LEGENDS
Gisborne to global - Eric Carswell R
ETIREMENT ISN’T A CHANGE, rather it’s a transition according to Eric Carswell. The well-known and respected On Highway Business Manager for Cummins New Zealand will step away from the transport industry at the end of the year. But at age 71 he’s not retiring altogether. “I have never really felt my age. I see retirement as a transition,” says Eric. “I live at Karaka Lakes in South Auckland, and I operate a small business. I mow local parks and I’m going to be semi-retired lawn mowing contractor.” Eric will depart from an industry in transition and from a company that the forefront of those changes. It’s been a varied road for a lad from Gisborne who has worked through rural jobs, truck driving and sales to a key role with a global company. “I was born in Gisborne in 1950, and I lived there till I was 37,” says Eric. “Right from being a little kid I always had an interest in trucks.” But nothing in Eric’s DNA would suggest a reason for that. “My parents didn’t even have a car. They
68 | Truck & Driver
didn’t have their driver’s licenses. “My first association with trucks was there was a greengrocer who used to come to mum and dads house. He had a Fargo truck and I used to hop in and start it up. “Dad worked for a drain laying contractor and Gisborne was always very short of water. “Dad had a water pump, and they had an A5 Bedford truck. They used to bring it around on Saturdays to give it a wash and take me for rides around the block. I was probably about eight or nine and that started my interest in trucks. “When I left school, I worked on a farm for a little while and then for an agricultural contractor. I got my heavy transport license when I was 17. You had to have an exemption. “I worked for the agricultural contractor for a few years, but I always dreamed of being a truck driver.” Eric’s first significant business opportunity was as a service station proprietor. “I had a lot of contacts with truck companies. We used to refuel companies like Modern Freighters and Freightways in the days of fuel restrictions. “I finished there in 1980. I always had a
dream of owning a truck. So, I bought a 1975 ERF which actually had a Cummins NTC-335 engine. “That was a great experience. It wasn’t the most highly successful financial endeavour but in hindsight it gave me a great understanding for what I’ve been doing for the last 30 years.” “I got a job working for ERF Sales and Service Ltd and in 1987 I shifted to Hamilton, and I started selling ERF trucks. “I had a very successful start to my selling career. In the first year I sold 25 trucks.” He moved to Auckland in 1990 working for MAN Trucks and after company changes also sold Western Star, Hino and ERF again. “After a short stint with Nissan I got this job in Cummins. I started here in April 2004, and I’ve been here ever since.” It’s never been a direct selling role at Cummins. “The job title was originally Automotive Business Manger but now we’ve changed to On Highway Business Managers - same thing,’’ says Eric. “You are really supporting the product in the market in a lot of different ways. “What you do is you work with the
