Congratulations to sixyear-old Henry Don who found our Little Truckers’ Club logo on page 123 of the November issue. Keep an eye on your mailbox, something cool is coming your way.

This month, we have a colouring-in competition.

Grab your crayons, felt pens and pencils and get creative.

Take a photo or scan a picture of your art and email your entry to me at rochelle@ nztrucking.co.nz to be in to win a wicked prize. I look forward to seeing all your entries.

Please don’t forget if you would like to see yourself here in Little Truckers’ Club, all you need to do is email your photos and/or drawings to me at rochelle@nztrucking. co.nz with a wee paragraph telling us about them. Add your name and age. It’s easy!

I really do enjoy seeing them all.

Have a fantastic break from school, and Merry Christmas, kids!

104

New Zealand Trucking

FIND THE LITTLE TRUCKERS’ CLUB LOGO The Little Truckers’ Club logo is hidden somewhere in this issue — find it and let me know where it is, and you may win a prize.

You can email me at rochelle@nztrucking.co.nz.

Joke of the month What did Santa say when his sleigh broke?

Oh, deer!

fun fact

ured that It is rumo ves leigh mo Santa’s s 6km 4 0 1 d of at a spee that w o N nd. per seco n’t magic is fast! Is great?

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

Santa Claus broke a Guinness World Record for Heaviest Sleigh Pulled. Well, it wasn’t really Santa, but a man called Kevin Fast from Canada who dressed up as Santa. In December 2020, he pulled a flatbed truck loaded with a sleigh, reindeer statues and presents weighing a total of 16,500kg. WOW!

ON A SHELF NEAR YOU…

The long wait is over! The first issue of Little Trucker Down Under is on the shelves, designed to bring Australasia’s future truckies a fix designed especially for them.

K

eep your eyes peeled this summer for the very first issue of Little Trucker Down Under, an exciting new magazine dedicated to kids who love trucks.

Packed with all things trucks, Little Trucker Down Under is full to the brim with awesome activities, competitions, stories, stickers, and not to mention loads and loads of truck photos.

The magazine is geared towards kids from 5-14 years

of age, with stories written by kids themselves, such as ‘Wheels Wheels Wheels’ by seven-year-old Jackson; ‘Trucks, Rocks and Diggers’ with Kaitlyn; and ‘Transporting Cattle’ with Jackson.

Also featured in this summer issue is ‘A Day in the Life’ with Gundy Transport and Young Trucker of the Season Max Brighouse. There’s also some great educational content, delving into trucking safety and technology.

Check out the magazine’s Facebook page

Lots of

Dustin spent the day with Roger from GVT Landline

laughs

There are many different kinds of trucks, from small panel trucks to the biggest rigs hauling freight across the country.

with

Dustin and Roger H

All trucks fall into two basic types of trucks: straight and articulated.

A straight truck is one that has the engine, cab, and cargo space built on a single chassis, or frame, regardless of the number of wheels.

Dustin was lucky enough to spend the day out in a truck with his mate Roger from GVT Landline, transporting fertiliser to a couple of farms.

i my name is Dustin Wright.

I’m 12 years old and I live in Hawarden, North Canterbury.

I recently went out on a truck trip with GVT Landline, a transport operator. That spring morning, I woke up and had my breakfast - I needed to be at the end of the drive early for the day ahead.

I was picked up by Roger Marsh

from GVT Landline at 7:30am, and we were going to spread some fertiliser.

Roger drives a 320hp Mercedes-Benz 4x4 fert spreader.

We went down to the quarry to pick up the fertiliser. Roger got in the loader and warmed it up and then loaded up the truck as his trailer was getting fixed. After loading the truck we went to a dairy farm and put the fertiliser on

Dustin enjoyed lots of laughs with Roger

the land.

After finishing at the dairy farm, we went to our next location - this time it was a sheep and beef farm. We went up quite a steep hill - even Roger didn’t like it too much! At the quarry, the loader took one and a half bucket loads to load the truck.

I really enjoyed my day, with lots of laughs along the way.

Dustin and Roger spent the day at a dairy farm and a beef and sheep farm

Roger drives a 320hp Mercedes-Benz 4x4 fert spreader.

has Q: What els six whe s? and flie

can you Get the gas to the gas station?

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Story ley Family Meet In our regular From the McCau does Photographs How many people My Fleet feature, employ? the ley the company How long has Milly McCau been d a Stuart Drummon owns Stuart transport company catches up with r Who Transport? employs 70 people ent, in business?

Drummond has been in d Transport transport operato over their managem The company their Stuart Drummon workshop company, 36 years. administration, to learn about business for a family-owned dad fleet is Brodie’s and by y and driving fields. founded compan are in owned by How many trucks nd fleet of trucks. This Stuart, and today think you Did you always met Drummond family. the Stuart Drummo the she you do in transport? month, would work and what brands growing up up with Brodie What type of Brodie says have? and trucks d Transport Drummond of loads do you cart? around his dad knew Stuart Drummon trucks, and ond Stuart Drummond Transport meant he always to be. operates 55 Stuart Drumm of 18 log cartage where he wanted involved their fleet consists Transport from is a solely. They cart to Freightliners, With his childhood an easy Kenworths, 11 5 Scanias, it was Richmond, near company an MDF factory, in transport, 2 Western Stars, DAFs. both Nelson. sawmills, make. at 11 choice to Hinos and to the ports and where the Nelson & Picton, overseas. logs are exported

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19

but I had my own business installing brake systems on trucks and trailers before that. Transpecs trained me up as a brake engineer and gave me some great opportunities to progress in my career. It took four years to train as a brake engineer.

Transport

Braking

news!

Where are the main areas New you operate in around Zealand?

Stuart Drummond Transport half operates all over the top of the South Island.

What is your title at Stuart Drummond Transport?

Brodie is the general manager of Stuart Drummond Transport.

How long have you been involved with the business?

Brodie has been involved with the company for 14 and years. He started in 2007 to has worked his way up general manager.

What’s your favourite the thing about working in industry?

The best thing would be of meeting all different kinds people.

time?

Brodie says he would like to see more young people He getting into the industry. the says succession within industry is important, with many older, experienced drivers reaching retirement age in the next few years.

Do you have a favourite truck in your fleet?

The company’s Kenworth T900.

Can you tell me a fun or interesting fact about Stuart Drummond Transport? to The company is on track year travel 4.4 million km this and cart more than a million tonnes of logs.

brake

Spooners Ranges Hino FY climbing the on-board with a healthy load

LTDU: What is your favourite thing about your job?

Kaidan: Travelling and meeting people all round the country. I’ve worked at Transpecs for seven years and I’ve probably been to every town in the South Island! It feels really good to be able to help solve people’s problems.

specialist

brake specialist From trucks to trailers, to us about his job Kaidan Clarke talks he trained, and what at Transpecs, how of truck is! his favourite type

Are all your trucks based in Richmond or are there other locations?

Stuart Drummond Transport has trucks based throughout the top of the South Island as well as on the West Coast and in Marlborough.

Their main yard, workshop and headquarters are in Richmond.

LTDU: How can I become a brake engineer?

Kaidan: Most people start out as mechanics or auto electricians and then do some specialist training.

A Q&A with a

What would be some to advice you would give any young people who in want to start a career transport?

Start early with getting your licences, get the ball rolling. a The transport industry is great opportunity for young long people to get ahead, as the as you are prepared to do work.

What things would you the like to see change for transport industry over

Western Star 4884F on the road towards Picton

LTDU: What do you do for a living?

Kaidan: I travel around the country certifying trucks and trailers to make sure that they are safe to go on the road and that they meet New Zealand law. My job is to programme the truck and trailer braking systems to ‘talk’ to each other and set them up for the exact load

weight and function of the truck. It’s all about keeping truck drivers and other road users safe.

LTDU: Why did you choose your job?

Kaidan: My dad is a brake certifier and I used to help him out at weekends. I loved the fact that braking systems are right at the forefront of

technology. Everything is done through computers.

It’s getting more interesting as our knowledge and equipment advances.

LTDU: What do you like about your job?

Kaidan: It’s never boring!

Brake systems are getting more and more sophisticated. For example,

we can programme tipping trailers to sound a horn when they get to a certain angle. This warns the driver and stops the trailer tipping over. We set up truck and trailer reversing sensors so that brake systems are automatically triggered if someone walks behind them, or the back of the trailer gets too close to the

loading dock. I also like helping customers to identify problems with their braking systems. We work with mechanics to fix the problem and get the unit back on the road as soon as possible.

LTDU: When did you start work?

Kaidan: I started work with Transpecs seven years ago,

from page 46

Summer - issue number 1

11

40

Little trucker down under

have Why doesn't Texas U-Haul trucks?

Because they have instead.

Yee-Haw trucks

I can cut a log in half just by looking at it, It's not impossible, I saw it with my own two eyes.

No side air vent, missing wheel nut, missing steps, no light, bottom ladder step is missing, missing mirror, no rear light.

48

A CROSS SECTION OF A Truck wheel hub with drum brake pads.

Q: WHEN WAS THE FIRST BRAKING SYSTEM INVENTED? 1902 – Considered to be the foundation of the modern braking system, the mechanical drum brake was developed in 1902 by French manufacturer Louis Renault, but had been invented earlier by Gottlieb Daimler.

Air tank reservoir for truck brake system.

Little trucker down under

Visit our website: www.littletruckerdownunder.com Get your copy of Little Trucker Down Under delivered straight to your letterbox. To subscribe visit: nztrucking.co.nz/shop/ 1 Year subscription - 4 issues: NZ $29 / Australia $45 New Zealand Trucking

LTDU: What is your favourite type of truck?

Kaidan: I’d have to say Volvo trucks. They are highly spec’d and have a lot of very cool technology in them.

They are one of the safest trucks in the world.

LTDU: What are your hobbies outside of work?

Kaidan: I play rugby for a local Ashburton team, and have three children aged one, three and six years old.

