NZ Truck & Driver October 2024

NZ TRUCK & DRIVER

| October 2024

October 2024 $10.90 incl. GST

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e v i t e p v i e t c p ece De D Issue 283

Z N E Z B N BE

The Official Magazine of

ISSN 2703-6278

TRUCKS YOU CAN RELYON ON TRUCKS TRUCKS YOU CAN RELY YOU ON TRUCKS YOU CAN RELY

Partner Can Trust Partner Partner YouYou You CanCan Trust Partner Trust Y

CONTENTS Issue 283 – October 2024

2

News The latest from the world of road transport including… The return of Roads of National Significance and the big State Highway 1 project…

Hydrogen dual-fuel milk tanker launched… Fairfax introduces its fully-electric reefer… The latest European Truck Racing Championship action and Roadrunner Manufacturing celebrates 50 years in business.

22

Giti Tyres Big Test Deceptive Benz: The new Carter’s Bulk Haulage Mercedes-Benz isn’t quite what it appears to be.

Behind an Actros grille is an Arocs 3263 that is proving ideally suited to Northland’s challenging roads.

39

a two-truck effort on the grid for the NZ Super Truck Championship keeps the team at Easy Moves busy.

FEATURES: 61 Senior signs off

69

Southpac Trucks Legends Mike Gillespie’s career in the transport industry began as a mechanic in Timaru, followed by 35-years as a top truck salesman, clocking up massive miles on the South Island roads.

Twizel’s Heavy Metal The town of Twizel proudly displays some the heavy machinery which built the South Island hydro power projects.

83

We featured the history of Smith’s Transport from Port Albert in our July issue, shortly before Alan Smith passed away. We report on his special send off.

New roads, livestock issues, possible RUC changes, new technology and a profile of Canterbury’s Mark Wareing are among the topics covered in this month’s update.

46

79

Alan Smith Tribute

Top Truckies Rewarded NZI has named the five winners of its recent Top Truckie promotion.

Ray Stewart has just retired from Whanganui’s Grange Transport… for the third time. He’s got plenty of stories to tell from his 55 years behind the wheel.

72

Transporting New Zealand

75

Heavy Haul celebrates 60 Years A full report from the 60th annual conference of the NZ Heavy Haul Association.

REGULARS: 80/ Double Coin Tyres NZ Transport 81 Imaging Awards Recognising NZ’s best-looking trucks… including a giant pull-out poster of this month’s finalist.

91

CrediFlex Recently Registered August registration data saw the new truck market continue to run behind the record numbers of 2023 while the trailer segment remains healthy. Plus, the monthly gallery of new rigs on the road.

Teletrac Navman Fleet Focus Movers and Racers: Big jobs such as tricky house relocations and putting

COLUMNS: 59 National Road Carriers Association Justin Tighe-Umbers looks at the economic situation and the challenges it poses for transport operators.

89

NZ Heavy Haulage Association CEO Jonathan Bhana-Thomson explains why the Association is campaigning for oversize access on existing and planned toll roads.

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NEWS The Takitimu North Link in Tauranga is among the projects which form part of the new Roads of National Significance programme.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown

Record investment in highway network A RECORD $32.9 BILLION TRANSPORT NETWORK investment through the 2024-27 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) will reintroduce the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) programme.

The new NLTP will deliver on the coalition Government’s agreements and establish a pipeline of 17 RoNS projects across the country.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown says the programme will create a more reliable and efficient transport network, boosting economic growth and productivity.

“New Zealanders rejected the previous government’s transport policies which resulted in non-delivery, phantom projects, slower speed limits, and an infestation of speed bumps,” says Brown.

The NLTP prioritises 17 RoNS to create a pipeline of roading infrastructure across the country. Takitimu Northern Link Stage 1 (SH2 Tauranga) is already underway with Ōtaki to North of Levin to begin construction next year.

NZTA is now adding seven further projects to begin procurement, enabling works and construction in the next three years. These RoNS are paired with 11 Roads of Regional Significance (RoRs).

Other NLTP priorities include a focus on maintenance and pothole prevention and support for reliable public transport. It will also ensure councils are focused on transport priorities such as increased pothole prevention, with reduced funds for cycleways, and no funds for speed bumps.

“I’m pleased to see that this NLTP adopted by the NZ Transport Agency board, which boosts funding by 35% compared to the last three years, strongly reflects our Government’s priorities of economic growth and productivity, increased maintenance and resilience, safety, and value for money,” Brown says.

“Kiwis will see fewer potholes on our roads as we invest significantly in resealing, rehabilitation, and drainage maintenance to prevent pesky potholes from forming in the first place.

There will also be nine priority bridge replacements across the State Highway network as well as progressing work on a second Ashburton 2 | Truck & Driver

Bridge as a Road of Regional Significance and replacement of the important Pages Rd Bridge in Christchurch as a local road project.

National Road Carriers Association (NRC) CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers says the association is pleased to see funding confirmed to deliver the RoNS and RoRS around the country as pledged.

“The RONS and RORS are a welcome return to structured planned investment of the transport network and is in line with what NRC called for pre-election,” Tighe-Umbers says.

“A long-term plan for addressing the infrastructure deficit and providing certainty will drive down cost, enabling more to be done to return the network to a state that enables productivity and supports economic growth.

“With this increased certainty we hope to see the doors opening in terms of investment opportunities, both from local and international investors, and the contractors we need to attract to deliver the programme of work.”

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand says the NLTP will boost economic productivity and ensure the transport system is moving people and freight safely and efficiently.

“Transporting New Zealand has been emphasising the need to focus on transport fundamentals for a long time, and this NLTP gets the balance right,” says Interim CEO Dom Kalasih.

“The NLTP will support regional connections through Roads of National and Regional Significance projects, ensure a big focus on network maintenance and resilience, and provide targeted investments in public transport, safety and network efficiency,” Kalasih says.

Kalasih says it was also encouraging to see the NLTP emphasise the vital role of freight in delivering economic growth and prosperity.

“93 percent of all freight in New Zealand travels by road, so improving our roading network is essential if we want to get out of the current economic slump and drive real growth.

“Our members are going to be really encouraged to see NLTP referencing the need for freight-friendly roads and bridges, and stronger and more weather-resilient road surfaces. That’s how we can get more efficient higher productivity motor vehicles and heavy battery-electric trucks delivering the freight task, reducing emissions and improving safety outcomes.”

NEWS The Volvo FH16 features dieselhydrogen dual fuel technology.

Hydrogen moving the milk for Miraka A GREEN HYDROGEN DUAL-FUEL MILK TANKER HAS gone to work for Miraka, a Māori-owned, Taupō based dairy company.

The 700hp Volvo FH16 is New Zealand’s first green hydrogen dualfuel tanker for milk collection, and will travel approximately 165,000km annually. It has the capacity to haul 58 tonnes and requires two hydrogen refills daily.

Miraka’s factory at Mokai is the world’s first dairy processing company to use renewable geothermal energy. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from on-farm milk collection has also been a key goal for the innovative company.

The Miraka dairy plant already has one of the world’s lowest manufacturing carbon emissions footprints, emitting 92% less CO2 than traditional coal-fired dairy factories.

“Although hydrogen-powered vehicles are still an emerging technology,

we believe green hydrogen represents the most environmentally appropriate energy source for heavy freight,” says Miraka CEO, Karl Gradon.

“Our green hydrogen dual-fuel tanker is designed to reduce milk collection CO2 emissions by approximately 35% per vehicle.”

Miraka’s partners on the project are Central Transport Ltd and Halcyon Power. The companies are partnering to establish a Rural Hydrogen Hub. Tūaropaki Trust, a cornerstone shareholder in Miraka, provides geothermal energy and steam for the Miraka dairy plant through its Mokai Power Station.

Under a joint venture partnership with Japan’s Obayashi Corporation, Tūaropaki established Halcyon Power, New Zealand’s first commercialscale green hydrogen plant. Halcyon will supply the green hydrogen for the new tanker from their facility which is adjacent to the Miraka dairy plant at Mokai.

New Daimler network takes shape THE NEW NATIONAL SALES STRUCTURE FOR THE Daimler Truck brands has taken shape with Keith Andrews Trucks dealerships now trading in Christchurch, Timaru and Dunedin.

The official changeover took place on September 12 to create a New Zealand-wide network for the Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and Fuso commercial vehicle brands.

Under the previous structure Keith Andrews represented MercedesBenz Trucks, Freightliner and FUSO in the North Island, while CablePrice represented the three brands in the South Island.

Keith Andrews Holdings and CablePrice have now reached agreement on the sale and acquisition of selected South Island Daimler Truck dealerships.

Keith Andrews Trucks Limited is now trading at CablePrice’s 29 Waterloo Road, Christchurch trucks dealership together with sites in Timaru and Dunedin. CablePrice’s dealerships in Nelson, Greymouth and Invercargill maintain their Daimler Truck service and parts status.

The established South Island sales team have all joined Keith Andrews, including Andrew Buschl based in Nelson, Wayne Byrnes and Theo

Ferreira in Christchurch, Hamish Stonehouse in Timaru, and Tristan Duffell in Dunedin and Invercargill.

The Freightliner, Fuso and Mercedes-Benz truck brands are now represented by Keith Andrews Trucks in the South Island.

Truck & Driver | 3

NEWS

The new MRBT units were launched to the media in early 2022.

CVST deploying mobile brake testers FOLLOWING A LENGTHY DELAY, THE POLICE Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST) is now in the process of deploying five of its new Mobile Roller Brake Test units.

The new machines – which enable roadside brake testing for heavy commercial vehicles – were launched to the media in early 2022 and were scheduled for deployment later that year.

Among the reasons cited for the delay have been issues related to the design of trailers for transporting the units, an extended test and development programme, and also driver training required for officers who would be transporting the units.

The February 2024 issue of New Zealand Truck & Driver reported five MRBT units were in storage at the CVST Stanley St facility in Auckland, with a sixth still to be completed.

Police planned to have the MRBT units deployed regionally around the country during 2022 to carry out random checking of heavy vehicle braking systems nationwide. The mobile units were to supplement the permanent roadside facilities in the Bay of Plenty and in North Canterbury.

Responding to further questions from NZ T&D last month, the Police media team says one unit has been operating (based from Auckland) for over 12 months while the unit based in the BOP and Waikato regions was deployed during August.

The MRBT machines are transported in purpose-built trailers towed by newly acquired Ford Ranger utes.

“After the successful completion of health and safety testing, there are five new Roller Brake Test Machines (RBTM) deployed to districts,” says Inspector Scott Webb, Acting National Manager: CVST. “As part of our ongoing commitment alongside New Zealand Transport

Agency, Waka Kotahi to improve road safety in particularly with heavy motor vehicles, the mobile RBTMs will enable our staff to test and ensure the brakes of heavy motor vehicles are to standard.

“It’s a fantastic tool for our Commercial Vehicle Safety Teams and our partners at NZTA and they will play a pivotal part in the reduction of deaths and serious injuries on our roads that involve heavy motor vehicles.”

The mobile RBTMs can be used on the roadside and may be used in conjunction with a screening tool known as mobile thermal imaging device which detects an imbalance in brake temperature which may require further investigation.

“Using this equipment will enable Police to identify more vehicles with brake faults, therefore enabling more prevention and enforcement, which in turn will increase the safety of New Zealand road users,” Inspector Webb says.

“The RBTMs are currently deployed with two based in Auckland and Northland, one covering Waikato and Bay of Plenty. One has been allocated to be used in the central North Island and the other to be utilised across the South Island.”

The CVST opened tenders for the supply of six brake testing machines back in 2020. The tender requirement was for a roadside brake tester that had the capacity to test fully laden vehicles. It needed to be in a self-contained trailer with a generator and an overall weight around 3000kg.

Police selected the BM Autoteknik BM20200 system from Denmark capable of testing cars, vans, four-wheel-drives and heavy vehicles to a COF-B standard.

Another requirement was for the system to be set up using just two people and be ready for operation within 15 to 20 minutes of arrival at a site.

Truck & Driver | 5

NEWS

The heavy-duty FAW JH6 arrives initially as a 6x4 tractor model with 8x4 rigid variants set to follow.

FAW Trucks launch in NZ market A NEW CHINESE TRUCK BR AND IS LAUNCHING IN New Zealand with FAW Trucks (First Auto Works) becoming part of the Intertruck Distributors NZ portfolio.

The heavy-duty FAW JH6 is arriving first as a 6x4 tractor model due in September with 8x4 rigids set to follow. Longer term the FAW lineup will expand to also include light- and medium-duty truck models in a significant reshaping of the Intertruck Distributors NZ business.

“With the popular cab-over [International] 9870 model ending and no update from International on the horizon, a replacement cab-over was narrowed to three marques,” says Intertruck Distributors NZ director Comer Board.

The introduction of the FAW brand has been several years in the making.

“Just on four years ago FAW approached me to be their distributor,” Board says.

“Offering 6x4 only, I suggested that when 8x4 RHD variants were engineered for New Zealand we would be interested.

“As promised, 18 months later FAW reconnected with me, offering a roll-out of RHD models. This confirmed they were serious and willing to invest into New Zealand’s small market.”

