NZ Truck & Driver October 2023

NZ TRUCK & DRIVER

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| October 2023

October 2023 $10.90 incl. GST

BIG TEST Widespread Acclaim | FLEET FOCUS Where the rubber leaves the road | FEATURE: 2023 Election Special

FLEET FOCUS Where the rubber leaves the road

FEATURE 2023 Election Special

Issue 272

Widespread Acclaim

The Official Magazine of

ISSN 2703-6278

Deals on Daily Vans and Cab Chassis Sale ends November 2023

Auckland & Northland Kerry Webb 021 347 118

Waikato Brent Landers 022 123 4626

Lower North Island Elliot Barnard 021 347 869

Upper South Island Straun Syme 027 434 0846

Lower South Island Tony Symons 021 243 5950

TD33827

Auckland David Didsbury 027 403 2035

CONTENTS Issue 272 – October 2023

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News The latest news from the world of road transport including…. Kiwi-built electric fire rescue truck unveiled at Brisbane Expo… Autonomous road train trials in Western Australia… Heavy Haulage conference in Southland… Dunedin marks 30 years of Special Rigs for Special Kids… Patchell Industries celebrates 50 Years… and the NZ Super Truck season starts at Manfeild on Labour weekend.

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44

63

Teletrac Navman Fleet Focus

73

CrediFlex Recently Registered

The battle continues with Isuzu edging back ahead of Fuso during August as new registration figures continue to see the New Zealand new truck market delivering strong sales numbers. Plus, our monthly gallery of new trucks on the road.

COLUMNS 81 It’s Political Election Special: With the general election looming on October 14, five of the major political parties offer their views on transport industry issues.

Rumble Guts

89

Childhood trucking memories encouraged Steve Ensor from Tirau Earthmovers to restore an example of his favourite truck. The International F1800D Loadstar has just been completed in company colours.

91

REGULARS: 80/ Double Coin Tyres NZ Transport 81 Imaging Awards

National Road Carriers Association Chief Executive Justin Tighe-Umbers takes a look at what the main political parties have to offer to the trucking industry ahead of the General Election.

New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association Road works are vital to the highway network but layout changes and full closures can be a challenge for heavy haulage operators.

Recognising NZ’s best-looking trucks… including a giant pull-out poster of this month’s finalist.

Where the Rubber Leaves the Road: Rollestonbased Tyre Collection Services travels the South Island collecting used tyres for recycling and export.

With new regulations coming into force, founder Daryl Shackleton says the company is well-placed for new recycling opportunities.

MANAGEMENT

TMC Celebrates 75 Years Founded in Christchurch in 1948, the Trailer Manufacturing Company has evolved over 75 years and three generations of the Currie family into New Zealand’s oldest truck body and trailer manufacturer under the TMC brand.

Transporting New Zealand Interim Chief Executive Dom Kalasih looks at the some of the political topics around transport and roading in the lead up to the General Election. And chairman Warwick Wilshier renews the call for industry unity.

93

The Uhlenberg story weaves together a love of `big gear’, family values and a passion for the sport of speedway in their home region of Taranaki.

Giti Tyres Big Test Widespread Acclaim: Nelson region groundspread operator Brooks Spreading has built a 100% Iveco spreader fleet over recent years. And it’s just become home to first of the new generation Iveco T-Way models to go to work in New Zealand.

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FEATURES: 58 Southpac Trucks Legends

ADMINISTRATION MANAGER

Publisher

Trevor Woolston 027 492 5600 trevor@trucker.co.nz

Trudy Woolston

Advertising

Victor Georgiades 021 925 600 victor@trucker.co.nz

Trudy Woolston Phone

Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz

admin@trucker.co.nz

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NZ subscription $110 incl. GST for one year price (11 issues) Overseas rates on application ADDRESS

EDITORIAL Editor

Colin Smith 021 510319 colin@trucker.co.nz

Associate Editor

Brian Cowan

CONTRIBUTORS

Brian Cowan Olivia Beauchamp Gerald Shacklock David Kinch

ART DEPARTMENT Design & Production Luca Bempensante Zarko Mihic EQUIPMENT GUIDE AUCKLAND, NORTHLAND, BOP, WAIKATO, CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Advertising Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz

AUCKLAND, LOWER NORTH ISLAND, SOUTH ISLAND Advertising Hayden Woolston 027 448 8768 hayden@trucker.co.nz

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NEWS

The build of the Volvo FL Electric unit for ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) Canberra was completed by Fraser Fire and Rescue.

Kiwi build for first Aussie EV fire truck AUSTR ALIA’S FIRST ZERO-EMISSION EMERGENCY service vehicle was launched with plenty of fanfare at the recent Australasian Fire and Authorities (AFAC) conference in Brisbane.

Based on a Volvo FL Electric, the new truck is set to join the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) fleet in Canberra.

The pioneering EV build is the work of Lower Hutt’s Fraser Fire and Rescue, part of Fraser Engineering which has played a leading role as a fire engine manufacturer since it purchased Hutt Valley-based Lowes Industries in 2000.

Fraser Engineering has more than 1000 of its fire appliances working in the New Zealand Fire Service as well as in South Australia, ACT, Victoria, Northern Territory, and the Pacific islands.

The Volvo build was the Kiwi constructors first foray into EVs with the work being completed at a rapid pace and with minimal publicity.

“When we received the cab and chassis, we only had four months to finish the truck,” says Fraser Engineering managing director Martin Simpson.

“I’d say that’s faster than anyone else in the world could do it.

“We had it under wraps until it was unveiled in Brisbane, but the cat is out of the bag now.”

The New Zealand content in the Volvo is significant.

“We built the entire body from the ground up, all the electrics and the communications gear and also we did all of the internal fit out,” Simpson says.

It’s the first electric appliance built by Fraser Engineering and only some of the processes used in building diesel units could be carried over to the EV. “It was a real challenge for our electrical team who learnt an enormous amount that can be used going forward, and will be a huge advantage to us,” Simpson says.

2 | Truck & Driver

“There is huge interest in many different applications for this technology and with this unit to showcase the quality of our work, I think the opportunities are massive and we are very excited.”

Among those to attend the unveiling of the inaugural EV fire truck were ACT Minister for Police and EmergencyServices, Mick Gentleman MLA; ACT Fire & Rescue Chief Officer, Matthew Mavity; Deputy Head of Mission atthe Embassy of Sweden, Mr. Per Linner, and Volvo Group Australia President and CEO, Martin Merrick.

“This is a significant milestone for the ACT. Transitioning emergency services operational support vehicles tozero emissions vehicles is a crucial step to achieving our government’s nation-leading target of net zeroemissions by 2045,” Minister Gentleman says.

The Volvo FL Electric is Australia’s first zero-emissions logistics vehicle and is a milestone in a partnership established between Volvo Group Australia and the ESA in July 2022. It will be used for important tasks including operational support for Fire & Rescue teams.

“Transport accounts for 19% of Australia’s carbon emissions, and 38% of that is from road vehicles. With this project, government and the emergency services are leading by example in moving to net-zero vehicles,” says Martin Merrick.

“Early adopters like the ESA and ACT Government should be commended and Volvo is proud to be supporting their work to shape a more sustainable world.”

The Volvo FL Electric has a 135kW/425Nm electric motor and the battery capacity of 265KWh allows an estimated range of up to 300km.

Following initial Volvo driver training and vehicle implementation processes, the vehicle is expected to gointo operational service in and around the ACT in early 2024.

The Australasian Fire and Authorities (AFAC) conference is the region’s largest emergency managementconference and exhibition.

NEWS

Auckland hikes vehicle booking fees Port of Auckland plays a critical role as provider of strategic infrastructure to the national supply chain.

PORT OF AUCKLAND (POAL) will hike its Vehicle Booking System (VBS) prices from the beginning of next year, adding further cost pressures for New Zealand importers and exporters as well as transport operators servicing the port.

The National Road Carriers (NRC) says the 59% increase in VBS prices are part of an escalation of costs which are threatening the viability of many carriers, who are unable to pass on the higher costs until contracts can be renegotiated.

“While VBS charges are eventually paid for by cargo importers and exporters, the challenge for transport operators is they are forced carry the costs in the interim, while contracts are renegotiated, often out of cycle, in an effort to be reimbursed appropriately,” says Justin Tighe-Umbers, NRC Chief Executive.

Details of the price rises include Peak VBS charges increasing from $65 to $95 and Off-peak VBS charges from $20 to $40. It equates to an average VBS increase from $42.50 to $67.50.

NRC says the increase comes on the back of large increases which have seen POAL move from a flat vehicle booking rate of $8 to new Peak and Off-peak rates that are now up to 10 times higher than operators were paying two years ago.

“It’s clear POAL is under pressure to improve profitability, and that the Mayor and the Council are asking for a better commercial return for Auckland rate payers,” says Tighe-Umbers.

NRC says signalling the price hikes the four month in advance is of some benefit, but transport operators have the right to expect that improved services will accompany the increases.

“My advice for transport operators is use the time wisely: alerting your customers now is how you can help to avoid any price shocks,” says TigheUmbers.

“But there must be a quid-pro-quo here – transport operators need to see improved services and should not just be considered an easy revenue tap to turn on.

“We met with POAL seeking more detail on the relationship between the underlying operational costs with facilitating container road transport and how this relates to the VBS charge. With the charges going up we were clear that our members expect service enhancements in return for this increased investment. POAL has confirmed they will be investing in better parking and driver facilities, alongside improved service level reporting and issues management.”

NRC has spoken to POAL previously about the need for charges to be related to actual operating costs or cost of capital for future investments.

Tighe-Umbers believes principled pricing is important given any price distortions are magnified on the wider economy due to the port’s critical role as provider of strategic infrastructure to the supply chain, and its near monopoly in the Auckland region.

“It’s positive that POAL has acknowledged transport operators as customers, and taking a more customer-centric approach to operators is important. Confirmation that revenue from the increases helps fund capital investments on landside that improve road transport operations will certainly be welcomed,” says Tighe-Umbers.

“We are continuing to have conversations with POAL on how a structured, predictable pricing model for road transport operator charges could work, and we will continue to advocate for our members to ensure greater transparency around pricing.

“It’s clear POAL is on a journey to return sustainable profitability, we’re asking for a clear five-year price path so transport operators can better manage the impact.”

NRC Chief Executive Justin TigheUmbers wants improved services to accompany the price increases.

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NEWS

Autonomy is way out west Mineral Resources is putting 120 autonomous road trains to work (above) while Liebherr is trialling autonomous operation of its 240-tonne haul truck (below).

AUSTR ALIA’S MINING SECTOR IS PLAYING A LEAD role in the development of autonomous heavy-duty transport solutions.

Mineral Resources (MinRes) recently announced plans to deploy a fleet of 120 fully autonomous road trains equipped with an autonomous haulage solution provided by specialists Hexagon AB. The world’s first fully autonomous road trains have been designed and developed for MinRes’ flagship Onslow Iron project in Western Australia.

The vehicles combine technological expertise from Hexagon’s Autonomous Solutions with MinRes’ operational knowledge. They promise benefits including removing the risk of driver fatigue, increasing fleet availability, lowering operating costs and reducing fuel use and emissions.

A team of operators will control the fleet from a central operating centre in Onslow. MinRes is also developing an artificial intelligence-powered monitoring system.

Autonomous road trains form an essential part of the cost-effective and dust-free supply chain that will unlock deposits in the West Pilbara that would otherwise remain undeveloped.

Each triple-trailer vehicle will carry 330 tonnes of iron ore about 150km on a dedicated private haul road from the Ken’s Bore mine site to the Port of Ashburton.

Safety is at the forefront of the and there is no interaction between the autonomous road trains operating on the haul road and vehicles using public roads.

Testing of autonomous road trains has been progressing at MinRes’ Yilgarn iron ore operations since late 2021 ahead of deployment at Onslow Iron.

The project, which is the cornerstone of MinRes’ strategy to deliver lowcost, long-life iron ore operations, will ship about 35 million tonnes of iron ore per year from mid-2024.

“We’re excited to cement our partnership with Hexagon to deliver the world’s first fleet of autonomous road trains, which will be an essential part of Onslow Iron’s safe, efficient and dust-free solution for hauling ore,” says Mike Grey, MinRes Chief Executive, Mining Services.

“Automation will remove the risk of driver fatigue, lower operating costs and reduce fuel use and emissions. There’s enormous potential for these vehicles to transform mining across the world.”

Hexagon AB is a Swedish software, sensor and autonomous technologies pioneer.

“We see autonomy as a way to vastly improve our world,” says Paolo Guglielmini, Hexagon President and CEO. He says the agreement with MinRes will ensure that transport activities will be safer, more sustainable, and more productive.

“I’m excited to see how similar solutions can be applied in other markets such as agriculture and heavy industry.”

In another Western Australian project, Liebherr’s ongoing development of autonomous haulage technology has reached an important stage with onsite validation of the Liebherr Autonomous Haulage Solution (AHS) now underway.

Liebherr Mining has deployed an autonomous trial fleet of four T 264 trucks to a mine in Western Australia, having completed comprehensive internal validation at its own test sites.

This onsite validation of the 240-tonne trucks marks a new stage of Liebherr’s strategy to accelerate development of a new autonomy product for the mining industry.

“After significant research, development, and programme planning, Liebherr is excited to announce the commencement of onsite Autonomous Haulage Solution validation as we move to deploy the next generation of autonomy technology for mining equipment,” says Scott Bellamy, Divisional General Manager, Product Management, for Liebherr Mining.

“This deployment not only represents Liebherr Mining’s market introduction of the AHS, but also highlights Liebherr’s continued expansion as a technology solution provider for the mining industry.”

Truck & Driver | 5

NEWS

The last Aussie-built Iveco ACCO has been donated to the National Road Transport Museum in Alice Springs.

Final ACCO finds a home AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT MUSEUM in Alice Springs has become home to the last Euro 5 ACCO produced at the Dandenong plant in Melbourne.

Iveco Australia has donated the `end-of-an-era’ ACCO to the museum as it prepares to launch an all-new ACCO before the end of this year.

The outright donation will see the truck on regular display at the museum, allowing visitors to enjoy this iconic model of the Australian road transport industry for generations to come.

The donated 6x4 ACCO cab chassis, which is finished in bright red paintwork, was produced in November 2019, and has since been in storage.

It’s the last example of the fully built local model before being superseded in 2020 by a new ACCO version based on a global platform from Europe.

The truck was transported from Melbourne to Alice Springs just in time for the Australian Festival of Transport in late August.

Adding additional interest to the delivery was the vehicle transporter, one of PrixCar Services’ stunning new Iveco S-Way AS 550 prime movers and drop deck trailer.

IVECO ANZ Managing Director, Michael May, says that the National Road Transport Museum was a fitting home for the final Euro 5 ACCO produced.

“In the late 1960s through to the early 2000s, the ACCO played a massive role in Australia and New Zealand, being the truck of choice for a great many applications including general freight, linehaul, emergency service work and vocational duties including waste collection and agitator work,” May says.

“In more recent years ACCO’s primary focus was the refuse industry where it continues to be a favourite among operators for its extreme 6 | Truck & Driver

reliability and low total cost of ownership benefits, in what is arguably one of the most demanding truck applications there is.

“At the end of 2019, IVECO celebrated the delivery of the 90,000th ACCO, a testament to the overall success of the model, so the truck’s inclusion within the National Road Transport Museum is deserved and well earned.

“And while it may mark the end of an era, we very much look forward to what the future holds with the imminent release of all-new ACCO,” says May. In accepting the donation, Road Transport Historical Society Inc. CEO, Nick Prus, cited the contribution that ACCO has made to the Australian road transport landscape over many years.

“As an exhibit, the last locally manufactured Euro 5 ACCO aligns very well with the goals of the museum: to preserve the heritage of the local road transport industry. The ACCO will be on permanent displace in the ‘Trucks in Action’ venue, which showcases the diversity of vehicles that were built in Australia.”

While this generation ACCO has been consigned to history, the latest all-new iteration of the model will be available in Australia in the coming months, with IVECO already taking multi vehicle orders for the truck from several national fleet operators within the refuse sector.

Advancements include the latest active and passive safety features, powerful yet efficient engines that meet stringent Euro 6 (Step E) emission standards, and enhanced cabins that are more comfortable and fatiguereducing.

A further benefit of the new ACCO is the availability of a locally designed and engineered dual control system designed specifically for the model.

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NEWS

Big Chill powers up its fleet

Big Chill is updating its fleet with new Volvo models.

KIWI TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED TRANSPORT company, Big Chill, is taking delivery of 12 new Volvo FH 16 tractor units as part of a significant upgrade to its fleet.

The Volvos are being deployed nationwide and will join the company’s existing 150-strong fleet of refrigerated trucks and tractor units.

Big Chill is scaling up operations following its purchase by listed company Freightways and also taking delivery of a further 24 replacement Volvo FM 500 truck and tractor units this year.

The trucks will support an increased Big Chill network of 11 depots as they transport chilled and frozen goods to retail and food service industries.

“The Volvo FH16 is an industry icon. It’s a big step up from what we’ve typically used for fleet vehicles,” says Big Chill General Manager Phil Clarke.

“The new trucks are big and powerful. Their powertrains are designed for heavier loads, which is spot on for the meat, seafood and dairy we’re moving

up and down the country.”

The Volvos are powered by 600hp EURO 5 engines and Big Chill will be able to load up to 52 pallets on each truck – a 10% increase in capacity over standard refrigerated trailers.

With Volvo trucks’ I-Shift automated gearbox technology and fully digital driver interface display, the trucks are customised specially for Big Chill’s needs to move chilled and frozen goods. The I-Shift system communicates with the engine, allowing it to adjust the revs and brakes for best performance.

“It’s clever tech that is constantly evaluating information about speed, weight, road grade and torque demand. Essentially it makes for an easier, safer and more comfortable ride for our drivers,” says Phil.

“Our long-haul truckies can cover up to 3,800 kilometres a week, so having a smooth, safe ride is really important.”

Waikato’s transport history in pictures OPOTIKI-BASED TRUCK INDUSTRY HISTORIAN GAVIN Abbot has been at work again producing another regional trucking history.

Waikato Trucks and Truckers is a 178-page pictorial history in 44 chapters which backgrounds many of the early fleets of the wider Waikato region along with some of the key suppliers and manufacturers who kept their wheels rolling.

It’s the twelfth book Gavin Abbot has written and the eleventh title in his Trucks and Truckers series.

For the most part Waikato Trucks and Truckers looks at firms that started during the 1930s, `40s and `50s.

But there is a 100-year connection between the Walker electric trucks used for milk collection at the Waitoa Dairy in the early 1920s and Fonterra’s battery electric truck now on trial at the site.