The kids take up most of my spare time!

answers to 7 spot the differences

Yee-Ha

school school

Little trucker down under

106

Turn to page 22 for answer

Summer - issue number 1

kids kidsclub clubmag magpages pagesamended amendedPRINT.pdf PRINT.pdf 4 4 8/10/2021 8/10/2021 10:23:19 10:23:19AM AM

kids kidsclub clubmag magpages pagesamended amendedPRINT.pdf PRINT.pdf 3 3 8/10/2021 8/10/2021 10:23:14 10:23:14AM AM

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Articulated trucks are composed of two or more units joined together (articulated means jointed). Large transport trucks are the most common examples of these.

They consist of a tractor and at least one semitrailer.

The loader took one and a half bucket loads to load the truck

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

Q: HOW ARE TRUCK BRAKES DIFFERENT FROM CAR BRAKES?

Car brakes are a hydraulic system, which relies on brake fluid that flows through the system to work properly. On the other hand, truck brakes depend on compressed air. Trains and buses also use this type of brake system. The air brake system is very reliable.

I have an addiction to brake fluid.

The good news is I can stop anytime I want.

Summer - issue number 1

49

THANK YOU TO ALL SPONSORS, SUPPORTERS AND VOLUNTEERS! ROAD SAFETY TRUCK

AGE GROUP:

0-2

3-5

6-8

9-12

Colour in and send to pam.spark@trucking.nz and you could win one of these awesome truck bluetooth speakers they even have lights and moving wheels

WWW.ROADSAFETYTRUCK.CO.NZ

Join NTA today and support the programme! 0800 338 338

WHAT’S ON Wheels at Wairarapa 5 to 7 February 2022 Clareville Show Grounds Contact: (06) 379 8124, wheelsatwairarapa.co.nz, wheelsatwairarapa@waiaps.org.nz

Bombay Truck Show 12 February 2022 Bombay Rugby Club Contact: bombaytruckshow@gmail.com

All scheduled events may be subject to change depending on weather conditions etc.

Please check the websites above before setting out.

108

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

Hootnanny Country Rock Festival with Truck and Car Show 25 to 27 February 2022 Thames Racecourse Contact: hootnanny.co.nz, info@hootnanny.co.nz

TMC Trailers Trucking Industry Show 25 to 26 November 2022 Canterbury Agricultural Park Contact: truckingindustryshow.co.nz, info@nztruckingassn.co.nz Show organisers – please send your event details at least eight weeks in advance to editor@nztrucking.co.nz for a free listing on this page.

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112 Moving Metrics 116 Incoming Cargo – eMobility traction 120 Person of Interest – Raphael Avalrenga 124 Product Update – Austin’s Roadmaster 126 Product Profile – Getting pumped 128 Product Profile – Max-Safe 130 Business Profile – Pete’s Takeaways 132 Industry Comment 134 TDDA 136 Truckers’ Health 138 Health & Safety 140 Legal Lines 142 NZ Trucking Association 144 Transporting New Zealand 146 The Last Mile BROU GH T TO YOU BY

MOVING METRICS

THE SALES

NUMBERS New Zealand Trucking reveals how the economy is travelling via key metrics from the road transport industry. From time to time, we’ll be asking experts their opinion on what the numbers mean.

First registration of NB, NC and TD class vehicles for October year on year

Summary of heavy trucks and trailers first registered in October 2021 This information is compiled from information provided by the NZ Transport Agency statistical analysis team and through the Open Data Portal.

The data used in this information reflects any amendments to the data previously reported.

Vehicle type This summary includes data from two heavytruck classes and one heavy-trailer class.

A goods vehicle is a motor vehicle that: (a) is constructed primarily for the carriage of goods; and (b) either: (i) has at least four wheels; or (ii) has three wheels and a gross vehicle mass exceeding one tonne.

Vehicle class

Description

NB

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 12 tonnes.

(mediumgoods vehicle)

NC (heavy-goods vehicle)

TD (heavy trailer)

A goods vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 12 tonnes.

A trailer that has a gross vehicle mass exceeding 10 tonnes.

A table of all vehicle classes can be found in Table A of the Land Transport Rule Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2016 Rule 41001/2016, nzta.govt.nz/ assets/resources/rules/docs/vehicle-dimensionsand-mass-2016-as-at-1-July-2019.pdf Note: Vehicle classes are not the same as RUC vehicle types or driver licence classes.

112

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

First registration of NB and NC class vehicles for October by major manufacturer

First registration of TD class heavy trailers for October year on year by major manufacturer

First registration of NB, NC and TD class vehicles year on year to date

First registration of NC class vehicles year to date 2018–2021 by major manufacturer

First registration of TD class heavy trailers year to date 2018–2021 by major manufacturer

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

113

This information is put together from information provided by the NZ Transport Agency. New Zealand Trucking acknowledges the assistance of the media team at NZTA for providing this information to us.

ROAD USER CHARGES

RUC purchase for October 2021, all RUC types

Total value and distance of road user charges purchased between 1 January 2018 and 31 October 2021 by purchase year

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Value of purchases

In October 2021 there were 48 different types of RUC purchased for a total distance of 1,262,691,613km at a value of $186,249,897.

1 Jan 2018 – 31 Dec 2018

15,736,558,458

$1,875,364,397

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

16,166,434,103

$2,041,939,272

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

15,421,400,378

$2,069,615,049

1 Jan 2021 – 31 Oct 2021

13,213,457,881

$1,840,850,387

A description of RUC vehicle types is available at nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/ licensing-rego/road-user-charges/rucrates-and-transaction-fees/

RUC distance purchased for RUC type 1 vehicles

Please note data October differs slightly from that reported for the same period previously due to adjustments being made to the base data.

Purchase period

Distance purchased (km)

Average monthly distance (km)

1 Jan 2019 – 31 Dec 2019

11,502,905,782

958,575,482

1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020

10,952,303,565

912,691,964

1 Jan 2021 – 31 Oct 2021

9,370,463,978

937,046,398

RUC type 1 vehicles are powered vehicles with two axles (except type 2 or type 299 vehicles. Type 299 are mobile cranes). Cars, vans and light trucks that use fuel not taxed at source (i.e. diesel fuel) are generally in this RUC type.

RUC purchases all RUC types

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New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

The top eight RUC type purchases, other than type 1 in descending order RUC Type Description 2

Powered vehicles with one single-tyred spaced axle and one twin-tyred spaced axle

6

Powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles)

43

Unpowered vehicles with four axles

14

Powered vehicles with four axles (except type 408, 414 or type 499 vehicles)

951

Unpowered vehicles with five or more axles

H94

Towing vehicle that is part of an overweight combination vehicle consisting of a type 14 RUC vehicle towing a type 951 RUC vehicle with a permit weight of not more than 50,000kg

33

Unpowered vehicles with three twin-tyred, or single large-tyred, close axles (except vehicle type 939)

408

Towing vehicles with four axles that are part of a combination vehicle with a total of at least eight axles

Average monthly RUC purchases by year (all RUC types)

RUC distance purchased year to date for selected RUC types

RUC purchases October 2021 for selected types

The red dots represent the cost of RUC purchased for that RUC type for the year to date October 2021 only, thus for RUC type 6 vehicles, powered vehicles with three axles, (except type 308, 309, 311, 399 or 413 vehicles), the higher value results from the high cost of RUC for these type vehicles above 12 tonne.

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

115

INCOMING CARGO

NEW MOVES FOR

TRADITIONAL

GEAR

The move to e-mobility is marching on at a relentless pace. Even names once firmly associated with the grease and grime of internal combustion have adapted to keep up with the changing automotive landscape. We look at a few recent developments.

Story by Gavin Myers

F

or decades, component suppliers Dana, Eaton, Meritor, Allison and ZF have been associated with drivetrain and axle components for vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. But the traditional method for transmitting drive from the power unit to the wheels is set for a change. Sending power through a multi-speed gearbox, down a prop shaft to axles fitted with differentials and driveshafts, and finally on to the wheels, will change either wholly or partly with the arrival of medium- and heavyelectric vehicles (EVs).

With the traditional dieselburner relegated to the history books, pure electromobility (ignoring, for now, the likes of hydrogen fuel cells) means batteries and electric motors will slot in place to take over. And that’s where some significant, innovative engineering enters the picture.

Dana Dana Incorporated has been busy developing commercially available e-Powertrain components for light and heavy commercial vehicles.

Dana already has established heavy-duty electric-vehicle e-Propulsion systems, which are currently powering thousands of vehicles worldwide. In early September, it announced an expansion of its Spicer Electrified e-Powertrain offerings to include a family of single and tandem e-axles designed for a wide variety of heavy-truck applications, including systems for direct drive and now 4x2, 6x2, and 6x4 multi-speed e-axle systems.

The Zero-8 e-axles incorporate vertically integrated TM4 motors and inverters for improved packaging and efficiency and Spicer high-efficiency axle gearing. Dana’s own Graziano synchronisers, transmission controllers, system software, and shift system and controls make it all work together.

Importantly they are designed to integrate into most existing chassis easily.

The system’s distinct features are its modular motor design, which provides easy accessibility for servicing and maintenance, and a motor interchange capability for increased scalability.

The Freightliner eCascadia has run more than 1,600,000km of real-world testing with the ZF AxTrax electric axle.

116

New Zealand Trucking

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

Dana Zero-8 single and tandem e-axles.

Meritor’s 14Xe Integrated ePowertrain compared to a conventional electric powertrain.

Meritor 14Xe ePowertrain in full.

The e-axles range from 52,000Nm to 69,000Nm of nominal output torque and support gross axle weight ratings (GAWR) from 9500 to 13,600kg for single e-axle configurations and 18,000 to 23,600kg for tandem e-axle propulsion.

Supplied as completely integrated, fully dressed assemblies, the e-axles are said to offer maximum efficiency, performance, and reliability. Dana has commitments from global OEM customers, with deliveries beginning in late 2023.

Recently, the company entered a strategic agreement that will see it make an investment into Switch Mobility (which combines the electrical commercial vehicle operations of Ashok Leyland in India and Optare in Britain).