Board says the introduction of FAW is a game-changer for Intertruck.

“These are high quality, great spec trucks at a very attractive price ticket, they are truly excellent value for money,” he says.

The JH6 will be powered by FAW’s 13-litre engine and is equipped with a modern suite of collision warning and mitigation systems, disc brakes, AMT with intarder, 4-point cab air suspension, ECAS rear suspension, high roof flat floor with under-bunk fridge, a low roof space cab option, in-dash display with camera, ISRI seats, and high-quality cab trim.

“Globally respected brands such as Cummins, ZF and FAST transmissions, TRW steering, Wabco and Knorr Bremse brake systems will 6 | Truck & Driver

feature in our trucks,” says Board.

“We will release the FAW CA6DM3 engine at 550hp/1917 ft-lb [2600Nm], further increasing these specs in 2026.”

Future FAW models across the light-, medium-, and heavy-duty segments – with a GVM range of 4.5t to 34t plus – will offer a range of model configurations, including a medium-duty urban and job ready 6x4 steel bathtub tipper.

A Cummins powered 4x2 cab-chassis with wheelbase options will suit various body configurations and the container Stinger market.

Initially FAW sales will be channelled through Intertruck’s established sales team.

“Our parts and service network will largely remain the same, except for Auckland and Hamilton, owing to increased volumes and service capacity.

In Manukau, Prestige International Ltd will remain as our International dealer in Sales, Parts and Service.

“All Truck Fix and Diesel Services Ltd located in Otahuhu are now the authorised FAW and International Parts and Service dealer. Their location gives our International customers a wider choice for West Auckland and Central City servicing and maintenance requirements.

“Intertruck has appointed TRT (Tidd Ross Todd Ltd) in Hamilton as Parts and Service dealer for both FAW and International trucks.

“CVC (Commercial Vehicle Centre) locations in the South Island are International Parts and Service dealers. They look forward in continuing our strong partnership and to represent FAW products as well.”

The global scale of the FAW brand is impressive and the company has been building trucks for 70 years.

“FAW export vehicles to over 80 different markets. Launching into New Zealand and Australia with high quality, fuel efficient and very affordable trucks, there is no doubt FAW products will be a market disruptor.”

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NEWS Fulton Hogan are among the long-time supporters of Special Rigs for Special Kids and this year the company had 24 trucks in the convoy.

Big turnout for Dunedin’s special day LIVING UP TO ITS CATCH PHASE OF BEING “THE convoy that cares”, the annual Special Rigs for Special Kids event rolled through the streets of Dunedin for the 31st time on Sunday August 25.

Wet weather and cool temperatures couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of either the special guests or the 237 truck drivers who turned up at the Edgar Centre ahead of the run through to Mosgiel and return.

The annual community event provides a chance for Otago children, many with special needs, to enjoy an outing in a truck followed by a barbeque lunch. A highlight is the crowds that gather along the route to watch the convoy roll past.

Special Rigs for Special Kids was established in 1992 and has run every year apart from when Covid-19 restrictions were in place.

The event receives huge support from the Otago transport industry and along with the 237 trucks the big convoy also included two fire engines, four buses, an ambulance and two police cars.

Event founder and co-organiser Greg Inch says this year’s event had both sad and heart-warming moments.

“At the driver’s briefing I had to acknowledge that three of our longtime supporters were no longer with us,” says Greg.

“The passing of Alex McLellan earlier this year really affected me because he was the person I’d go to talk about the industry. We’ve also lost Marty Callendar and Tony Gaze from Icon Logistics, who passed away a week before the event.

“Something that was really special this year is I noticed a lot of young drivers. A few of them are second generation, the sons and daughters of drivers, and I was so impressed with the time they spent talking to the kids and helping them in and out the trucks. I thought that was super cool.”

Greg says that format of the event hasn’t changed much over 30 years.

“We just like to keep it simple. It’s just giving a kid a ride in a truck.

You’ve got to be there to appreciate what it means to the kids,” Greg says.

“This year the weather wasn’t the best, but we still had nearly 250 trucks turn up on a pretty dismal Sunday and the public turned out to watch the convoy go past.”

“The drivers and companies make a huge effort to support us. We had one driver from PTS Logistics based out of Auckland who was in town for the weekend, and he said he’d be back next year and bring some of his mates with him.”

A big amount of organisation goes into registering the guests and marshalling the big line-up of trucks.

Truck & Driver | 9

NEWS

Isuzu explores autonomous solutions Prototype Isuzu F-Series data collection truck used in the development of autonomous driving.

ISUZU IS PARTNERING WITH SILICON VALLEY-BASED vehicle software supplier Applied Intuition Inc. to accelerate the development of autonomous trucking solutions.

The two companies will jointly develop Level 4 autonomous trucks during a partnership strategy that spans up to five years.

A major incentive to deploying autonomous vehicles for commercial logistics roles in Japan is a critical driver shortage.

Truck driver overwork is a major public health issue in Japan — with nearly 84% of drivers facing related health problems. Recent studies showed truck drivers accounted for 34.3% of overwork-related deaths.

In response, the Japanese government revised its Labour Standards Law, capping annual work hours at 3,300 hours, including breaks. This has raised concerns about driver shortages in an industry already anticipating a 36% decline in drivers by 2030.

Known as “The 2024 Problem,” it threatens to disrupt supply chains and challenge Japan’s reputation for excellent service.

“Working with Applied Intuition will greatly advance autonomous driving technology development and provide a strong foundation for Isuzu’s plan to launch an autonomous trucking business,” says Shinsuke Minami, representative director, president and COO of Isuzu Motors Ltd. “This strategic partnership will serve as a strong driving force for our goal to create and offer solutions to challenges faced by our customers and society as a whole.”

As part of Isuzu’s new mid-term business plan, “Isuzu Transformation – Growth to 2030 (IX)” released in April, the company will establish autonomous driving solutions as a new business pillar. Isuzu is aiming to launch Level 4 autonomous truck and bus businesses in Japan and North America in 2028.

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Kiss closing on sixth Euro title DEFENDING CHAMPION NORBERT KISS (HUNGARY) has extended his commanding lead in the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship following the mid-season summer gap in the series.

Following a seven-week break the championship resumed with the fifth round at Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic over the August 31-September 1 weekend.

Kiss was the fastest qualifier in his Revesz Racing MAN to continue his lockout of pole positions this season. He won two of the four races, also posting a second and third placing to secure another round victory and stretch his championship lead to 69 points ahead of German racer Jochen Hahn (Iveco).

So far this season Kiss has taken victory in 15 of the 20 races while a fourth placing is his lowest finishing position.

The other race winners at the Czech round were Spaniard Antonio Albacete (MAN) who posted his second race win of the year leading home Hahn and Kiss in Saturday’s second race while Chrome category points leader Jose Eduardo Rodrigues (Portugal) driving a MAN narrowly held off a fast closing Kiss in the final race of the weekend to win by 2.3secs.

Rodrigues is the clear leader of the second-tier Chrome category while a close battle between British racer Mark Taylor (MAN) and Germany’s Steffen Faas (Scania) for the runner-up honours sees the pair separated by only three points with two rounds remaining.

Round six of the ETRC is in France at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit on September 28-29 where Kiss has the opportunity to clinch his sixth European title ahead of the season finale at the Jarama circuit in Spain the following weekend.

Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship (after round 5) 1 Nobert Kiss (Hungary) MAN, 290 points 2 Jochen Hahn (Germany) Iveco, 221pts 3 Sascha Lenz (Germany) MAN, 168pts 4 Antonio Albacete (Spain) MAN, 152pts 5 Steffi Halm (Germany) Iveco, 120pts 6 Jose Eduardo Rodrigues (Portugal) MAN, 109pts

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Roadrunner staying out in front for 50 years ROADRUNNER MANUFACTURING IS CELEBRATING 50 years in business this year – or will when it has time.

General manager Nick Webster says the team has been so flat out they haven’t had the chance to track down the exact date Roadrunner was founded, but they are pretty sure in was sometime in September 1974. They have had locals look through boxes in the attic but haven’t turned up anything conclusive, and they haven’t had time to quiz local historians.

Nick says the business definitely started in Bulls, building header tanks and fuel tanks for trucks. It apparently purchased the land for the current site, also in Bulls, in 1975. Anyway, he’s sure it has been there for at least 40 years.

The company was named Roadrunner Trailers for a time but fairly early on it transformed into Roadrunner Manufacturing doing “pretty much what it does today”.

The business has a reputation for building high quality and good-looking hydraulic tanks, truck fuel tanks and toolboxes, and much more. About 80-85% of its work is in the transport industry but domestic consumers will be familiar with Roadrunner’s handsome ute canopies, tool boxes, and in rural areas at least, dog boxes.

Nick joined the company as an apprentice 21 years ago although he has come and gone a couple of times since then. He and his partner Becs Toulmin bought into the business 10 years ago when the late Doug Grant retired, partnering with Fred and Marie Ward.

The Wards decided to move on to fresh pastures so Matt and Gemma Avery joined Nick and Becs around the director’s table.

What makes Roadrunner Manufacturing different, apart from the obvious high quality of their work, is their willingness to take on bespoke work.

Nick Webster

12 | Truck & Driver

Becs Toulmin

“We don’t shy away from anything really, but we really enforce the quality aspect.”

Most of Roadrunner’s work is with aluminium – but stainless steel at 15% is growing.

Nick says in his 20 years in the business he has seen big changes – mostly things actually getting bigger, with more tightly controlled processes, and more time pressure.

The main change in manufacturing has been in the technology.

“We’ve still got machinery that has been here since before my time but we’ve got a lot of new things. Welding technology changes, presses and tooling, everything just changes.

There is one thing Nick would like to change and that is improving lead times.

“The speed at which we can despatch something is always a concern but you can’t rush it to the point where you are sacrificing quality.”

The roll call of projects at Roadrunner include manufacturing bracing pieces in the wings for an award-winning homebuilt aircraft. The owner said their ability to cut shapes, each pair subtly different, with a water jet, saved him hundreds of hours. They have also built tool boxes for a horse pen designed by an equine vet, which is now being exported back to her native USA. “Matt sort of took over the water jet side of things, and Matt’s a hugely talented engineer. That’s one of the reasons we went into the business with Matt.

He’s pretty switched on, so he took the water jet side of the company and ran with it, and that just kept growing and growing.”

Waterjet cutting is one of the technologies that has kept Roadrunner Manufacturing at the leading edge of fabrication, especially of custom components. About 14 years ago they brokered a deal for one of their customers Gemma Avery

Matt Avery

NEWS

to buy their own waterjet to help them stay on top of their own work, and that grew into a huge sideline.

US-made market leader in waterjet cutting Omax asked Roadrunner to take on its distributorship in New Zealand. Roadrunner now sells and services a vast range of Omax products, providing expert technical and full spares support.

Nick says there are more than 100 Omax machines in the country. That prompted Roadrunner to set up a separate division within the company this year – another neat way to mark 50 years – called Precision Machine Technology, just to give it the required focus and attention.

Another change Nick has noted has been a different attitude since Covid.

While more trucks are coming in fully kitted out, and people have the option to buy imported fuel tanks and toolboxes, customers are still coming to Roadrunner.

“Because we supply a good product. And I feel that a lot of people, are saying let’s keep things in country, let’s all support each other.”

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And Nick says the product keeps getting better. “You’d think with the toolbox, after you have built a few thousand you’d have it pretty down pat, but we’re always making little tweaks here and there.”

Staff will still come up with new ideas. Roadrunner even developed its own hinge. “It’s very basic, but it’s the strongest hinge there is; it’s the lifelong hinge for the product.”

For Roadrunner to keep being the kind of company it has been through those 50 years, it will surely continue to develop the technology, skills, and attitude that has kept it at the forefront of modern manufacturing.

As Nick says: “We are a couple of small town families. We are only carrying on the legacy from the people before us.

“It’s always a very busy company, we took it over from some very good people in a very good position and we’re trying to maintain and grow on that. We’re just trying to do everything right.”

NEWS

Volvo announces long-range EVs INTRODUCING AN E-AXLE WILL EXTEND THE driving range of Volvo’s next-generation of heavy-duty electric trucks.

Volvo trucks has confirmed it will launch an upgraded FH Electric during the second half of 2025 with the capability of travelling up to 600km on a single charge.

This will allow transport companies to operate electric trucks on interregional and long-distance routes and to drive a full working day without having to recharge.

By adopting e-axle driveline technology – with an electric motor integrated with the drive axle – additional space is created for more battery capacity onboard. More efficient batteries, a further improved battery management system and overall efficiency of the powertrain also contribute to the extended range projected for the updated FH Electric.

“Our new electric flagship will be a great complement to our wide range of electric trucks and enable zero-exhaust emission transport also for the longer distances. It will be a great solution for transport companies with a high annual mileage on their trucks and with a strong commitment to reduce CO2,” says Roger Alm, President Volvo Trucks.

Volvo Trucks is a global leader in medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks with eight battery-electric models in their portfolio. The wide product range makes it possible to electrify city and regional distribution, construction, waste management and, soon, long distance transport. Volvo has so far delivered more than 3,800 electric trucks to customers in 46 countries around the world.