Brands including Commer, Leader, Bedford, Leyland and ERF, which were regular sights on the road during the era, are featured.

The book takes a look at some of the key players in Waikato history such as Roose Industries, Cambridge Transport, B. Cronin & Co and Crown Transport.

Some of those fleets have vanished or been merged into larger operations while other chapters look to beginnings of modern era

powerhouse operators such as J Swap and Regal Haulage as well as the origins of TRT’s current operation.

The book is priced at $65 plus $10 postage. Full contact details are published in the classified section of this month’s magazine (Page 104 ).

Truck & Driver | 9

NEWS

Oversize focus at Invercargill conference

Above: The Ascot Park Hotel was the venue for the HHA conference.

Right: Carl Baker (left) receives his award from Greig Running.

Below Left: King House Removals brought its Mack Titan to conference.

Below Right: Alex McLellan receives his Chairman’s Award.

INDUSTRY LEADERS AND DEDICATED OPERATORS met in Invercargill in August where the NZ Heavy Haulage Association Conference put the focus on the oversize freight transport sector.

The Ascot Park Hotel hosted industry discussions and presentations by industry regulators and enforcement personnel, while the programme also featured visits to unique Southland attractions.

The outstanding Bill Richardson Transport World was a highlight for many members – who hadn’t seen the massive expansion of the display and facility since 2007 – culminating in the Modern Transport Engineers dinner there on the Thursday evening.

The Ascot Park allows a great opportunity to display trucks outside the venue. This included trucks units from Mack and Scania, while local members, King House Removals, Scobie’s Transport, McLellan Freight and Southland Machine Hire also had trucks on display.

The HWR Hydrogen project team introduced its second dual fuel truck and generated a lot of interest.

The highlight of the Mack Trucks Dinner & Awards was the presentation of the Outstanding Achievement Award to Carl Baker of Hastings House Removals.

Named after Gus Breen, one of the HHA founders, the memorial award

10 | Truck & Driver

recognises members for their achievements over many years in this sector.

Carl served as the chairman for four years, as well the House Mover Group convenor for four years, and spent 13 years in total as a board member. Carl also led the Association’s involvement in the Environment Court Appeals to free up the planning controls on relocated houses in the Hastings, South Taranaki and Ruapehu council areas.

In addition, Greig Running presented a Chairman’s Award to Alex McLellan. Alex has been a valued director of the association and has been instrumental in building relationships and bringing on the Heavy Recovery group members into the association. For nearly a decade he has been the convenor of the association’s Recovery Group.

The association would like to acknowledge the support of all our sponsors, and in particular NZ Truck & Driver or their support.

Among the key issues discussed during the conference was the need to keep oversize routes open while road works are occurring.

While ensuring the design of new roading projects and safety initiatives caters for oversize loads, the increasing desire by contractors to fully close roads for planned maintenance works makes for challenges on most oversize freight trips. There remains much work for the association to follow-up on behalf of its members.

Driving the Next 100 Years

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Register your Kenworth today at www.spt.co.nz/kw100 Gates open for truck parking 1st and 2nd February.

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NEWS

Champion Alex Little leads Brent Collins and Shane Gray at Timaru last summer.

Photo Euan Cameron

Manfeild opens Super Truck season WITH A CALENDAR EXPANDED TO FIVE ROUNDS this summer, the 2023-24 NAPA Auto Parts New Zealand Super Truck Racing Series begins at Manfeild over Labour weekend.

The October 20-21 event runs in conjunction with the Manawatu Car Club’s popular OctoberFast race meeting and provides the early season action as young Hutt Valley racer Alex Little looks to defend his national title.

Little and his South Canterbury team-mate Brent `Bones’ Collins will both be leading contenders in the pair of Freightliners run by Malcolm Little’s Boss Truck Racing squad.

Malcolm and Alex travelled to the UK and Europe over the winter to attend truck racing events and learn about some of the latest set-ups being used by the leading teams.

A field of between nine and 11 trucks is expected for the coming season with a new truck built by Ash Hey likely to debut at the Timaru round in January.

“Last season went very well, especially the Flying Farewell meeting at Pukekohe,” says Truck Racing Association president Dave West.

Shane Gray returns with some off-season upgrades to his Kenworth.

12 | Truck & Driver

“We’ve got NAPA Auto Parts onboard again as the series sponsor and good sponsors lined up for each round. The series had a lot more profile last season and our aim is to keep building on that.

“One change we’ve made this season is for the Flying Farewell race at the end of each meeting.

“It’s a chance to put some different drivers in the trucks and we’d like to see more drivers taking part in this.

“The problem has been, because they haven’t qualified, they’ve had to start at the back of a reverse grid race.

“We’ve borrowed an idea from the `Truckie’s Mate’ races they have in Australia so there will be a separate qualifying and points up for grabs for the Flying Farewell over the season.

“The idea is to get some new drivers out there and get some of them excited enough to want to build their own trucks.”

In addition to Little, Collins and West the grid is expected to include the Kenworth of Shane Gray, the Easy Moves team of Aucklanders Connor (Volvo) and Troy Etting (Kenworth), Ron Salter (Scania), Marc King (International) and the Bedford of Tony Brand.

Gray’s Quality Demolition team has further developed the Kenworth T404 over the winter, unleashing some more horsepower and upgrading the gearbox.

“Our target is to be banging on the back bumpers of those Little trucks this season,” says Gray.

Former champ Troy Wheeler (Freightliner) isn’t expected to contest the championship this summer.

The round sponsor for the Manfeild series opener is Central House Movers. The remaining four rounds take place in the New Year with Timaru’s Level’s International Raceway having a January 27-28 date.

In March the action remains in the South Island with round three at Invercargill’s Teretonga Park on March 16-17 followed by the Ruapuna circuit near Christchurch on March 23-24. There’s a fortnight break before the finale at Manfeild on April 6-7.

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NEWS Reilly’s Towage and Salvage are the title sponsor of the 2024 Dunedin Truck Show.

Dunedin’s big show ready to roll DUNEDIN TRUCK SHOW PLANNING IS NOW INTO gear with the 2024 event set for Saturday January 27.

Well-known Dunedin firm Reilly’s Towage & Salvage has been confirmed as the main sponsor for the popular summer event, which is held at the Mosgiel A&P Showgrounds in Dukes Rd. “The committee welcomes Reilly’s as the new sponsor to the show and can’t wait to see their set up on the day, especially the custom-built 5-axle Freightliner Argosy used for all kinds of heavy vehicle recovery,” says show organiser Stan Mason.

Earlier this year the Dunedin event rebounded from a Covid-19

postponement in 2022 to attract a 48-strong turnout of modern and classic trucks. Prizes were awarded in more than 25 categories along with the sought after Sponsor’s Choice award.

Proceeds from the fundraising barbeque – supplied by Dynes Transport –benefit the non-profit Arthur Burns kindergarten in Mosgiel.

The Reilly’s Towage & Salvage Dunedin Truck Show is held in conjunction with a wide range of other attractions at the annual Taieri A&P Show. Trucks can enter the venue from 7am with the Show & Shine judging starting at 9am and public entry from 10am.

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NEWS

Mack role is the dream job

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TD32694

MACK TRUCK’S NEWLY APPOINTED NATIONAL SALES Mack trucks. Their most recent purchase is a 1945 EH (currently being Manager Zane Ryan, says the role is his `dream job’. restored) which will eventually take pride of place beside their 1984 R A passionate Mack owner himself, Zane started in the new role from Model Mack.

September 1.

“Mack trucks play an important part in many New Zane Ryan is the new Mack Zealand fleets,” says Zane.

Trucks National Sales Manager.

“Not just because Mack offers the highest horse power conventional truck on the market but because of the intergenerational customer loyalty that the brand inspires.

“Many of our customers have purchased Mack trucks over three or more generations and have made the unique Mack look and feel an important part of their own brand. There’s a certain American-style toughness that business owners and drivers are really drawn to.”

Zane has worked within Sime Darby Motors NZ for the past 21 years, most recently as National Sales Manager for Used Trucks NZ. “I see my appointment to this role as a privilege,” he says.

“The Mack team are caretakers of a brand that has been extremely successful over the last 50 years.”

Zane and his wife Nicky are proud owners of two

YOUR HAMMAR. YOUR WAY

HAMMAR 195:

+ Versatile – PrecisionLeg™ for optimal stabilising + Light – low tare + Strong – 36-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) or 40-tonne option + Stable – legs extend for firm base and transfer + Weighing – by each crane or total + High lift – ideal for stacking option + Reach – long outreach cranes + Ease – crane/stabiliser side-by-side design + Safety+™ – computer monitored handling as std + SDS – Hammar Soft-Drive System + Flex – Trailer or Truckmounted

HAMMAR 110:

+ Fast – new SledgeLeg™ technology, 50% faster + Narrow – SledgeLeg™ use for confined spaces + Light – from 8.4-tonne tare + Safe – optimal crane geometry + Reach – long outreach cranes + Weighing – by each crane or total + Strong – 36-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) + Stable – legs extend for firm base and transfer + High lift – ideal for stacking option + Ease – crane/stabiliser side-by-side design + Safety+™ – computer monitored handling as std + SDS – Hammar Soft-Drive System + Flex – Trailer or Truckmounted

HAMMAR 130:

+ Versatile – handles two 20’ containers or one 40’ container via 3 cranes + Unique – middle crane folds into chassis to accommodate a single 40’ + Sliding – for maximum payload with a single 20’ option + Light – only 7.5 tonne tare + Strong – 16-tonne Safe Working Load (SWL) + Stable – legs extend for firm base and transfer + Reach – long outreach cranes + Ease – crane/stabiliser side-by-side design + SDS – Hammar Soft-Drive System + Flex – Trailer or Truckmounted

Every freight delivery is different, so our three high-performance HAMMAR models are designed for your needs. Each HAMMAR is constructed from premium grade steel from Swedish and NZ components, to be stable, strong, fast and built to last. Designed for easy operation, service and maintenance in mind. You cannot buy a better sideloader.

With more than 45 years experience in sideloaders and a reputation for quality of manufacturing and service, HAMMAR sets the standard.

Now sold in 122 countries HAMMAR Sideloaders are Made in New Zealand from local and Swedish components to suit YOUR transport needs.

Hammar New Zealand Ltd, 16 Marphona Cres, Takanini, Auckland. 0800 2 HAMMAR sales.nz@hammarlift.com www hammarlift.com

TD33397

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND

NEWS

The project takes electricity generated from solar panels on the trailer to boost a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Solar boosted Scania hybrid SCANIA IS PART OF A TRIAL ON SWEDISH ROADS TO gauge the potential for solar energy to reduce transport emissions.

The new concept in vehicle electrification sees a plug-in hybrid truck paired with a solar panel-covered trailer. The testbed is now being trialled on public roads, as part of a two-year research collaboration involving Scania, Uppsala University, Eksjö Maskin & Truck, Midsummer, Ernsts Express, and Dalakraft.

As well as examining how carbon emissions can be decreased via energy from the solar panels, the study also looks at how trucks can interact with the power grid, including what will happen if several trucks like this are connected to the power grid.

“This is an exciting project where academia and industry together try to decrease the climate impact from truck transports. The results from this unique truck will be very interesting,” says Erik Johansson, Project Manager and Professor of physical chemistry at Uppsala University.

The 18-metre trailer is almost completely covered with newly developed, efficient, and lightweight solar panels suitable for trucks.

The solar powered truck has been developed in a research project partly funded by government agency of innovation Vinnova, to develop trucks with low climate impact thanks to solar energy.

The truck is a 560 horsepower plug-in hybrid while the 18-metre trailer has an area of 100 square metres covered by thin, lightweight and flexible solar panels with a maximum efficiency of 13.2 kWp (kilowatt peak).

They are estimated to deliver 8,000 kilowatt hour (kWh) annually when operated in Sweden. The batteries have a total capacity of 300 kWh, with 100 kWh on the truck and 200kWh on the trailer.

It’s estimated the solar energy gives the hybrid truck a prolonged driving range of up to 5,000km annually in Sweden. In countries like Spain, with more sun hours, the vehicle can double the amount of solar energy and thus driving range compared to Swedish conditions.

The project also includes research on new, lightweight tandem solar cells, that are based on a combination of Midsummer’s solar cells and new perovskite solar cells. These enable a higher efficiency in the transformation of sunlight to electricity. Such a solution could double the solar energy generation, compared to the current energy generated by the panels.

“Our solar panels are excellent for applications that make commercial vehicles sustainable. We see great potential to decrease the emissions from heavy vehicles with electrification. Electricity generated by solar panels will save fuel and carbon emissions,” says Erik Olsson, Head of Corporate Development, Midsummer.

One part of the project is to evaluate the charging’s impact on the electricity grid and whether it would be possible to sell the surplus. The possibility of two-way charging is not entirely straightforward and the legislation is unclear.

“We thought we would be able to buy the trucks surplus, unfortunately that is not possible at the moment. But the solar cells becoming part of the truck’s energy supply is fantastic. As an electricity trading company, we see that all renewable energy sources are needed to cope with the energy transition,” says Sverker Ericsson, Electrical Trade Engineer at Dalakraft.

The truck is now being tested on public roads by the haulage company Ernsts Express AB. Truck & Driver | 17

NEWS

Above: A record 324 vehicles took part in the 30th edition of Dunedin’s `Special Rigs for Special Kids’ run.

Below left: Fulton Hogan have been long-time supporters of the Dunedin event.

Below right: Ready to roll – winter weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm or the turnout.

Dunedin’s 30 special years DU NEDIN’S ANNUAL ` SPECI AL RIGS FOR SPECI AL Kids’ day was held for the 30th time this year, with a record 324 trucks braving some chilly late-August weather to support the community event.

Special Rigs for Special Kids began in 1992, founded by Greg Inch who had heard of a similar event in the UK. The inaugural event attracted 120 trucks and ran each year until Covid-19 saw the 2020 and 2021 events cancelled. The eagerly awaited restart in 2022 saw a convoy of 220 trucks making the run from Dunedin to Mosgiel, and return.

Based at the Edgar Centre and with road closures on adjacent streets to park the huge of fleet of trucks, the event takes local children – including many with special needs – for a ride in a truck followed by a barbeque lunch.

Even the weather couldn’t prevent 30 years being celebrated in style on August 27.

“We had a pretty damp day with a bit of sleet and a bit of hail and by the time I’d flagged away all 324 trucks my shoes and socks were soaked,” says organising committee member Michelle Veitch.

“But it was all worth it for an amazing turnout of trucks and families and for an event has now become a real tradition for Dunedin.”

Michelle says both large and small fleets support the events with a number attending all 30 events over the past 32 years.

18 | Truck & Driver

“Fulton Hogan planned to have 30 trucks for 30 years but in the end, they had 33 or 34,” Michelle says.

“The Richardson Group also had about 30 trucks here this year.”

The objective is to take children for a ride in a truck, a simple treat that puts huge smiles on faces and is an unforgettable experience for many. It’s also a way to put the industry and its people into the spotlight.

“It’s always the last weekend in August, before the milk season gets underway and the weekend before Father’s Day,” says Michelle.

“I wouldn’t say it’s easy to organise, but it’s become one of these events where everyone knows what it’s about and how it works. And you don’t need to convince anyone to get involved.”

The event is run entirely by volunteers, including NZ Police CVST members who volunteer their time to help lead the convoy, do point duty, and help with traffic flow.

St John Ambulance also provides volunteers to help if any medical needs arise during the event and the team of volunteers from the Lions man the barbeques. Many of the helpers are the families and friends of committee members who come back in force each year to lend a hand.

Greg and the committee would like to thank everyone who gets behind Special Rigs for Special Kids each year to make it such a successful event.

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NEWS

Above: The Patchell 50 Years celebration was attended by nearly 400 guests and was hosted by comedian Ben Hurley.

Below and opposite page lower left: Guests were greeted by a display of recent Patchell Industries builds.

Above right: Ian Patchell founded his company in 1972 as a small repair workshop in Rotorua and soon built a reputation for innovative designs.

Far Right: Chief Executive Brent Whibley was among the speakers during the evening.

20 | Truck & Driver

NEWS

Glamour night for Patchell 50th THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY GATHERED AT ROTORUA’S Energy Events Centre on Friday September 8 to celebrate a half century of achievement by leading trailer manufacturer Patchell Industries.

The black tie function was attended by nearly 400 guests and had been in the planning process for a year. Guests included suppliers, customers, staff and former staff who travelled to Rotorua from around the country. One customer made the trip from Sydney to attend the celebration.

At the entry to the Events Centre guests were greeted by a display of the full range of Patchell logging, skeletal, tanker and Swinglift trailer products.

The timing for the celebration is actually 50 years plus for the Rotorua

company, with the actual anniversary falling in late 2022 while company founder Ian Patchell was travelling overseas.

The evening was hosted by comedian Ben Hurley and speakers included Patchell Group CEO Brent Whibley, Patchell Board Chairman John Galbraith, former Rotorua mayors Grahame Hall and Stevie Chadwick and Rotorua MP Todd McClay.

Ian himself thanked the Patchell team past and present for their dedication over the company’s half-century. He spoke of the company cornerstones of “Excellence and Innovation” which have established Patchell Industries as a leader in the New Zealand trailer manufacturing industry.

Truck & Driver | 21

NEWS RAGING ENCOUYEES TO O L P EM UP SPEAK Best prac

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• Make sure polic ies around dive rsity and inclusion are well promoted and easily available to staff and managem ent.

• Make it know n that no matt er who the employee is, their voice is importan t.

• “Big Ears, Sma ll Mouth” – resis t the temptation to immediately resp ond or jump in with sugg estions.

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Team members need to feel like they can talk to managers and their that their conc erns and feedback will be listened w to. Open commun orting Ne building a dive ication is key to • Transp ity rse and inclusive ’s Divers workplace. This especially impo Zealand is rtant in a tradition dominated, ‘toug ally Toolbox h it out’, workplac malee culture.

It’s often hard to be the one to speak up abou discriminatory t or unsafe beha viour at work. it can be even However, tougher for som e minority grou including wom ps, en, racial or ethn ic minorities and members of the LGBTQIA+ com mun may be particula ity. These peop rly reluctant to le rock the boat, a lack of support fearing from managem ent and their peer s.

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keeping quiet about organisat ional problems issues that conc or ern them.

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• Mind your bod y language – mak e sure that your face , body, and voic e signal openness and understanding.

• Reward peop le for speaking honestly encourage a cultu re of speaking up.

• Share back wha t you are hearing – the more people see employee feed back the more likely they are to speak freel y themselves.

Speaking up is also essential for a company’s growth as well as workplace heal th and safety.