It also became a preferred supplier of electric drivetrain components for its e-bus and EV commercial vehicle offering, providing e-axles, gearboxes, motors, inverters, software and controls, and electronics cooling.

Eaton Think the advent of electric vehicles means the death of gear selection? Think again.

Eaton has developed gearing solutions for EVs, including differentials. Eaton says it aims “to be a leader in the global design, development and supply of EV reduction gearing”.

The new technology complements Eaton’s eMobility power-electronics portfolio in the electrifiedvehicle powertrain market.

It says that reliable, efficient and quiet gearing systems are critical to high-speed motor adoption in electric drive.

The company is partnering with OEMs to optimise efficiency, weight, and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) while dealing with the packaging constraints specific to EVs. Eaton has identified opportunities to improve gearing-system efficiency by up to 1%, reduce weight by up to 20% and size by up to 10% Meanwhile, Eaton has launched an extensive lineup of specialised differentials

for electrified vehicles, with its Traction Control family of differentials. While the company has supplied more than 500,000 differentials to the EV market since 2015, the Traction Control family promises comparable performance to traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.

The differentials range from basic open and limited-slip diffs to automatic limitedslip, automatic locking and electronic selectable locking differentials.

Meritor Automobile component manufacturer Meritor announced at the beginning of 2021 that it would begin commercial electric powertrain production in 2021, with its 14Xe allelectric, fully integrated, commercial electric powertrain for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles at the centre of its operations.

The company says that the 14Xe ePowertrain, part of Meritor’s Blue Horizon

advanced technology portfolio, is the only electric powertrain for heavy-duty trucks ready for production, bringing the industry a “zeroemission, best-in-class, premium solution”. The 14Xe ePowertrain has been tested in various conditions worldwide with several OEMs, vehicle types and applications.

Meritor says the 14Xe is designed to provide efficiency, performance, weight savings and space utilisation. Key advantages of the 14Xe ePowertrain include a tighter turning radius due to a shorter wheelbase and increased room between frame rails for additional battery capacity, which extends the range of the vehicle.

Meritor received the first heavy-duty truck production contract for electric powertrains in the industry in early 2020 when it became a non-exclusive supplier of electric powertrains to PACCAR. The company has since been selected by various other established and start-up OEMs. Key

ZF CeTrax electric central drive motor.

ZF AxTrax electric axle.

among these is Hino in North America, which will be evaluating and testing Meritor’s ePowertrain for its development path to zeroemissions vehicles. Meritor has also entered into a five-year supply agreement with Autocar LLC Trucks, an American specialty-truck manufacturer, to supply its refuse vehicles with the 14Xe ePowertrain from 2022.

Early in 2021, Meritor entered into a three-year supply agreement with London-based electric commercial vehicle start-up Volta Trucks for its Volta Zero.

This purpose-built full-electric 16-tonne commercial vehicle, designed specifically for inner-city parcel and freight distribution, is anticipated to go into production in 2022 in the United Kingdom.

Other medium and heavyvehicle start-up manufacturers include Canadian Lion Electric, which has also signed a three-year supply agreement for the 14Xe; global e-mobility company Hexagon Purus for its batteryelectric vehicle systems; and retrofit electrified powertrain producer Hyliion, for the standard position propulsion and regeneration hardware on its Hypertruck ERX.

Allison Allison Transmission believes there’s no one-size-fits-all

solution to electrification and recently added the eGen Power 100S and 130D e-axles to its portfolio of fully electric propulsion solutions.

Allison first launched its eGen Power 100D in 2020 and has since spent time validating and refining the e-axle with most major OEMs in North America.

The eGen Power 100D e-axle features two electric motors, each capable of generating more than 200kW of continuous power, with peak combined power of 648kW (868hp). It integrates a two-speed gearbox within the central housing, enabling the high torque required to get heavy loads moving while also offering the benefit of superior efficiency at cruise speed, and also includes differential lock functionality.

The eGen Power 100D is capable of supporting up to a 10.4-tonne gross axle-weight rating.

The eGen Power 130D variant is specifically designed for the European and Asia Pacific markets, which require a heavier 13-tonne gross axle-weight rating. The eGen Power 100S is a single-motor variant with a 10.4-tonne gross axleweight rating. It generates 212kW (284hp) of continuous power, with a peak power of 324kW (434hp), and 23,500Nm of torque at the

wheels. The 100S suits medium- and heavy-duty, 6x2 and 6x4 applications.

Similar to Meritor, Alison is also working with Hino as its e-axle development partner for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric trucks tailored for the North American market. Hino will integrate Allison’s eGen Power 100D e-Axle into its vehicles, with low-volume production set for early 2023.

The eGen Power e-Axle family is designed to be 100% maintenance-free for the vehicle’s life, significantly reducing downtime and enhancing eGen Power’s total cost of ownership advantage.

ZF ZF has quoted a recent study by ACT Research that states one-third of the Class 4 to Class 8 (6351kg to >14,969kg) commercial vehicle market in the United States and Canada will migrate to battery-electric solutions in the next 10 years. By 2023, ZF will progressively launch a complete, modular, next generation of axle and central drives for pickups, trucks and buses of up to 45 tonnes.

The company is nearing 1,600,000km of realworld experience with its AxTrax electric axle on the Freightliner eCascadia.

As a near-term technology evolution, ZF announced in February that it is investing US$200 million (NZ$282 million) in commercial vehicle transmission manufacturing at its South Carolina transmission facility. Multiple North American customers have signed multi-year contracts.

ZF has also focused on the integration of systems.

In addition to ZF e-drive portfolio, the company also offers electric power steering and advanced air management and braking system technology. The company has also developed a proprietary energy management system (EMS) to control the entire flow of energy in an electrified commercial vehicle. ZF EMS can control all auxiliary units such as air compressors, steering pumps and thermal management and coordinate the energy requirements of the driveline.

ZF says that with integrated control of all e-systems, energy consumption per kilometre can be reduced, resulting in a corresponding increase in range and a potentially positive influence on the battery’s service life. In addition, there are further advantages for maintenance, diagnosis and reduced battery costs.

Sam Orsborn, MyTrucking and the IK and SM Newey Transport Ltd team.

Ian Newey

– IK and SM Newey Transport Ltd, Ruakaka, Northland.

Ian Newey (R) with his wife Shelley and father, Keith.

Logging is the be all and end all for Ian Newey, he knows nothing else.

it is. We’re the support network, the glue that holds it together. If I need to drive a truck or swing on a spanner and fix gear, I do. We fill the gaps and keep it all together.”

He and his wife Shelley own IK and SM Newey Transport, based at Ruakaka, and have built up the business over the last 19 years.

Ian is vice-chairman of the National Road Carriers Association and also acts as co-ordinator for the Share the Road programme, run by the Northern Wood Council, which is about taking trucks into schools and teaching children about safety awareness around trucks.

In a classic case of stick to what you know, the company is 100% logging and has the fleet of 30 trucks, 18 owned by the couple and 12 with contractors.

The majority of business is through North Port, just 7km down the road from their office and headquarters. “Our office and workshop is at Ruakaka, that’s the hub, but we have a satellite yard leased in Whangarei for drivers based there, as a parking depot.”

The Neweys cart logs from Hokianga in the far north down to Kerikeri, with a big chunk of the business being logs through North Port for export. The company can shift between 75 – 80 loads a day.

Ian and his wife Shelley are directors of the company and have grown the business to the point where they now provide support to management. “We’ve done the grind and we’ve built it to where

Favourite truck?

It’s got to be a Mack. I have a fleet of Macks. My grandfather had Macks, my father had Macks, it’s in the blood. It’s a running joke, I tell people I’m not prepared to jeopardise my inheritance! They have been fantastic trucks for us.

Favourite place to get a pie?

I’m not a pie man. I like a bacon and egg roll from Madame B’s caravan at North Port.

Favourite MyTrucking feature?

I’m not using it day-to-day, but from a driver’s perspective, it’s the simplicity of the app for drivers.

Favourite trucking route?

Anywhere in Northland, it’s such a scenic place.

Favourite gearbox?

It used to be a Roadranger, now it’s an mDRIVE 12 speed auto. It used to be manual, but the new technology is just insanely good.

Favourite way to acknowledge a truckie?

With a massive wave halfway across your windscreen.

Favourite saying or catchphrase?

Just relax.

“It’s about giving back, teaching young people about safety awareness around logging trucks and heavy vehicles. We also teach them about wood – wood is good. It’s an opportunity to promote the product.”

Ian sees these roles as a chance to give back to the industry he’s passionate about. “We find ourselves now in a position to be able to give back to the industry and make a difference.

“We’re passionate about it. I left school at 16 and went to stack logs in the far north. I then went to Auckland and started in logging, working my way up to running crews. I bought my first logging truck at 24. I know nothing else. It’s our passion, our drive and our focus. We are loggers.

“We’ve put everything into it and now we’re in a position to be able to give back to the industry too. We try to look after our staff and do the best by them. Logging, for us, is the be all and end all.”

The Neweys have been with MyTrucking for just three months, but Ian is already singing its praises.

“It was great to have the no obligation trial and get a feel for it.

I can see why they do it, because it sells itself. I was sold on it pretty much straight away and could see the efficiencies we as a team, and business, could gain from it.”

Already, their dispatcher is able to dispatch trucks remotely from a tablet in his home. “We’re doing 75 odd loads a day and he’s the point of contact for 30 drivers and 10 logging crews. To be able to take a portion of his job, take it remotely and put it into an app system has made everyone’s job easier.”

Accurately capturing data from drivers is a huge plus and Ian says the efficiency gains are huge. “The workload in the office has dropped.

Sign off at the end of the month is quick. It’s remarkable how it’s changed the office and admin staff’s lives, and taken the pressure off.

“MyTrucking has proved itself. I really like that it’s a kiwi company too, I think that’s important. They have made it simple, and simple for drivers, which is the key.”

PERSON OF INTEREST

FITTING RIGHT IN! He’s young, ambitious, and sharp as a tack.