“The transport sector represents seven percent of global carbon emissions.

Battery-electric trucks are important tools to reduce the climate footprint.

Besides the important environmental gains that electric trucks bring, they offer truck drivers a much better working environment, with much lower levels of noise and vibrations,” says Alm. Volvo Trucks aims to reach its net-zero emissions target by 2040 using a three-path technology strategy built on battery electric and fuel cell electric technology along with combustion engines that run on renewable fuels like green hydrogen, biogas or HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil).

The upcoming long range version of the Volvo FH Electric is expected to have a range of 600km.

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NEWS Foodstuffs will operate the 4-axle Fairfax ZE refrigerated trailer.

Fairfax launches new zero emissions trailer ACTION MANUFACTURING GROUP BRAND FAIRFAX Industries has introduced its first all-electric refrigerated trailer which has gone to work for Foodstuffs.

The 15.1-metre four-axle semi unit is an innovative solution being marketed under the Fairfax ZE (Zero Emissions) Signature name. The trailer combines cutting-edge technology from Transcold, Carrier and SAFHolland that is not only environmentally friendly, but also highly efficient.

“We are incredibly excited to introduce this revolutionary technology to New Zealand,” said Chris Devoy, CEO of Action.

“This is a major step forward in our journey towards a zero-emissions future and demonstrates our dedication to sustainable logistics.”

The heart of the Fairfax ZE is the electric Carrier HE19 eCool refrigeration system, powered by a revolutionary SAF-Holland TRKr electric axle fitted which is the lead axle of the trailer. The battery pack located on the left-hand side just behind the landing gear has 19.2kWh storage.

This innovative design eliminates the need for a traditional diesel engine, resulting in zero tailpipe emissions and reduced energy consumption in standby mode.

The idea for this groundbreaking technology originated from Action Group engineer Edd Collins.

“I was captivated by the potential of combining an electric generation axle with an electric refrigeration unit,” says Collins.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see our vision become a reality, and I believe this project will set a new standard for efficient and sustainable heavy transport.”

Transpecs partnered with Fairfax on the development of the trailer.

“Our advanced axle technology, combined with Fairfax’s expertise, has created a solution that sets a new standard for sustainable transport,” says Brad Jackson Transpecs Product Sales Manager for SAF Holland.

While the trailer eliminates the diesel engine emissions which are typically produced by a refrigeration unit, Fairfax envisions a future where the ZE trailer is towed by a zero-emission truck, further reducing emissions and advancing sustainable transport.

While the company focuses on their new Signature ZE trailer innovation, it is committed to supporting the development of a comprehensive zeroemission transportation system where trucks deliver fresh produce without producing harmful emissions.

The first unit has been sold to Foodstuffs and will be used for supermarket deliveries. The Fairfax ZE trailer doesn’t require a dispensation to operate on New Zealand roads as it meets the 2.55m maximum width regulation.

The generator unit runs off the front axle of the trailer (below) and the 19.2kWh battery pack in the left side behind the landing gear.

Truck & Driver | 15

NEWS

The Desert Road will be closed in January and February next year as one of the final stages of the big SH1 maintenance project.

THE FIRST PHASE OF THE ACCELERATED SH1 maintenance programme between Tirau and Waiouru is underway with a short section between Tirau and Putaruru being the first zone to be affected by a four-week full road closure.

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) has provided a provisional timetable for SH1 road closures over coming months as it condenses four years of planned repairs into a 16-month programme.

The first closure began on Monday September 9 and is scheduled to run through to Friday October 4. It closes the highway from the SH1/SH5 roundabout south of Tīrau to the intersection of SH1/SH28 near Putāruru.

The detour using SH5 and SH28 adds an extra 4.6km and approximately 5 minutes to journey times.

Next on the schedule is the stretch of SH1 between Ātiamuri bridge and Wairakei roundabout which closes from Monday September 16 until Friday October 4, between the hours of 8am-6pm, Monday to Saturday. The road will be open overnight 6pm-8am and on Sundays.

The detours for light vehicles (ie all vehicles you can drive on a Class 1 licence) is via SH30, SH32 and Poihipi Road down to Wairakei Drive. This will add approximately 40kms and 27 minutes extra to journeys.

Big rebuild for State Highway 1 The heavy vehicle detour is via SH30 and SH5, an additional 62kms and approximately 42 minutes.

The full maintenance programme covers the 220km section of SH1 between Piarere (SH1/SH29 intersection) and Waiouru (SH1/SH49 intersection) which NZTA says had 5,670 potholes repaired between July 2022 and April 2024.

Many sections of this route are needing urgent attention, and rather than just fix potholes and do short pieces of road rebuilds, NZTA is taking a different approach that it says will achieve efficiency gains from fewer short-term site establishments, and increased productivity.

All upcoming renewals that were proposed as rebuilds, asphalt and structural asphalt works in the 2024-27 period were prioritised to become part of this project. Planned rebuild and structural asphalt sites for 2027-30 have also been brought forward and prioritised, avoiding the additional maintenance costs which would otherwise have been required to ‘hold’ the sites until they could be delivered in their original schedule.

This project will not only prevent further deterioration in roading quality but will also bring the worst parts of the road up to a higher standard through more intense rebuilding. The treatments planned are designed to meet expected

Plan ahead for SH1 closures THE DRAFT PROGRAMME FOR THE SH1 PROJECT IS AS follows (subject to change, especially due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances.

SH5 Tīrau to SH28 Putāruru: September 9 – October 4 2024 SH29 Piarere to North Tīrau: September 29 for 3 weeks (night closure only) SH32 Tokoroa to SH30 Ātiamuri: October 7 – early November 2024 SH28 Putāruru to SH32 Tokoroa: Late November – December 23 2024 SH30 Ātiamuri to SH5 Wairakei (part 2): November – December 2024.

NZTA is aware of the Ironman World Championship competition in Taupō on 14-15 December and will be factoring this into planning.

SH41 Tūrangi to SH49 Waiouru: January - February 2025 SH1/SH5 Roundabout Taupō to Tūrangi: March - April 2025 Tīrau township to SH1/SH5 roundabout: Spring 2025 Taupō urban: Spring 2025 16 | Truck & Driver

The specifics of each closure, including durations and detour routes, are still being worked on and further information will be communicated as soon as it is available.

There will be additional work required in these sections a few months after the initial closures to put the final asphalt surface coat on where the road has been rebuilt. It is essential to give the rehabilitated pavement time to cure under normal traffic conditions before the final surfacing asphalt is applied. If this is not done, the pavement layer may continue to be compacted after the final coat is laid, resulting in an uneven road surface (rutting). The work required to apply the final coat will only take a short time.

Work in the colder areas needs to be carried out during the best weather conditions (over the summer months) so this is the main reason for closing the Desert Road in January.

For the townships, it is intended to use nightworks only to lessen disruption.

0 C

NEWS traffic growth and ensure resilience.

The works will require block road closures to expedite delivery and reduce customer exposure to long periods of disruptive temporary traffic management at numerous sites. Closing roads in sections also means other maintenance work such as upgrading drainage, clearing vegetation, and improving signage and road markings can be completed at the same time.

This approach means the programme for 111 lane kms of work can be condensed from over 4 years to 16 months and result in significant cost savings. Lane kilometres count the number of lanes on a road rather than just the distance between point A and B, giving a more accurate picture of the work being delivered, as it incorporates things such as passing lanes.

Other benefits include improved safety for work crews, reduced traffic management costs and reduced carbon footprint by utilising mobile asphalt plants and getting the work done in less than half the time.

NZTA is working with the freight industry, local councils, iwi, tourism organisations, local freight companies, residents and business owners to understand the impacts potential closures and detours will have.

Road users travelling from Hamilton and north to Waiouru (and vice versa) do have the option of using State Highways 3, 4 and 49 where possible although this route is not suitable for all heavy vehicles.

NZTA acknowledges there will be inconvenience and disruption to people who live and work on SH1 and the detour routes while this work is carried out.

Overall however, this approach will have a lower level of disruption by removing the intermittent maintenance approach currently experienced, and reducing the length of time required to rebuild sections of state highway using more invasive pavement treatment options.

For more information or any concerns on the SH1 Tīrau to Waiouru maintenance, email SH1Waikato@nzta.govt.nz The website for the project is nzta.govt.nz/t2w

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NEWS The 770hp models are the flagship trucks in the Scania range.

New gearbox for Scania flagship ONE OF THE INTERESTING SPECIFICATION DETAILS of Scania’s top-of-line 770hp V8 models is that they have been equipped with the previous generation GRSO926 transmission, while lowerpowered V8 models have used the new generation G33 Opticruise since the last major model upgrade in 2021.

That’s set to change as Scania introduces the new G38 transmission with the capability to handle up to 3800Nm of torque.

Scania says the new G38 has been developed exclusively for the 770hp 16-litre V8 models. However it’s not a big stretch to expect the transmission could be paired with higher output versions in the future.

The G38 was launched at the Elmia trade show in Sweden in August and in common with the G33 delivers fuel savings from reduced friction, wider range and the opportunity to select taller rear axle gearings while maintaining good startability. It also matches the dimensions and weight of the G33.

“It is basically about metallurgy, choosing more extreme steel qualities and applying technologies such as cog polishing and shot peening for

Dean Purves 18 | Truck & Driver

increasing the hardening and the durability of certain vital components,” says Mats Henriksson, Development Engineer at Scania R&D. “We have also added extra oil channels for the most crucial parts, but that is all – the basic design of the G-series is very sturdy in itself.”

The G-series gearboxes are typically 60-70 kg lighter than the gearboxes they are replacing, mainly due to the all-aluminium housings and smaller overall dimensions.

Another key achievement is lowered noise, a prerequisite for meeting future regulations. The gearshifts on these automated manual gearboxes are made by pneumatic actuators. By using shaft brakes, Scania’s engineers have been able to reduce the number of synchronisations, space that is used for wider cogs instead.

“The G-series and its features was something of a revolution at the time of the intro-duction, and it still is if you ask me,” says Bo Eriksson, Product Manager, Scania Trucks.

“Heavy-haulage tractors for instance will definitely benefit from the G38.

It is the ultimate addition when it comes to well-balanced performance steps in the Scania modular system.”

The G-series gearboxes can also be ordered as HD versions (Heavy Duty) and the G38 lineup will include a G38CH variant with a wider planetary gear wheel for even more robustness. It increases the ability to handle high torque on the propshaft under the most demanding rough road conditions.

Scania says the G38 offers 14 forward gears, including a super crawler and a direct gear, and up to eight reverse gears.

The new G38 transmission has the same external dimensions as the G33 but with improved metallurgy to handle the torque of the 770hp V8 engine.

NEWS

Main: The NZI Fleet Fit team set up at Uretiti.

Insert: Ra Ormsby (centre) with NZI Fleet Risk managers Michael Stirk (left) and Sean Bartlett (right).

Northland hosts Truckie Rest Zone THE NZI FLEET FIT TEAM WAS BACK ON THE ROAD again in late-August to deliver the latest NZI Truckie Rest Zone event.

Northland hosted a Truckie Rest Zone on Thursday August 29 with the NZI Fleet Risk team connecting with over 150 truckies at Uretiti, between Ruakaka and Waipu on Northland’s SH1.

The team were busy serving up hot coffee, BBQ and snacks while talking to drivers about managing fatigue and ways to keep safe on the road.

It was also great to see 30 of the drivers taking up the offer of a free health check with Hato Hone St John.

The Uretiti event was held in conjunction with Northern Regional Council, National Road Carriers and the NZ Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Team.

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McFall Fuel continued its support for the Truckie Rest Zone initiative, once again bringing along the awesome BBQ truck.

The Truckie Rest Zone programme continues on Wednesday September 18 at the Waimihia Fire Store on SH5 between Taupō and Napier, running from 10am to 2pm.

Heavy vehicle drivers in the area are encouraged to stop for a break, enjoy some complimentary refreshments, get a health check, and have a chat to the NZI Fleet Fit experts about driver fatigue and ways to keep themselves safe and well. The event is being held in conjunction with Taupō District Council.

For more info visit the NZI Truckie Rest Zone page: https://www.nzi. co.nz/truckie-rest-zone-events.

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NEWS Sione Faumuina (centre) with Israel Hawkins (left) – CEO of Wera Aotearoa Charitable Trust (WACT) and Morks Edwardson (WACT) have been working to bring the event to life.

No side-stepping mental health TRUCK BODY AND TR AILER manufacturer Mills-Tui is one of several Rotorua businesses backing an inaugural League Legends event.

On October 12 a team comprising 21 former NRL and Kiwi players will take to the field in Rotorua against a strong Bay of Plenty invitational side, in support of Māori and Pasifika men’s mental health.

Leading the charge is former Kiwi, Warriors, Canberra Raiders and North Queensland Cowboys player Sione Faumuina, who has gathered a raft of former players to kit up for the cause, as well as the support of a number of local businesses and organisations backing the event.

But this event isn’t just about hard hits and

Dean Purves, Mills-Tui Managing Director.

20 | Truck & Driver

side steps. Alongside three matches on October 12, there is a full day of visits to a number of Rotorua businesses that have a high Māori and Pacific Island male workforce.