When people speak up abou t issues and challenges they are employer to tack experiencing, it helps their le unacceptable beha any broader work place culture issue viour and are too scared s. If people to raise issues, unacceptable behaviour migh t be happenin g without managers know ing what is goin g on.

Managers and senior leadersh ip may benefit from additional training about how to support employees who raise concerns . Diversity Works NZ and InsideOUT Kōar o are non-profi organisations t offering affordabl e resources and training for emp loyers to cham pion diversity, equity and inclu sion.

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• Lead from with in – speak up and tell truth within the organisation. This the help employees will to create a cultu re where people always feel like they can say what is on their mind .

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Diversity Toolbox launched TRANSPORT OPERATORS CAN NOW access practical tools and resources to support diversity and inclusion efforts in the workplace.

Developed by Transporting New Zealand and supported by Teletrac Navman New Zealand, the new Diversity Toolbox is the latest element of the Driving Change Diversity Programme.

It sits within Transporting New Zealand’s Te ara ki tua Road to success programme which aims to get more people into the road transport sector and provide a sustainable career path.

The Toolbox has three priority areas: inclusive recruitment and hiring practices; encouraging employees to speak up about workplace issues; Billy Clemens

22 | Truck & Driver

and supporting employees who are neurodiverse, or who experience bullying and harassment, or are dealing with mental health issues.

The resources will be useful for all transport businesses, whether diversity is already a longstanding priority, or if they’re taking some first steps towards supporting a more inclusive workplace.

Transporting New Zealand policy and projects advisor Billy Clemens is confident trucking businesses of all sizes will find the toolbox helpful.

“We encourage all trucking operators to download or order the Diversity Toolbox resources. You might end up using the inclusive job advertisement template, sticking up one of the customisable posters in the smoko room, or reviewing your policies and processes against the best practice guidance,” he says.

“There’s something in here for all transport businesses, even if you’re one of the many operators already doing great work to create a supportive environment for all your staff.”

Sarah James, Teletrac Navman’s marketing manager, says the Diversity Toolbox aligns with the company’s commitment to supporting an inclusive commercial road freight industry made up of people from diverse communities.

“We strongly believe that the transport industry can only benefit from a culture where all voices are heard and all talents are celebrated. It made perfect sense for us to support the creation of this Diversity Toolbox as part of our commitment to the Driving Change Diversity Programme,” Sarah says.

“By embracing diversity in the transport industry, we tackle driver shortages, reduce

turnover, and elevate productivity. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

The Diversity Toolbox is the latest development in the Driving Change Diversity Programme.

Last year, ten `Diversity Champions’ were nominated from across the road transport sector to attend a two-day Diversity Workshop and have their stories shared with the transport industry and wider community.

Included in the Diversity Toolbox is a Driver Recruitment Guide to assist with producing job advertisements, position descriptions and interviewing practices which appeal to a wider pool of applicants.

Encouraging Employees to Speak Up Is a best-practice pamphlet for employers, providing guidance about how to encourage your staff to raise issues with management.

The toolbox includes a set of customisable workplace poster templates setting out a simple process for how to speak up in the workplace.

This identifies unacceptable conduct (ranging from racist and sexist behaviour, to health and safety concerns), sets out what complainants can expect from their employer, as well as the correct supervisor or manager to contact.

There’s also an easy-to-read 8-page Supporting Your Employees booklet covering issues such as how to deal with bullying, mental health problems and supporting neurodiverse employees.

There is also a series of step-by-step processes that employers can compare against what they are doing currently.

The free resources can be downloaded or ordered directly by transport businesses at www. roadtosuccess.nz

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24 | Truck & Driver

BIG TEST

i despread Acclaim Story Colin Smith Photos Gerald Shacklock

Brooks Spreading is the first New Zealand firm to put the new Iveco T-Way to work.

Truck & Driver | 25

CELEBRATING 50+ YEARS OF PATCHELL - 1972 - 2023

Contact us for further information

PATCH HE ELLLL PATC

ALL ENQUIRIES: Peter Rickard 021 490 353 | peterrickard@patchell.co.nz Glenn Heybourn 021 301 274 | glennheybourn@patchell.co.nz Paul Bristol 021 328 619 | paulbristol@patchell.co.nz

GROUP OF COMPANIES

HEAD OFFICE: 150 View Road, ROTORUA 07 348 7746 enquiries@patchell.co.nz

www.patchell.co.nz

The Brooks Spreading trucks work throughout the Nelson and Blenheim regions and clock up more on-road kilometres than most spreader units do.

MONG THE MANY DEMANDING ROLES TRUCKS are called upon to perform in New Zealand, groundspread work ranks as one of the most specialised.

Putting a state-of-the-art groundspread unit to work means starting with a (typically) European brand all-wheel-drive cab/chassis and applying a large slice of Kiwi engineering know-how. And there will even be subtle design variations to suit the regional differences of New Zealand topography.

It’s a recipe which Nelson region company Brooks Spreading has been perfecting for a few years. Dean Brooks’ firm, located at Spring Grove half-way between Wakefield and Brightwater, has – literally – been working in this field since 2003.

Dean says he’s lived in Brightwater most of his life and he moved into the groundspread sector after spending 10 years in the local logging industry.

Brooks Spreading has owned and operated MercedesBenz, MAN and Scania units and bought its first Iveco Trakker 4x4 in 2014. Gradually the fleet has become exclusively Iveco and this new T-Way has just gone to work in the Brooks colours.

The new generation T-Way replaces the Trakker in the Iveco line-up and the Brooks unit is the first of the range to be sold in New Zealand.

It boosts the Brooks fleet to a quartet of 4x4 spreaders – three Trakkers and the T-Way – working alongside a Fendt orchard tractor, a 300hp Case tractor and a 535hp Mack Trident 6x4 towing a 4-axle tipper for bulk work.

The Iveco loyalty has taken a few years to build.

“We started on Mercs and the first three we had were good until they started changing things and then we did eight dashboards. No more Mercs for us,” Dean says.

“We tried MANs because we wanted a lighter truck for our Murchison operation, and they were pretty good.

And then we tried a Scania for Nelson and that went well.”

The first Iveco Trakker was added in 2014.

“Our spreader fleet has been 100% Iveco since 2018.

They are rugged and reliable and on the whole pretty bloody good,” Dean says.

Dean says the 410hp T-Way brings a big step up in performance and comfort from the Trakkers, and it’s a combination of improved off-road and highway attributes he wants the T-Way to deliver.

“We originally ordered a 450hp but the 410 is the first one available. It’s got plenty of power,” Dean says.

“Most spreading operations work within a 30km radius from their base or the consignment stores. But our longest haul is about 150km one way, so we spend a lot of time on the road.

“We don’t go over to Golden Bay, but we work from the top of the Takaka hill across to Springs Junction and sometimes down towards Kaikoura and the Wairau Valley. It’s a fair chunk of terrain.

“And Nelson is a shit of a place to own a transport business because everywhere you look there’s a hill in front of you, and they’re big ones.”

So, it’s not only the steep and sometimes icy hillsides where the T-Way needs to perform. It will spend more time on the highway travelling to jobs than most spreader units.

Dean placed his T-Way order with Dale Greaves from Truck & Driver | 27

Richmond-based Star Trucks and put the bin build in the hands of Paul Hoyle from Kakariki (near Bulls) and the Mid Island Spreaders operation.

On paper the advantages of the T-Way include the new cab design which shares its structure and modern interior layout with the S-Way highway models along with the range of upgraded Euro 6 (Step E) powerplants.

Dean says the Iveco range has been a solid starting point to build a spreader unit.

“They are a purpose-built 4x4 with good ground clearance, especially the front end,” he says.

The first shipment of T-Way 4x4 to arrive in New Zealand has the 410hp version of the Cursor 13 engine with a 16-speed manual transmission. There is peak torque of 2100Nm available from 1000rpm and the Euro 6 emissions rating is 28 | Truck & Driver

achieved by Iveco’s Hi-SCR multi-stage aftertreatment system which doesn’t include exhaust gas recirculation.

As Iveco lands further T-Way stock in New Zealand the 450hp version of the Cursor 13 with 16-speed AMT is likely to become the most popular combination and the full line-up will include 6x4, 6x6 and 8x4 models.

During the build process Dean and Paul Hoyle found some other advantages in the T-Way design including some repositioned electronic components which are now better protected and suited to spreader work and a relocated air cleaner which is less prone to damage.

“They have moved the airbox. We used to smash about three a year,” Dean says.

Being the first T-Way spreader built, Dean says it has taken a bit longer to get the truck completed than originally planned.

Main pic: The build of the spreader build was done by Paul Hoyle of Mid Island Spreading.

Right (from top): Toby Evans tilts the cab of the new T-Way... Exterior tool box is fitted just behind the cab and The T-Way is the first Brooks spreader to be fitted with a Bigfoot CTI tyre pressure control system...

Simple layout of dash includes configurable central screen.

“It’s the old story, you could build the second one in half the time,” he says.

However, the first impressions have been positive.

“There are big improvements in ride, performance and driveability,” he says.

“The ride comfort is really impressive, it’s chalk and cheese compared to the Trakker.

“It feels firmer from inside and a bit more controlled and it seems to float through things. The springs look the same as the Trakker and I think it’s the cab suspension which is making most of the difference.”

With a well-established relationship with Mid Island Spreading, Dean entrusted Paul Hoyle with the build and modifications. Dean is an admirer of Paul’s design and build talents.

“You just need to look at his gear. The workmanship is second to none,” says Dean.

“I talk to him a couple of times a week, just bouncing ideas around. He’s the most innovative person I know and he’s absolutely brilliant at trouble shooting.

“You can be in a paddock with a problem, ring him to describe what’s happening and he’ll say `look at this or try that’ and he’ll get you going again. It’s quite incredible.

“There’s a lot attention to detail, like a water tank under the bin guard for the driver to wash his hands.

“And the back up support is really good. If we ring before 4pm he can have something here on the courier at nine the next morning.”

Dean says the back-up service has sometimes gone well beyond the call of duty.

Truck & Driver | 29

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“A year or so ago I had a tyre disintegrate just before Anzac Day which wrecked the guards. I rang Paul and said `what are you doing for the weekend?’ He said he’d just be in the workshop, so I said `why don’t you jump on a ferry and come to work down here?

“We were flat out busy at the time. He worked the whole weekend and got us going again.

“Paul has done spreading himself and he knows how things have to work. He goes the extra mile for us.”

The build was completed at the Mid Island Spreaders workshop, and the T-Way was debuted at the NZ Groundspread Association national conference at New Plymouth in July.

“We did six tonnes of lime to test it out an hour before heading to the conference,” says Dean.

Other input to the finished truck includes signwriting by Footprint Signs & Designs in Brightwater.

“They’ve done all our signwriting for a few years,” says Dean.

And Heslop Motors in Nelson have made a change to the switchgear that controls the diff lock system.

“The only thing we’ve done is put the radios in it. The sun visor was standard, and Dale put the stone guard on,” Dean says.

The new T-Way works with a 3-axle side-tipper trailer built by Phil Kirk’s team at Waimea Engineering. Full payloads are typically up to 20-tonnes with 15 hauled in the trailer.

“Side-tippers were something new a few years back and there weren’t that many around at the time we got our first one. There are quite a few more now,” says Dean.

On the superb Nelson morning when New Zealand Truck & Driver visits to sample the new truck, it’s been working for a week with Toby Evans behind the wheel.

Toby has driven the Brooks Spreading Iveco Trakkers since 2016 and recently became a part-owner in the company. He’s quickly discovered the benefits the T-Way offers.

“It’s 410hp, but a 13-litre motor as opposed to an 8-litre motor [in the Trakkers],” Toby says.

“It doesn’t seem to rev as much, and you can get to ninety [kph] and you haven’t really realised it. With the Trakkers, you’ve got to work them hard to get where you want to get to.

“I’m hoping there will be some advantages when we’ve got further to travel to a job. It should be faster to get there and better on fuel. We’ll see over time what it actually does.”

Toby has already found the spacious new cab offers a number of benefits.

“There’s plenty of space behind the seats and we’ve got a toolbox outside behind the passenger door. I don’t think I’d want to live in here but there is plenty of room for your day-to-day stuff.

“It’s very nice to ride in. It almost floats along rather than being harsh on the road. The tyres are a bit of that, but the cab suspension is definitely superior to the Trakkers.

“And the vision seems to be a bit different because they have gone to full [side] windows. The Trakkers have got a split window which is hopeless when you want to look in the left hand mirror. Having the full windows makes a huge difference for your visibility.

Toby Evans has driven an Iveco Trakker spreader since 2016 and is now behind the wheel of the new T-Way... Diff lock switches were moved to the dash for easier access and the ability to lock the front diff... Loading up with Ravensdown Aglime at Brightwater.

Truck & Driver | 31

From top: Dean Brooks now operates a 100% Iveco spreader fleet...

Bigfoot CTI controls and display are mounted above the windscreen with the radios... The X-Way has 410hp output from the 13-litre Cursor 13 engine.

32 | Truck & Driver

“It’ll be great when you’re backing the trailer in the rain.

The power mirrors are awesome – you can adjust the top and the bottom from one button.

“It’s got auto wipers and auto headlights, which is good because I have to have the headlights on all the time because I’m over-width.”

We depart from the Brooks yard empty but it’s only a few minutes down the road to the Ravensdown Brightwater consignment store where Toby pulls up alongside a loading ramp and fires up a Volvo loader to fill truck and trailer with Aglime.

“The truck is a bit heavier than the Trakker so I’m back to just over 5-tonnes on the truck as opposed to six. Which is a shame, but you’ve got a bigger motor and a bigger gearbox and that adds a bit of tare weight,” he says.

“The bin is actually bigger. We can load up with nearly 10 tonnes in the paddocks.

“Paul changed the shape of the bin, which is a bit wider.

I’m still learning where to look and line things up when I’m backing the trailer,” Toby says.

The Aglime is destined for hillside and flat paddocks not far away at Old Eves Valley Rd. Before that Toby runs up and down the Moutere Hill road to demonstrate the T-Way’s easy hill climbing performance and the effectiveness of the new engine brake.

The T-Way runs at a relaxed 1400rpm in top gear at 90kph on the open road and climbs the Moutere Hill at 50kph.

“The big motor just doesn’t rev. The Trakkers would be 10 to 15 kays slower but with a whole lot more revs,” says Toby.

With the bigger displacement engine not having to work as hard, there is a relaxed and flexible style to the performance of the T-Way. “The exhaust brake is another change for this. They’ve gone from a two-stage to a four-stage, and it seems to be good, especially going from those `plastic bag out the window’ Trakkers.

“It’s quiet and you just ease the brakes to bring it back a bit and then it holds nicely.”

Toby says he’s driven the T-Way only about 600km prior to our test.

“The gearbox still seems pretty tight and hopefully it will free up with a few kilometres,” he says.

“And I think the engine fan is quite noisy. In the Trakker you don’t really get that but it’s only on the bigger pulls that it comes in.

“The main thing I like is that you don’t have to thrash it.

The Trakkers you really have to work while this just cruises along.”

Toby unhooks the trailer, and we head through a couple of gates to begin spreading on some undulating hillside pasture running at about 25kph across the undulating hillside pasture.

“We spread at anything between 18 and 28kph – 25-26kph is plenty quick enough. Any quicker you’ll get bounced out of the seat.

“We spread at anything between 18 and 28kph – 25-26kph is plenty quick enough. Any quicker you’ll get bounced out of the seat.

“It’s [the Aglime] going on at 5 tonne per hectare, so it doesn’t take long to get rid of a truck load.”

Watching both the terrain and the TracMap display, Toby traces consistent 12-metre runs, and he says it’s not just about following the GPS info.

T

“It’s like reading [rally] pace notes, you always have to be looking and thinking well ahead.”

To reiterate the control and comfort of the suspension, Toby points to a small plastic pottle sitting behind the centre console. It’s used to sample the density of fertiliser.

“It’s just sitting there; I thought it would long gone by now.”

The job description for the T-Way will include all types of agricultural and horticultural spreading work in the Nelson and Marlborough regions.

“We can travel three hours over to Blenheim, spread all day and travel home again. It’s 150-160km from the yard so you can do 300km just getting to a job and home again,” Toby says.

“I think it’s quite good. You get to see a lot of the country and there’s quite a big variance in the terrain. We do a lot of different stuff. We do sheep and beef, dairy, we do a bit of exforestry stuff, and we do quite a lot of vegies here on the plains.

“When they are busy, we’ll be at the market gardens not quite every day.”

One new feature of the T-Way which hasn’t previously been fitted to any of the Brook’s Spreading fleet is the Bigfoot CTI tyre inflation system.

The T-Way runs on Mitas AC 70t 445/65 R 22.5 mud tyres with dual wheels at the rear. The Bigfoot system can drop the tyre pressures as low as 30psi in the emergency setting.

Toby says he can see benefits for the system and is at the early stages of experimenting with settings.

“I’m still playing with it to try and get the best out of it. I’ve been running 40 [psi] in the paddock and 75 on the road.

“On the road I don’t want to wreck the ride, but I don’t want

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Heading away from Spring Grove ready to begin a day of spreading in the Nelson sunshine.

to wear the tyres either. So, we are just finding that balance.

“We’ve never had it [CTI] before. Dean had it on his log truck but that was 20-odd years ago.

“This is the first truck [with CTI] and it’s just about finding out what is best. The ride is nice, and I don’t want to lose that. But I want to keep the tyres in good condition.

“Traction on the hill and traction on wet ground is going to be a big advantage.

But you want to keep the tyres hard on the road and at a decent temperature.

“They are nearly two-and-a-half grand each, so you want to get the most out of them.

“Towing the trailer is the worst thing for them. The truck in Murchison gets nearly double the tyre life because he doesn’t have a lot of sealed roads and he doesn’t tow a trailer fully loaded all the time.”

The CTI hoses are in the back of Toby’s mind when he’s lining up close to the trailer to transfer the next load of fertiliser into the truck.

“You have to get pretty close to the trailer and I’m keeping an eye on the hoses.”

Toby points out another advantage the T-Way offers over the Trakker.

“This one has got a 400-litre alloy diesel tank. The old ones have a 300-litre steel tank and the fert just eats them.”

I ask Toby if there is anything he doesn’t like about the T-Way. “The only dislike I can find at the moment, and it’s quite a major, is the aircon doesn’t stay on recycle.

34 | Truck & Driver

“In a spreader you are always trying to keep the dust out.”

Toby says each time he starts the T-Way the air conditioning has defaulted to a fresh air flow. And if the air conditioning is switched off, he gets a fresh air flow into the cab.

“So as soon as I start spreading, I have to switch the aircon on to keep the dust out. Aircon is lovely but sometimes you get a bit sick of it when you’ve had it for 14 hours a day.

