Diverse Famers

Above, left: John Alexander and wife Cecile started a modest business...which John built into a nationwide transport operation based on innovation and safety Above, right: Steve Murphy grew his business to become the biggest log cartage operation in Canterbury – with a reputation for safe, efficient systems and processses, using high-quality vehicles, equipment and technology

THE SIX NEW INDUCTEES INTO THE MOBIL 1 DELVAC

New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame are a very diverse group of high achievers.

The five men and one woman have, between them, made their marks in Canterbury log cartage, NZ’s transport engineering supplier sector, bulk grain and tanker transport, innovative trailer manufacturing, providing the transport for a couple of the Deep South’s best-known civil engineering projects…and leading a major NZ freight and logistics operation through the last two decades of last century.

Steve Murphy’s road to becoming a Canterbury forest industry icon began as a driver, carting timber products for RR Price Ltd in the late 1960s.

He started Steve Murphy Ltd (SML) in 1981, with a single log truck, contracted to Odlins in Christchurch.

When the sawmill closed in 1984 Steve became an ownerdriver for Mainfreight – but his passion remained log cartage and an opportunity came in ’85 to get back into that with Shand’s Rd Sawmill. SML still carts most of the produce for the sawmill today.

In 1993 Steve won a contract with the Canterbury Timber Products pulp mill at Sefton – and that too is work that SML continues to do today…for present owner, Rayonier Matariki Forests.

SML has developed new forestry business ideas, including a “bin wood” forest waste recovery process using self-loading trucks to collect a previously under-utilised resource.

In 2001, SML purchased a business carting all the woodchip from domestic manufacturers into CTP at Sefton. SML continues carting out of these sawmills under contract to New Zealand Pine Processors.

In 2003 SML joined another large logtruck operator in the region, McCarthy Wilshier Transport, in establishing a management company (Canterbury Dispatch) to plan, dispatch and provide data processing of all log deliveries for Carter Holt Harvey in Canterbury.

Four years later, SML purchased McCarthy Wilshier Transport – becoming Canterbury’s largest forestry logistics business.

Since then it has continued to focus on developing new information technologies. The TrakIT system was created and is used extensively by SML and its forest owner and forest management clients. The system equips logging crews and trucks with tablets to enable real-time tracking of production and work allocation.

SML has a reputation for the high standard of presentation of its vehicles, plus its focus on safety systems and efficiencies – and earned recognition of that at the 2017 Canterbury Business Awards with the ACC Workplace Safety Award.

Steve Murphy’s credited with a great sense of humour and ability to work with people across the board; a reputation for being firm but fair – and for sharing the success of the business with his staff through good working conditions, a stable environment and modern equipment.

From humble beginnings, John Alexander built a nationwide transport operation based on innovation and safety.

He started out in his hometown Putaruru driving fertiliser groundspreaders.

But in 1971, at the age of 28, John and wife Cecile bought a small contracting and transport firm and started Alexander Grain – servicing Waikato maize farms with combine harvesters and a fleet of gold Kenworths.

The mid-1970s saw the company win a contract to cart thousands of tonnes of grain per shipment to Mount Maunganui, running 24/seven.

It led to Alexander’s invention of the “Grain Train” – a superefficient bottom-dumper unit. It helped secure a three-year contract with Northern Roller Milling.

In the mid-1980s, John focused on wine cartage and won contracts with a handful of major winemakers. The company developed an intermodal service using trucks and ISO shipping

Above, left: Neil Peterken started out as a marine engineer, but turned to trailer building...and became renowned for his innovative designs Above, right: Kate Bucknell has achieved what few men or women have managed in terms of commercial success and personal contributions to the industry

– offering a groundbreaking alternative to costly rail and ferry.

The development of an ethanol tanker in 1982 was another Alexander milestone – establishing its presence in the bulk fuel tanker industry. A contract with Shell in the 1990s grew to cover the South Island – servicing farms, commercial, retail, bulk oil and LPG.

The Alexander Group was awarded the BNZ Small Fleet of the Year in 1997 in recognition of its operational excellence.