Mills-Tui is one of the Rotorua businesses that have picked up the ball to sponsor the event.

A part of the Rotorua community for more than 50 years, Mills-Tui supports a number of community events, but this one in particular holds a deep connection with the mostly malestaffed business.

Managing Director, Dean Purves, says since the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has had a huge emphasis on mental health.

“In our industry, more often than not, people see talking about their issues as a weakness – but in reality, it’s the complete opposite and something that should be encouraged,” Dean says.

“Rugby League Legends XIII is a great opportunity to do that – we’re talking about really tough guys, putting themselves out there to raise awareness for others. Plus, we get to enjoy a game of footy, it’s a win-win.”

Having worked with Faumuina in the past, Purves felt the timing was right to get on board and do their bit.

“The stresses of life combined with the stresses of work, can take a huge toll on mental health,” he says.

“The footy pitch is a familiar place for most

of our guys, and when talking about men and their feelings, it’s the perfect place to have these discussions.”

While Purves has a long history with the sport, growing up in the staunch Rugby League suburb of Halswell in Christchurch, he says a number of Mills-Tui’s foreign staff may have never seen a game in their life, which means it’s a special occasion for everyone.

Faumuina hopes the event will raise awareness of mental health for Māori and Pacific Island men and inform people of the help and support that is available.

“Statistics show that Pacific Island and Māori men are overrepresented in mental health and harm statistics. I know this myself having experienced rock bottom on numerous occasions in the past,” Sione says.

“In short, I want and need people – men in particular – to know that there is no shame in having mental health challenges, and that it is okay to ask for help.

“But just as importantly, I also want men to know that it’s okay to reach out to check on someone – sometimes that is the most important first step.”

Ben Matulino, Jordan Kahu, Brad Takairangi and Sam Rapira are among the league legends who will kit up for the team, coached by former Kiwi league international David Fa’alogo and NRL premiership winner Roy Asotasi.

BIG TEST

22 | Truck & Driver

Story Colin Sm

ith

Photos Gerald

De ec D ce ep pt tiiv ve e Shacklock

BE B EN NZ Z

The Carters Bulk Haul Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3263L is working on Northland roads with its Underbelly tipper and trailer.

Truck & Driver | 23

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The Arocs is disguised with an Actros grille and also features a high clearance front bumper.

OMETHING ABOUT THE NEW CARTER’S BULK Haulage Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3263 8x4 isn’t quite what it first appears to be.

Check out the frontal styling and you’ll notice the visual deception, with the `cheese grater’ Arocs grille swapped out for the honeycomb grille from an Actros.

It’s one example of the eye for detail that Debbie and Dan Carter have for the specification and presentation of the Carter’s Bulk Haulage fleet. They not only reckon that the grille swap looks better, but it also matches the Arocs 3258 8-axle blower unit which joined the Waipapabased fleet three years ago and received the same frontal design tweak.

And it’s not the only visual change at the front end of this new Arocs bulk tipper unit. Each new truck and trailer added to the Carter’s fleet adopts lessons learned on the job. And for that reason, Debbie and Dan ordered the latest Arocs with an optional high clearance bumper.

“We specced the higher bumper this time. The low bumper on the other one looks a bit better, but it’s too low when we go onto dairy farms,” Dan says.

The 12-strong Carter’s Bulk Haulage fleet works mainly in the Northland region with a Daimler-loyal line-up comprising 10 Freightliners alongside the Mercedes-Benz duo.

The primary role for the Arocs and its new 5-axle alloy tipper trailer – built by Brian Morgan’s Underbelly Engineering operation in Whangarei – is carting export woodchip from local sawmills to Northport, as well as delivering stock feed and some sand and building aggregates around Northland.

The truck is double-shifted with Dan allocating Tom Wharerau (their longest serving driver having been with them 17 years) and Blake Dodson – to the new Benz.

“Tom starts at about 2am and he swaps over with Blake at lunchtime. The truck is only stationary for a few hours between about

midnight and 2am,” says Dan. The Carter’s fleet is designed to be multi-purpose and Debbie and Dan’s dual objectives when ordering the second Arocs were to increase productivity at the same time as offering his drivers modern safety and comfort standards.

“We are seeking productivity and fuel efficiency as well as safety and comfort, definitely with the nature of the roads in Northland,” Dan says.

“We wanted disc brakes and all the emergency safety technology.

That’s our policy going forward as well as things like electric covers.”

The 625hp Arocs becomes the company flagship and it’s the first truck in the fleet operating on a 53t HPMV permit – still something of a rarity around Northland.

“We are usually 12-tonne [payload] on the truck and 19 on the trailer. If it goes to farms that are off its permitted route, it goes back to 50MAX,” Dan says.

The wheelbase of the Actros and the length of the trailer are to Dan’s specification. He wanted to cart more, but didn’t want to go to a max height unit.

“We wanted more volume without going to maximum height. If we had gone to maximum height, it would have restricted our backloading options [by limiting the type of loaders that can be used],” he says.

“So, we went to a slightly longer trailer and stayed at 3.8m off the ground.”

Chris Barclay, sales executive at Keith Andrews Trucks Whangarei, explains the wheelbase is a factory standard configuration, but not one that is commonly seen on Mercs in New Zealand.

“It’s a 5525mm technical wheelbase although the Europeans refer to it as 4850mm. It’s 300mm shorter than our standard ones and works well with Dan’s setup to get the weight in the right places,” Chris says.

“It’s the same as Debbie and Dan’s Arocs blower truck, which is very similar in spec, although the new one is a 625-horse and has a few more bells and whistles.”

Truck & Driver | 25

Left: Remote control for the hoists provides another level of convenience.

Right: Modern screen and steering wheel controls will be familiar to Mercedes-Benz car drivers.

Far right: Barn doors rather than a tailgate is a design change for the latest Carter’s Bulk Haulage unit.

Below: Wood chip loading at Waipapa Pine.

The shorter wheelbase also required Chris to do some work with the factory to spec a decent size fuel tank that would fit, ending up with 390-litres which is not bad considering the chassis space.

“The front bumper setup is also something a bit different. We started talking to Debbie and Dan about this next build two years ago and one of the first topics was finding a solution to front end clearance, given the terrain the trucks operate in.

“They are always fun to work with and we always try to go the extra mile for them,” says Chris.

“They are very important customers for our Whangarei workshop with their all-Daimler fleet, and they are almost part of the furniture now.

Debbie and Dan do like to keep us on our toes though.”

The Underbelly bins and trailer continue a long relationship with engineer Brian Morgan.

“Brian’s team do a very nice job and working with a company that size means they will build it how I want it,” says Dan. “There are things they do a little bit differently for us. We’ve done 12

26 | Truck & Driver

of them now so we’ve got a pretty good idea of what works.”

Dan points out a few of the design details which Underbelly has incorporated into the new unit.

“We do a skinnier post inside, so the product falls out easier. Usually, they [the posts] are wider where a bit of chip can get caught up.”

But the major change for this new unit is a move to barn doors, rather than a tailgate on both truck and trailer.

“These barn doors are a one-step operation, and all the hinges and pins are stainless steel. Most people do them out of steel and paint them so after a few years they look pretty tired. But five years from now these will still look like brand new,” Dan says.

Transpecs supplied the SAF axles for the trailer while the powered Razor Tarps are from JOST and can be operated remotely by the driver using a smartphone app.

There’s also a remote control for the hoists so the drivers can tip off the bins from outside the truck if necessary.

Among the extras on the Arocs are four roof-mounted Great White

spotlights as well as additional reverse and loading lights, important as the truck is doing a lot of night work.

The finishing touches to the truck include signs done in Kerikeri by Halvo Signs and applied to the factory Arctic White paint.

The new Arocs went on the road in the last week of June and had completed a month on Northland roads and just over 15,000km when New Zealand Truck & Driver headed to the Bay of Islands to test the truck.

Early shift driver Tom Wharerau is busy washing the truck when we arrive at Carter’s Waipapa depot. Dan is talking us through the truck’s features when Blake Dodson arrives to begin his shift.

The Carter’s yard is literally next door to the Waipapa Pine sawmill and once loaded

Truck & Driver | 27

Above left: Dan and Debbie Carter run the 12-truck Carter’s Bulk Haulage fleet based at Waipapa.

Above right: The 625hp Arocs makes easy work of the Northland hills.

Below: Loaded with sand from Hansen’s sand plant and ready to head north again. with wood chip, Blake and I head south on the one hour and 50-minute run down to Marsden Point.

Blake’s been driving for Carter’s Bulk Haul for 12 years, starting out on the company’s original 6x4 Freightliner Argosy and then progressing through three more `Freighties’ before the switching to the Arocs in June.

“I’ve been driving trucks on-and-off since leaving school. My school holiday job was for Bridge Freight on the North Shore. I was the offsider on a patch wagon, and I ended up driving a baby swing lift for them,” Blake says.

Blake’s actually combined driving and diving careers, also working in the scuba diving industry and being qualified to train staff in the servicing of dive gear.

“It [truck driving] was my first job out of school. But I’ve also worked in the scuba dive industry for New Zealand’s biggest importer and distributor of dive equipment.

“I do enjoy the driving – especially having good gear to drive – but it’s not every day for me. On Fridays I work in the local dive shop servicing regulators and BCDs.” The run south on State Highway 10 and then SH1 to Marsden Point

combines relatively busy traffic with the constantly changing surfaces, pothole patch repairs, ridges and camber movements of Northland roads.

Blake says the trip is typically 1 hour and 50 minutes.

“I break it down into two parts. It’s 1h 05m down to the dairy factory [at Hikurangi] and another 45mins to the port gates from there.

“A typical day for me would be chip down, sand back, chip down and then come back with stock feed – which could be for anywhere between Waipu and Kaitaia.”

“At this time of year, we also cart a bit of wood chip/sawdust for calf sheds, which adds a bit of interest and variety. Just going up and down State Highway 1 all the time would drive me nuts.”

The Northland roads can be challenging.

“State Highway 1 itself isn’t terrible but it varies between narrow to wide, then narrow and wide again. Geologically it’s a challenging area, so it’s not just the road moving, it’s everything else underneath it. And the potholes get big quickly,” Blake says.

“The approaches to most of the bridges have got a big dip and you really feel it as you go through them.”

The new Arocs has the 625hp (460kW) version of the OM473

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28 | Truck & Driver

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Blake Dodson (left) and Tom Wharerau share the driving of the new Arcos. The 15.6-litre OM473 develops 625hp.

15.6-litre six-cylinder engine in the latest Euro VI (step e) emissions specification. It develops maximum torque of 3000Nm at 1100rpm and drives to the 12-speed G330-12 PowerShift 3 automated transmission and a 3.909:1 axle ratio.

That’s a 65hp increase over the Argosy Blake was driving previously accompanied by the 3-tonne increase in the permit weight.

Blake says the first few days switching from an American truck to the latest in European machinery required quite a big reset.

“The last Merc I drove was a `70s model 1924 for Heatons. My previous Argosy was 560hp with an 18-speed auto shift and it’s done about 600,000km now. It’s quite a lot different to this.

“I’m adapting to this after about 12 years driving Argosies, and I’m really starting to enjoy it,” he says.

“On the first day I thought it [the Arocs] was almost undriveable because the suspension on the cab means it moves a lot more.”

“It was just the cab movement. It’s plusher and it rolls more [than an Argosy] which makes it more comfortable in the end, but on Northland roads it took a little while to get used to feeling the cab move around more.”

“You just need to have faith in the line you’re driving and that you’re not going to be thrown off the road or are needing to make corrections with the steering wheel. Once you’re used to it, it’s all good.”

“It’s a lot quieter for both engine noise and road noise than the Argosy. There’s a lot more insulation of the cab from the road.”

It’s not only the appearance of the Arocs that has proven a little deceptive. Blake also reckons the performance initially seemed underwhelming.

“On the first day I thought `this is a bit sad for 625hp’ but I quickly realised it was because it was doing things more easily. I’d look down

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at the speedo and realise it was doing alright. It’s such an effortless 625hp with plenty of torque as well.”

“The lack of fuss was what was making me feel it was gutless.

Considering it’s three tonnes more than the Argosy, it definitely gets up to speed a bit quicker – pulling out of intersections or away from rail crossings to get back up to 90 kays again.”

“The extra horsepower has certainly made it easier to pass the occasional slower truck.”

The Arocs is also delivering on its fuel economy potential, using less than the Argosy in spite of developing 65hp more and often working at 3t heavier.

Blake scrolls through the trip computer to reveal that after 15,300km the Arocs is averaging 60.9L/100km.

“The Argosy averaged about 68 or 69,” Blake says.

“I probably like the transmission best of all. It’s an AMT but 95% of the time I just leave it in auto mode. It’s got Economy, Power and a regular mode and you can get it to change down a gear using a kickdown function in the throttle. Winding metal roads are where I use it in manual. Downhill on metal roads it gives you more control.”

There are several climbs and descents on the run to Marsden Point that show off the attributes of the high-torque 15.6-litre engine and the 12-speed transmission.