“That’s the one thing that has irritated me the most.

I’m hoping it’s a software issue and that they may be able to change it.”

Both Toby and Dean point out one other shortcoming in the design. The grab rail at the front of the driver’s door opening has a brace joining to the cab in a position that Toby says catches his right hand every time he exits the cab. Interestingly, there is no brace on the passenger side.

One of the modifications to the T-Way is additional switches located on the left of the centre fascia that allow the front and rear differentials to be locked individually.

“We’ve changed to separate switches for the diff locks. We got it done at Heslops,” says Toby.

“They are on the dial [in standard form, down low on the right side of the dash] and they are quite hard to reach. I can’t reach them with a seat belt on but it’s easy to reach the new switches.

“And it gives you the opportunity to put the front diff lock in. Quite often on worked ground you will just want a front diff lock to hold you up or pull you around, but

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The new T-Way works with a 3-axle side tipper built by Waimea Engineering that features full remote control.

you don’t want the rear.

“The dial is awkward to operate so we got it sorted which is great.”

“Especially with it [the T-Way] being a bit heavier in the front, I think we will use it quite often. When we had the Scania, it was great having the option to choose your diff locks.”

Iveco has also made electronics changes to the T-Way, altering some of the parameters where the EBS system and traction control intervenes to make the system better suited to offroad conditions.

“The steering wheel has taken a little bit to get used too compared to the Trakker. It’s quite a lot bigger and it’s also a different shape. In the paddock you haven’t got so many turns and it’s taken a little bit to get used.

“The turning lock is incredible. `Brooksy’ thought the Trakkers were quite good, but this thing turns on a dime.”

Paul Hoyle builds a centre console with mounting points for the TracMap spreading system and adds a fridge between the front seats.

“Paul puts the fridge in. When it’s busy we can be in the truck 12 or 13 hours a day and it’s good to have a fridge for cold drinks,” Toby says.

Toby says the TracMap system with GPS to monitor the spreading process has continued to evolve and now allows communication with the other trucks in the fleet.

“They have evolved a lot, from a Fish Finder basically to a full tablet. If Dean is away, I can make maps, make jobs and track the other trucks from it, which is great when you need it. You can also upload Health & Safety

documents.”

Toby has very similar thoughts to Dean about the engineering talents of Paul Hoyle.

“He’s not an engineer who has been in the workshop his whole life. He’s driven the spreaders and he’s got his own bin which he works with, and he’ll change things to see how they are going,” says Toby.

“He’s a man who is always thinking about whether he can change something or improve something.

“If I ring him and tell him I don’t like something, he’ll give me a way to change it or perhaps tell me I’m not using it right.

“His back-up service is just awesome. If you’ve got a problem with something in the cab or with the bin, he’ll point you straight to the issue.

“And he’ll not only know where the issue is, he’ll be able to fix it over the phone. I might be 150km away from the workshop and he’ll say `just change this wire with that wire for now’.”

It’s early days with the new Iveco but Toby says he can see plenty of advantages in the new T-Way. “I’m happy with it so far and it feels nice to drive.

“Even though I’ve only done about 600km in it, it’s obvious Iveco has jumped years ahead of the Trakkers.

Dean has similar views about the new addition to the Brooks fleet.

“The Trakkers are a good truck, and they do the job, but this is such a huge step forward,” he says.

“It’s amazing how well it rides, and I think they have taken the big leap. The Trakkers now seem so basic in comparison.”

Truck & Driver | 37

T

HE IVECO BRAND HAS BEEN BUSY rolling out its new models.

Not long ago we featured the new S-Way on-highway model and now it’s the turn of the new generation T-Way model that is replacing the Trakker range.

It’s the brand’s construction model which includes both 4x4 and 6x6 configurations along with a more robust build and raised ground clearance for the harsher environments.

One of those environments here in New Zealand is the groundspread sector where trucks spend just as much time – if not more – working off the road rather than on it.

This month we catch up with the first T-Way to go to work in New Zealand which sees us travelling to the Nelson region to catch up with Dean Brooks from Brooks Spreading and his business partner/ driver Toby Evans.

38 | Truck & Driver

It’s a brilliant sunny Nelson morning for our test and it doesn’t take long to get a load of Aglime on the truck and trailer and we are in the paddock. I let Toby sort the hills out and I take over for the flat part.

I am left kicking myself that I didn’t give the hills a go. Maybe next time…

It’s an easy climb up into the T-Way cab considering the ground clearance.

And once inside the cab everything looks rather similar to the flagship S-Way – apart from the retro-fitted spreading equipment.

The infotainment unit is the same fitted to the centre of the dash and has the option of twisting the display to face it towards the driver. The steering wheel has all the functions that you need including hands-free phone controls, cruise control, speaker volume and digital dash display controls. The stalks are the same too with the 4-stage engine brake found on the

Hayden Woolston

right hand side.

Once I’m comfortable and ready to begin spreading I get the 16-speed synchro `box into gear and take off. When I make my first gear change, I find the gearbox to be very tight and it takes a bit effort to shift into the next gear. Hopefully this loosens up as the truck clicks over some kilometres.

I reach a comfortable speed in the paddock and the truck settles into its work. I find it’s very easy to hold a constant 20-25kph and the smoothness

of the ride in the paddocks is a big step up from other spreaders I have driven. It feels like you are floating across the paddock.

Another part of this drive that impresses me is the turning circle. At first it actually puts me off a little as I turn too early on a couple of turns which I was worried the truck wouldn’t get around.

It doesn’t take long to finish the paddock and we head off back to the Brooks Spreading yard with the BigFoot CTI adjusted back to the on-road pressure that Toby wants it at. Out onto the highway there is an impressively controlled ride quality for a construction model truck running on wide spreader tyres.

Developing 410hp, the Cursor 13-litre engine proves both smooth and quiet and it doesn’t take long to get up to 90kph. The vision is very good with the wide tyres on narrow country roads it’s easy to position the truck.

The road trip is flat and we’re now empty, so I experiment a little with the engine brake to slow the truck for the intersections. I also test the 4th stage and I find it to be just like the S-Way with a big difference in braking effort between third and fourth.

The noise levels inside the cab are good, allowing Toby and I to have an easy

conversation. The steering feels a little too light for my liking on the highway but it’s probably the trade-off for it being perfect in the paddock.

Once back in the yard Toby warns me about the grab handle on the driver’s side door which has a metal brace on it. I take a look at it and initially wonder what he means, but then as soon as I climb out, I slide my hand down the grab handle and hit my small finger. This could be looked at and maybe removed as I could see it happening regularly and the passenger side grab handle doesn’t have this brace.

In handing the truck back to Dean and Toby it’s easy to see these guys are happy with the new T-Way. Being the first in the country and needing a lot of retro fitting to get it ready for spreading they seem to have managed to get all the issues ironed out and the truck set up ready to work correctly.

I really like that they were able to get some local engineering input to move the cross lock selection from the dial – which is on the lower right hand side to the dash – making for easier changes when needed.

It was awesome to spend time with the Brooks team and the first T-Way to go to work in New Zealand and I wish Dean and Toby the best for its future. Stay safe!

• SPECIFICATIONS • Iveco T-Way 410 AD 4x4 Engine: Iveco Cursor 13 in-line six cylinder Hi-eSCR (Euro 6, Step E) Capacity: 12.9-litres Maximum Power: 302kW (410hp) at 1900rpm Maximum Torque: 2100Nm (1540 lb-ft) at 1000rpm Fuel capacity: Diesel 390 litres, AdBlue 60 litres Transmission: 16-speed manual Ratios: 1st – 13.80 2nd – 11.54 3rd – 9.49 4th – 7.93 5th – 6.53 6th – 5.82 7th – 4.57 8th – 3.82 9th – 3.02 10th – 2.53 11th – 2.08 12th – 1.74 13th – 1.43 14th – 1.20 15th – 1.00 16th – 0.84 Reverse – 12.92 Final Drive ratio: 4.67:1 (with off road 1.6:1 transfer box) Front axle: Iveco 5985/2D drive axle (hub reduction) 8,000kg rating Rear axles: Iveco 451391/2 D (hub reduction) 13,000kg rating Brakes: Front and drum discs with ABS/EBS (with Off Road Mode) and Brake Assist System.

Auxiliary brakes: 3-stage engine brakes Front suspension: Parabolic leaf spring with stabiliser bar Rear suspension: 3 Leaf parabolic suspension with stabiliser bar GVM: 20,500kg GCM: 44,000kg

Truck & Driver | 39

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Driving the economy

Politics were in the spotlight at the 2023 Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand conference where (left-to-right) Shane Jones (NZ First), Simeon Brown (National), Julie Anne Genter (Green Party), Simon Court (ACT) and Helen White (Labour) were part of a panel discussion hosted by Josie Pagani.

Political promises and the need to be united T

by Dom Kalasih Interim Chief Executive Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

RANSPORT, ESPECIALLY ROADING, HAS become a hot political issue this election – just as we predicted it would. That’s a positive for our industry. However, it’s a shame we have to keep pointing out to government that having a resilient transport network is vital for communities and the wider economy – and having such a network requires investment.

Already, we have seen an array of political promises on transport projects, and we will evaluate them in more depth as the election approaches. Two questions to bear in mind are: Are the proposed projects what we really need or are vital details missing? And: Who will pay for them?

Government Policy Statement on transport completely misses the mark The newly announced draft Government Policy Statement on transport (GPS) spells out government priorities for the national land transport fund (NLTF) from 2024 to 2027. It

proposes spending $20.8 billion to fund 14 major projects throughout the country, most of them in the North Island.

Make no mistake: Transporting New Zealand totally supports upgrading the country’s deteriorating roading network, which has been underfunded for years.

But we were underwhelmed by the draft GPS because we expected some major changes, particularly around funding sources and value for money. Unfortunately we don’t see anything substantive in this draft around that.

It appears the government thinks the time-honoured approach of raising fuel tax, in this case by 12c a litre, and the equivalent for Road User Charges (RUC) is the best way to fund the new projects.

We disagree. We do not believe that raising RUC for trucks by 13% is the way to deliver a resilient roading network.

Ultimately those increases will have to be passed on at a time when the community and businesses are already struggling with the rising cost of living.

Truck & Driver | 41

Driving the economy

The Ministry of Transport’s latest study on road pricing shows that compared with all other road users, trucks are by far paying the highest proportion of their share of public sector infrastructure and services costs.

From earlier work done by the Ministry of Transport we also know that some truck trailer combinations even pay more than their fair share.

A point that needs to be hammered home – and that the government seems to have forgotten – is that investing the money that is collected needs to be better focussed on benefiting those who are paying.

Where, then, should the money come from? We believe that a range of funding sources should be used. Crown revenue, public-private partnerships and congestion pricing are obvious ones that need to be in the mix. There has been lots of development with those mechanisms overseas and there are no good reasons for us to be this far behind with similar thinking.

The draft GPS talks about a project being “underway” to look at the future of revenue in the transport system but we really hoped we’d see much more advanced thinking on this by now.

The testing regime will be changed so that positive saliva tests will be sent to the lab for evidential testing before an infringement notice is issued. Drivers who have two positive screening tests will be banned from driving for 12 hours, as well as receiving an infringement fee and demerit points.

Between 2019 and 2021, drug and alcohol impairment were a factor in 43% of fatal crashes. I suspect that getting serious about our approach to drug impaired driving on our roads will have a better impact on society than raised speed tables which seems to be the latest road safety fad.

We will keep you abreast of the associated legislative changes as this happens.

One dream, one team Our industry needs to speak with one voice to emphasise the importance of getting transport priorities right. Different organisations that are not on the same page only undermine the effectiveness of getting a strong and effective message across to the government. It just makes no sense.

Recently, our chairman, Warwick Wilshier, wrote about the point of Roadside drug testing regime welcome industry unity.

You may recall that random oral roadside drug testing was scheduled to “Economist Cameron Bagrie told our conference in June that begin in March this year, but it was indefinitely deferred by the government governments don’t want to deal with a divided sector with different after police advised sufficiently accurate saliva tests didn’t exist. opinions. He said: ‘Park the egos – one team, one dream’.

“Associations will need to educate and provide solutions to the government. We need to drop the Chairman Warwick self-interest and replace it with group interest.

Wilshier says the “Everything we do, we do for the good of the transport industry needs whole New Zealand transport industry, whether to speak with one voice. someone’s a member of Transporting New Zealand or not. People will eventually see that and support that vision.”

At a conference I attended months later, a large supplier to our sector that is also a major commercial partner and supporter of our industry called on our industry sector to unite with one voice. A fragmented industry simply, doesn’t make sense and dilutes the return on commercial investment. It’s sad if we don’t take heed and act on the advice of trusted parties like this.

We’ve had and continue to get tremendous support from our membership and commercial partners. I challenge others to take a pause and seriously consider whether what they’re doing is actually helping or hindering the way forward.

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand’s team is available to asist our members around New Zealand Ia Ara Aotearoa – Transporting New Zealand PO Box 1778, Wellington 04 472 3877 info@transporting.nz

Dom Kalasih, Interim Chief Executive 04 471 8285 • 027 441 4309 Dom@transporting.nz Vicki Harris, Membership Adviser 027 534 3848

www.transporting.nz 42 | Truck & Driver

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TD33816

Life partners Ange Harwood and Daryl Shackleton are also business partners in Tyre Collection Services. Formerly linehaul operators in Taupo, they had moved to the South Island 16 years ago and were looking for a new business opportunity when the question was raised, ‘What happens to old tyres?’ The answer was TCS. Scania P360 handles pickups in the lower South Island, demonstrates simple but effective fleet colour scheme.

HE FABRICATION OF A MODERN VEHICLE TYRE IS AN insanely complex process.

Basically, it involves melding a range of largely incompatible materials into a hard-wearing and stable whole. A typical tyre can have up to 12 different compounds of rubber, both natural and synthetic, plus around 24 other components – reinforcement in the form of high tensile steel (both as woven belts and wires) or textiles (rayon, nylon, polyester and aramid fibres), plus fillers including carbon black, silica and chalk.

In addition, there’s a Mad Scientist’s lineup of chemicals to help keep mixtures plastic, or aid vulcanisation, or delay ageing.

Given that the bulk of a tyre’s design is directed to keeping it in perfect shape for several years and thousands of kilometres, it follows that it’ll be hell to deconstruct when its useful life is done.

But some very smart kit has been developed to tackle the problem, and in the case of Rolleston-based Tyre Collection Services (TCS) it supports a bustling fleet that roves the South Island picking up old tyres from retailers and council rubbish depots and carting them to home base where a proportion are turned into a range of very useful materials.

For the present that proportion is fairly modest, explains TCS director Daryl Shackleton: “More than half the tyres we pick up are compressed into bales and exported, while another 20% are cut into chips and also exported. But the balance we process into rubber crumb, which offers wonderful potential in a variety of applications.”

These include a filler for roading and driveway asphalt or concrete, vibration absorption systems for railway structures, in artificial turf hockey and football fields, and as a surface for cycling and running

tracks.

Loose, it can be used as a decorative mulch in gardens, and also works brilliantly as a safe and body-friendly surface for playgrounds and equestrian arenas (a Canterbury trotting trainer who has been using it for his training track has slashed his vet bills, says Daryl).

Because we have traditionally treated old tyres as rubbish, New Zealand has lagged behind many other countries in taking advantage of rubber crumb’s versatility, says Daryl: “For the most part they have been dumped into landfill, with all the attendant problems of leaching or fires, and as soon as one dodgy operator was put out of business more would pop up.”

However, this situation will change with the imminent introduction of Tyrewise, a Government-directed regulated stewardship programme for tyres that promises to be world-leading.

The scheme will see a fee collected by Government at the border (NZ no longer has a local industry, all our tyres are imported). That fee will be put to the environmentally-safe processing of old tyres by registered participants, the process being rigorously audited.

Daryl is right behind the Tyrewise concept: “With the new regulations we should see a complete stop to our traditional handling of tyres. It has taken 10 years of hard work and discussions between the Government and the industry to get to this stage, but it will be a good thing for the country going forward.

“The fact that the scheme is mandatory, and firms involved will have to be certified and audited, will put New Zealand at the forefront of international efforts because it has gone further than other countries: We have come from quite a way behind in terms of our historical approach, but Tyrewise is putting us to the forefront, Truck & Driver | 47

and it has attracted a lot of interest internationally.”

Despite trucks being only a small (though still vital) aspect of TCS’ operations, Daryl has a solid background in road transport: “My father used to own K.R. Shackleton, running stock trucks out of Mauriceville in the ‘60s and early ‘70s, so myself and my four brothers were all brought up around trucks – it was bred into us!

“The business didn’t stay in the family, however. Dad wanted to do something different, so he sold up and opened a caravan yard.

“Early in my career I worked for my father and brother for a while – they had a bread run on the Kapiti Coast, separate to the stock transport firm. Then at 21 I bought my first truck, an eight-wheeler T-Line with four-axle trailer. I was based in Wellington, carting stock from the region, mainly to the Hawke’s Bay,” Daryl says.

“I stayed with stock for around 15 years, before moving on to freight and eventually starting up a company in Taupo with my partner, Angela Harwood. It was called Bulk Freight (later adding TranzFreight), and we built it up to 17 linehaul units within four years.

The growth came essentially from word-of-mouth – we concentrated on service, reliability and keeping things simple, and it just grew from there.

“We were doing a driver swap in Taupo for the boat trucks, but everything else was one driver, one truck. All our freight was out of Auckland – up to 10 units at night – and headed to Wellington, Palmerston North and Christchurch. The majority of our clients were freight forwarders, we were selling them a half unit or a full unit.

“We also did a heap of work for Turner’s & Growers. We were probably their biggest outside contractor at the time, even though we didn’t have any refrigerated gear – they just wanted the service,” Daryl says.

“We didn’t have a management staff in the classic sense. Ange, who has a background in accounting, had a day job with Vodafone,

48 | Truck & Driver

and she handled the books after hours, while I was often carting a load, and did a lot of managing by phone from the driver’s seat.

“A major key to our success was that while our units used SH1 going south on the way back they serviced many of the provincial areas off the main road, which meant we could boost our income with a series of separate loads, maybe from Wellington to Palmerston North, then from there to New Plymouth, and from New Plymouth onto Auckland.

“We quickly became the primary go-to with the major operators for their spillover freight, and it was rare that we didn’t have full loads back.

“We had another company pestering us to sell and in 2004 we eventually gave in. Part of the deal was for me to stay on for a while with them as business development manager for the South Island, which is how we came to shift down here.

“That association lasted for not long, after which we were left wondering what to do. At the back of my mind was a conversation I had had some years previously with our tyre supplier in Taupo. They were charging us to take used tyres away, and I asked them what they did with them. The response was that there wasn’t much they could do, basically they went to landfill.