Brazil-born Rafael Alvarenga is Scania New Zealand’s new top man and he’s fired up about steam-rolling the brand he loves through a country he knows plenty about.

Away from work, he loves nothing more than cooking a piece of meat on the barbie with a beer in hand and family close by. All he needs is a top-tune on that funny roundball game he appears to like.

W

atching the giant corporates manoeuvre their young guns around the globe is always fascinating. There’s that obvious need to expose them to new challenges while ensuring the local market benefits from the toolkit they’ve already amassed.

Earlier this year, we waved goodbye to the warm and affable Mattias Lundholm.

A wonderful bloke with a no-nonsense side, Scania appeared to place him in markets that needed more than a run over the pit and No.2 service. He was more your out-of-frame guy. A ‘culture sculptor’, you might say.

There’s no question Mattias did a great job, and in the three years he was here, Scania New Zealand went from splashing around in search of a wave to hanging 10 in the pocket of a sweet 10-footer, having reached No.1 in the over 16-tonne category.

Not only was Scania No.1, but at the time he tipped his cap and flew north, the order book for 2022 was also full to brimming. Although taking over from a ‘rock concert’ like that is not easy, Rafael Alvarenga’s credentials may well make him the right man for the job.

“I was born and raised in Brazil. I’ve been married to my wife Fernanda for almost 20 years, and we have three

beautiful children, Maria (18), Isabela (15), and Gustavo (11).

When I told them where we were going, the kids made a list immediately of everything they wanted to see!”

Alvarenga then laughs. “I said, ‘Let’s just get there first, that’s the first challenge in this day and age.’”

Rafael Alvarenga is a youthful 39, arriving here from Scania India, where he was the service director. Before that, he’d spent his career based in his home country.

While his recent appointments might appear lofty for such a spring chicken, he’s quick to point out that the ‘big world’ starts early in Brazil.

“I started work when I was 14. That’s not uncommon

in Brazil. I began with Volkswagen Passenger cars as a mechanical apprentice.

So, I’ve been in the workforce proper for 25 years already.

“The mechanical apprenticeship really sparked my interest, so I continued on into engineering, graduating in industrial engineering with emphasis on mechanical.”

After seven years at Volkswagen, Rafael moved to Traton stablemate, Scania, taking on a completely different role in the sales department, and in 2006 he was appointed sales manager for the Pacific Latin-Americas, an area that included Chile, Peru, and Mexico.

“It was in this role I really began to travel and experience

different cultures, and also learning the different dynamics between Scania-owned and privately owned dealerships.”

Moving back into the service side of the business in 2012, he worked in sales engineering and aftersales, a role that encompassed new-product development and workshop set-up. That saw him moving through the broader Pacific region, ensuring workshops met Scania procedures and standards.

The first big overseas post came after six and a half years – services director in India.

In a country roughly 12 times the size of New Zealand with 211 times the people, it was here that Alvarenga says he “lived the service side of the business the most”.

“Scania has a strong mining presence in India. In fact, it is our second-biggest mining market. The mines are very remote and often take a day’s travelling to reach. Operations mostly run up to 23 hours a day, seven days a week, so there’s no room for a delay in parts. You don’t want to be having the conversation about ‘Where are my parts?’.

Coming from a mix of sales and engineering, I understand that retaining customers is all about reliability, of both the product and the aftersales.

“India was a wonderful experience generally. Not just work, but experiencing the local culture also. Then I came here – starting the New Zealand journey two months ago. It doesn’t matter where you go, the principles are the same. The customer needs uptime, parts availability, and workshop availability.

“I’ve met many New Zealanders through my previous roles – at regional conferences and the like. I’ve also kept a close eye on New Zealand over the past three years as Scania has rolled out the model it has here. It’s been a great success and it’s being looked at for markets in other regions also. I had a real taste of what was going on,

BACKYARD COMPARISON – BRAZIL & NEW ZEALAND Q: Topography?

A: “Actually, Brazil is a vast country [31.6 times the size of New Zealand, with 40 times the peeps], and while there are mountainous areas, so much of it is actually very flat and not difficult at all. As such, not many highway trucks are over 500hp, and tractor semi combinations dominate by far.

There’s much more of a formula for trucks – maybe half a dozen proven combinations, and you sell thousands.

“Here, though, it’s almost the opposite.

There are thousands of specification options and only a handful of sales of each, so New Zealand is a country that really gets the most from Scania’s modular spec’ing tools.

You can build the truck you need – and you do. You build a vast profile of trucks, so our sales support has to be the best.

Also, the power, when I saw what came to New Zealand, 620s, 650, 730s, I thought ‘Wow!’ You build big trucks, but you need to because of the topography. It’s a place where we can really put our best to the test.

“If we get everything right here, we know our product and support are top. For someone like me from a sales engineering and support background, I love it!”

even though I never thought I would be coming here. I’m very excited.

“With the lockdowns, I have not got out in the way I want to, but that will come. When we left India in May, they were getting 400,000 cases of Covid a day – you had to be very careful. I understand it’s settled down a lot, and much more under control there.”

Obviously, the key to keeping the wheels turning here is the supply chain.

Alvarenga has come from huge countries and now finds himself at the bottom of the world, as far from anywhere

Q: Doing business?

A: “In Brazil, it is very similar. You can talk to big customers at a personal level, get to know them and their needs, form real relationships. There’s trust. It’s a great way of doing business “Internally, too, within the business, it’s a relaxed, fast, and effective way of doing business. As I said, I haven’t travelled all around yet, obviously, but I’ve had meetings with my teams, and it’s very much discuss, agree, and act. Make quick and effective decisions as a team. We still follow all the Scania procedures and processes, but it’s personal. We don’t get caught up too much in hierarchies and being ‘too square’ within that process.

“There’s passion for trucking here, too. I mean real passion. When having meetings with my team, their eyes are bright when talking trucks and engaging with the people who own them. It’s great.”

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QUICK-

FIRE

QUESTIONS

Favourite sport?

“Football. I’m a Brazilian. It’s something my son and I can enjoy together, even though his passion is road cycling.

We have bought bikes and so can do that together also.”

[Yeah, we’ll have to sort out that round ball thing all right.]

Best way to spend an afternoon?

As a Brazilian, barbecues are in my veins. It’s a Sundayafternoon tradition. Families get together and have a barbie. If you miss one, you don’t miss two! We have salads with our barbecues, though. Does that sound odd to you? Maybe it does?

[Nope! That’s how we roll too.]

Do you enjoy an ale (beer)?

If so, what’s your favourite?

“Yes, barbecue and a beer” My favourite is whatever is the coldest! In Brazil, we drink our beers very cold, almost frozen. Not to be too vague, though. There was one called the Presidente from the Dominican Republic. That is the best one I’ve tried ever, but I’m quite open to challenging that.”

The weather?

“We’ve been really surprised so far. Everyone said, ‘Oh, New Zealand in spring… you’re coming at the worst time, the weather is so unpredictable.’ But no, it’s been really good. There are days where you seem to have all the seasons in one day, but it’s warm and often sunny.”

Like the family Sunday barbie, Rafael Alvarenga is ready to keep Scania in New Zealand sizzling.

as you can get. As Mattias left, Scania NZ was upping its head office parts inventory in Auckland by 20%.

“We are No.1 here in the heavy market over 16,000kg with roughly 20%. It is such hugely competitive market, so that’s a real achievement.

What it’s saying is one in five trucks sold in that category is a Scania.

“It’s not unfamiliar to me though. The New Zealand market is very much like Chile, everyone’s there – the Americans, the Europeans, the Asians, as opposed to Brazil, where only a few brands dominate. Scania has been in Brazil for over 60 years so are naturally very strong. In Brazil you know who your competitors are and probably how they’re going to behave.

Here and Chile though, there are many competitors, maybe 10 or 12, so you must be on your game.

“Planning is the key to everything. If you plan for all possible scenarios, you can manage them – watch, discuss, and adjust each month. Whenever something might be a problem, put it under the spotlight, then act.

Fifty- 100- 200-day plans. If you plan, you won’t be caught by surprise later.

“Yes, supply chain is challenging the world over at the moment, and I tell you, India and Brazil are no

different. You constantly look ahead and make sure you have the fat to play with.

“In terms of other more local challenges, a lack of technicians is a big thing short term for the entire industry.

As such, we have some plans on how we are intending to address that, but it is something worth highlighting.”

Of course, no conversation today can end without the future. “Yes, Scania as you know, has a high emphasis on new technologies and sustainability. Next year and the year after are going to be big years for Scania in these areas. We will have a lot to tell you about that very soon.”

And so, there is our new man! Back to the opening sentence about just how interesting the decisionmaking processes are when selecting the right people for international roles. Mattias will be a tough act to chase and, if asked, my suggestion would have been someone with an intense understanding of what’s required to win that second round of sales – the parts, the uptime, the workshops. Someone who also knew a Scania inside and out, who could stand in a service pit with overalls on and tell the owner something cool about his Scania that he never knew.

Seems that was Scania’s thinking also.

THE NEW TRUCK

FOR NZ All Trucks come with: • Cummins 440hp • Eaton AMT • MAN Axle Technoology • Ladder Chassis

ALL TRUCKS COME WITH FULL PARTS AND SERVICE SUPPORT. Bobby Khan 264 Roscommon Road, Wiri, Auckland 2104 New Zealand Tel: 09 264 1666. Mobile: 027 266 1233

PRODUCT UPDATE

ROADMASTER KNOCKS IT OUT THE PARK FOR AUSTIN Years of experience in Australasia and the need for versatility led Austin Transport to the doorstep of Roadmaster Trailers for this ground-up, customdesigned B-train. And it’s fair to say, the trailerbuilder has knocked it out of the park.

R The wedge ramp is just a fold-down away. Top: 3.6m-loading lift ramps have their own hydraulic Honda power pack.

otorua-based trailerbuilder Roadmaster has designed a bespoke flat-deck B-train unit for Austin Transport, and with just one look at it hooked up behind Austin’s Kenworth K200 fleet No.28, it’s clear it means business.