During the 2000s, Alexander Group became early adopters of automated manual transmissions, GPS monitoring and in-cab cameras – with performance-based incentives to reward good driving and product handling.

It also adopted air suspension, alloy wheels, super-single tyres, front underrun protection and driver-side airbags – improving safety, productivity and tare weight. Its safety focus was acknowledged when Alexander Petroleum won an LTSA/ Road Safety Trust award.

In 2002 the Alexander Gases division began bulk South Island deliveries for BOC – that went nationwide three years later. The division later added inter-island ISO handling and cylinder distribution throughout NZ and the Pacific Islands.

All three of John and Cecile’s children now work in key exec roles in the Alexander Group, which employs around 140 staff, at 21 locations nationwide.

John has been a staunch advocate of the RTA, serving on the Region 2 executive and working groups for many years.

The late Cliff Bennetts played a pivotal role in the development of the trucking industry in Southland through the second half of last century.

The Roxburgh-born Bennetts first worked on the family orchard (from the age of 13), then went farming.

But in 1950, the 25-year-old and business partner Colin Parker bought a six-truck operation and created Mossburn Transport.

It turned out that only one of the trucks (a ’36 Leyland Cub) was in good order – and then only after a lot of work. Cliff drove and did repairs while wife Marj looked after the office and drove when required.

When they hired drivers, some of them lived in huts onsite… and had their meals cooked and washing done by Marj.

If there wasn’t enough work for the trucks, the drivers sometimes dug the Bennetts’ garden!

In addition to doing general rural work, the Mossburn trucks were busy servicing the construction of the Homer Tunnel, on the Milford road.

Cliff contracted tuberculosis in 1957, but counted himself lucky that he was hospitalised for just two months.

In fact, the same year, he and two others partnered with Mobil to form Gore Services – which, by 1974, had grown to having 18 directors, each of them Southland carriers or contractors using Mobil fuel.

In 1964, Cliff joined forces with George Hedley (Lumsden Transport) and Terry Gilligan (Te Anau Transport) to form Manapouri Haulage, to service the Manapouri hydro-electric power project.

That soon led to them merging their businesses to create Northern Southland Transport Holdings, concentrating on livestock and fertiliser cartage.

Cliff’s love of Mercedes-Benz trucks showed as Northern Southland eventually had the largest Merc fleet in the Southern Hemisphere. He was chairman of the board for 12 years.

The company diversified into other areas – into a Queenstown Concrete JV, the purchase of Flagstaff Station at Athol, and the Ross Holdings Westland trucking and automotive business…. plus a pub in Queenstown.

When Cliff died of cancer in 1984, he had made his mark in road transport over 34 years in the industry – his input including membership of the Road Transport Association NZ and the NZ Groundspread Fertiliser Association.

Kate Bucknell has been a pioneering woman in road transport – one who got into the industry from an unlikely background: Babysitting and social sciences studies at uni!

She has gone on to achieve what few men or women have managed in terms of commercial success and personal contributions to the trucking industry.

Her first contact with the industry came via a job babysitting for one of her teachers….whose husband happened to be in

business building tankers.

When he offered her a part-time job in his office, her future was decided: Kate didn’t finish her degree at university (intended to see her become a social worker). Instead she determined to make a career in road transport.

Her first fulltime involvement, at the age of 19, was as a salesperson and then as manager of Avon Equipment Spares. Her staff, uniquely for the time, were all women. Predictably, they were dubbed “The Avon Ladies.”

In 1988, at the age of 32, she became owner and director of Transcom Engineering, dealing with global brands and agencies such as Jost and BPW, both of which would play significant roles in her career.

Around that time, Kate taught herself welding and immersed herself in CAD. In 1986, her business interests transitioned into Jost Transport Efficiency, with the Jost and Hendrickson agencies, and later BPW.

When BPW bought the company in 1994, the global giant retained Kate as its NZ general manager. She later became GM of Commercial Transport Spares, then the owner of Transport Equipment Solutions…and is currently GM of Jost NZ, which she formed in 2018.

Her remarkable business career is only one part of her standout contribution to the road transport industry: She has not only been a longtime member of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, she has served on the executive as its treasurer and secretary….and has managed its last nine annual conferences.