“So, when we were looking for what we were going to do next down here, I started researching what could be done with used tyres, and the answer was, quite a lot.

Sixteen years ago, it led to us setting up Tyre Collection Services, and we have grown steadily ever since. We operate on the same principles as the linehaul business in Taupo – concentrate on reliability and good customer service, keep it simple, and word-ofmouth will help you grow.

“Back then we could see a real future for the value recycling of old tyres, but it hasn’t been a quick progression, there have been plenty

Above: Tyres don’t like being compressed, but hydraulic balers can reduce their loose volume by 80%. Bales are then containerised and exported.

Right: Complex processing results in rubber crumb, an exceptionally versatile material. Daryl Shackleton predicts all of the waste tyre stream will be locally processed within four years.

of roadblocks along the way. However, we are proud to have been at the forefront of change in the industry.

“At one stage we – along with Brent White in Wellington – were the only companies baling tyres for export, though there are several others doing it now. And things are about to change even more markedly with Tyrewise.

“I’m confident that under the new scheme and with the new machinery we propose to install, in three or four years we will be processing everything, At the moment, when we bale tyres and export them it isn’t adding value. With a complete crumbing process, we can produce an end product which has significant value to be used in a variety of applications.”

From a trucking fleet perspective, TCS had a very modest beginning, just Daryl and a four-wheeler TR rental curtainsider fitted with a tail lift. That has now grown to a total of nine – though three bulk units are largely peripheral to the core work.

Three UD 4x2s and two-axle trailers cover tyre pickups in Christchurch and the wider the Canterbury area, while a Scania P360 truck and trailer combination looks after Queenstown and further south.

Because tyres are more bulk than weight, the truck is running on only on an 18-tonne sticker, while the combination goes to around 28 tonnes. The hardsider Opinion trailer was built originally for furniture.

The curtainsider bodies that are more standard across the fleet

are fitted with up to three tension ‘gates’ to prevent the sides from bulging outward. As Daryl explains, tyres can initially be stacked right to the roof, but over the duration of a journey they can settle and bulge out to the sides: “We learned that the hard way early on when we got pinged for bulges in a load!”

One of the local trucks is operated by an owner/driver, while the Marlborough-Tasman area is looked after by a Blenheim-based owner/driver who runs an Iveco.

TCS covers pretty much the entire South Island, and services most of the major retailers, says Daryl: “On top of that we also pick up from smaller workshops and service stations. And a thing we have found over the past three or four years is the significant increase in the tyres we’re getting from the regional landfill operations.

“The councils are now seeing the benefit of sending the ones that are dumped with them to us, because that not only reduces the volume of waste going to landfills but avoids the potential problems with leaching.

Truck & Driver | 49

Above: Pickup units are all fitted with tail lifts, but even so it’s a physically challenging job.

Below: Tipping curtainsder International is only used “We concentrate very much on is offering a regular intermittently for tyre collection, more often usedscheduled for general bulk work. service for the retail shops, for many of them have limited room to

50 | Truck & Driver

store the old tyres they take off vehicles. We visit the majority of outlets once a week, plus for some of the bigger ones it’s twice a week.

“The pickup side has grown mainly by word-of-mouth, one retail shop would tell another and they would pass it on to somebody else, and so on. In the beginning, we only doorknocked on our first couple of clients – Beaurepaires and then Tony’s Tyre Service, and that was about it.

“I think another factor in our growth has been the fact that we were reliable and kept everything simple. On top of that, though we are more expensive than traditional collection services, people have responded to the fact that we were doing something with the tyres, not just simply dumping them,” says Daryl.

“The price we charge covers the entire process. Because of what has happened with some dodgy characters over the past few years – simply dumping tyres and doing nothing more with them – people are cautious of getting involved in cheaper schemes until they can be certain that they are above board.

“After spending so many years in transport, where you price a job on the basis of how much it costs to transport the product, it took me a while to get my head around the fact that the transport is only a small element of the overall picture here.

“The processing and handling of the tyres once we pick them up is greater and has to be included in the base price. People occasionally suggest that they could transport their tyres to our yard for less, sure, but they forget the ongoing costs, not only the processing but the extra storage and handling. Everything that happens inside these gates has got to come out of the pickup charge.

“This is why our pickup trucks deliver directly to the balers when they have full loads, so there is pretty much one truck or another unloading right through the day. Compare this with a retailer arranging their own transport for a smaller number of tyres.

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Another load gets fed into the baler.

then handled again, which goes right against the efficiency of the process.

“Tyres are incredibly complex and very resistant to being broken down into their base components. With the right machinery, of course, it can be done – but that machinery is very expensive.

“And not only in terms of capital outlay, for the electric motors at the heart of the gear chew through power. We have a line rental of $5000 per month, and that’s before we even switch on a machine!

“We are probably the biggest user of electricity in the area. Some time ago we had to upgrade our supply to 500kVA, and when the new machinery gets installed, we will have to go to 1000kVA,” says Daryl.

“The trucks are just a tool – no different from a forklift or a piece of machinery – to get the tyres here. That said, we are using the trucks to build our branding, and it has been one of the biggest things in our growth. We get people in Invercargill, say, who contact us and say: ‘We saw one of your trucks, can you send us your rates?’

“The professional signwriting and the murals on the curtainsides are actually cheap advertising. The trucks are effectively mobile billboards. Not every type of business lends itself to this, but I think it works well in spreading the word about our line of work.”

The TCS fleet colour scheme is very simple, a blue and lime green stripe with orange keyline that winds its way across the backdrop of a white cab. The same colours are represented in the body sides, with the blue as a background and the company logo and writing in white, green and orange.

Daryl explains that the trucks were originally blue, but the base white with the simple stripe has proven to be more effective.

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Daryl likes to keep the trucks only a few years, so any repairs can be handled under warranty. Routine maintenance is carried out by Rolleston Automotive.

The trucks are all fitted with steel Zepro tail lifts. The company tried aluminium ones for a while, but their continuous operation (up to 20 times a day) meant they just wore out too quickly.

For several years TCS ran its own skeletal trailer to shift containers to Port Lyttelton, but that ran foul of the Covid-induced turmoil in shipping, Daryl explains: “I always planned that when we got to five container loads a week for export, we would buy a dedicated skellie unit. We got to that point after about eight years in the business, and it worked well for a while, but then Covid hit, and with shipping going up and down we decided to sell it. Now we use Hilton Haulage, and they do a very good job for us.”

Daryl recently branched out into a subsidiary line of business when he bought a linehaul truck that runs an around South Island run. He laughs:” I can’t help myself; I just like trucks. However, it will soon make sense in association with our core business. In a few months time we propose to establish a depot further south with a baler, and that truck will be able to backload the bales up to here.

“We probably moved a little early on that one, but it has a good contract with loads going south, and because I have so many contacts in the industry, we should have no trouble getting loads back, even before we add the tyres from the southern depot.

“Even without the linehaul connection, the southern depot will take a lot of pressure off shipping them up here for further processing. One of our standard bales has around 100 car tyres in it but is barely a quarter of the original volume. That means we can cut the number of trips up here by four or five times.”

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Daryl Shackleton has owned and driven livestock and linehaul trucks before exploring business opportunities with the collection and recycling of end-of-life tyres.

‘With a complete crumbing process, we can produce an end product to be used in a variety of applications.’

He laughs when we suggest he might have enough on his plate with the tyres, without expanding into another field: “I like building things, that’s the challenge, but when I get to a particular goal, I quite often get a little bored, so the linehaul will be a great. And to be honest, a couple of years ago I was getting a bit bored with the tyre collection – though Tyrewise will now create a whole new environment, which will be exciting.”

Ange Harwood sighs: “My constant advice to Daryl is, ‘Don’t stretch yourself too thin.’ He has a tendency to take on too much, which can end up being a real challenge. I try to keep him on the straight and narrow, but not with any great success.”

As with the Taupo linehaul business, the partners concentrate on keeping the management structure slimmed right down.

Ange still prefers to maintain a core job apart from TCS (she’s a shopfloor and grocery team member for The Warehouse) and works on the books in the evenings, while Daryl covers for pickup drivers when they’re away, handling office-related work from his phone. He especially likes taking the Scania on the southern run.

But both agree that when Tyrewise comes on stream the increased 54 | Truck & Driver

processing might call for additional support staff.

For the moment yard manager Andy Monk performs a vital role in looking after the two balers and the processing machines, which cut the wire beads out of heavy truck and industrial tyres, before then stripping the wire reinforcement from all types, abstracting it via magnetic sorting, then finally cutting and grinding the rubber into several grades of crumb.

He started with the company as a linehaul driver doing the Blenheim run, and quips he made himself indispensable at the job: “TCS decided to trial ODs, so I moved to the yard,” says Andy.

Prior to coming to TCS, Andy was involved in earthworks, engineering and precast concrete with the likes of Downers, Fulton Hogan and Humes, but also had driving in his background, he explains: “My dad was a linehaul driver, and with my previous jobs I occasionally drove Class 2 trucks, so when Daryl advertised for a linehaul driver about four or five years ago I was keen to give it a go.”

Daryl rates Andy highly: “He’s very good value for our company, one of those guys who if somebody can’t make it to work, he will

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Heavy machinery and tractor tyres present a real challenge. Custom machinery cuts out the heavy wire bead sections before they are chipped and baled. jump on a truck and fill in. He started as a driver, but quickly learned the technicalities of the balers and the crumb machines.

“We have good staff here, and they all work hard. That’s a thing some people don’t realise when they come here, it’s a very physically demanding job,” Daryl says.

“The trucks all have tail lifts, but truck tyres can weigh up to 50kg, and they still need double-stacking to make your load

worthwhile. We have some guys just love it, but others don’t last too long when they realise how much lifting is involved.

“We have thought of using contractors to pick up the tyres, but it’s not as simple a process as it might look. We have to grade and count them because that’s what we get paid on.

“We have around 20 different categories – car, light commercial, truck, super singles and a whole range of various machinery

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Three UD 4x2s, which sometimes work with two-axle trailers, cover tyre pickups in the wider Canterbury region. applications – all those details have to be accurate before we send out an invoice. A transport company just wouldn’t understand, and we have work hard to train our own new drivers in sorting the various grades.

“I’m hopeful Tyrewise will help to improve the standard of the storage areas retailers use for their old tyres. At the moment, this can be very variable, and our drivers often struggle to manoeuvre

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Truck & Driver | 57

LEGENDS

Meet the Uhlenbergs

W

HETHER IT’S ON THE ROAD OR ON THE RACETRACK, the Uhlenberg name is hard to miss. They are a tight knit group that share a passion for the ‘big gear’, Speedway and stay true to their family virtues - and for that, they are this month’s Southpac legends.

Uhlenberg Haulage was founded in 1966 by Mike and Carol Uhlenberg, but its origins extend back further to Mike’s father, James (Tim) Uhlenberg, and his 80-acre dairy farm in Mangatoki.

“Tim was a farmer but had a love of machinery,” says Daryl Uhlenberg. “He always had engines and cars like DeSotos and big American V8s, and that rubbed off on dad.”

Mike Uhlenberg was born at Eltham in the Taranaki in 1939 and spent his childhood on his parent’s dairy farm. Evidently not overly academically minded, his father Tim told him that he could leave school if he gained an apprenticeship. So, at the age of 15 Mike signed up to the first apprenticeship he could find and became an apprentice linotype printer at the local Eltham Argus newspaper.

However, while working as a printer (which he hated and resigned on the day he completed apprenticeship), Mike also helped Tim, who by now had purchased a bus company.

“Dad was repairing the buses by night and driving them on tours and sports trips at the weekends. He enjoyed driving but didn’t like waiting around for his passengers,” says Daryl.

Mike then began work for the local dairy company, as a tanker driver by morning, and spent the remainder of the day washing and maintaining the small fleet of tankers. However, two years later Mike

58 | Truck & Driver

headed for Wollongong Australia where he gained full time employment as a truck driver and that’s where he saw ‘big rigs’ in action.

Prior to leaving for Aussie, Mike had met local girl Carol Williamson who then regularly joined him overseas. They returned to NZ to marry in 1966, opting to live at Bell Block.

That same year Mike and Carol decided to become self-employed, so they purchased a petrol Commer from Ken Pardington and a Goods Service Licence with a Ministry of Works contract. They had to sell their car and furniture and get a loan from Carol’s father to pay for it all.

At the end of each day’s work for the MOW, Mike and his truck began moonlighting after hours - carrying commodities for local farmers, and in just two years the rural transport industry side had grown so much that Mike purchased more Commers (both new and second hand) from NP dealership WR Phillips and contractor Dennis Butler. As a bonus, the Butler truck came with a much-needed Goods Service Licence.

Having seen the larger American-sourced trucks while working in Australia, (plus his inherent love of American vehicles from his father), in 1971 the couple purchased a second-hand Kenworth K923, which they used on native logging as well as Pinus Radiata (for export to Japan) through to Port Taranaki.

“Critics thought the Kenworth was too big for carting logs, but it didn’t take Mike long to work out that big equipment was the way to go,” says Daryl.

This was to prove true when the Kapuni gas field began producing New Zealand’s first LPG and Uhlenberg’s big machinery could carry the large loads to Auckland with ease. However, the job wasn’t without

its challenges, when Mike and Carol put in an order for a brand-new Kenworth from the local dealers, they were told to ‘bugger off and stop dreaming’.

“Dad had to see them twice before convincing them they could afford the Kenworth and let him put his signature on a sales agreement for a brand new W924 Kenworth.”

In many ways Mike was a pioneer of line haul trucking in NZ as it was illegal to cart against rail for 30 miles initially and then 50 miles prior to deregulation, so he had to obtain weekly permits to carry out this work.

“Dad said that on runs to Auckland he rarely saw any people or cars and really didn’t see any other trucks, particularly nights and weekends.

The only others around were the odd stock truck and Car Haulaways.”

To help with efficiencies and meet demand, the new Kenworth was double shifted by Mike and two regular drivers for some years - long before this practice was the norm of the industry, another pioneering moment.

In September 1978 the Uhlenbergs purchased Eltham Transport, giving them two depots, an office and workshop, a big improvement on the ‘backyard operation’ they had before.

Business growth was huge in the 80’s as the LPG market increased and the Uhlenbergs purchased the local fertiliser store to complement their rural cartage division (they sold that side of the business off again through the 80-90s).

Carol was managing the admin of the company and Mike still drove regularly while juggling the management of staff and clients. He also enjoyed being in the company workshop maintaining the fleet to his high standards.

It was in the early `80s when Mike built a new depot on Bridge Street, Eltham, which included a large workshop, more comfortable office block and an area for parking the increasing fleet. They purchased new W models, two of which are now in the Uhlenberg classic collection.

The couple’s three sons all joined the company through the `80s and `90s, but not before all were made to learn the ropes elsewhere according to Mike’s rules and strong beliefs.

Carol was tragically killed in an accident in 1997, and soon thereafter Mike chose to fade from being the frontman of the business, allowing him to travel and enjoy his hobbies, while the sons became shareholders and eventually took over the operation.

“Mum unfortunately died when she was in her prime,” says Daryl.

“Dad carried on for a while and we naturally stepped up to the plate. I don’t ever recall a meeting, we just got on and did it.”

Carol was killed in a speedway accident, and despite the tragedy the Uhlenberg’s have been involved in motorsport (both before and after) for decades with Mike racing a Jaguar in the classics, all three sons racing in various speedway classes. Five of the six grandkids are currently racing too.

“Dad was always an avid supporter,” says Daryl. “In the `80s he

owned cars that other people drove (us three boys were still a bit young then), he sponsored people and was actively involved in the Stratford Speedway club.”

Daryl says that his brother Chris built a Stock Car in the `80s and a few years later, once he got a new professionally built car, he gifted Daryl the old one.

“And then my younger brother Tony, when he got into his early 20s bought a TQ [Three-quarter Midget]. He raced that for a bit and then stopped for a good number of years. Tony now drives the family’s sprint car socially; he’s known more for his team’s social escapades than his racing skills.”

Daryl jokes that the brothers haven’t been that successful at racing ‘not for the amount of years we’ve put into it’, but they’ve had a lot of fun.

“When mum died, we were all busy looking after the business, so we didn’t race for quite some years. Then I went to a World of Outlaws meeting at Tauranga, and there were some Aussies and Americans there in Sprint cars, it was a three-day meeting and at night there was some beer involved.”

Daryl says that following a ‘you wouldn’t have the coconuts’ comment, he ended up buying a car off the Americans.

Chris raced that car off and on for a few years with limited success, and then Chris’s two boys and Daryl’s two kids started racing Mini Stocks (12-17 years).

“It’s all very social and relaxed, but we were still doing 30 meetings a year with each car,” says Daryl.

“And then there’s Tony’s boy Cam. He’s in his early 20s, He was born premature, and is still only 35kg dripping wet. But he managed to beat all the odds and also enjoys racing speedway. Through that racing experience, he managed to get his road drivers licence,” Daryl says proudly.

(When not racing) the Uhlenberg’s have continued to grow the business while remaining true to their family values.

“We tend not to have titles, but I look after admin and maintenance (because I’m a mechanic by trade), Chris helps out with operations and both Chris and Tony are out driving,” says Daryl.

The Uhlenberg’s work and play together, so looking in from the outside it would appear that the brothers are always together, but Daryl points out that they don’t simply agree on everything all of the time.

“We’re not all hugely close, although people that know us would beg to differ. We tend to work together every day, we invest together, we run the business together and then on Saturdays we end up at the same racetrack doing the same thing, it’s nuts, but it kind of works.

“Chris only lives a couple of kays up the road, but I can’t remember the last time I was at his house. We do all the same things but don’t live in each other’s pockets.”

Daryl says that they’re not real close, and the three of them have

Truck & Driver | 59

really different personalities, which probably helps to make it work.

“Tony’s a people person, Chris will stand in the background and is quiet and I probably talk too much,” he laughs.

Uhlenberg Haulage has 40 staff now, but still pride themselves on being a small family business.

“We’ve had heaps of opportunities to grow larger than we are, but we have intentionally not taken that path. Just had steady growth,” Daryl says.

The fleet has grown as well, from 14 trucks when the brothers started to 39 now, and they’re all Uhlenberg owned (no owner drivers or leased equipment).

“Again, a bit how grandad was, we’ve got large American trucks Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mack, and Western Star. It’s just how we are, we tend to buy large, heavy pieces of plant.”

60 | Truck & Driver

Of the six grandkids, two (Blair and Brad) are now working in the business and maybe that’s a sign of things to come?

“It’s happy families,” says Daryl. “We’ve got a really good lifestyle out of the business, and that’s the way we want it to remain. I see us as caretakers, someone had it before us and someone will have it after, we just want to leave it better than we found it and enjoy life.”

