Working Classics
Still earning after all these years
Above: At work for 34 years, Mack R Series NT9524 is now owned and operated by Hamilton’s Derek Smith.
Right: Purchased new by Road Metals in 1988, NT9524 began life as a tractor and tipulator unit at the Clyde Dam construction.
By Colin Smith WHEN DEREK SMITH TAKES A REST BREAK FROM working the Waikato roads in his 1988 R Series Mack, it’s not uncommon for strangers to begin asking questions. Chances are it’s a request for a photo of the iconic workhorse or an offer to buy it. Derek’s happy to oblige the photographers but parting company with the twomillion-kilometre bulldog won’t happen anytime soon. Derek, 77, and the Mack – which will be 35 years old next year – have two decades of history together and plenty of stories of their own going even further back. And they continue building on that history by working five or six days a week based out of Hamilton where the sight and sound of an `80s vintage R Series gets its share of attention on the road. 70 | Truck & Driver
The 11-litre, 300hp Mack R686 RST 6x4 was registered NT9524 on July 21, 1988, going to work for Road Metals Co Ltd carting aggregate on the Clyde Dam construction. NT9524 was christened ‘Just Magic’ and started its life as a 6x4 tractor unit working in a `tipulator’ configuration. But Road Metals had made the purchase with some forward planning. “Because we knew that the [Clyde Dam] contract was limited, we ordered a longer wheelbase knowing that its life as a semi would eventually change to a truck and trailer, which it did in 1990,” says managing director Murray Francis. Throughout its working life at Road Metals and later