It is a custom, one-off build from front to back, designed and fabricated by Roadmaster to Bryan Austin’s specification.

Austin drew on his experience driving trucks in Australia, picking up on some of the ways they do things there. “Like the fold-down on the step in the gooseneck,” he says. “It’s a lot of little things I’ve seen and used.”

According to Aaron Forde, Roadmaster area sales manager

One B-train, endless possibilities.

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(lower north, upper south), the unit was designed for ultimate multifunctional use. “This particular trailer can do the vast majority of most of Austin Transport’s work now. It can cart pretty much anything,” says Forde.

“We thought we’d design it with ultimate versatility as a trial, as we cart a mix of freight nowadays, from machinery to timber. We wanted something we could load either way, no problem, ” adds Austin.

With 3mm C/10 steel decking, the lead trailer measures 6.1m, and the rear measures 12.3m and can be hooked up separately as a semi-trailer. Suspension is Hendrickson ZMD air suspension, axles are Hendrickson ZMD, and

‘As many tie-downs as possible’ was part of the brief.

900mm stanchions, adjustable electric wide-load boards front and rear.

Hendrickson was also chosen for its TyreMax inflation management system. Wabco EBS controls the braking with a Wabco Smartboard unit fitted per trailer. Wheels are Alcoa alloys in 22.5 10-stud on the lead trailer and 19.5 8-stud on the rear trailer.

“The front half of the unit is set up like an Aussie unit with 22.5 tyres and rims. That matches the Kenworth, gets better tyre wear and handles better, according to Bryan,” Forde says.

He adds that one of the main requirements of the build was to have as many tie-down points as possible. The trailers feature pressed-steel coaming rails, certified rope rails with chain hooks on every cross member and twist-lock beam.

There are two in-deck chain boxes on the front trailer and four on the rear, and two removable

1200mm RHS framed headboards to fit the fronts of the trailers. ISO twist locks allow for 20’ and 40’ containers.

Each trailer has two 50kg alloy toolboxes and one large steel under-mount bearer box with alloy doors on the rear trailer. There’s a handwashing station on the front trailer. Lighting is LED. The front trailer features six 900mm stanchions, the rear 10.

The rear trailer step deck features a manual lift over wedge ramp, making loading vehicles easier, as do the 3.6m hydraulic loading lift ramps at the rear with their own Honda power pack.

That’s the basic spec, but Austin’s not saying much more.

“It’s pretty unique for New Zealand. But I can’t tell you too many secrets to put in the book,” he laughs.

In-deck chain boxes, removable 1200mm headboards and robust bridge blocks for those machinery loads.

Left: Wash and sanitisation stations are a necessity in a post-Covid-19 world. Right: Eye-catching combo indeed.

PRODUCT PROFILE

SAFETY’S IN THE AIR Fuel supplier Waitomo called on the expertise of fellow Waikatobased company TRT and its Traction Air central tyreinflation system to meet its tractionmanagement needs on the latest additions to Waitomo’s fuel tanker fleet.

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afety and dependability in the fuel-delivery sector are paramount, and employing the latest technological solutions goes a long way to achieving this. This is especially true when the trucks in question travel a mix of on- and offroad routes, which throw up varying levels of traction.

Making the driver’s job easier and safer has a direct impact on their job satisfaction and the longevity of the company’s assets.

For Waitomo, this meant fitting the Traction Air central tyre-inflation (CTI) system to the drive axles of its 10 new DAF CF tankers, which deliver fuel to farms and

Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

commercial fuel tanks in the Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Central North Island, and Wellington regions. Waitomo’s relationship with TRT goes back to 2018, and Greg Price, Waitomo fleet manager, says TRT has developed an understanding of Waitomo’s business and needs.

“Traction Air and TRT align with Waitomo’s values and the locations in which Waitomo operates across the North Island. Traction Air is a proven system but at a competitive upfront cost, and this was backed up with excellent support and service, which gives us confidence in the solution.”

Matt Counihan, Traction Air product specialist, explains

that although some trucks in the Waitomo fleet are fitted with the Traction Air G Series system, the 10 new DAFs all feature the latest E Series smart CTI system. “These systems have been spec’d specifically for Waitomo’s needs,” he says.

Price says fitting the Traction Air system lowers the impact on electronic equipment such as meters and tablets when travelling empty and off-road. “Given the significant amount of offroad driving our farm-trade trucks do, the CTI system is important to Waitomo as it increases the traction in offroad environments. It also increases the footprint and traction when going up metal

E Series DIN ECU allows for easy operation.

inclines, along with increasing tyre life,” he adds.

Gavin Halley, TRT national sales manager, explains that the E Series is notable for its safety features, the redundancy provided through back-up transducers, and the accuracy of measurement.

“This makes it a natural fit with the fuel industry.”

The Traction Air E Series features numerous hardware and control software enhancements. On the hardware side, E Series has a new valve set up in a sealed stainless cell, imported from Germany. In terms of pressure-measuring equipment, the second transducer mentioned by Halley is installed to monitor the system for failures. “This provides confidence and assurance that if there’s a failure, there’s another level of protection providing peace of mind,” Halley says.

The E Series is managed by one of two interfaces, a DINmounted ECU that fits into a radio slot or a touchscreen ECU for multi-channel

Waitomo’s new DAF CF farm-trade trucks are equipped to tackle all terrains. applications (when running different pressures on the front and rear axles). The ECU in the cab will independently manage both channels at different pressures (if required as an option).

The system features enhanced safety features, enhanced air-leak detection, and additional warnings – for example, if the driver forgets to turn the taps on the ECU will tell them exactly that.

Importantly, the E Series operates on a CAN bus network, which means it is expandable and can interface with the vehicle directly or any other third-party equipment (such as telematics) if needed.

The system features its own GPS integration, a key safety feature when moving between sealed and unsealed roads. Halley explains the GPS integration allows for independent, accurate measurement of vehicle speed. “The ECU will alert the driver to adjust the pressures when necessary. If he doesn’t, the system will override the driver and set the optimum pressure for the speed. That gives the fleet owner the peace of mind that the driver can’t override the system and compromise the asset.”

Price adds: “The alerts and automatic raising of the pressures when returning

Rotor hubs feature carbon and ceramic facings for maximum strength and durability.

Right: A new valve set-up contained in a sealed stainless cell imported from Germany is among the Traction Air E Series enhancements.

home empty helps the driver focus on driving and delivery of the product.”

Counihan explains that Waitomo’s farm-trade trucks feature pre-programmed selections that provide the drivers with a consistent tool to help them in challenging terrain. While most systems feature five pre-set pressures, to meet Waitomo’s requirements three pressure modes have been programmed for drivers to choose from: on-road loaded, on-road empty, and maximum traction for off-road.

Price comments that these three selections make system training and understanding the benefits of each selection clear and concise.

“The programming parameters are now endless.

We can customise it specifically for a customer’s requirement on the spot,” Halley notes.

“In that fuel sector, it’s all about having the right tyre pressure for the load and terrain, and when those vehicles are going offhighway, all the features and safety backup are at hand to ensure both assets and people are protected,” he concludes.

PRODUCT UPDATE

PEACE OF MIND IS

PRICELESS Truck drivers are busy – and human – so a failsafe system for alerting a driver when the parking brake hasn’t been applied has become crucial. Enter the MAX-SAFE Maximum Safety Anti-Rollaway Brake System.

C

onnetics is one of the first companies in New Zealand to commit to installing MAX-SAFE across its entire fleet of 280 heavy vehicles – the other is Allied Concrete – but more companies are currently engaging in product trials across New Zealand.

Christchurch-based Connetics fleet coordinator Wayne Muiznieks says his team of more than 150 drivers is constantly on the go, and their feedback on the MAXSAFE system has been very positive. The company’s fleet includes crane trucks, bucket trucks and tippers, and Muiznieks’ key concerns are the safety of his people and minimising damage to the fleet itself. Having trucks out of action due to repair is not good for business.

The MAX-SAFE Maximum Safety Anti-Rollaway Brake System can be applied to virtually any heavy vehicle, providing an active safety

solution if the parking brake is not fully applied before leaving the vehicle. It provides protection for the driver, passengers, the general public and workers, and prevents damage to the truck and nearby infrastructure.

Connetics does a wide range of technical jobs, including overhead powerline structure refurbishment and pole replacement. Its leadership team is always looking to improve preventative health and safety measures by enhancing the technology onboard its ever-growing truck fleet and ongoing training. Its core business is the design, construction and maintenance of overhead and underground lines.

Spring is always a busy time for Connetics crews. The change of seasons brings wild winds and inevitable additional maintenance work to overhead electricity infrastructure, so the timing of the installation couldn’t be better.

“We trialled three different systems, but the others required driver intervention, and that wasn’t what we were looking for. They weren’t suitable for our needs, nor did they give our drivers the total assurance that we wanted to provide,” Muiznieks explains.

“This vehicle, in particular, (2020 Isuzu FVZ1400M, with a Palfinger PK17.001 crane at the rear, as pictured) is used for highly specialised crane work, specifically maintaining and repairing overhead powerlines, and so safety and reliability are very important, especially when working on a slope.”

Connetics trialled three similar systems and found MAX-SAFE to meet all requirements.

Wayne puts strong weight on the opinion of his drivers.

After a three-week trial, the fact they vouched for MAX-SAFE went a long way towards the decision to install them fleet-wide.

“The trial consisted of hill parking with the brake off; opening the door with the driver off the seat; parking the truck with the brake off and with the driver leaving the vehicle; and lastly, allowing the drivers to comment on the system after three weeks of usage. It’s a solution that works well and does everything that it should. In the end, it was the driver feedback

that did it for us,” he says.

“The drivers are very happy with the MAX-SAFE system.

It allows for another layer of safety without any effort. The benefits of zero rollaways, customer compliance and reassurance, and having that extra level of public, staff and equipment safety made it a desirable feature to have. As companies like ours have trialled the system and accepted it, other New Zealand companies will follow. There is also increasing customer demand for this sort of thing in 2021.”