And as for Mike, well apparently, he’s never been one to slow down.

He is still a regular visitor to the depot, (often to help out with any jobs or to operate the grader when needed), but also sometimes just to spend time catching up with staff and visitors to the depot. He spends much of his spare time working on his classic vehicles and bulldozers, which he still has a large passion for.

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FEATURE

TMC celebrates 75 years

Above: Working from a new purpose-built building on the corner of Blenheim Rd and Dalgety St, Riccarton, TMC built this bottom dump trailer in 1959.

Below: Ian Currie’s first trailer was built in his parents garage shortly after returning from WWII (below left).

IN 2023 NEW ZEALAND’S OLDEST TRAILER MANUFACTURER turns 75. This is the story of TMC Trailers and a glimpse into its future.

For Christchurch-based manufacturer TMC, 2023 marks the 75th year of designing and building trailers and truck bodies for the needs of New Zealand’s diverse and specialised transport industry.

Today TMC operates from two sites in Christchurch along with service and repair facilities in Auckland and Hamilton. The company builds upwards of 120 trailers and 40 truck bodies annually across a wide range of curtain side, flat-deck, skeletal, trombone, transporter, and refuse applications.

The company history has humble beginnings in 1947. Returning from service in WWII, Ian Currie began building trailers in his parent’s garage at 4 Bassett St, Christchurch.

Completion of Ian’s first simple two-axle drawbar trailer was no easy task as power shortages post-WWII meant there was often not enough power available to run a welder till after 10pm. So the work often ran late into the night.

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Truck & Driver | 63

Top: TMC built its first semi-trailer in 1950.

Above: New 4-axle semi-trailers built for Move Logistics.

Below: In 1968 TMC built its first trombone semi.

64 | Truck & Driver

The following year Trailer Manufacturing Co Ltd was formed by Ian Currie and McMahan Motor Spares, working from premises on the corner of Bassett St and Parnell Rd in Burwood. The location had previously been a car service and repair workshop run by Ian’s father.

Today the company is well known for its innovative designs, a tradition that began early when TMC obtained the agency for manufacturing revolutionary truck bail loaders in 1950. In 1952 the company also adapted an oil well turntable as an early predecessor of a fifth wheel.

“It was all cast steel with an internal ring which was filled with oil to lubricate it while turning,” says Paul Currie.

“The base was bolted to the chassis of the tractor unit and the hooks at each side were welded to the trailer. There were two bolts to hold the hooks and the trailer to the turntable.”

In 1953 TMC was on the move again, shifting to a larger building in Carlyle St, Sydenham. The company’s build numbers were already well into triple figures and a single axle semi for livestock cartage was chassis 138, built for W. A. Habgoods at Lincoln. This trailer had a small place in history, delivering the first air exports of livestock to a DC3 for the trip across the Tasman.

Many of the trailers through the 1950s era were single axle semi units and Ian’s design work often began with dimensions drawn out with chalk on the workshop’s concrete floor.

Another move in 1957 saw TMC shifting to a purpose-built building on the corner of Blenheim Rd and Dalgety St, Riccarton. The shingle road had only been sealed the year before. It was at this facility in 1959 that TMC built the first container trailers for the Union

Steamship Company.

The build numbers kept increasing and the 1960s saw more diversification. The first TMC car transporter (chassis 584) and was built for E.H. Boyce in 1964. The company’s first trombone design also went to E.H. Boyce in 1968 (chassis 802).

Using Italian-made Ceschi axles, the company began building caster steer semi-trailers in 1970. Trailers were not only getting more sophisticated but also longer and in 1971 TMC completed a 37foot semi-trailer with Ceschi steer axles for Christchurch company D.F. Nuttal Ltd. The milestone of 1000 trailers was reached in 1972 with a twoaxle pull trailer built for Transport Nelson Ltd at the cost of $4085.

The 1970s brought more changes and another generation of the Currie family into the business. After completing a tool and die making apprenticeship and working on ships as a marine engineer, Paul Currie started working at TMC on the factory floor building trailers in 1973.

The ownership of the company changed significantly in 1975 when shareholders, including McMahan Motors were bought out.

Ian and Paul Currie took over full ownership in a new company called TMC Trailers Ltd. Another move came in 1977 with a purpose-built facility finished at 31 Lunns Rd, Christchurch and new designs continued to emerge.

In 1983 TMC built its first curtain sider C-train for NZR (chassis 1506) - a configuration similar to a B-train except with a pivot between the tandem set.

“The idea then was to reduce the stress on the bogie but because of reduced axle loading the fixed B-train design would become the NZ standard,” says Paul.

In a twist of coincidence the C- and B-train concepts originated in Canada and were designed by John Currie (no relation).

Another 1983 innovation was a TMC designed, built and patented rear loading ISO container trailer, an idea that was overtaken by the side loader designs popular today.

Above: In 1989 TMC won the Best Manufacturing award for its Euro Aero dynamics semi-trailer at the Hamilton Transport Show.

Below: The modern Christchurch manufacturing plant(left) and the servicing site in Hamilton (right) as of opening September 2020.

More land was purchased in 1983 for a new manufacturing facility on the corner of Shand Rd and Edmonton Road, Hornby. And in 1984 TMC built its first steering bogie semi-trailer for NZ Lumber (chassis 1524).

“It was another new design concept and Don Hutchins from NZTA was a great help with design and calculations for the steering geometry,” says Paul.

“These trailers had a full steering bogie attached to the chassis by a ball race turntable. The front axle intern was attached to the bogie by a ball race turntable with two steering arms connected to the main bogie. These units were also built for TNL and Sanitarium Foods.

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“These trailers proved to be the ultimate in steering but were heavy. They were outlawed by the Transport Authority after numerous failures caused by inexperienced trailer manufactures – the last straw being when one of these trailers suffered a steering arm and went through a shop front in Hamilton.”

The new premises in Hornby were completed in 1986 with the official opening by RT Hon Jim Bolger on November 11 coinciding with the delivery the NZ Army’s first B-train.

The following year TMC built its first 43-ft steering bogie curtain sider semi for Sanitarium Foods.

The process of design and communicating with customers was changing at this time.

“While we were building the new premises, the Post Office said they could put in a Telex line in for us,” says Paul Currie.

“About a year after we moved in we received a set of curtains from Structurflex Curtains (TMC being one of their first customers) The buckle straps were assembled incorrectly, we called them and Reg Lions said I will Fax a drawing to your local Post Office send someone down there to pick it up in a couple of hours.

“Our receptionist Shirley Mackie picked it up. It was the original heat impregnated paper system - we couldn’t believe it in two hours we received a drawing all the way from Auckland! Maybe one day we might have one of these Fax machines ourselves!”

One of the next moves for TMC was to develop its own range of spring suspension – a response to supply and design problems at the time.

“In this period most axles and suspensions were purchased from America by the NZ transport industry. But over time they proved not to stand up to the NZ conditions.”

A 1988 milestone was TMC’s first lift off curtain sider tops built for Johnson Bros. Transport and the same year TMC built the first Gull Wing truck and trailer unit in New Zealand for the Apple and Pear Board (chassis 1771).

“We called the system the Albatross. They were ideal for short

Above: Ian presenting Jim Barker with gifts for the 2000th trailer in 1992.

Below: The first steering bogie semi built in 1984 and the changes to TMC logos over the past 75 years.

Truck & Driver | 67

Top: In 2018 TMC’s 4000th trailer, was the rear trailer of a 6-axle B-train curtain sider unit built for Briden Services Ltd.

Above: As commercial building construction techniques evolved, TMC built its first panel trailer for Collins Carriers in 1996.

trips from store to port with quick loading and unloading,” says Paul.

TMC were a pioneer in using shockless air suspension with its first system developed in 1989. Paul built a cage under the suspension and sat in it for testing as it was driven on various roads.

“The shingle roads were most exciting,” says Paul.

“We got the idea from Rewiti Farms (Bruce Short). They manufactured shockless air suspensions and an Australian company later purchased this company.

“We used a BPW mono spring and got Bellamy & East (a Christchurch spring maker) to straighten the curve on the back of the spring and re-temper it.

“We fitted a baffle and holes in the air spring mount to act as a shock absorber. It worked well but we only fitted it to a few trailers as we found we could purchase an air suspension with shocks cheaper.

In 1989 TMC won the Best Manufacturing award for its Euro Aero dynamics semi-trailer at the Hamilton Transport Show. It was on the TMC shockless air suspension.

There some eventful moments in TMCs history. In 1991 the company built a semi curtain sider trailer for the Rugby World Cup, fitted with its first Aerodynamic kit.

“On the delivery day the driver drove under a low bridge and wrote off the top of trailer and its contents. TMC’s staff worked for three days and nights to rebuild it ready for its tour of New Zealand,” says Paul.

The build numbers continued to grow and in 1992 TMC manufactured trailer number 2000 for Otorohanga Transport.

The steady growth of the company continued and in 1995 TMC purchased the 56 Edmonton Rd property (across the road from the

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factory) for expansion of the service centre. Another 1995 milestone saw TMC patent its idea of a reducible trailer.

In 1997 TMC manufactured the first telescoping semi curtain sider. The ideas was to reduce the cost of ferry crossings on return trips on the inter-island ferries in both NZ and Tasmania.

“Shortly after the start of our production the ferry companies offered a reduced lane metre cost for unloaded trailers, which then killed our market,” says Paul.

With suburban retail malls becoming more popular around New Zealand, construction companies had some specific transport requirements. In 1996 TMC built the first panel trailer in NZ for Collins Carriers (chassis 2373).

“Collins had the contract for the cartage of panels at the Riccarton Mall, the first time tilt slab panels had been used for major construction. NZTA required the roads to be surveyed by engineers every few metres to ensure the trailer would not roll over,” says Paul.

The concept developed further and 1998 saw the first trombone semi Panel trailer (chassis 2507) manufactured for Collins Carriers.

The first panel carried was 6.2 x 12.8 (27.7 tonne) for the Warehouse Ashburton. It was the biggest panel to be carried at the time.

The next innovations were the first swing thru side lifter chassis which was manufactured for Scarlett’s at Timaru in 1999 and a tilt deck tri semi transporter for Jeff’s Transport in 2000.

Not all the innovations gained traction. In 2001 TMC developed a forklift driven trailer washer but the idea didn’t progress any further.

In 2003 TMC built a telescopic semi with 3-axle steering bogie for Durham’s Transport (Christchurch) and that year the company established a sales team with Paul `Skippy’ Goodman becoming the company’s first full-time salesperson.

Trailer chassis number 3000 was manufactured in 2004. It was a quad axle semi-insulated curtain sider for Linfox.

It was time for another phase of expansion and in 2005 TMC purchased the adjoining property 15 Calgary Place from Shand’s Road Sawmills Ltd while another new design was the first Netcap retractable curtain sider system for McAuley’s Transport, also in 2005.

In 2006 TMC completed a major rebuild on its office block, adding more space for future expansion. Richard Currie joined TMC in 2006 after completing a manufacturing and technology management degree at Lincoln University and gaining extra skills working with international companies for several years.

Company founder Ian Currie passed away after a long fight with cancer on May 16 2007, the same year the company he created turned 60.

Another design milestone came in 2008 with TMC building its first `three-rows-of-eight’ heavy haulage transporter (chassis 3332) capable of moving up to 70-tonnes.

In 2010 the attention was focussed on TMCs first telescoping trailer built for Hanham Transport (Chassis 3465) with an R8 load divider. The trailer telescopes from 14m to 39m and has a Tridex allaxle steer system with radio remote steering option.

Seeking new markets TMC began exports of bottom dumper trailers to Australia from 2011 and with the New Zealand market about to adopt new HPMV regulations it built its first design to the new rules for AJA Logistics Limited.

When Steelbro went into receivership in 2013, TMC took over the rights for sales, manufacturing, spare parts for Steelbro side lifters in New Zealand and the Pacific region. It represented the Steelbro brand till 2019.

For the first time TMC also extended its footprint beyond Christchurch in 2015 with an Auckland service branch managed

by Steve Millichamp at 10 Oak Rd Wiri. The sales team was also

Top: Ian and Paul Currie

Centre: Paul Currie working at a drawing board before the days of computer design.

Above: Paul and Richard Currie in 2023.

expanding with Ron Price employed to look after the Taupo-North area in 2016.

In 2017 Paul Currie was presented with life membership of the New Zealand Truck Trailer Manufacturers Federation by Kate Bucknell.

And a 2017 rebuild in Christchurch doubled the size of TMC’s service department and added a chassis straightening plant. That year TMC produced 102 trailers and 18 truck bodies with 49 staff based in Christchurch and six at the Auckland facility.

One of the big celebrations in 2018 was TMC’s 4000th trailer, the rear trailer of a 6-axle B-train curtain sider unit built for Briden Services Ltd. The company also celebrated Skippy’s 1000th trailer order.

Temuka Transport Ltd were so appreciative of Skippy’s service they put his picture on the rear of the trailer.

Truck & Driver | 69

Above: The latest quad steering trombone (top) with converter dolly and 1997 reducible semi-trailer.

Below: Linfox was the customer for the 3000th TMC trailer build in 2004. Ian Currie presents Mick Best with a model of unit.

70 | Truck & Driver

Paul Currie was inducted into the New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame at Invercargill’s Transport World in 2019 and the company’s expansion plans were still progressing with 7000sqm of land purchased at Horotiu, just north of Hamilton for the new TMC North Island branch.

The service centre at 18 Evolution Drive, Horotiu with an 1844sqm building on the site opened in September 2021.

Grim predictions around the effects of Covid-19 restrictions turned out to be the opposite and manufacturing of trailers and truck bodies has been constrained by supply issues rather than demand in recent years.

The company decided to make a subtle change to its branding in 2021. The initial change was to the logo on its trailer stickers, dropping the word trailer to just read TMC. That move has now been extended to all company branding.

“It’s just TMC now,” says Paul. “The trailer part confused some prospective customers who thought we only built trailers.”

With its increased capacity in Christchurch along with the modern Auckland and Hamilton operations, TMC is well placed for the challenges it is facing on the other side of the 75-year milestone.

“The New Zealand market is unique and it requires unique transport solutions,” says Paul.

“There’s not really anything you could call a standard trailer in New Zealand. Every transport operator wants some special design feature, even if it’s only a few extra lights.”

“In the future we will see the introduction of robotics and automation. The challenge will be making that sort of technology available for the relatively small volumes of the New Zealand market.”

Richard Currie says new technologies will be involved in the design and manufacturing process as well as trailers themselves.

“With challenges in the securing the skills we require, which is an issue for all manufacturing businesses, there will be an increased role for robotics and AI in the manufacturing process,” he says.

“And electrification and hybrid technologies are coming. There isn’t really a desire for electric drive axles yet, because there aren’t really any incentives to support it at the moment.

“But hopefully we’ll see them in the future and it’s one of the technologies we are keeping an eye on for the future.”

Richard says the strengths which TMC has established are its broad product range, multiple locations and its staff.

“We are across most of the trailer and truck body sectors and we don’t specialise in anything specifically. It’s a really wide range of products.

“We build a really good product that is reliable and has backup support across the North and South Islands. We always stand behind our gear.

“Across our three locations we have an amazing team who are building and supporting our TMC product range.”

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FEATURE

After a four-year restoration, Steve Ensor’s 1971 International F1800D Loadstar is superbly presented in the colours of Tirau Earthmovers.

By Colin Smith

Rumble Guts THE DISTINCTIVE HOWL OF A DETROIT TWO-STROKE HAS recently been heard around the South Waikato town of Putaruru.

Steve Ensor’s restored Rumble Guts – a 1971 International F1800D Loadstar powered by a Detroit 6V53 – was fired up during mid-August following a four-year restoration project. The truck recalls a key era from the history of Tirau Earthmovers Ltd, owned by the Ensor family since 1960.

It’s the third International restoration in the Ensor family collection, joining a 1947 International KB6 and a 1957 AS110 pickup. The F1800D is a tribute to the 1970s era when a Loadstar, and before that an International “Butterbox” AACO, did the heavy work for Tirau Earthmovers around the Matamata and South Waikato regions.

It was another F1800D which provided some vivid childhood memories for Steve Ensor, as well as the inspiration for this project.

“When I was a kid growing up, we had an ex-T. Doidge Ltd logging truck. It was an International F1800D 6x4 with a 6V53,” says Steve.

“We were at 34 Main Rd Tirau, and I’d hear it coming down the road. I’d jump in with driver Karl Litschi and go for a ride out to the quarry. I’m 60 now, so I would have been about nine years old.”

That truck was a 1967 example and Steve says the restoration project began with efforts to track down the original, which Tirau Earthmovers owned from 1972 till 1982.

“I’ve actually got the invoice from Doidge in November `71 for $14,000 for the cab and chassis.

Steve’s Dad Bill Ensor engaged Basil and Ken Jones to fit a Cambridge Welding body on it.

“It started working early in 1972,” Steve says.

“There was a bit of searching to find out if the old truck was still around. The best I could find out, Lionel Landon, a mate of Ian Wedding, owned it for a while. It was written off somewhere on the Thames Coast.”

It was the AS110 pickup which provided the lead to the truck Steve would buy.

“In 2009 I started out trying to find something. I’d bought the AS110 pickup from Bob Ellis at Hamurana. He was a well-known

Truck & Driver | 73

The 6x4 F1800D is fitted with a new body built by Cambridge Welding Services. The name Rumble Guts is a reference to the distinctive sound of the 6V53 engine.

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The International brings back childhood memories for Steve Ensor of Tirau Earthmovers.

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“It [the AS110] was pretty tired and it needed quite a bit of work.

“I asked Bob if he knew of any F1800s. He told me about one up in Tairua at Tanners old sawmill and `JD’ John Douglas was the man to see.

“It belonged to John McIntosh from Thames. We worked out a deal for $6000 plus an old roller we had and brought it back here, stopping off at Thames to pick up some bits and pieces he had.

“The first thing was to finish off the pickup truck and that took quite a lot of time. We only mucked around with the F1800D till about 2018.”

The truck Steve had purchased was a later 1971 model, but he says the only exterior difference is the marker lights below the headlights [which have been changed to the older style]. The goal was a faithful recreation of the truck Tirau Earthmovers had operated in the 1970s.

Steve has not been able to trace the full history of the truck he’s restored but it’s believed it was purchased new by Brian Perry Ltd. Then Jack Flynn owned it in Hamilton before it moved on to work for Rotorua Quarries.

“There’s an original Ross Todd Motors Cambridge sticker on the glovebox,” says Steve.