The steepest downhill section is the approach to Moerewa. Blake nudges the engine brake to its third stage using the right-hand steering column stalk and the Arocs comfortably holds a steady 47kph. The engine fan switches on for about 15secs and then switches off again.

“The engine fan is so much quieter than the Argosy and it doesn’t come on anywhere nearly as often,” Blake says.

“The disc brakes are great, and the Jake is a noticeable improvement compared to the Argosy.”

A bit further south we encounter the Waiomio Hill – the longest climb on this section of SH1.

“I’ve been playing around with leaving it in auto or driving it in manual. I think I can gain 2kph going over the top in manual, so I’ve just been leaving it in auto,” Blake says.

Early in the climb the Arocs is in tenth gear at 47kph, then shifts to ninth at 42kph at just under 1500rpm and shifts again into eighth

Full leather trim provides a luxurious interior. climbing the final pinch at 38kph.

“It’s about 5-6kph more than the Argosy,” Blake says.

As the gradient eases near the summit the transmission makes what seems like an early shift to tenth. By the time the speed returns to 70kph it’s back into top gear.

“It did concern me at first how quickly it goes back to top gear, but I’ve learnt it’s happy and it just keeps pulling,” says Blake.

Cruising at 90kph in top gear the Arocs is using a relaxed 1550rpm.

“I think the way they have matched the engine and transmission is the most impressive thing about this truck. It gets into the right gear

The Arocs tipping off export wood chip at Northport.

Truck & Driver | 31

TD34745

Queen St, Pahiatua Ph: 06 376 0020 Contact: Trevor: Mob 0274 437 968 Email: trevor@jacksonenterprises.co.nz www.jacksonenterprises.co.nz

and doesn’t change its mind. It’s most impressive away getting from stationary at the traffic lights and how it gets up to 90kph with so little fuss.

“It puts paid to the idea that you need 18 speeds. But I know the loggers probably do in some of the places they go.”

There’s only one point during our test where the Arocs goes as low as seventh gear on a climb. It’s on the northbound return run climbing the Moerewa hill while loaded with sand.

Exiting the Moerewa 50kph zone (in 11th gear) the climb is a steep and winding and sees the Arocs shift through 10th gear at 53kph, ninth at 40kph and eighth at 32kph before shifting to seventh at 25kph and picking up speed again to 30kph, shifting up to eighth for a few seconds and then completing the climb in seventh.

Now confident in the way the truck moves on the road and with an accurate gauge of the performance, Blake is now impressed by the handling.

“The turning circle is phenomenal. It probably has a better turning circle than our old number one, the six-wheeler [Argosy]. And that’s got a good turning circle.”

“The number of turns on the steering wheel is different. The first time you get in it’s like you just keep on turning the steering. It’s a better lock but more turns. On quite tight turns like a roundabout, you end up putting in about half a turn more.”

“The trailer tracks pretty well. The overall length of the unit is the same, but the trailer is a bit longer. It cuts in a little bit more when you are manoeuvring, but on the road it tracks fine.”

The other big difference is the barn doors instead of a tailgate.

“It’s our first unit with barn doors rather than a tailgate. It was quite a debate to begin with, but I’m convinced now. It’s definitely easier with woodchip at the port and when you’re doing sand, because it takes up no volume, it’s no problem.”

“You can make a tidier pile. A lot of our tipping is into bins so with a tailgate you can be limited on how far back into the bin you can tip, With barn doors you can tip further into the bin.”

“I’d say the tarps [powered Razor Tarps) are twice the speed of our other builds. And one of the things I really like is being able to close the covers and sweep out the bins when it’s raining.”

There are significantly more features and technology in the Arocs

State Highway 1 in Northland is narrow in many places. than the Argosy was equipped with.

“The tech in the truck is pretty much like a modern car and it’s kind of intuitive to use,” says Blake.

“It took me a little while to find a really comfortable seating position.

It was just little things like the sill heights are a lot different, so you end up resting you elbows differently.”

“You’ve got to be open to things. It’s not the same truck so you have to be prepared to fiddle around with a few things rather than just say `I don’t like this’.

Both seats in the Arocs are air suspended with power adjustments for side bolster and lumbar support.

The Big Space cab and the Styleline equipment package give the Arocs a premium level of specification and generous space.

The flat floor and high-line roof provide a generous ceiling height in the cab while the leather trimmed seats and carpeted centre tunnel provide a luxury feel.

Blake says the bunk in the sleeper is only used as additional storage space and the space above the windscreen makes the biggest difference to how the interior feels.

“The sleeper might be a fraction less deep than the Argosy but there is more storage and places to put things in the cab,” Blake says.

That includes a fridge and a slide-our storage bin under the bunk.

“They don’t rattle, and they close nicely and stay closed. There’s masses of storage in the cab, plenty of USB ports plus 12V and 24V power outlets. There is water bottle storage and cup holders, but the

The Arocs is a sleek unit with the bin and trailer tucked neatly below the cab height.

Truck & Driver | 33

cup holders do seem a bit shallow.”

“There is Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth, and it’s got wireless charging but my phone’s not flash enough.”

Other conveniences include automatic park brake release, and a hill start assist function.

“I do really like the light check on the key fob. That’s a good feature that lets you check all the lights while you’re out of the truck.”

“The visibility is better than the Argosy. The mirrors are substantial but there’s a decent gap between the mirror and the A-pillar, so there’s not too much of a blind spot. The mirrors seem to do a good job of keeping clean. There must be good airflow over them. And the convex mirrors aren’t too shaped, so you actually get a good view.”

“The rain sensor wipers are almost faultless but I’m not so sure about the auto high beam, so I tend to control the lights myself. “ “It’s also got headlamp washers. Every tenth time you use the windscreen washers the headlamp washers come on. And having the washer nozzles on the wiper blades works a lot better.””

One change compared to the Argosy is the one-piece windscreen (rather than a split windscreen).

“It might not be ideal for Northland roads because we replace windscreens constantly. This one has already got its first crack and with the split windscreen on the Argosy we were probably replacing three a year.”

“I do find some of the controls for the centre display a little bit fiddly, so now I’ve got them how I want them I don’t change much. It’s clear and the quality of the screen is really good.”

“The heater controls weren’t a strong point in the Argosy. It’s pretty much just on or off but in here you can dial up the temperature you want. The demist is brilliant.”

“It will be interesting to see how the aircon works in the middle of summer but based on what we’ve got so far it should be great.”

“It’s a single button with two-stages to engage the power divider and cross locks, and the PTO is a simple flick off the switch. You just have to remember to have the handbrake on.”

Part of Blake’s learning process with the truck has been trying to work out what triggers some occasional “ghost avoidance” responses from the safety systems.

Just south of Whangarei the truck automatically brakes in the middle of a right-hand corner. It’s in a section of road works with reflective markers dividing the lanes.

M W

2

Sl Blake sweeps out the bin before loading with sand.

“That’s the third time the truck has braked automatically on me. I’m still working out what it’s reacting to,” Blake says.

“I guess it’s better that it picks up a few odd ghost things because one day it might save your life.”

There is however one feature of the Argosy which the new Arocs – or any other truck for that matter – can’t match. It’s the swing out “staircase” step arrangement that provides such easy access into the cab-over Freightliners.

“If there’s anything I’m missing from the Argosy it’s the steps,” says Blake.

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I

F YOU WANT TO TEST A TRUCK, Northland roads are some of the best – for all the wrong reasons.

The further north you travel from the troubled Brynderwyns, the worse it gets. The cambers are inconsistent, the potholes are many and large, and the terrain in general is challenging. So, to me this is an ideal place to test the new Mercedes-Benz Arocs bulk tipper unit with the Carter’s Bulk Haulage fleet.

Yes, it is an Arocs. You may need to take a second look with the aftermarket Actros grille providing a disguise of the true identity.

As outlined in our main article, the job today is to take wood chip from Waipapa Pine

36 | Truck & Driver

sawmill down to Marsden Point and then bring sand back to Firth at Puketona.

Regular driver Blake Dodson takes the wood chip down and I bring the sand back to north of Whangarei.

It’s definitely a long way up into the Arocs cab but the welldesigned cascading steps and grab handles are a big help.

As with all Mercedes-Benz I have driven, it’s a very comfortable driver set-up inside and like all the modern Euros it’s primarily designed around driver comfort. All of the

Hayden Woolston modern trucks in the Daimler family share a lot of commonalities in the layout and functions of the controls and switchgear, and it’s very easy for me to familiarise myself and get the truck on the road heading north.

With the 625hp OM473 15.6 Litre sixcylinder engine and 12-speed transmission

• SPECIFICATIONS • being very well paired, the whole drive is just a cruise in what feels like a comfy armchair. The big digital dash and infotainment screen and big mirrors are handy tools to just sit back and cruise back from Marsden Point to SH1.

As we head north on SH1 it all seems too easy, even on these roads. The suite of safety technology we get in most trucks these days give you a sense of security which is coupled with a nice ride on these horrible roads and a wellinsulated cab that keeps noise levels low.

The ride is plush, and the cab moves around a bit on the uneven surfaces – but that’s to be expected taking into account the roading network we’re running on in this review.

The steering is nicely weighted to my liking, and it feels like the truck was designed for me.

It doesn’t take long talking with Dan in his yard to understand the passion and thinking that goes into the details of his truck and trailer specifications.

I believe the set-up from the Keith Andrews team in Whangarei along with Dan Carter’s knowledge and expertise has really helped with

the ride in this truck with a lot of thought going into the length and load weight sharing.

The next test on my drive north is to get through Whangarei. The road works on the south side of town are a challenge with a very tight cone layout on a corner where I’m worried the longer trailer might make things interesting. But it all tracks through nicely with a few centimetres to spare.

Once through town and a little further north I hand the truck back to Blake for the remainder of the trip.

We look really hard for the negatives in these tests – just as hard as we look for the positives – but in this case it’s really hard to find any.

The performance and comfort of the Arocs on Northland roads is very good.

When we return to the yard at Waipapa it’s actually hard to leave the Carter’s Bulk Haulage team. They’ve been so welcoming and hospitable to New Zealand Truck & Driver, another testament to how Dan and Debbie run their business. Thanks for the morning tea team.

Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3263L 8x4 Engine: OM 473 six cylinder in-line. Euro VIe (SCR and DPF) Capacity: 15.6 litres Maximum Power: 460kW (625hp) at 1600rpm Maximum Torque: 3000Nm (2213 lb-ft) at 1100rpm Fuel capacity: Diesel 390 litres, AdBlue 60 litres Transmission: G330-12 PowerShift3 12-speed automated manual Ratios: 1st – 11.64 2nd – 9.02 3rd – 7.03 4th – 5.45 5th – 4.40 6th – 3.41 7th – 2.65 8th – 2.05 9th – 1.60 10th – 1.24 11th – 1.00 12th – 0.78 Reverse: R1 12.77; R2 9.90; R3 2.90; R4 2.25 Final Drive ratio: 3.909:1 Front axle: 2 x 7500kg Rear axles: Hypoid tandem drive with limited slip differential and inter-axle lock (19,000kg max) Brakes: Disc with ABS/EBS and Advanced Emergency Braking Auxiliary brakes: Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engine Brake, 3-stage Front suspension: Parabolic leaf spring Rear suspension: Electronic Control Air Suspension GVM: 32,000kg GCM: 80,000kg

Truck & Driver | 37

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Driving the economy

One of the largest roading projects underway at present is the SH2 Takitimu North Link between Tauranga and Te Puna.

It’s all about roads and money I

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

T’S ALL ABOUT THE ROADS AT THE moment, which I am pretty thrilled about.

There have been some things I haven’t been that thrilled about. For instance, I was up in Hawke’s Bay recently talking to local bodies about some roading initiatives I felt were less than helpful, such as plonking large flower planters on road lanes. But more about that later.

The big deal has been the release of NZTA Waka Kotahi’s National Land Transport Programme 2024-2027 which aims to future-proof our roading network and boost productivity.

The investment of $32.9b is the largest of any NLTP. Arguably money should have been spent sooner and we’ll still be behind the eight ball.

However, given that $13.8b of that comes from road users (RUC, Fuel Excise Duty and Motor Vehicle Registry fees) the balance represents a significant commitment from the Crown.

And given the government is also balancing competing priorities, including big investments in health and education, I think this is a good result.

The NLTP sets out the priorities that NZTA is going to prioritise for the next three years. Transporting New Zealand has been lobbying for a focus on transport fundamentals for a long time and I think this NLTP gets the balance right.

We need vital regional connections through the new roads of National and Regional Significance, while maintaining what we already have, and to keep improving the network to boost safety and resilience.

There will be some who are disappointed with the rolling

back of some cycleways and walkways plans but these are times for must-haves. Focusing on the fundamentals means that some nice-to-haves will have to take a back seat.

Many of our South Island members will have wanted more investment in the Mainland, and we’ll keep advocating for much-needed improvements. Given there was $29.7b worth of work bidding for a fund of $23.6b, we acknowledge there was always going to be some good cases that missed out. We will always advocate for all our members, whichever big island they are on!

I am very pleased that the NLTP recognises freight as a vital driver of economic dynamism and prosperity. 93 percent of all freight in New Zealand travels by road, so improving our roading network is essential if we want to get out of the current economic slump and drive real growth.