She is also a stalwart of the Truck-Trailer Manufacturers Federation (TTMF), which she joined in 1989, became secretary of in ’94 and became manager of in 2003. She and the late Geoff Walsh authored the Manufacture and Repair Code of Practice for the industry.

Neil Peterken started off in marine engineering…and became a trailer and truck body builder renowned for his innovative ideas.

He switched from the maritime industry – where he was a fitter/turner and marine engineer – to road transport in 1961, when he shifted to Feilding…where his girlfriend lived.

There he got work with Domett Truck & Trailer – where the late Dave Domett was a great influence, providing valuable guidance and knowledge….as did engineer Russell Law.

In 1967, after Domett’s death, Neil took a job with Mills Engineering in Rotorua – moving two years later to work for Manu Tuanui at Tui Trailers.

Neil produced lightweight A-train chipliners and developed the first hydraulic, variable-height housemoving trailer.

When the new Carter Oji (Pan Pac) mill was starting up – with a fleet of Kenworths ordered – Neil successfully pitched a plan for a combination comprising a dollie and two-axle trailer to go behind them. It resulted in an order for 24 of the units.

He was instrumental in building alloy tipping bodies for Rorison Mineral Developments (RMD), and “sand-liners” for Winstone.

In 1973, after Tui Trailers was sold to Allen Mills and became Mills Tui Trailers, Neil decided to start up his own trailermaking business in Rotorua – Roadrunner Trailers.

transport engineering

32 Gumdigger Place Whangarei Ph 09 470 0850 | Email paul@ten4.co.nz WWW.TEN4.CO.NZ

ENGINEERED TRANSPORT SOLUTIONS

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Above left: Richard Riley worked in the road transport industry for four decades Above right: Cliff Bennetts was a pivotal figure in the development of the trucking industry in Southland, through the last half of last century

He designed and built the first long/short log combination units for Colin Poole and McCarthy Transport and in 1978 unveiled a B-train for F.J. Ramsey, to cart round wood posts.

In 1980, Roadrunner produced the first sliding-bogie lead semi in a B-train and also won the tender to supply “live floor” refuse trailers for the Auckland Regional Authority.

Roadrunner partnered with Fairfax Industries to build inverted fibreglass bodies equipped with a steel liner and three pairs of chains to provide a live floor system.

He secured a licence to introduce tautliners into NZ and Australia in 1982 – the first on a four-axle B-train.

Neil was instrumental in advancing the road transport industry – his innovative ideas becoming the norm. He also helped many people get involved in the transport industry.

In 1969, he and the late Arthur McNae, among others, set up the Institute of Road Transport Engineers NZ (IRTENZ). Neil is still a member today.

Christchurch’s Richard Riley had a leadership role with companies that were at the forefront of the road transport industry during the 1980s – the time when legislation opened up competition between road and rail.

Richard was born in 1948 and left school in 1965 to begin his trucking industry career as an office junior at John Brightling Master Carriers.

Brightlings, founded in 1867, was a prominent Christchurch carrier and Richard became a protégé of MD Ralph Higgot.

An innovative entrepreneur, Higgot had a huge influence on Richard’s early career, encouraging him to be expansive in his thinking and continually challenging his skill set.

By the mid-‘70s Richard was ready to “guide his own ship” and started work with the Owens Group (Trailways).

In the next 10 years he held senior positions with the company in Christchurch, Tauranga and Auckland, before returning to Christchurch, where he managed a temperature-controlled goods distribution company.

In 1986 he was appointed to the position of general manager and director of NZ Express Transport Group. He led the company for 20 years, until the business was sold in 2005 and he retired from fulltime employment.

Through his career Richard saw significant changes and key developments in the industry. In hometown Christchurch he saw the transition of the Port of Lyttleton from rail to road following the opening of the road tunnel in the early 1960s…. and nationally he worked through the advent of the ISO shipping container, which had a major influence on vehicle size, design and efficiencies.

Richard believes the industry benefits from strong local associations and the commitment of members – financially and with time and expertise.

He believes no single person has all the right answers and the outcomes won’t suit every operator’s business – but feels it’s 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. T&D