The F1800D is powered by the original 5.2-litre Detroit Diesel 6V53 which produces 195hp at 2600rpm and peak torque of 446 ft-lbs at 1300rpm. The trucks were fitted with a five-speed transmission and a four-speed auxiliary gearbox.

“Somewhere along the line it’s had a 10-speed Roadranger

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Above & below: The restoration included a rebuild of the 6V53 engine, chassis, cab, and suspension and a full repair of the interior fitted, possibly during its time at Rotorua Quarries,” says Steve.

“NZTA could only tell me half the story. I have found warrants and registrations dating back to 1990. It’s last warrant was 1992 and it was de-registered in May 1994.”

Steve hoped some photos of F1800Ds working in Brian Perry colours with 3-axle Transport & General transporter trailer might provide more information.

“I rang Transport & General this year, but their records stop at 1976, five years shy what we needed,” he says.

“I think McIntosh thought he was going to restore it, but it would have been easy to give up.”

76 | Truck & Driver

Steve didn’t make a fast start on the project, but he had no intention of giving up either.

Mechanics Adrian de Vos, Harry Goosens, and Ray Ensor completed most of the work at the Tirau Earthmovers workshop in Putaruru.

“I did the conducting,” says Steve. “In the end Harry spent the best part of a year on it full-time, otherwise it was going to go on and on.

“Nothing was easy. We pulled the motor apart and `hello, the heads are cracked’,” Steve says.

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Top: Restored interior shows the simple workplace which truckies enjoyed in the 1960s and early `70s.

Below: The F1800D is a 1971 model first owned by Brian Perry Ltd and later by Rotorua Quarries.

shipped across to California and down here.

“I got a lot of advice and parts from Alf Williamson. Alf knew where to get the pistons, rings, liners, gaskets etc., we needed but the crank was okay. Rotorua Diesel did the fuel pump and we also had to get all of the auxiliary gearbox bearings done.”

Steve remembers the original F1800D as being a durable workhorse.

“Karl, who drove the original truck for 10 years, says the only problem he had was it dropped a valve once and it had to get one new piston.”

The original International would typically work truck only but we did have with a 2-axle Walker trailer for a time , carting out of local quarries to projects around the Matamata County.

“It carted 10 cubic yards on the back which is a fraction over 12-tonne payload, and it was 24-tonne payload all up with the trailer. With 195hp you needed all 20 gears. It’s got 40 forward gears now [with the 10-speed Road Ranger].”

Along with Alf Williamson, Steve says there was help from a number of other truck industry legends to get the F1800D finished.

“We had to get a pump for the hydraulic system and Duke Cubis at TRT was a wealth of knowledge and helped us with that.

“John Sims at C&R Developments had an original F1800D parts book and TSV in Cambridge also helped out.

The finished truck now carries the signature Tirau Earthmovers red and cream colours.

78 | Truck & Driver

“Tirau Panelbeaters fixed up the cab and it was Paul Butcher at Spray & Bake in Otorohanga who painted the truck,” says Steve.

The doors carry Tirau Earthmovers’ original Main Road, Tirau address and the three-digit telephone number from the early days of the automatic exchange at Tirau.

“I got Ken and Clayton Jones of Cambridge Welding to put a new body onto it,” Steve says.

Steve says VTNZ in Hamilton were also proved helpful in the final stages of the project.

“The first time we took it over on a transporter and it stayed there for a week. It needed several LT400 certs, tie rod ends, Hendrickson bushes and drive shaft parts.

“For the recheck three weeks later, we left our yard at 9am and didn’t return until 6pm with COF and registration done.”

A finishing touch for the International are the `F1800D’ personalised number plates.

“I found out they were available about six years ago and decided to get them while I could,” says Steve.

Steve says the truck is now running and certified with just a few minor detail jobs to finish off.

“We’ll take it to a few local truck shows and give it a premiere at the Putaruru Christmas parade.

“That will probably mean more to me than anyone else. The Christmas Parade in Putaruru is a big deal - the streets are lined with people, and you wonder where has everyone come from?”

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It’s political...

ELECTION SPECIAL 2023 THE COUNTDOWN IS UNDERWAY FOR THE General Election on Saturday October 14.

Since November 2021, NZ Truck & Driver has offered the transport spokespeople from the major political parties a monthly opportunity to raise issues related to the road transport industry and roading infrastructure.

It’s been a challenging time for the industry with the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic years, significant driver shortages, road maintenance issues

and looming emissions reductions legislation all influencing the trucking industry.

Government policy directly impacts many aspects of the trucking industry, and the It’s Political pages have offered the chance to hear the government view and the alternatives offered by the opposition parties.

This month New Zealand First, Labour, The Greens, National and the ACT parties take up the pre-election opportunity to present their road transport and wider infrastructure policies.

NZ FIRST UNDERSTANDS TRUCKING CHALLENGES

Shane Jones

By Hon. Shane Jones, New Zealand First Transport Spokesperson WITH NEARLY 4.5 MILLION VEHICLES, New Zealand has one of the highest rates of vehicle ownership in the world.

Cities are congested, and it’s easy to show cars stalled on the motor way on the nightly news. What’s not so often seen is the challenge that truckers face on poorly maintained roads with heavily laden vehicles loaded with the nation’s valuable expor t products.

The recent 2024-27 National Land Transpor t Programme (NLTP) highlights how significant our transpor t challenges are. They include statutor y consent delays, resource availability and local government logistical planning. Transpor t projects, including opening new quarries, are frequently stymied. Time taken to secure consents

is absurd. Let’s not forget volatile weather and climate change rhetoric.

The biggest challenge is how to fund it all. Since 2017, roading resilience has suffered as focus has shifted onto light rail, biking and walking and road-tozero safety approaches. Light rail still has cheerleaders, and this noise makes funding our transpor t system a highly contested political space.

Up here in the Far Nor th, the main obstacle is the SH 1 Br ynder wyn hill range, south of Whangarei. Water ingress is a constant challenge along with the inhospitable topography.

Earlier this year the road was closed for 73 days. During this time container trade from Marsden Point to Auckland ceased.

Immediate funding priorities need to focus on roading choke points that prevent movement of our expor ts.

NZ First is making the upgrading of the Br ynder wyns a priority. We are committed to exploring different models for road funding that pave the way for ensuring our expor ts get to the international markets.

New Zealand needs to boost expor t revenue, and that means we need to ensure that our expor t-rich regions remain accessible and reliable. Our truckers and the roads they travel on play an impor tant role, and NZ First is committed to funding critical infrastructure such as road networks to grow our economy’s resiliency.

Hon Shane Jones Truck & Driver | 81

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It’s political...

DESPERATE U-TURNS IN LABOUR’S TRANSPORT PLANS

By Simeon Brown, National Party Spokesman for Transport and Public Service.

IN A SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS, Labour recently unveiled plans to build roading infrastructure, echoing shades of National’s Transport for the Future policy released in July.

But Labour’s plan is far from a genuine shift in policy and more of a desperate admission of past mistakes.

The reality is that Labour’s plan is not worth the paper it’s written on. It reveals a government desperately trying to save face after six years of transport missteps and failures which has resulted in worsened congestion and a deteriorating state highway network.

The most cunning part of Labour’s plan is the inclusion of projects that have been cancelled by Labour in the past six years. The Cambridge to Piarere expressway and the Woodend Bypass, both side-lined by Labour in 2018 and 2017, have now miraculously found their way back onto Labour’s transport wish list.

This is a calculated attempt to try and fool New Zealanders into believing that Labour suddenly cares about building roads. However, scepticism lingers about whether these promises will translate into tangible progress or if they are just projects set to be cancelled by Labour yet again, if given the chance.

Labour’s history of project

cancellations and re-announcements casts a shadow of doubt over their new promises. Kiwi motorists have suffered through worsening congestion and a deteriorating state highway network, while much-needed infrastructure projects have been languishing in a state of uncertainty for six years.

Not a single major infrastructure project has been started and successfully completed under Labour. Major roading projects that have opened in the past six years – including Transmission Gully and the Puhoi to Warkworth motorway – have opened as a result of the previous National government’s commitment to delivering roads, leaving Labour’s performance in infrastructure delivery underwhelming to say the least.

Labour’s list of unfulfilled projects is substantial. The much-touted Auckland light rail, which promised to be transformational for Auckland, remains a distant dream with not a single metre of track having been delivered while over $154 million has been spent on the project to date.

The Auckland Cycle Bridge was started and then cancelled, leaving a bridge to nowhere at a cost of $51 million. Mill Road in Auckland was cancelled by Labour in 2021, and the Otaki to North of Levin Expressway, announced by the

Simeon Brown previous National government, is still yet to get underway.

Such a record of non-delivery has not just cost the country millions of dollars but has also meant that New Zealand has lost opportunities to improve connectivity for people and freight in our cities and regions.

National has a strong track record of funding, consenting, and delivering major infrastructure projects. Whether it’s the Auckland City Rail Link, the Waterview Tunnel, the Waikato Expressway, Transmission Gully, or the recently completed Puhoi to Warkworth motorway, New Zealand commuters are better off because of National’s track record.

Whether Labour’s newfound commitment to building roads translates into tangible results remains to be seen.

Until then, New Zealanders have a clear choice between Labour’s approach to infrastructure that is more about the headlines and less about delivery, or National’s approach rooted in the belief that projects delivered are much more important than projects announced.

National has a plan to deliver the infrastructure New Zealand needs for our future and we look forward to delivering on our plan if we have the privilege of being elected in October.

Truck & Driver | 83

It’s political...

TIME TO GET SERIOUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

By Julie Anne Genter, Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand spokesperson for transport.

IN 1993, THE EAST COAST OF THE United States was confronted with a searing heatwave that saw record books rewritten.

The New York Times described the heatwave as something that had “stalled like an overheated bus over New York City and much of the rest of the East Coast … breaking temperature records and contributing to at least 12 deaths in Philadelphia.”

While this was happening, then Vice President Al Gore appeared on current affairs show Meet The Press. Gore was asked if this heatwave was evidence of global warming, to which he responded: “the majority of scientists have been telling us for years that the long-term warming trend greatly increases the odds that any given year will produce a much larger number of 100-degree days.”

Fast for ward close to three decades to July last year, and Gore was saying ver y much the same thing, on the same show, during a time in which many of the same cities ravaged by the heatwave in 1993 were seeing their temperature records rewritten once again.

To avoid continually breaking record 84 | Truck & Driver

temperatures and watching par ts of the world burn or be buried in floods, we must stop doing the same as we have always done.

Here in Aotearoa, if we want to get serious about climate change, we need to tackle transpor t, with it being responsible for 39 per cent of our total domestic CO2 emissions.

We can enhance the efficiency of our transpor t network all while reducing its reliance on emissions. The solutions have been there for decades, all that has been missing is political will.

Our climate-safe communities policy package offers an alternative from a status quo in our transpor t and urban planning.

By putting people first in the design of our communities, incorporating nature and prioritising climate friendly travel we can build a brighter future for generations to come.

In providing more space for people to get around by cycling or walking in our urban areas, we take more cars off the road, leaving more space for people who need to drive and those who need the roads to transpor t freight. This relieves congestion and the pressure our roading network is currently under

Julie Anne Genter

that is resulting in it constantly needing repair.

Our plans to deliver light rail in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch will fur ther reduce the strain our transpor t network is under and the emissions it is responsible for. The Green Par ty would make the planned tunnelled light rail in Auckland a streetlevel option instead. This would save more than $5.6 billion, savings which could be funnelled into funding light rail in Christchurch and Wellington.

By revitalising nature within the hear t of our towns and cities we can enhance their resilience to the extreme weather we have witnessed. Urban streams and green spaces can act as a sponge in the face of flooding, protecting our communities and infrastructure from considerable damage.

October offers us all oppor tunity. An oppor tunity to steer ourselves away from the climate catastrophe we are currently hur tling towards.

We can cut our emissions and curb congestion all while creating a better quality of life for all. The solutions exist and the Green Par ty has the political will needed to deliver them.

The time is now.

It’s political...

ACT POLICIES BASED ON REAL REFORMS Simon Court

By Simon Court, ACT Party spokesperson on transport FOR THE CURRENT LABOUR Government, October 2023 is the end of the road.

On the South Island’s West Coast in September, I met local people working in transport, mining, and fishing. Coasters are tough people, many descended from immigrants who arrived in New Zealand with nothing but the clothes on their backs and only enough money to buy their first few meals. There was gold in the rivers, coal in the hills, an abundance of highquality timber.

In the past 30 years successive Governments have stopped locals from harvesting selected trees, even by helicopter. Coal and gold mining is still profitable, but access to the next pit or prospect is almost impossible under the rule changes which limit mining on public land.

The West Coast terrain is almost equally divided between mountain and often soggy paddocks on the narrow coastal strip. There is hardly any dry flat land between, but that hasn’t stopped hundreds of farmers finding ways to produce high quality milk. Because the latest RMA rules mean that working in a wetland is prohibited, farmers are now unable to use their land effectively.

Coasters told me that they fear by the end of the decade, there will be no reason

to stay on the coast because they won’t be allowed to work the land, the mines, the forest or even make the highly productive fisheries profitable.

Instead of listening to the hardy and highly productive people on the West Coast, since 2017 Labour ignored the productive sector and focused on the things that matter to the Labour party.

The National Party, when last in Government, chose instead to go along with Labour’s bans on timber harvesting, and even introduced vague spiritual concepts of “life-force” to the RMA. Te Mana o Te Wai means anyone trying to get a consent near water needs to prove how they meet Māori cultural expectations, and that is a very expensive process, which adds to the cost of everything produced near water.

As if wrapping the most productive people in New Zealand up in a roll of sticky red tape isn’t bad enough, Labours wasteful spending on a fantasy bike bridge and poorly conceived Auckland Light Rail meant less money for road maintenance.

Waka Kotahi is only responding to three of the 40 most extreme risks to the road network identified in 2020.

It is not just the transport sector and people trying to get places who suffer.

Closures delay deliveries, and damage caused by potholes and rough roads adds cost to everything we use and consume.

Labour’s spending without producing anything of value drives up inflation and caused the Reserve Bank to put up interest rates almost 4%, making housing for mortgage holders less affordable. By repeatedly smacking landlords with red tape and new taxes the weekly cost of an average rental home has risen $175 since 2017.

The mood on the West Coast and around the country is for real change, not just swapping a Red Chris for a Blue Chris and hoping for the best. ACT is the only Party that’s produced a fully costed alternative budget. We do it every year. We show how spending could be reduced by $16 billion over two years without touching a single frontline teacher, nurse, doctor or cop.

That takes the heat out of inflation, but it also frees up money for tax cuts, so people can keep more of what they earn. Last year inflation went up 7.2%, but wages after tax went up only 6.2%. Taxes need to be cut. ACT’s alternative budget would do just that, meaning someone, say, a teacher on $78,000, would keep nearly $2,300 more of their own money.

There’s a lot more ACT can do in an ACT/ National Government. ACT’s policies for transport, energy and RMA reform will unlock productivity and restore the pioneer spirit. Just like the truckies, we are ready to deliver the goods.

Truck & Driver | 85

It’s political...

LABOUR LEADS ON ROAD SPENDING

By Hon. David Parker, Minister of Transport

TRUCKIES KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE how important good roads are to New Zealanders.

Everyone suffers when there’s big delays in people movement or goods delivery due to the state of our roads.

That was brought home to us earlier this year, with the massive damage to central and upper North Island roads caused by cyclones.

In a recent column in this magazine, I talked about how under-investment in road maintenance by the previous Government has made the weather damage worse than it should have been. If roads aren’t regularly re-sealed, they are more easily damaged by bad weather.

This is the reason we have such a bad pothole problem. This Government is getting on top of it, but there’s a lot more to do.

Labour has put more into road maintenance than any other government, and we will continue with that.

We recently announced our draft plan for land transport funding for 202427, known as the Government Policy Statement. This increased maintenance funding for state highways and local

David Parker

roads by 41 per cent, up to $8.1 billion.

This shows we are serious about fixing the potholes, and about building those damaged roads back better.

We also need to build new and better roads, especially in the high growth areas. We’ve identified several critical priority routes for new funding in 202427, including Warkworth to Whangarei, Cambridge to Piarere, Tauranga to Tauriko, Wellington central to the Airport, four-laning Napier to Hastings, the Richmond-Hope bypass, the Christchurch Northern link, and a second Ashburton bridge.

At the same time, we also need to move more people into public transport, especially in our biggest cities.

In Auckland, road capacity is filling up as fast as we expand it, such as on the North-Western motorway – so we need dedicated bus lanes there, connected to the City Rail Link project. We’re also putting more into rail capacity in Auckland, and we’re looking at Mass Rapid Transit in Wellington.

None of this is in the “nice to have” basket – all the maintenance and new building work in our 2024-27 plan is

essential for New Zealand’s land transport networks to keep up with growth demand.

But it does come at a cost – that’s why, unlike the Opposition, we are being upfront about how we will pay for it.

There will be small increases of 4 cents a year in fuel excise and road user charges, starting next July.

This isn’t unusual – before Covid came along, these charges were regularly raised by small amounts each year.

It made sense to pause any increases while the country got back on its feet. But traffic is now back to pre-Covid levels, and along with the weather damage, we have to face up to some inevitable funding challenges.

I don’t rule out funding methods like tolling to pay for some new roads. For example, it makes sense with the Penlink connection to Whangaparoa, because that road will serve a specific community and there is an alternative, untolled road available to locals.

It’s interesting that National has promised to take the toll off Penlink. There are questions galore about how they are going to fund their roading promises. I look forward to the answers!

86 | Truck & Driver

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National Road Carriers

Election 2023: Use your vote wisely Justin Tighe-Umbers, CEO, National Road Carriers Association

T

HE ELECTION IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, AND WE’VE had months of promises and pot shots from both the major and minor parties. The gloves have well and truly come off, and it seems some of the minor parties are showing signs of being quiet winners come election day.

This rise in some of the smaller parties seems to have a lot of seemingly smart people thinking they can ‘game the system’ with their votes. I’m not sure how simply I can put this. You can’t game the system. You have two votes, one for your preferred elected representative and one party vote. There is no way you can game the system with just two votes.

What you can do is use your vote wisely. Think about what attributes the parties, and their leaders, have that align with your values, and will support the wider transport industry and your business.

I recently read an interesting article in CEO World Magazine

by Dr Jim White titled ‘Attributes of Successful Leaders’. White’s view is that no company, or in this case country, can thrive without good leadership. Leadership is not about getting people to submit or personal power, instead it is about setting a good example, inspiring others to do better and be more successful, while valuing the welfare of all. White believes good leadership comes down to six key attributes: Integrity, Courage, Wisdom, Truth-seeking, Respect and Equality. I reckon these qualities are a great place to start if we want to assess which leaders, we might aspire to have lead New Zealand post-election 2023.