Challenge to local bodies Speaking of growth, Prime Minister Chris Luxon’s challenge to attendees at the Local Government New Zealand conference in Wellington “to rein in the fantasies and to get back to delivering the basics brilliantly” really resonates as well.

I spent a couple of days in the Hawke’s Bay recently. On the one hand I saw some pretty ugly road surfaces, on the other I saw some beautiful planters in Waipawa filling parking spaces.

The planters are part of NZTA’s “Streets for people” programme. My colleague Lindsay Calvi-Freeman and I met with NZTA, and we discussed our concerns that the fundamental purpose of a road appears to have been forgotten.

Truck & Driver | 39

Driving the economy

Large planters taking up road and parking space in the town of Waipawa in Hawke’s Bay.

Call me crazy, but I think the main function of a road is transportation, not flowers.

I think the PM’s view that we rein in fantasies and get back to delivering the basics is a good thing. Lindsay and I were relieved to hear that the NZTA people we spoke to agreed.

Livestock Supply Chain I attended the Livestock Supply Chain Rōpū chaired and hosted

by NZTA Waka Kotahi. It was great that MPI’s Director of Animal Health and Welfare, Dr Carolyn Guy, joined the group.

For me it shows MPI appreciates the significance and the importance of an across-supply chain collaborative approach to remedy the issues with livestock transport.

Unfortunately, on the downside, despite the involvement of MPI, NZTA, and WorkSafe, several key processors and farming bodies just aren’t fronting up.

Regulators have appeared powerless to prevent other parties in the supply chain gaining commercial benefit by basically pushing their costs and responsibilities onto transport operators. Money, money, money! I was upfront with the government agencies that this was a good demonstration of regulatory failure.

I am hopeful that the value of having that difficult conversation was that the regulators appear more committed to flex their respective powers and get the other parties around the table at the next meeting. Here’s hoping.

Container system issues Transporting New Zealand has also raised concerns about a container-handling operator over its introduction of a requirement that transport operators pre-pay for booking slots.

The system means transport operators must keep their respective accounts in credit if they want to make timeslot bookings. In other words, rather than their transport operators 40 | Truck & Driver

keeping their money and using it when they need it, they are being asked to hand over their money to another party for the potential future use of that latter party’s services. I’ve heard estimates that the requirement to forward-pay for services will mean transport operators are handing over tens of millions of dollars each year for forward services, costing them interest or requiring borrowing.

Transport operators are under considerable stress. It appears unfair and unreasonable that they are now being burdened with this additional financial pressure. Having stressed and financially stretched transport operators isn’t good news for anyone.

Change to RUC Transport Minister Simeon Brown announced that legislation will be go forward next year to move all light vehicles off fuel excise and onto the Road User Charges system. While paying fuel excise at-the-pump has been convenient for drivers of petrol cars, changes in vehicle technology and variability in fuel consumption means it is no longer an effective way for light vehicle users to pay for a fair contribution towards the upkeep of our roads.

There isn’t enough money now to provide the road network that people currently desire so unless there is a change in revenue collection, the gap between what the public expect and what gets delivered will only grow.

Last year a Ministry of Transport’s report showed that of all road users, large trucks pay the highest proportion of their respective costs and that clearly demonstrates the benefit that the RUC model offers. It’s important we have a sustainable funding model so we can get our roads operating more efficiently and safely, particularly with mounting cost pressures.

And make no mistake, it’s all about the money to do the things we need to have done. There are some huge projects coming up and the time to invest in our country is now.

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Driving the economy

Road Transport Warrior Words and photos: David Killick

M

ARK WAREING COMES FROM A FAMILY THAT has a tradition of moving things around.

In the mid-70s, Mark Wareing’s mum and dad had a choice between a freezer and a J1 Bedford. They went for the truck and never looked back.

Philip Wareing started off as a grain agent in Methven before setting up Philip Wareing Contractors Ltd in July 1975.

From that first truck, Wareings Group has grown to become a major player in the South Island. It is made up of seven different transport companies, operates 250 trucks, employs 350 staff, and has 10 depots around Canterbury and the West Coast.

The group moves about 100,000 containers a year, about 4,500 tonnes of bulk product a day, and does 3,000 ha a day of spreading.

Trucks include about 40 livestock trucks and comprise mostly DAFs, as well as some Mercedes-Benzes, Kenworths, Freightliners, Fusos, and Isuzus.

The company remains very much a family business, Mark Wareing says.

He’s now joint-CEO along with brother Simon, while sister Rachel is responsible for HR. “The first employee that Philip ever employed still works for us now,” says Mark. “When I started fulltime in 1992, aged 20, there were 12 employees.

“I got an exemption to get my HT [Heavy Transport licence] when I was 17. Before that I was driving trucks, probably not legally but that’s what you used to do in the rural sector.”

Mark went to school in Methven, where he enjoyed sports and skiing.

Despite not passing School Certificate, he went on to university and completed a Diploma in Farm Management.

“I was going to go farming, but just about as I was going to go on an OE my father said come and drive this truck for the holidays. Then I ended up playing senior cricket and senior rugby, then built a house, found a wife, and had children.”

He and wife Arna have three boys – Elliot 22, George, 20, and Ryan,17.

Elliott and George work for the company as drivers, driving a class 5 and a class 4.

“One of the main things I enjoy is see my family grow up in transport.

They are passionate about it and want to be involved.”

What did he enjoy as a driver? “The freedom and independence. I look back now and the enjoyment of getting paid to drive around the country is a privilege. In those days there probably weren’t as many rules. I loved early starts, camaraderie with the other workers, meeting people – driving trucks was cool.”

Mark moved into dispatch and then sales, and then ran operations at Wareings, alongside his father and brother. In 2018, he took over Rural Transport, in Ashburton.

“Business was hard work, we had to make some changes. I helped turned the business around and trading profitably.”

Then, in 2020, after Covid, Mark stepped into the joint CEO role for the whole group. There have been several career highlights, including bringing the group together in buying the other partner out when we bought the remaining shares in rural transport Wilson Bulk Transport and NZE in 2018, and purchasing other transport companies over the years.

Another highlight was building the Fairfield Freight Hub, a joint hub for trucks and rail, in Ashburton, that opened in April.

He says it is transport – not just a single mode – that matters.

“We’ve taken 86 per cent of our containers that were on the road onto rail. It’s a five-year plan to get to where we want to be.

42 | Truck & Driver

Mark Wareing with trucks at Rural Transport in Ashburton.

Photo: David Killick “It’s not road versus rail. It’s about the right mode of transport to get the job done. We use coastal shipping a lot as well to move product around. Last week we just finished loading Anatoki, which we do every two weeks, with barley to go back to the North Island, because that’s the right mode to get that product up the coast.”

Should it be the government’s responsibility to run the Cook Strait ferries as part of State Highway 1?

“No, I don’t think so. More to the point, is it Kiwirail’s function to be running ferries? Possibly not. Should it be privatised? Maybe. But more to the point, it needs to be run well, and efficiently.

“I’m still a strong supporter of a boat that runs from Lyttleton to Wellington. It would take a lot of movements off the Kaikoura coast road.

It’s a tourism route but with heavy trucks on it and it’s not a very well-made road.”

As a small country at the bottom of the world, New Zealand needs to think innovatively and invest for the future, Mark believes.

“Look at the challenges of roading, health or schools, it doesn’t matter, New Zealand hasn’t got a lot of reserves at the moment. I do think we need outside investment and it needs to be moderated so that one organisation or country doesn’t have too much of a share of it.

“The only way we’re going to get good infrastructure is outside investment now. The country is not quite bankrupt, but it is in a pretty poor position at the moment. We need more investment in key infrastructure, it doesn’t matter if it’s water, or wharves, or Cook Strait ferries; we are behind.”

Could toll roads help fund transport infrastructure? “For sure. It’s transparent, you pass the cost on to your client. If you don’t pass it onto your client, you’re stupid or you should be using a different route if you can’t use that. It’s a way to get investment into roads. At the moment, they should borrow to build roads as well; they shouldn’t just say we’ve got to pay for it.

Borrowing to build infrastructure is not wrong.”

A wealth or property tax could also help fund essential infrastructure.

“Whether it’s one or 2 per cent of a property asset. It’s tough on young people to buy a house currently so I think this is probably a way of taxing property as businesses. That would probably drive and investment into other things outside housing. It would need a long lead-in time.”

Driving the economy

Mark is disappointed that although road user charges (RUC) cost transport businesses many tens of thousands of dollars a year, that money does not always benefit them.

“My thoughts are the money should be spent where it is earned. So, if the money is earned in Mid-Canterbury, it should be spent on the MidCanterbury roads.”

This could be on local roads as well as state highways. “Currently, we’ve got one RONS [Roads of National Significance] project in the South Island, and I think two other regional jobs. The rest is going to the North Island. I’m very pissed off about that.

“I think a lot of New Zealand Inc’s money is made in the South Island and yet we don’t get it returned back down here. If they keep investing in Auckland state highways, that’s where everybody will want to live. So spread the love.”

Other challenges are impacting the whole industry. New vehicle technology is proving costly.

“At the moment it is costing us too much in our business, which isn’t ideal at all. Some parts of the world mandate you have to be Euro 4, 5 or 6.

New Zealand seems to be one of the leaders of technology, and embraces it early and I don’t know if New Zealand Inc. necessarily sees the payback of it. So, technology can be your friend; it can be your enemy as well and sometimes I think we go a little bit too hard.”

How about EVs and hydrogen? Are they the technology of the future?

“I see some biofuel or maybe a synthetic diesel coming,” says Mark. “EVs maybe around town but hydrogen and long-range EVs are not a practical solution; it’s cost-prohibitive in New Zealand at the moment. Maybe one day, but not at the moment.”

Staffing is another challenge the industry is facing. “We have good middle managers who are undervalued; we don’t pay them a fair entitlement. It used to be a good dispatcher would be on what a good truck driver would be on.

They’ve fallen behind and if those key people leave, they make or break your business. It’s how to get those salaries up to a worthy standard or package.

“The driver should be slow and steady, a low-risk taker. Currently, some people we are employing have some great skills but not those. I think AI will play a huge part in our business, in management, too. I don’t know if it is good or bad.”

Mark won the VTNZ Supreme Contribution to Road Transport Award at Transporting New Zealand’s South Island Seminar in Twizel in June.

Mark has played an active role in the Road Transport Association and Road Transport Forum, now Transporting New Zealand. His previous roles include serving as Road Transport Forum regional director; vice president of Road Transport New Zealand; chairman of the National Livestock Safety Committee; and president of RTANZ Region 4.

“I was one of the six operators that worked with NZTA to develop 50MAX in 2010, that was pretty cool to be involved in that. I think I was the only South Island operator in it.”

Mark also worked with former Road Transport Forum expert Mark Ngatuere on rewriting technical regulations. These included animal welfare regulations and weights and dimensions, increasing height to 4.3m.

He says having a national organisation to represent road transport operators is vital.

“There needs to be one organisation to represent us at central government level. Having three or four organisations isn’t ideal. I suppose that’s one of my disappointments. A number of years ago, Simon Tapper, myself and Calvin Bonnie had a model that worked but it was sabotaged by a couple of other individuals. I do think we’ve had opportunities in the past and peoples own personal agenda is the reason why things haven’t happened.”

After a period concentrating on his own business, Mark recently got back into the association. “I think there’s some good stuff happening; they are going in the right direction.”

Axles, bridges and a race in Mid-Canterbury

By Bill O’Byrne

T

HERE’S AN ISSUE IN MID-CANTERBURY WITH bridges going across an historic canal, and trucks getting permission to cross the bridges.

Transporting New Zealand regional sector advisor Jim Crouchley says the issue is with HPMV trucks not being allowed to use the bridges over the Rangitata Diversion Race, a 67-kilometre long canal and irrigation system built during the Depression that goes through inland Canterbury and links up to the Rakaia River.

He says it is pretty frustrating for a number of operators as it means they have to restrict the loads on their HPMV vehicles to use the bridges, or face time-consuming diversions.

“The dairy farms we have in Mid-Canterbury use lime from quarries in the foothills to resurface their dairy tracks. Every couple of years the dairy farmers will get a contractor in to re-lay the lime on their lanes.

“But the contractors have to restrict the load capabilities of their trucks to keep them at 44 tonnes to avoid the diversions.”

What is especially puzzling, as Jim’s told the Community Roading Reference Group based in Ashburton, is that standard vehicles with a heavier axle loading can use these bridges while an HPMV vehicle can’t.

“At the roading reference group I asked the question why can we not

use these as heavy vehicle routes because an HPMV vehicle actually has a lighter axle footprint than a standard motor vehicle has and, because of the length of an HPMV vehicle, not all of the axles are on the bridge at the same time.

“If you have a standard truck with seven axles which can operate at 44 tonnes, the weight they impart on the ground is actually heavier than an HPMV.” Currently consultants WSP are doing an assessment of roads and bridges in the district for the Ashburton District Council and the diversion race bridges will be included with the report. The report and its findings will be made available to Transporting New Zealand to have a look at.