Autokraft Electrical and Diesel (A.E.D), the New Zealand distributor of MAX-SAFE Maximum Safety solutions, is based in Palmerston North, while Connetics has its trucks and depots in Wellington, Christchurch and Otago. But coordinating the installation of the system has been a breeze, according to Muiznieks.

“We have the planners set aside time for the truck to have the unit installed and a demonstration provided to the driver. A.E.D then travel to the different depots to do the installations. We are working on having another contractor to do the installations in Christchurch.”

“The firm is considering other optional components of the MAX-SAFE Safety EcoSystem – such as Reverse Watch and the Audible Announcement options – but, for now, our drivers are

The 2020 Isuzu FVZ1400M is used for highly specialised crane work, and so safety and reliability are very important. beyond satisfied with the functionality of the MAXSAFE anti-rollaway system.

We will possibly look at other components in the future, as some of our vehicles already have reversing sensors and audible warnings. For a new truck, we’ll certainly advocate for the additional

Connetics fleet coordinator Wayne Muiznieks.

components,” he says.

For more information on the MAX-SAFE Maximum Safety Anti-Rollaway Brake System or to enquire about a trial or demonstration, contact Gary at Autokraft Electrical and Diesel on 06 359 0100 or email reception@autokraft-ed.co.nz.

Muiznieks demonstrates the operation of the MAX-SAFE system.

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BUSINESS PROFILE

PETE’S TAKEAWAYS When the brown stuff starts seeping out of places it’s not supposed to, Tauranga-based Pete’s Takeaways Ltd has you covered.

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espected and longestablished wasteremoval business Pete’s Takeaways services the greater Bay of Plenty. Its modern fleet of late-model trucks can handle everything from domestic septic tank emptying, water blasting and drain unblocking to commercial sector hydrovacing, gully trap cleaning, sewerage system bridging, major spills and hazardous waste removal.

Under the steady

guidance of general manager Mark Blower, the company has grown significantly and today runs a fleet of 15 trucks and a pair of new service utes. As part of that growth strategy, Mark has gone to considerable lengths to ensure hazardous waste is carefully treated and disposed of safely, consistent with government and council regulations.

Over the past two years, he has made a concerted effort to upgrade the frontline vehicle fleet, with five new trucks joining the ranks during this time. These new medium- and heavy-duty trucks proudly sport the UD Trucks logo, and each has been fitted with Danz Engineering vacuum tankers.

The most recent addition is a UD Trucks GW26.460AS air suspended Quon, which features the GH11 343kW (460hp) engine and the

Danz Engineering tanker a quality unit.

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Escot-6 12-speed AMT transmission. With standard interaxle and cross-lock diffs, the UD can handle the most challenging off-road pick-up areas. The truck also includes a suite of safety features, from EBS-controlled disc brakes to the Traffic Eye driver safety aids. For greater peace of mind, the company also opted to fit additional safety features, such as handbrake alarm and reversing cameras.

Danz tanks offer advanced construction, waterless vacuum pumps and simple, user-friendly operation. The tank on the latest Quon has a 10,000-litre capacity and is filled using high-capacity (1100cfm), air-injected, blower-style pumps with 98% vacuum efficiency. The loads can be expelled by reversing the airflow or discharged through the combination of a full-size opening rear tail door

and a front-of-body hoist.

“As a company, we require vehicles that are fuel-efficient and reliable, along with operator comfort and safety features,” says Mark. “We need our trucks to have limited downtime for servicing and repairs, and UD’s extended service intervals suit our operation.

“Both the medium and heavy-duty truck add to our company profile and look really sharp, especially after Rutherford Signs has applied our branding.

“Simon Vincent and his predecessor Peter Coulson provided great service and were really down to earth to deal with. Communication is a big part of buying a new vehicle, and you want to be able to trust the people you deal with and that they will do what they say they are going to.”

INDUSTRY COMMENT

STATE OF THE HEAVY-HAULAGE INDUSTRY Jonathan Bhana-Thomson, CEO of the Heavy Haulage Association, discusses the industry’s issues, opportunities and wishes as it recalibrates following Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions. In association with Teletrac Navman.

Jonathan Bhana-Thomson

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he state of our industry has been surprisingly good since we came out of level 4 lockdown.

When we were under those restrictions, most of our members who service the construction industry saw their work grind to a halt.

Building sites were closed, and many of the supporting services – for example, house movers – couldn’t get supplies to put houses on foundations. Councils couldn’t inspect those that were built, either. We were not seen as essential compared with the freight sector. So, when the lockdown was lifted, there was a lot of catching up to do.

This year, in particular, we see high demand for our services, as developers are ramping up work and needing large items to be transported from source to site. There have been some regional variations— the North Island being busier than the South generally. One-third of the HHA’s members are based in Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, with the rest spread between Kaitaia in the north and Invercargill in the south.

Wins & challenges Construction has led the way in demand for services

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to support housing and commercial projects and civil works. Some of them, such as Transmission Gully, are ongoing. Several of the association’s members have been involved in that from the beginning. Others are primarily requests from the house-moving sector — transporting recycled homes from one site to another or prefabricated new houses from factory to foundations.

In the past few months especially, the construction sector has driven demands for our members, particularly the government-driven jobgenerating shovel-ready projects.

A significant win for the industry is folks being kept busy. And as long as there is demand for services, transport operators will be confident to invest in new trailers and technology. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Another innovation is an acceleration of the roll-out of weigh-in-motion sites across the country, which is good news as it will lead to a more level playing field for operators. An electronic sign will instruct trucks to pull over at an upcoming weigh station.

This will encourage more compliance as operators will not want their trucks pulled in frequently to conduct an Dec 2021 / Jan 2022

enforcement weigh, therefore losing valuable time.

I’d say the challenge is that, like most sectors across New Zealand, heavy haulage is experiencing a skills shortage. Many members have reported how difficult it is to get transporter drivers and support staff. The dearth of drivers means they are easily lured from one operator to another. A heavy-haulage driver typically needs some freight transport experience to begin with, plus the added know-hows of the rules of oversized loads and dealing with those rules.

Technology in heavy haulage There’s a wide variety of ways in which technology can enhance the heavy-haulage industry. In-built scales and tyre-monitoring technology are some examples of how technology improves efficiency and maintenance.

In addition, various safety innovations are being looked at through the lens of technology – such as safety around ramps on the back of trailers, which could employ multiple technological solutions to ensure that this is not a risk area for drivers and operators.

For the on-road transport of overweight loads,

technology could be used to ensure compliance with bridge-crossing restrictions where these are required – in terms of bridge identification and speed management.

For overweight and overdimension permits, 24/7 access to the issuing of permits and the required notification of load movements to various other parties could be facilitated by technology.

Looking forward We want Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to completely reform the application, processing and issuing of over-dimension permits. Currently, the process is not user-friendly.

We would also like permits to be applied in real-time and, ideally, better integrated with overweight permits.

The potential to digitalise overweight and overdimension permit applications is massive.

Technology is another area in which operators can invest to increase productivity and prioritise workforce safety.

Being able to alert pilots of approaching bridges with GPS and geofencing features, for example, can help them be more efficient and safer, benefitting the industry all round.

Are you Fleet Fit? Do you want to improve health and safety, reduce driver fatigue and use data and insights to deliver better efficiency?

Talk to our expert team of Fleet Risk Managers about how we can drive your business forward.

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TDDA

Does trucking need rapid antigen testing?

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rucking businesses know how a positive Covid-19 case can affect drivers and fleets; parked trucks and employees down for weeks isn’t an option for most companies. As a drug detection agency, the TDDA fields many questions about saliva PCR testing and even more about the government’s Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) trial.

I’m here to explain what PCR and RAT mean to the average Joe trying to move a container from point A to B. The terminology we’re talking about is ‘surveillance testing’. This doesn’t mean cameras in cabs. ‘Surveillance’ in this case means collecting data, so a fleet manager has rapid access to information to make important decisions and to detect and respond to positive cases.

Let’s talk about testing options.

Saliva PCR testing is non-invasive and easy to administer. It’s highly accurate and has been shown to detect infection in people up to three days earlier than a nasal swab. The Ministry of Health approves PCR testing for

workers crossing alert-level boundaries who need evidence of a test within the previous seven days. It’s the current standard and an effective test.

RATs are widely used globally because they can be conducted almost anytime and anywhere with results provided in as little as 15 minutes. RATs offer cost savings compared with saliva testing, but they aren’t as accurate as PCR tests and are therefore best used as a complementary tool.

The Ministry of Health has imported RATs as part of a large-scale trial.

TDDA participates in this programme and is already delivering RAT services, processes and policies throughout Australia. RAT is a service we’ll offer when it is approved for all New Zealand businesses.

Both saliva PCR and RAT tests have a lot of value for trucking businesses.

They deliver fast and accurate information to keep the rubber on the road and allow companies to address a positive case quickly – limiting the

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spread of Covid-19 in the workforce and the wider community.

Truckies should view accredited saliva PCR testing and RAT testing as basic risk-mitigation processes. They’re simply two extra tools at your disposal, and both are safe and easy ways to manage Covid-19’s risk to your fleet. 

Kirk Hardy is the director and co-founder of The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA).

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TRUCKERS’ HEALTH

10 ways to improve your health in 2022 It’s time to start thinking about those New Year’s resolutions. Here are some tips to achieving greater health in 2022.

1. Drink more water

This tip seems obvious and over-used, but the simple act of drinking more water and being more hydrated and alert, can help you get through a big day at work. It can also help reduce the likelihood of headaches and hunger triggers, which are often, in fact, thirst triggers.

2. Eat more vegetables

Again, simple but very effective.

Vegetables are loaded with vitamins and goodies that your body craves and needs daily. It doesn’t mean you have to eat bunches of spinach and kale. Find vegetables that you enjoy and filter them through your day. For example, capsicum and onion with scrambled eggs for breakfast, lettuce and tomato in a nice hearty ham sandwich for lunch, carrot or celery sticks with hummus for arvo tea and hearty root veggies with your dinner, such as pumpkin, kumara or potato.