When it comes to the party policies, BusinessNZ’s Deloitte and Chapman Tripp Election Survey is a great place to gain

some additional insights. The survey found 93% of businesses felt changes made by Government in the last three years had increased the cost of doing business. On climate change, 59% of respondents agreed it was affecting the costs of inputs to their business, a significant jump compared to 2020 where on 27% of businesses were feeling the impact on input costs.

Transport (roads, rail & ports) came out at the leading type of infrastructure to have the most potential to contribute to New Zealand’s business growth. When asked what major infrastructure issues would be a focus, only National, ACT and New Zealand First responded strongly that roading is a priority.

The transport industry and many of the sectors our industry rely on have been grappling with ongoing staff shortages for some time now. Perhaps unsurprisingly 59% of survey respondents were not confident the current immigration settings are providing the skills needed for their business, with only 18% saying current settings meet their needs. When asked what changes could be made to the immigration settings to meet business and industry needs, both National and ACT have policies designed to make it easier to bring in skilled labour to plug shortages.

In a nutshell, we’ve heard a lot of promises. The big question is what promises will become reality, and benefit the transport industry, and the 108,000 people who make a living from it.

So, don’t try and game the system, take the time to look at the various party’s policies and weigh up what attributes, and promises, are most likely to deliver meaningful outcomes for both the road transport industry and New Zealand as a whole.

Truck & Driver | 89

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New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association

Road closures can have a significant impact on over-weight and over-dimension operators.

Works sites need to be kept open for freight

By Jonathan Bhana-Thomson – Chief Executive, New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association

W

ITH THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE season underway, the Association is seeing more and more work being undertaken under a full closure scenario. For general freight – and particularly for oversize loads – this can have a disruptive and potentially critical impact on the transport of freight to the destination.

For many loads that are on permits – be their overdimension, overweight, or HPMV – there are only a selected range of roads that either can be used, or do not have restrictions on them to be able to transport these loads.

If these roads are closed for works, without a suitable detour being put in place, then this freight will need to use an alternate route – and often these are longer, have dimension restrictions, or weight restricted bridges, or are simply a no go for the larger overdimension loads.

We understand the arguments that sometimes it is more efficient to undertake a full closure to undertake works on a section of road in a shorter period of time – this cost can potentially be measured. What cannot be measured is the cost put on transport operators – and ultimately on the purchaser or user of the freight item, of the extra time, kilometres, and delay to productivity of needing to use an alternate route (if it is suitable).

It is also the combined effect of a number of road closures and detours on longer freight routes that will mean that there is significant extra time taken which impacts on productivity and driving hours.

We also understand the argument around the safety of

workers on the site. We certainly Jonathan Bhana-Thomson want to see all workers in NZ go home safely at the end of their workday (or night). However, this needs to be balanced by assessing the extra risk put on road users by having to use a route that will likely have more safety risks by issues such as narrower lanes, less suitable cambers, less well maintained roads – on many of the detours that we are seeing being used.

Much of this is driven by the NZTA Waka Kotahi’s new Guide to Temporary Traffic Management, which is starting to inform the way in which traffic management is undertaken. This promotes a more fine-grained approach to risk associated with traffic management. But what we are seeing is that the principal roading contractor may be well versed in undertaking this from a contracting perspective – but they are inexperienced in analysing the risk placed in other road users from using local detour routes. A rigorous analysis must be carried out to ascertain the lowest overall risk to both contractors and road users.

In the case of oversize loads, many times the detour routes that are being promoted are simply not suitable for these large loads. Often these loads are being undertaken off-peak at night, and this is the same time that major road works are frequently undertaken. For that reason, we are strongly pushing NZTA to agree that for full road closures where there are not suitable alternate routes, that oversize loads must have controlled access through road closures to ensure that these loads get to their destination.

Truck & Driver | 91

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Mike and Raewyn Richardson of Taupo’s Richardson Transport have a second Kenworth, a new T909 which is 47 years younger than their 1976 model LW924 classic (which still does some occasional work). The T909 is powered by a 600.615hp Cummins X15 producing 2050 lb-ft of torque with an 18-speed Eaton RTLO 20918B Roadranger, Meritor 7.2t front axle, Meritor 46-160 rear axles and Airglide rear suspension. Other features include traditional roof lights, raised intakes, T904 bumper, twin painted alloy fuel tanks, Bigfoot CTI and SI Lodec scales. Blind spot cameras are fitted, and the 28-inch sleeper interior includes a fridge. Transfleet built the 4950mm alloy `big smoothy’ bin and 7700mm alloy `big smoothy’ 5-axle trailer.

Close fight for top spot ANOTHER STRONG MONTH IN AUGUST SEES THE NEW Zealand new truck market remaining on track to achieve a record year.

New truck registration figures for August see 539 trucks with a GVM of 4.5 tonnes or more registered, and the year-to-date (YTD) total reaching 4060, according to official NZ Transport Agency data.

August’s monthly total is actually a slight decrease from last year’s 548, however the total of 4060 is 7.95% ahead of the previous best JanuaryAugust total of 3761 registrations achieved in 2022.

The trailer market is also strong, with 156 registrations in August and 1033 YTD. That total is 106 ahead of the same period last year but falls 150 registrations short of Jan-Aug record of 1183 units in 2018.

In the overall 4.5t to maximum GVM truck market, Isuzu (YTD 816/ August 102) edges back ahead of Fuso (815/88) by one registration as their year-long duel for market leadership continues. The 102 registrations makes Isuzu the August leader and the 816 units YTD represent a market share of 20.1%.

Fuso’s YTD sales are 16 units ahead of the same period last year but its market share is down slightly from 21.2% last year to 20.1% YTD 2023.

Hino holds third position with 77 registrations during August and a YTD total of 536, with its market share down from 16.3% last year to 13.2% this year.

Scania (426/74) is ranked number four with UD (223/38) and Iveco (211/29) next in the overall rankings.

There are no surprises in the growing 3.5-4.5t GVM segment which is now 109 units larger in total than for the same period last year.

Fiat (162/22) continues to lead with over 25.8% of the market share, significantly lower than last year’s 50.9%.

The big performer for August is Mercedes-Benz (146/71) taking a 46.4% share for the month. Iveco (121/34) also continues to play a

significant role in this segment taking a 22.2% share for the month.

In the 4.5-7.5t GVM class, Fuso (420/42) continues to dominate with 39.3% share. Isuzu (254/41) is second, only one registration behind Fuso for the month with third position held by Iveco (120/15) ahead of Hino (93/14) in fourth.

Isuzu (356/36) continues as leader in the 7.5-15t GVM category while Hino (144/18) jumps ahead of Fuso (144/18) to claim second position.

In the 15-20.5t GVM division, Hino (68/12) retains the lead, ahead of UD (38/7) and FUSO (32/7) and sharing second for the month with seven registrations apiece.

In the tiny 20.5-23t segment, Scania enters the segment with one registration, while Hino (15/0) now holds 60% share of the market ahead of Fuso (4/2), who claim 50% of the share for the month with two registrations.

In the premium 23t to maximum GVM division, Scania (409/73) continues to lead with a huge August total of 73 registrations and 26.5% share for the month.

Fuso (215/19) retains second ahead of Hino (212/28) in third. Volvo (203/23) continues in fourth place ahead of Isuzu (180/21), DAF (161/18), Kenworth (122/24) and Mercedes-Benz (101/12). Iveco (61/12) edges into 10th position ahead of MAN (59/4), which is the only change among the top 10 YTD. In the trailer market, Fruehauf (125/20) is steadily building a break on the competition – ahead of Patchell (107/15). August figures also see Domett (82/20) performing strongly and moving ahead of both Roadmaster (74/14) and Transport Trailers (71/7).

TMC (65/9), MTE (43/2), Transfleet (33/7), Freighter (30/7) and Fairfax (25/3) round out the top-10 with no change on their positions from last month.

Truck & Driver | 93

Knight Cartage of Bayview, Napier is carting bulk aggregate in the Hawke’s Bay region with a new International Prostar R6. Driven by Chris McMullen, the 6x4 tipper has a 615hp Cummins X15 developing 2050 lb-ft of torque with an Eaton 20918B 18-speed manual and Meritor rear axles.

Hugh Green sold the Prostar which features dual exhausts, Ali Arc bumper, premium trim and CTI system.

4501kg-max GVM Brand ISUZU FUSO HINO SCANIA UD IVECO VOLVO DAF MERCEDES-BENZ KENWORTH FOTON MAN HYUNDAI MACK VOLKSWAGEN INTERNATIONAL WESTERN STAR SINOTRUK FREIGHTLINER FIAT SHACMAN OTHER Total

Vol 816 815 536 426 223 211 186 170 145 122 107 75 72 37 30 15 14 14 8 6 4 28 4060

2023

% 20.1 20.1 13.2 10.5 5.5 5.2 4.6 4.2 3.6 3.0 2.6 1.8 1.8 0.9 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.7 100

3501-4500kg GVM Brand FIAT MERCEDES-BENZ IVECO FORD VOLKSWAGEN RAM CHEVROLET RENAULT LDV PEUGEOT Total

Vol 162 146 121 91 37 33 18 10 9 1 628

2023

% 25.8 23.2 19.3 14.5 5.9 5.3 2.9 1.6 1.4 0.2 100

4501-7500kg GVM Brand FUSO ISUZU IVECO HINO FOTON HYUNDAI VOLSWAGEN MERCEDES-BENZ FIAT OTHER Total 94 | Truck & Driver

Vol 420 254 120 93 45 46 30 26 6 30 1070

2023

% 39.3 23.7 11.2 8.7 4.2 4.3 2.8 2.4 0.6 2.8 100.0

August Vol % 102 18.9 88 16.3 77 14.3 74 13.7 38 7.1 29 5.4 23 4.3 19 3.5 16 3.0 24 4.5 12 2.2 9 1.7 14 2.6 7 1.3 0 0.0 3 0.6 0 0.0 2 0.4 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 1 0.2 539 100

August Vol % 22 14.4 71 46.4 34 22.2 23 15.0 2 1.3 0 0.0 1 0.7 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 153 100

August Vol % 42 32.3 41 31.5 15 11.5 14 10.8 4 3.1 7 5.4 0 0.0 2 1.5 1 0.8 4 3.1 130 100

23,001kg-max GVM

Isuzu leads by just one unit 7501-15,000kg GVM Brand ISUZU HINO FUSO FOTON HYUNDAI IVECO MAN UD TRUCKS MERCEDES-BENZ VOLVO DAF OTHER Total

Vol 356 148 144 62 25 20 9 7 6 5 2 1 785

2023

% 45.4 18.9 18.3 7.9 3.2 2.5 1.1 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.3 0.1 100

Vol 68 38 32 23 16 12 10 7 6 212

2023

% 32.1 17.9 15.1 10.8 7.5 5.7 4.7 3.3 2.8 100

August Vol % 36 36.4 23 23.2 18 18.2 8 8.1 7 7.1 1 1.0 4 4.0 2 2.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 99 100

August Vol % 12 35.3 7 20.6 7 20.6 3 8.8 0 0.0 2 5.9 1 2.9 1 2.9 1 2.9 34 100

20,501-23,000kg GVM Brand HINO FUSO ISUZU VOLVO DAF SCANIA Total

Vol 15 4 3 1 1 1 25

2023

% 60.0 16.0 12.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 100

Vol 409 215 212 203 180 178 161 122 101 61 59 37 15 14 14 8 1 1 1991

2023

% 20.5 10.8 10.6 10.2 9.0 8.9 8.1 6.1 5.1 3.1 3.0 1.9 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.1 0.1 100.0

Trailers

15,001-20,500kg GVM Brand HINO UD FUSO ISUZU SCANIA MERCEDES-BENZ IVECO MAN DAF Total

Brand SCANIA FUSO HINO VOLVO ISUZU UD DAF KENWORTH MERCEDES-BENZ IVECO MAN MACK INTERNATIONAL WESTERN STAR SINOTRUK FREIGHTLINER HYUNDAI SHACMAN Total

August Vol % 0 0.0 2 50.0 1 25.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 25.0 4 100

Vol Brand FRUEHAUF 125 PATCHELL 107 82 DOMETT 74 ROADMASTER TRANSPORT TRAILERS 71 65 TMC M.T.E. 43 TRANSFLEET 33 FREIGHTER 30 25 FAIRFAX TES 25 JACKSON 23 19 CWS TIDD 18 JAKO 16 HAMMAR 16 KRAFT 15 MTC EQUIPMENT 15 14 TANKER LUSK 12 MILLS-TUI 12 STEELBRO 11 MJ CUSTOMS 10 SEC 8 PTE 8 KOROMIKO 7 ADAMS & CURRIE 6 LOWES 6 MAKARANUI 5 MD ENGINEERING 5 5 EVANS WARREN 5 MAXICUBE 5 LOHR 4 TEO 4 LANGENDORF LOWBED 4 LILLEY 3 OTHER 97 Total 1033

2023

% 12.1 10.4 7.9 7.2 6.9 6.3 4.2 3.2 2.9 2.4 2.4 2.2 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 9.4 100

August Vol % 73 26.5 19 6.9 28 10.2 23 8.4 21 7.6 29 10.5 18 6.5 24 8.7 12 4.4 12 4.4 4 1.5 7 2.5 3 1.1 0 0.0 2 0.7 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 275 100.0

August Vol % 20 12.8 15 9.6 20 12.8 14 9.0 7 4.5 9 5.8 2 1.3 7 4.5 7 4.5 3 1.9 4 2.6 3 1.9 3 1.9 2 1.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 1.9 4 2.6 2 1.3 3 1.9 1 0.6 2 1.3 2 1.3 1 0.6 1 0.6 1 0.6 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.6 1 0.6 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 18 11.5 156 100

Tim and Chloe Stevens of Gisborne have just put their new T. Stevens Ltd Kenworth T610 on the road. Tim hauls logs as an owner-driver for Pacific Haulage and the T610 replaces his Freightliner, purchased second-hand in 2019. The 8x4 is built to Tim’s exact spec preference with a 600.615hp Cummins X15, Roadranger RTLO 20918B 18-speed, Meritor 46-160 XLFR axles and Hendrickson Primaax rear suspension.

Extras include a Kentweld front bumper, SLS stainless sunvisor, 7-inch exhausts, offset front rims and Bigfoot CTI. The log bolsters and 5-axle trailer were built by Patchell Industries and the signage is by Caulfield Signs.

Ruaumoko `God of Earthquakes’ is another premium Scania logger for Waikawa Haulage. The new S 770 B8x4NA logger is working in Hawke’s Bay with Jarvis Harrison behind the wheel. Fitted out with a new Patchell shorts set up and new Patchell 5-axle multi trailer, the S 770 was sold by Callan Short. Haddock Spray Painters painted the cab and chassis with signage by Caulfield Signs.

The Euro 6 DC16 with 770hp has an Opticruise GRSO926R 12-speed AMT with 4100D retarder and RB735 hub reduction rear end. Other features include disc brakes with ABS/EBS, rear air suspension, scales, CTI and Dura-Bright alloys with offset steerers.

The interior boasts leather trim, RVE seats, fridge, microwave, and coffee machine. The exterior is dressed up with an LED Light bar, Broshmik stone guard and Caulfield drop visor.

Christchurch-based Container Waste Ltd has a superbly finished new International RH-R 10x4 hook bin unit which is on waste collection duty South Island-wide. Power is provided by a 615hp Cummins X15 with 2050 lb-ft of torque. An Eaton RoadRanger RTLO 20918B manual, Meritor 46-160 axles and ECAS second steer axle are other features of the NZ-built RH-R which works with a 5-axle Cowan hook bin trailer.

Other features include a Hendrickson lift up tag axle, disc brakes, alloy bumper, premium plus interior and chrome alloy wheels.

Truck & Driver | 95

A new Volvo duo has gone to work for D & M Mann of Hamilton. One is a FH16-700 8x4 (above) carting for Goodman Fielder which typically takes empty milk crates to Longburn and returns to Hamilton and Auckland with a full load of milk. This truck runs seven days a week and does 1100km per shift. The body and the 5-axle trailer are from the truck it replaced. The other new unit for Dave Mann’s operation is an FM 540 8x4 (below) equipped with a new Fairfax body and 5-axle trailer. The FM carts bread from Auckland, making two trips a day to Hamilton and then a run to Taupo. The new Volvo’s continue Dave’s association with the marque after a great run with previous Volvos all doing well over a million kilometres.

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96 | Truck & Driver

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JKF Haulage ( Josh & Karen Fletcher) is carting logs in Hawke’s Bay and the central region with a new Scania R 650 B8x4NA powered by a 650hp Euro 6 Scania DC16. Sold by Callan Short, the R 650 runs the GRSO926R 12-speed transmission with 4100D retarder and RB735 hub reduction rear riding on spring suspension at the front and rear air suspension. Extras include scales, CTI, fridge, LED light bar, Dura-Bright alloys and a Caulfield drop visor. Josh is driving the Scania which is fitted with a new Kraft shorts unit and tows a 5-axle multi-bolster trailer.

Kraft also painted the chassis, and the graphics are by Caulfield Signs.

Watchorn Transport has added a Scania R 650 B6x4HA bulk tipper to its fleet, equipped with a new T&G alloy bathtub and 5-axle pull trailer for sand and bulk work around the North Island.

A Euro 6 spec DC16 V8 developing 650hp and 3300Nm of torque works with a GRSO926R 12-speed AMT, 4100D retarder and Scania RB735 hub reduction rear end. Disc brakes are fitted with ABS/EBS, and features include V8 leather trim, fridge, DuraBright alloys and tool boxes. Callan Short sold the R 650 with cab paint by Vaughan Rd Panel & Paint, chassis paint by Fleet Image and sign writing completed by Caulfield Signs.

98 | Truck & Driver

A third DAF CF FAD Space Cab has joined the Omokoroa General Carriers (1994) fleet. Antony Leek is the driver for the new 8x4 unit, mainly working on a daily run between Tauranga and Auckland. A Euro 6 Paccar MX-13 with 530hp is paired with a Traxon 16-speed AMT and the CF rides on Paccar SR1360T rear axles with dual diff locks and disc brakes. The full DAF safety system featuring driver assist, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and collision mitigation with autonomous emergency braking is fitted. Sold by Tim Finlay, the new CF features include a premium interior option, under-bunk fridge, extra marker lights to sunvisor and mirrors, and Alcoa DuraBright outer wheels. The Domett curtainside body and 5-axle trailer has Tauranga Canvas curtains and the signage is by Truck Signs.

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100 | Truck & Driver

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WAIKATO

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Mills-Tui A4 Tipper Advert 2023-01.indd 1

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