Jim says it’s something the industry has been chasing up for a while now and finally it is good to see some movement on the subject.

A truck crosses a bridge over a Rangitata water race in Mid-Canterbury.

Truck & Driver | 43

Driving the economy

Tony Flowers, the Rental Manager for TR Group in Wellington, showing the QR code (example right) that drivers scan to get to the brief training videos.

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R GROUP’S CLEVER QR CODE SYSTEM HELPS get around a common issue with rental vehicles - often the person who picks up a vehicle from TR Group isn’t always the only driver.

Tony Flowers, the rental manager for the Wellington branch, says having quick access to video tutorials is basically an induction to the vehicles.

“While all of our guys around the country do a good job of handovers when they put a rental out the gate, quite often the person picking the vehicle up isn’t the person using the vehicle in the following weeks,” he says.

TR Group has 86 different categories of trucks and trailers in their rental fleet, with 10 of those being covered by the QR videos so far.

Tony says all the drivers need to do is point the camera from their smartphone at the QR code and a browser link to the induction video will come up. They then open the browser link, and it opens on the vehicle’s induction video.

The short videos highlight the safety features in the vehicle and the procedures for using all the gear on it.

Tony says there is a ton of new tech in the latest trucks, so it is a quick and easy way of showing how the fundamentals all work to operate safely

and efficiently.

Tony says he’s learned a few things himself from watching them.

“I watched the Patchell swinglift one the other day because there’s a bit of a sequence for starting those vehicles up – push this button, flick that switch, hold your tongue that way etc.

“If you don’t use them that often or use a different brand it’s easy to forget how they work.

There is also a lot of computer technology in newer vehicles so understanding what the symbols stand for can be essential.”

“The intention is that the library of videos will be built up as we put new vehicles on the road as it’s a bit of a job to do them well.”

The system won the Fruehauf Outstanding Contribution to Innovation Award at Transporting New Zealand’s South Island Seminar in Twizel in June.

The judges said: “Sharing key safety information in an easy, simple and effective way using modern communication technology is a great example of innovation and something we need more of.”

Tony says the best thing about the system is it brings a high level of consistency to the handover.

“We feel it’s the right information that’s being shared, and it gives the driver the knowledge they can refer back to if they need to.”

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 44 | Truck & Driver

Keith McGuire, Regional & Sector Advisor Upper North Island 027 445 5785 John Bond, Regional & Sector Advisor Upper South Island 027 444 8136 Jim Crouchley, Regional & Sector Advisor Lower South Island 027 261 0953

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Troy (left) and Connor Etting with three of the Easy Moves big dogs – Mack Super-Liner duo and Briard named Ludo.

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WHETHER AT WORK OR AT PLAY, THE TOOLS AND the toys are always heavy-duty for the Easy Moves crew.

When the West Auckland operation owned by the Etting family isn’t at work on house and building relocations, they are fielding a two-truck effort in the NAPA Auto Parts New Zealand Super Truck Championship.

And with the 2024-25 championship set to begin at Manfeild over Labour weekend, New Zealand Truck & Driver thought it was timely to learn more of the story behind the team with two bright yellow race trucks – the Kenworth raced by Troy Etting and the Volvo by his son Connor.

Troy Etting says he’s approaching 40 years of working in the house removal and transport industry.

“It’s all I’ve ever done,” says Troy.

“I started when I was 17 working for Haines House Haulage who were at Riverhead back then. I did a couple of years there and then moved to New Lynn to join James Daverns, where I did eight or nine years. I moved to a couple of other places and the last place I worked at was Craig Walker’s at Kumeu.”

By 2003 Troy and his wife Vanessa were working through the possibilities for setting up their own business.

“A mate who I’d worked with back at Daverns and I were going to go out on our own, but at the last minute he pulled out and I was committed,” Troy says.

“I bought a little double cab Mazda Titan along with a few bottle jacks and claws and I started doing re-piles and house lifts. For the first year or two I would dry hire a truck and trailer when I needed it.”

That got Easy Moves started and the big gear began arriving when Troy was able to buy a 15-year-old three-axle TRT 2-axle castor steer trailer from Smith’s Cranes in Christchurch.

“It was really hard to find good gear back then and I ended up getting that and working with my mate’s ex-Mainfreight Volvo. It was totally unsuitable, but we made it work until we ended up getting the Western Star.”

The 1993 Western Star 6964 had already served its time in the forestry sector, but it was a gamechanger for Easy Moves.

“It had been an off-highway logger from new, and it was rated to 220 tonnes,” Troy says.

“We shortened it and gave it the full Monty rebuild and it was pretty much like new when we finished it. And we haven’t really touched it since I did it up about 18 years ago. That was my main prime mover until five years ago.

“That truck built my business, and I’ll never sell it. When we get time, we’ll restore it and the same with the original TRT trailer. That truck and the TRT trailer have been the backbone for us.

“I’d never the sell my old TRT trailer either. We’ve done some massive jobs on it.”

Troy says Easy Moves built its reputation by doing difficult `cut-inhalf’ and multi-piece house moves.

“Early on we did a lot of cutting of two-story houses and multi-piece moves, the sort of thing some people shied away from,” he says.

“I used to do everything. I’d cut the house, run the job, and tow the house and we built a really good name in cutting and joining and for doing the tricky jobs.”

Connor Etting is the Easy Moves Operations Manager, and he says the current workload has become more varied to include classroom relocations and some transport work for a small number of relocatable building manufacturers.

“We also do quite a lot of on-site houses moves – shifting a house to the back of a section when it’s being subdivided. That sort of work comes and goes, but it’s been quite busy lately,” says Connor.

Connor says most of Easy Moves work comes through recommendation or through word of mouth.

“It’s quite funny, we’ll go somewhere to do a job, and it will lead to more work in the same area because people see us working or they will recommend us to someone they know.

“It’s repeat customers and word of mouth. And we even have other house movers recommend us to do work that they don’t want to do, Truck & Driver | 49

Easy Moves has specialised in the challenging jobs and moving old villas and houses. like the cut-in-halves.”

It was around 2015 that Easy Moves began to grow. A significant move – literally – came when Easy Moves shifted from rented premises in Henderson into its own yard on West Coast Rd in Glen Eden.

“It was derelict when me moved in – no power, no lights and rubbish everywhere,” Troy says.

“It feels like it was five years ago but it’s actually nearly 10. Time flies.”

The Glen Eden location is 13,000sqm with workshop and office space plus plenty of space for houses.

“At a squeeze we can get 25 houses in here, but we don’t like it that full and it’s getting harder to get good stock anyway,” Troy says.

The current fleet sees the original Western Star 6964 and the TRT three-axle trailer still at work and joined by three Mack Super-Liners and pair of 3-axle MTE trailers.

Initially Troy was keen to stay with the Western Star brand but there wasn’t a specification that he thought suited the role.

“I liked the Western Star and would have bought another one, but the newer ones are limited on a few things like engines,” he says.

“You can’t get a Cat anymore and we do like Cats. And you can’t get disc brakes, and the Jimmy [splicer] box had to be put in afterwards, that sort of thing.

“I looked at Kenworth and then one day I was in Palmy on a Sunday with my mate from Central House Movers, and he suggested I take a look at a Mack.

“The salesman from MTD came out on Sunday and he showed us the Trident and the Super-Liner. I looked at it and decided they ticked all the boxes.

50 | Truck & Driver

“I can’t complain about Mack – they’ve got everything. There are other good trucks but each of them has something like less horsepower, or less spec, which doesn’t match he Mack.”

After buying the 685hp 2019 Super-Liner, Troy was to discover that getting a salesman to demo a truck on a Sunday was only the beginning of MTD’s customer service.

“That first one we bought had a splicer box fitted behind the transmission in the factory, but it had a bad vibration in it under power.

“Short story long, they tried everything to fix it, but they couldn’t.

MTD bent over backwards but couldn’t get it sorted and they said they’d either take the truck back or replace it.

“I needed a truck, so I got them to replace it.

“The new model had a new gearbox with the splicer gears built into the gearbox. It took two years to replace it while I keep using the old one and then they replaced the whole truck.

“Our relationship with MTD has been excellent. We are only a small company, but I can’t say enough about them. I was just Joe Bloggs who had bought one new truck of them.”

The 2019 unit was replaced by 2022 Super-Liner which carried over the same rego plate EZYDOG and works with an MTE Command Steer Trailer, which features a “clip on” fourth axle option for the largest jobs.

The second 2022 model 685hp Super-Liner is 2EZY and works with a 3-axle MTE trailer.

The other Super-Liner is EZYONE, a 2016 model which is also referred to as `Troy’s Truck.’

“My truck with the sleeper cab on it used to be EDSDOG from Owens towing a B-Train. It’s been an awesome truck, and it also tows our race

Mack Super-Liner and MTE trailer ready to move a portable office from Avondale to Botany Downs. trucks. It’s done a million kays now,” says Troy.

EZYONE usually works with the original TRT trailer and at the moment does less moves than the other two main units.

“The two MTE trailers are our main trailers and the modifications on them are a big part of what makes moving houses easy for our guys,” Troy says.

Connor says MTE have been great to work with over the years and have utilised multiple good ideas brought forward by the industry and put them into their trailers.

“They use track systems for hoses and wires for when the trailer is tromboned out and they utilise hydraulic landing legs which are becoming beneficial in not just our industry.

“They came about as a tool for ’sideshifting’ the trailer [which is a method for positioning a building in place when you can’t quite get the trailer into position with the truck]. You can pick the front of the trailer up with the two landing legs and a third ram pulls them sideways,

sliding the unit over.

“Originally this was done with jacks then manual landing legs with a side ram, then a single ram. Our latest trailer refurbed in 2021 has the 3-ram system which is such a breeze to use.

“We are by no means a big customer to MTE, but any issues we have whether it be repairs, parts for maintenance or even problem shooting they come to the party. They have an awesome team from the ground up.”

There are also mid-size and light trucks to support the Easy Moves big gear.

There’s a Hino 300 and 500 duo for carting jacking gear and hand tools as well as move the crew, and two flat-deck Mercedes-Benz Sprinters.

“They [the Sprinters] are like oversize utes, but they can be driven on a car license. We can use them as an A-pilot vehicle and also put some mats and stands on them,” says Troy.

Western Star and Mack lined up for a big move.

Truck & Driver | 51

“We’ve also got an eight-wheeler Isuzu Giga, an Iveco, an old Mitsi V8 winch truck and a tractor. And all of our cars and utes are Toyotas.”

Specialist building moves aren’t just about the equipment. Troy says Easy Moves runs two crews and has plenty of experience to call upon.

“I’ve worked with Rob Maxwell for about 30 years and he’s our chippy. He’s working on some of the houses in the yard at the moment but when we have a big multi-piece move is when he really comes in into his own.

The experienced Aaron Kira is the foreman at Easy Moves and Troy also has Greg Wylie on the team.

“Greg comes up from Papamoa and works three or four days a week. Usually Aaron does the towing, Greg does the A-grade piloting, and I’ll do the second pieces if needed,” says Troy.

“They are the main guys along with Stephen Withers who buys and sells houses for us, and he’s become the face of the company in the office.

“I’m usually in the workshop every day and I’m around if they need someone to tow a house.”

And along with Connor as the Operations Manager, Troy’s wife Vanessa is the Office Manager.

While there are always challenges with varying council regulations around the country and the planning and permits needed for house moves, Troy says the biggest challenge in the industry is finding and retaining staff.

“We’ve got enough gear to run three crews, but since Covid the hardest thing has been getting staff,” he says.

“There’s been some new companies start up in the last few years and there’s been a lot of poaching staff. Fortunately, my main guys

Easy Moves foreman Aaron Kira directing a move.

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Another challenging house shift for the Easy Moves team. are loyal and not having three crews running is probably a blessing in disguise because the work has dropped off a bit lately.”

Another key relationship is with the NZ Heavy Haulage Association.

“Easy Moves has been a member since day one and even before that I used to get taken along to the conference [by his previous employers],” Troy says “I’ve been going to conference for about 32 years. I don’t think we’ve missed one in that time.

“They [NZ HHA] do so much work with the councils and with the roads. If we didn’t have them and didn’t support them, we wouldn’t be moving houses.”

And then there’s the pair of yellow racers which will soon to hit the track for a fourth season.

Troy tells an interesting story of how the family got involved in truck

racing and how Team Easy Racing came together.

“We’d always been on the sidelines at motor racing as spectators and I’d taken Connor to the truck racing since he was pretty young,” says Troy.

“We’ve known Karlos Goodwin from GPS Piloting for a long time, and he crewed for Ken Rowe on the Volvo.

“One day Karlos rang and said, `I’ve found you a race truck’. Well, I wasn’t really looking for one,” Troy says.

“But we started talking and got interested. Ken didn’t want us to buy it without driving it, so he organised a day at Pukekohe for us to jump in and try it.

“That was it. Three weeks later we both had our motorsport licenses, and we’d packed up a 10-foot container with our toolboxes and we were off to the South Island.”

That was in the Covid-shortened 2022 season with Troy initially driving the Volvo.

“Connor drove in a couple of practices and in the Flying Farwell which is the last race of the weekend,” says Troy.