3. Get more vitamin D

When you’re working an inside job, or you’re on the road a lot, you often don’t get a huge amount of sunshine or fresh air. It’s really important to go outside and ‘smell the roses’. This can be anything from taking a stroll around the neighbourhood, going fishing, hunting in the bush or anything in between. It can be helpful if you have an outdoorsbased hobby – two birds, one stone (enjoyment and fresh air).

4. Spend time with family I understand that everyone has different family dynamics and situations, but if circumstances allow, it’s important for your mental health to stay linked and in contact with family, especially given our recent lockdowns. Family can give you perspective and can recharge your batteries after a stressful week of work.

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5. Be social

If friends extend invites to you, do your very best to make the time and take them up on their offer. I think having friends in different circles and environments can add other elements to your life. For example, having mates you go fishing with and mates you go cycling with gives you a great variety socially and will keep your social cup full.

6. Manage your alcohol intake

Through the summer months, in particular, it is nice to enjoy a cold beverage at the end of the day (and I have nothing against that). But I do think it is important to keep tabs on our alcohol intake as it can disrupt sleep, work performance, concentration and overall health. Sometimes, you don’t realise just how much you are consuming over the week, a ‘couple’ every night can really add up over a week. So it’s just about being mindful about your intake and how it may affect you daily.

7. Make time for hobbies

It is so important to find something that you are passionate about and interested in outside of work. It can give you a sense of pride to excel at something.

Even if you are terrible at your chosen hobby, at least you get pleasure and enjoyment from it. It’s easy not to prioritise hobbies because you’re busy with work and chores around the house – but I think it is very important.

need to reach out to people who can help you with your specific issue. It can be daunting to admit that you have a problem, but there is absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about – everyone has their battles. If you feel too shy to speak to someone, podcasts can be an amazing tool to find strategies to deal with a specific issue.

9. Be positive

As cliché as that is, it is so important to be pragmatic and at least attempt to be grateful about the positive things in your life. It is very easy to get bogged down in the everyday grind and let it overwhelm you. A simple strategy is to have a gratitude journal where you jot down three things you are grateful for as you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning. It can start and end your day in a positive light.

10. Stay active

With the business of life, it is very easy to let your exercise routine slip by the wayside. But staying active should be at the forefront of your priorities because it has a direct link to your physical and mental health. Staying active doesn’t have to be slogging it out at the gym every day. Find something you enjoy and stick with that. Whether it be sports, group classes, the gym, cycling or anything in between. Try and move your body 30 minutes a day – you will feel better for it. 

8. Reach out if you need help

If you are struggling with aspects of your life – whether it be your nutrition, training, stress, anxiety or anything related to your mental health – you

Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

Laura Peacock Personal trainer TCA Fitness Club

THE TEAM AT KRAFT WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS FOR YOUR SUPPORT THIS YEAR. ALL THE BEST FOR 2022 AND HAVE A FANTASTIC CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR.

HEALTH & SAFETY

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

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he question facing many employers and managers is whether employees need to be vaccinated or not. For some, the choice has been removed. Workers whose vaccinations are mandated under the Covid-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 must comply with the order or risk losing their jobs. Organisations that require customers to produce vaccination certificates under the Covid19 Protection Framework must have their workers vaccinated.

The next question is which workers must be vaccinated. Not all workers in a mandated organisation have the same risk of exposure to the virus. Employers and managers should use a risk assessment to determine who needs to be vaccinated. The risk assessment should look at the increased risk of exposure from work compared to life out of work.

There are many times that health and safety and human resources (HR) interact. This is one of those times. Consult with your HR and health and safety advisors. The basic guidelines, vital for undertaking the risk assessment, are to involve the relevant workers and to do the risk assessment for a role or position, not for an individual. For example, the delivery driver of one organisation may have a high risk of exposure to customers, while another may only see one person. Extrapolate that and consider the co-workers. What risk do they have, based on the amount of exposure they have to the driver?

How can Safewise help?

We work with organisations that need more health and safety knowledge, or more time to address these issues, than they have in-house. For more information, check the website, safewise.co.nz.

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The government has also put in place a way to terminate employment for workers who refuse to be vaccinated. Workers can be given a minimum of four weeks’ notice if they cannot fulfil a role that does not require them to be vaccinated. Again, HR should be involved in this.

This information is correct at the time of writing. There are rapid changes in the government’s Covid-19 response, so some details may have changed when you read this. Please see government websites for detailed information – covid.19. govt.nz, health.govt.nz, worksafe.govt.nz and business.govt.nz.

Safewise will update the Covid-19 page on its website as often as possible.

About Tracey Murphy Tracey Murphy is the owner and director of Safewise Ltd, a health and safety consultancy. She has more than 12 years’ experience working with organisations from many different industries. Tracey holds a diploma in health and safety management and a graduate diploma in occupational safety and health. She is a professional member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and is on the HASANZ register.

Danielle L. Beston Barrister At Law Log Book & Driving Hours Transport Specialist Work Licences Nationwide Road User Charges Contributor to New Zealand Trucking ‘Legal Lines’ Column Telephone: 64 9 379 7658 mobile: 021 326 642 danielle.beston@hobsonchambers.co.nz Referral Through Solicitor Required and Arranged

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LEGAL LINES

Random roadside drug testing

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esearch proves that many illicit and prescription drugs can impair driving, and that New Zealanders are using those drugs and driving. In 2019, 103 people were killed in crashes where a driver was found to have drugs other than alcohol in their system. This represented 30% of all road deaths. While drug-drivers already face serious criminal penalties if they are caught, the current law makes it hard for police to carry out more tests that could deter drug driving. That’s why the government has proposed legislation to introduce a compulsory random roadside drug-testing scheme in New Zealand.

Under the new drug-driving regime, oralfluid tests will detect the most prevalent impairing, illicit and prescription drugs at the roadside. The proposed change allows police to test drivers for the presence of drugs anywhere, anytime, just as they can for alcohol.

What drugs can be tested for

Compulsory impairment tests

It is hoped that the oral-fluid testing regime will complement the compulsory impairment test (CIT), which was introduced in 2009. A CIT is a behavioural test of impairment undertaken by a specially trained police officer, which cannot be required unless the officer has good cause to suspect the driver has consumed a drug or drugs. It comprises eye, walk and turn, and one-leg-stand assessment. A driver who fails to complete a CIT in a manner satisfactory to an enforcement officer is required to undertake an evidential blood test. Failing or refusing to undergo a CIT is an offence.

New Zealand Trucking

Penalties

Graduated sanctions for drug-driving offences have been proposed, which are as follows: • an infringement penalty for failing two oral-fluid tests (with an option to elect an evidential blood analysis following the failed tests); • an infringement penalty for drug levels in the blood below an equivalent blood-alcohol concentration of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood; • criminal liability for drug levels in blood equal to or above an equivalent blood-alcohol concentration of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

Under the new drugdriving regime, oralfluid tests will detect the most prevalent impairing, illicit and prescription drugs at the roadside.

The Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill will introduce a new compulsory random roadside oral-fluid testing scheme under which a police officer can stop a driver of a motor vehicle and administer an oralfluid test without cause to suspect they have consumed drugs, consistent with the approach to drink-driving enforcement.

Under the new law, officers will be able to saliva-test drivers for commonly used drugs such as cannabis, methamphetamine, cocaine, ecstasy, opiates and benzodiazepines.

There will be a medical defence for drivers who have consumed drugs with a prescription.

It is envisaged that low-level tolerance thresholds will be applied to the detection of drugs in blood to avoid penalising drivers who have accidental or passive exposure to drugs, low residual levels of a drug in their blood due to previous (but not recent) use and standard prescription doses of some medicines.

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The new drug-driving regime will allow police officers to switch from the oral-fluid testing process to the CIT process if: • a driver has passed the first oral-fluid test, but the police officer has good cause to suspect the driver has consumed drugs that the device may not be able to test for; or • a driver has failed the first oral-fluid test and passed the second oral fluid test, but the officer has good cause to suspect a driver has consumed drugs.

Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

Other penalties include on-the-spot licence suspension and demerit points. Drivers would also face harsher criminal penalties where blood tests confirm impairing levels of drugs in their system or drugs combined with alcohol. There will be additional penalties for third and subsequent convictions for drug driving designed to target repeat offenders in the same way that the Land Transport Act 1998 imposes heavier penalties for repeated impaired driving offences.

It is likely that information about drug-related health services will be provided with infringement notices issued. For offending that proceeds to court, it is intended that recidivist drug drivers will receive compulsory health referrals at sentencing. 

Please note that this article is not a substitute for legal advice, and if you have a particular matter that needs to be addressed, you should consult a lawyer. Danielle Beston is a barrister who specialises in transport law. Contact her on (09) 379 7658 or 021 326 642.

Danielle Beston

NZ TRUCKING ASSOCIATION

Trucking still goes on

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understand a cyclist’s capabilities. Passing too close can cause he year brought some unwanted and unique challenges, the cyclist to wobble or fall. Allow plenty of space if you are and while we ponder our ongoing rules and restrictions passing a stationary cyclist to turn left. around the Covid-19 world, trucking continues.

Because of the capabilities of a motorcyclist, they can carry The pandemic has been good for the perception of out more risky manoeuvres. When passing a truck, some trucking, as more people now realise that the industry and its motorcyclists leave their headlights on high. This can blind drivers are essential workers. Truck drivers kept the food and the truck driver when the lights hit essential supplies delivered in the their side mirrors. There is a good most efficient way possible during a chance the truck driver has not seen very challenging time.

Tips on how to share a fast-approaching motorcyclist, so Truckies would like to see more before passing, flick on the lights work done on the state of key freight the road safely to warn the driver. If a truck driver routes. These routes are vital to Truck drivers cannot see a motorcyclist and the enable the delivery of goods to all Give a cyclist 1.5m of space when passing. truck is turning into a property or communities. As the freight demand around a corner, it is not good for increases, the challenge is that there Cyclists a motorcyclist to begin a passing will be more trucks on the road.

Be aware that the truck driver may not see manoeuvre. A passing truck can Some key freight routes such as you if you ride up the inside of a truck at create a lot of turbulence, which can Brougham Street in Christchurch are an intersection. startle a motorcyclist if they are not being carved up to add cycle lanes. expecting it.

This can create an unsafe passage for Car drivers As 2021 draws to a close, there is everyone. Brougham Street is a key • Trucks are very long, and it can take still a huge amount of uncertainty, freight route to the Lyttelton Port a long time to pass them, so make sure and this can cause stress. During but what’s interesting is that people there is enough space before starting the summer months, as people move don’t know that a high percentage of your manoeuvre. about on holiday, truck drivers carry trucks on the road are not actually • Stay out of trucks’ blind zones, on.

If we could get one message out going to the port but are using the which are directly in front, back and out there, it would be this – be patient road to get to other parts of the city. on each side. on the road.

Truck drivers have a Everyone wants a direct route to • Give the truck some space when the job to do, don’t make it difficult or get to where they are going in the truck is turning and do not over or stressful for them.

While holidayshortest possible time. Thoughts undertake at that time. makers may get frustrated with and consideration need to ensure all • Stay out of the safety stopping zone congested roads, it’s simply not parties are consulted. that is directly in front of the truck. worth taking any risks. It’s better to It’s not an easy fix, so all road Pedestrians get to your destination 10 minutes users need to learn each other’s Wait until the truck completely stops later than not get there at all.  capabilities to ensure they are safe. before crossing at a pedestrian crossing.

The team at the New Zealand Trucking Association is enhancing Motorcyclists its Truck Road Safety programmes.

Before passing a truck, or if you are We are always looking at new ways to following one, dip your lights and when it deliver behaviour-changing actions. is safe to pass, flick your lights to show you The plans are to develop some are about to do so. augmented-reality experiences so that participants can see a real-life roadYou can check out more road safety tips conflict situation. online at nztruckingassn.co.nz.

The industry would like to see road users be more considerate and understanding of a truck’s capability.

A heavy vehicle takes a long time to stop compared with a car or motorbike. It needs more room to turn, and the space directly in front of the truck is not a gap for another vehicle, The NZ Trucking it’s the truck’s safety zone. And it takes a long time to pass Association can be a truck and trailer. It’s also important that truck drivers contacted on 0800 338 338 or info@nztruckingassn.co.nz

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Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

By Carol McGeady, executive officer, NZ Trucking Association

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Worldwide driver shortage puts spotlight on training

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e know from last October’s Te ara ki tua Road to Success roadshow, as well as a workforce survey we did last year, that many trucks are parked up countrywide because of a lack of drivers. We also know that in parts of New Zealand, the recruitment of new people is currently little more than a trickle. If we don’t turn this around soon, we’ll have a serious labour shortage on our hands.

New Zealand has been short of experienced truck drivers for some years.

While initiatives such as Transporting New Zealand’s Road to Success driver trainee programme are working to address this, we are now in competition with economies all around the world facing the same problem.

The global transport sector’s labour issues have developed over time as multinational companies have worked to drive down supply-chain costs. At the same time, the trucking workforce in developed nations has aged. Throw Brexit, Covid-19, and the huge growth of e-commerce during the pandemic into the mix, and you can understand how in the past couple of years the problem has got so much worse.

It is estimated that Britain’s heavyvehicle driver shortfall stands at 100,000 – even pre-pandemic it was estimated to be more than 60,000.

In September, Britain faced a petrol crisis, in part caused by a shortage of truck drivers able to deliver fuel. Even relaxing visa rules to allow overseas fuel tanker drivers to work in the UK isn’t expected to do much to resolve the issue, with experts warning parts of continental Europe may also face driver shortages.

In research looking at European driver shortages, analysis company Transport Intelligence estimated that across Europe, the total shortfall of drivers now exceeds 400,000.

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With so many better-paid opportunities in these bigger economies, hanging on to the young drivers we have will become even more challenging as they look to take advantage of their skills and travel overseas.

Driver shortages have an enormous impact on every part of the economy and society. A shortage puts increasing pressure on the drivers already in the industry, with obvious impacts on their mental and physical wellbeing. The long hours affect relationships and take parents away from their children.

Working extended hours, even legally, can result in fatigue, and we all know the issues that can create when it comes to road safety.

Even if we could source drivers overseas, Covid-19 border restrictions mean it’s almost impossible for them to enter New Zealand. We’re just one of a long list of occupations hurting because we can’t bring people into the country to help alleviate labour shortages.

That is why Transporting New Zealand’s Road to Success trainee scheme is so important. It won’t solve the problem overnight, but it will, we hope, support industry employers to take on trainees.

The training is a mixture of practical and theoretical components and is designed to lead directly to qualifications relevant to our industry. It also allows trainees to undertake large chunks of it while going about their regular day-today jobs.

I believe this will help encourage people to get into our industry and provide operators with the confidence that new, inexperienced staff will quickly learn the ropes to be safe and productive members of the industry’s workforce.

Many operators already undertake some in-house or external training.

However, that is largely based on progressing drivers through the various driver licence levels.

Dec 2021 – Jan 2022

The reality for many young people is that they simply do not have the luxury to gain qualifications before they enter the workforce so it is imperative that as an industry, road transport offers them the chance to earn a decent wage and work towards qualifications at the same time.

Traditionally, a bone of contention for operators has been spending the time and money employing and training someone just for that person to leave for a job elsewhere in the industry. While this is an understandable concern in a commercial environment, it is a fear we need to move past. When it comes to the industry’s workforce, it will take a collective effort to turn around the current situation and that will take a certain degree of selflessness. Nothing we can ever do individually will really make a dent in the problem.

Recent well-publicised changes in the industry association/representation structure will not impact the availability of the traineeship to the wider industry.

Road to Success is a Transporting New Zealand initiative delivered nationally from our office in Wellington. We will continue to make the traineeship available to all road-freight operators, no matter where they are based.

To find out more, check out the Road to Success website (roadtosuccess. nz) or contact us directly at success@ transporting.nz, (04) 471 8283. 

Nick Leggett chief executive officer

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THE LAST MILE

The year that wasn’t

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s the end of the year approaches, few of us will look back at 2021 with any degree of satisfaction.

Most will say good riddance while looking forward to 2022 with more than a bit of hope. It is clear, though, that our economy cannot continue the way it is for much longer, and we surely cannot expect that the artificial stimuli of continual government borrowing will continue indefinitely. At some time, this must stop, and the money we have borrowed will have to be repaid.

Without wanting to put a jinx on things, I recently read an article in an American economics magazine that predicts the next economic downturn will be more drastic than the recession of 2008-09, the GFC. The article cites as reasons: high asset values; the US stock market is currently trading 30% below the peak it achieved when tech shares were in fashion; an unstable internal US economy, currently propped up by government intervention; excessive debt levels brought about by access to cheap money, and a lack of clear economic direction. The writer was not prepared to say when the next recession will hit us but claims it is inevitable.

While this story was centred on the US market, there are distinct parallels to what we see in New Zealand and, as we have seen in the past, what happens in the US will eventually flow down to us as well. Some may argue that the GFC did not have a big effect on New Zealand. Those who hold this view need to look at the drop in the volume of freight moved

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by road in the country at the time to see how much we were affected. Nobody can argue that the volume of freight moved by road is not a good indicator of economic activity.

Closer to home, an article in The Dominion Post on 13 September caught my eye. It was headed ‘They’re breeding like rabbits’ and referred to the explosion of the rabbit population around the country. A caption in this story said, “Rabbits are a pest because they eat a lot of grass.” I would like to put my take on this: “Politicians are a pest because they produce a lot of hot air.” If they would only shut up and get onto doing something instead of just telling us what they want to do and then making up excuses as to why it did not happen, we would all be better off. Certainly, this approach would do wonders for reducing the effects of all the hot air on climate change, and we might even see some physical benefits from the promises.

In the middle of September, the NZTA published a consultation document and rule amendment setting out proposed changes to the Driver Licensing Rule. Oh, good, I thought, we may now see some progress on the changes to heavy-vehicle licensing and special type vehicle endorsements consulted on five years ago and which has since dropped out of sight. Wrong. All the amendment does is return some time restrictions on class 1 and 6 learners and restricted licences back to their position before the 2014 amendment, which has not worked. At least it keeps the bureaucrats in employment. I guess we should be thankful that the NZTA is not seeking additional funding from the government for this amendment. Instead, it will cover the cost out of its existing budget. However, there is a hidden message in this; the NZTA says the changes will affect cash flow and adds, “as the [driver licensing] system is operated on a cost-recovery user-pays basis, this will be corrected in the short to medium term”. I suspect this is code for licence fees will increase. Mind you, this should not be surprising, given the NZTA is currently haemorrhaging money. What intrigues me about the statement is if the driver licensing system is a costrecovery user-pays system, why doesn’t the government apply this principle to our roads and stop subsiding electric-vehicle users and cyclists who don’t pay for using the road?

So, what will 2022 hold? Who really knows? No doubt, behind closed doors somewhere in Wellington, an increase in government fees and charges such as RUC is already under discussion. I suspect that some readers will not see it through until this time next year as the cost of supplying our services becomes too great. Margins are likely to be eroded further as bigger customers adopt more aggressive take-it-or-leave-it tactics. I am sure we will see the mandatory use of electronic logbooks evolve into law, perhaps as a condition of HPMV permits, and we can surely expect MBIE to take greater interest in our industry’s compliance with health and safety rules.

I am also sure we will see more speed restrictions on our state highways, with 80kph becoming the norm rather than the exception. It’s a far cheaper option than fixing the roads and has a side benefit through fines issued to people caught exceeding the lower speed limit.

Enjoy 2022.  The Accidental Trucker

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