Three-axle TRT trailer was the first major purchase for Easy Moves.

Truck & Driver | 55

Etting family on-track battle with Connor in the Volvo side-by-side with Troy’s Kenworth at Timaru last summer. The 2024-25 championship begins at Manfeild over Labour weekend.

Photo: Euan Cameron.

Troy says he enjoys the camaraderie among the truck racing teams as much as the competition.

“All of the truck racing guys, especially Shane Gray were a big help to get us started,” he says.

The Kenworth was added during the winter of 2022 and Team Easy Racing returned as a two-truck effort at the Labour weekend opener to the 2022-23 season at Manfeild.

Both trucks have a long history in the sport.

“The Volvo was built in Aussie by Rodney Crick and then Rob Waters put a Cat C12 in it. It was also raced by Malcolm Little and then Ken Rowe up until he retired and sold it to us.

“It’s the heaviest truck out there. The next job would be to take some weight out. It’s still got the original doors and roof.

The Kenworth is an ex-Shane Gray truck. It’s one of the original New Zealand race trucks and it was the EIT Mover Kenworth which started as a cab-over and was then rebuilt as a bonneted track.

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Both trucks are Cat C12 powered, and they’ve had significant work put into them ahead of the coming season, mainly in search of improved reliability.

“The Kenworth has had new valves and valve springs, new liners and new piston rings, pretty much a full in-frame rebuild,” says Troy.

“The Kenworth is quicker than the Volvo. Connor says he felt the Volvo was getting slower at the end of last season and we found a couple of knackered turbos and a cracked liner.

“The Kenworth has had its problems to, mainly too much boost. We have found a lot of things that were wrong.

“Reliability hasn’t been on our side and this season we are looking for them to hang together. We want to keep from breaking down.

“We’ve got a really good crew, and they volunteer a lot of time. You couldn’t afford to pay people to do it.”

With no previous motorsport experience, Troy says it was a big leap getting into truck racing.

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Above: Hino 300 crew cab is used for gear transport.

Right: Pre-season preparation on the race trucks has Team Easy Racing ready for another summer of racing.

“I’d never been on a racetrack before. You think you can drive but it’s a steep learning curve and I’m still getting my head around it.

“The best thing was at Invercargill [Teretonga] this year when it hosed down and for some reason in the wet it just sort of clicked for me. It was terrible weather, but something clicked in the way I was feeling the truck sliding all over the place.”

Connor has enjoyed his racing in the Volvo and is hoping for a step up in performance and reliability this summer.

“It’s good fun, but it’s definitely more fun when things are going good. The trouble is, just when you think you’ve got everything sorted, it can go pear-shaped again.”

The other big step for Team Easy Racing this year is the build of new B-Train transporter which means both trucks and all the pit support equipment can be transported as one unit.

The 2024-25 championship starts at Manfeild over Labour Weekend.

“We’ve got five rounds again this year. We start and finish at Manfeild and the other three are in the South Island,” says Troy.

The two Team Easy Racing trucks have been a valuable addition to the field.

“When we started there were only five trucks,” says Connor.

“Building the Kenworth back up and racing it in the 22/23 season was a big step up for the club along with the massive effort from Shane Grey and his team bringing over Steven Zammit for the season.

“This really brought the club back up and it’s only grown from there. We are looking at a minimum of 10 trucks with more coming out of the works.

“There are two new trucks being built and I’ve heard of two or three old trucks getting back out there this season, so I guess the dream is we have 15 trucks out racing, and at that stage it will get

very entertaining.

“The club has also bolstered itself in other areas through sponsorship and fundraising. It’s been able to buy a merch trailer and supply a very slick range of merchandise along with incorporating a boost in social media with the help from Clint Brown. The club is definitely gaining some big followings,” says Connor.

Truck racing remains one of the main drawcards at New Zealand circuits.

“We get the best crowd in all of motor racing other than the V8 Supercars. People love the truck racing and if we do it with the Muscle Cars, it’s massive,” says Troy.

There will also be a change in the driver line-up this summer for the Flying Farewell races.

“One of the cool things this year is we’ll have two father and son combinations in our team. Our mechanic Jason Lincoln and his son Eli are driving in the Flying Farewell races,” says Connor.

After the conversation about house moving gear and truck racing, we discover that not everything is full-size at Easy Moves.

Troy is keen to tell us about a model that proudly sits in the front office. It’s a Mack Super-Liner in Easy Moves livery with a house on a Command Steer trailer.

“It was built by Glen Brayshaw who was one of the original pilots and worked for Keith Hay Homes for years and years. He’s been a modeller for years as well.

“Glen will turn 80 soon and it’s the last model he made before moving to Australia last year.

“It took him about four years to build it. He built the house and everything.

“I had to buy a cabinet big enough for it and now it has pride of place in our office.”

Glen Brayshaw built this impressive model for Easy Moves.

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HE RESERVE BANK'S AUGUST OCR RATE CUT, THE FIRST IN over four years, triggered the largest two-day surge in shares seen in two years, with the market bouncing back more than 10% from recent lows.

However, the decision was not without controversy. Many economists and commentators questioned how the RBNZ could ‘U-turn’ on its previous predictions of rate hikes, with cuts not expected until August 2025.

While I’m not an economist and can’t speculate on whether the RBNZ misread the economy or aimed to curb inflation, I observed the widespread relief as banks began lowering their interest rates.

Mortgage holders and business owners, who had been deferring spending and investment plans, finally saw some respite.

Some economists are concerned that economic activity could rebound more strongly than anticipated due to the rate cuts.

However, with retail spending declining for a second consecutive quarter, it’s clear that the economy has contracted significantly, and a ‘triple-dip’ recession may be on the cards.

The transport sector, often a leading economic indicator, has felt the impact. As consumer spending slows, so does the flow of goods, leading to fewer truck journeys. Many well-established operators, who weathered the Global Financial Crisis, now find themselves with idle trucks. Times are tough.

Yet, there may be a glimmer of hope. Being a lead indicator, the transport sector could also be among the first to benefit when the economy recovers. If economists are correct, August’s OCR cut is just the beginning – perhaps the green shoot the sector has been waiting for.

NRC advice to operators is prepare now for the economic rebound.

Ensure your business is in order: know your costs, utilise the NRC Cost Modelling Tool, have the right team in place to scale up quickly, seek specialist financial advice, and know who to turn to when the economic winds change.

If you haven’t taken these steps, reach out to the NRC team for guidance.

Looking at the broader transport sector, there are signs of optimism. The coalition Government has recognised that freight and supply chains are key to the economy, with policymakers prioritising investment in roading infrastructure.

Recent comments from Transport and Energy Minister Simeon Brown about how the previous Labour Government’s oil and gas exploration ban increased New Zealand’s sovereign risk serve as a warning to other sectors. Long-term planning and investment

Justin Tighe-Umbers, CEO, National Road Carriers Association certainty are essential to attract the talent and capital needed for a cohesive infrastructure plan that will support New Zealand’s future growth. Roading companies need confidence that their investments in technology and expertise won’t be wasted.

All business sectors, not just transport, are looking to the Government for long-term commitments on infrastructure investment and policy direction. Overseas investors, understandably, become wary of political flip-flops when governments change. Dramatic policy shifts can scare off investors, especially when their investments require a 40-year payback period.

In my view, the time has come – many would say it's long overdue – for a policy framework with cross-party support that protects the planning and delivery of New Zealand’s critical infrastructure. Many sectors, including energy, healthcare, and water management, would benefit from this approach, yet we continue to face rising energy costs, a crumbling healthcare system, aging water infrastructure, and deteriorating roads.

NRC has long advocated for a 50-year plan for roading infrastructure investment, one that is independent of the government and insulated from the three-year election cycle. The establishment of the National Infrastructure Agency and progress on roads of national and regional significance suggest the Government is listening.

Like most Kiwis, I’m hoping for further rate cuts from the RBNZ in October, but in the meantime, let’s hope we see a gradual increase in business and consumer confidence as the economy begins to turn a corner. NRC remains focused on advocating for the industry with policymakers, ensuring that any new initiatives, such as time-of-use charging or future transport fuels, are carefully considered to avoid placing unnecessary pressure on the industry and consumers. And lastly, we continue to push for coherent freight and supply chain policies to improve productivity and drive economic growth.

Truck & Driver | 59

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FEATURE

Ray Stewart has been at the wheel for 55 years.... wishes he could do it all again!

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Story: Wayne Munro Photos: Carolyn Barry & Grange Transport

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FOR 45 YEARS, LIFETIME TRUCKIE RAY (SENIOR) STEWART has been part of the Molan family.

Not actually a Molan…. but bloody close to it – as Grange Transport’s longest-serving driver.

Now though, much as the Wanganui 74-year-old has “loved every minute” of his 55 years driving trucks – all but 10 of them with successive Grange owners Peter and Brendon Molan – he says it’s finally time to retire.

Mind you, current boss Brendon reckons Ray has tried to give up driving twice in the last decade or so – had two big farewell parties, got nice retirement presents from the Molans and all.….and then went straight back to work at Grange! (It’s not a complaint, by the way – Brendon never wanted him to finish up in the first place!)

The thing is, as Ray explains: “The whole journey’s been bloody great. I’d do it all again if I had the chance!”

Working with now-retired Grange founder Peter Molan, and then his son Brendon, has been like spending time with your best mates.

In the “old days,” says Ray, when Peter and wife Gael were running the business from their house and yard on Flemington Road, on the edge of Wanganui, “we’d knock off and we’d go

inside the house and Gael would have a deep fryer going of chips.”

The kitchen doubled as the office – “and then it became the public bar. And, after the public bar closed, it became the private bar….and after the office closed it’d become the lounge bar!

“It was that type of thing. You were working for a family – not a computer.”

Brendon confirms it: Just eight years old when Ray started working for his Dad, he very clearly remembers “Ray and the old man and a couple of others having their Thursday beers in the kitchen at home.

“They’d still be there at midnight – and then the old man would say ‘oh well, we’ll see you at four o’clock!”

He’s known Senior “virtually my whole life. I would actually have spent more time with Ray than his own kids have!

“I had the pleasure of growing up with him – going (in the trucks) with him, then working with him…and then being his boss.

And we’ve never ever treated each other as boss and worker – we’re bloody good mates.

“Ray is very much part of our family: He would be the most loyal – and honest as the day is long…. Part of the backbone of this company. A massive part of it.”

Truck & Driver | 61

He talks about Ray as if he’s still there working, even after he’s finished-up: “I’ll ring him at night, have a yarn – he’ll tell me what the problems are and between us we’ll work them out.”

Ray says again that “I’ve just really enjoyed” his time at Grange: “I’m going to really miss it.” Compared to his working life, retirement is “gonna be bloody hard work!”

But this time, he’s adamant: “There comes a time when you’ve just gotta do what your body’s trying to tell you.

“I’ve done me dash. I want to get out before I get flattened by a cattle beast!”

So, on the last day of August, Ray did his last bobby calf run in the 260-horsepower Hino four-wheeler that he’d been driving for a few years, and handed over the keys – ending (so far, at least) a truckie career that he’d dreamt of as a young bloke.

After high school, his Dad wanted him to work with him in his plant nursery at Westmere (just down the road from Grange’s current HQ) – but Ray was “always mad-keen on driving whatever.

“I had a couple of mates that were driving out at Waitotara (at W.A. Hurley & Sons)…so I just started out there.” He was 19.

How did he learn to drive a truck? “Just by the skin of your teeth! You’re either a driver or you’re not, aren’t you,” he laughs.

Ray reckons his first drive was “probably an old snub-nose Dodge… Didn’t have a hell of a lot going for it. I remember the CoF came up one day and I went to work the next morning and there was an empty beer crate where the seat had been…and no windscreen!

62 | Truck & Driver

“The seat had to go away to get re-upholstered and they had to get a new windscreen put in. I drove it like that for two days!”

Ray enjoyed the work, doing “oh, just everything” in Hurleys’ home territory, which was essentially the Waitotara Valley, accessed by a single 52km, gravel, no-exit road.

But he’d only been there about three years when Hurleys closed down. He briefly went to work in his father’s nursery – but only till a driving job came up with D.L. Worsley, a Maxwell outfit that “had a nice fleet of TK Bedfords and 16-foot single axle trailers.”

They too did typical rural carrier work: “I mean there were no pine trees and no manuka in those days, so it was all bloody stock work….

“And we’d do at least 80,000 or 90,000 conventional bales of hay a season. She was hard work.

“We used to put bullocks onto the railhead at Waitotara to go to the Waitara works – because we weren’t allowed to compete with the railways in those days. We’d get 16 on a truck and trailer. They were big things.

“Every time you took a load up the (Waitotara) valley, you’d bring another load out – might be three tiers of wool bales. All hand loaded.”

He ended up leaving Worsleys “to go back to the nursery again, but Dad could see I was more keen on driving trucks than growing plants, so he sold the business.

“Then Pete Molan – he only had two trucks. One crashed and the driver virtually broke his neck.

S w c D E

M it

Clockwise, from left: This 380hp UD four-wheeler was Ray’s favourite truck – “a real beauty”....

Ray says that he’s “like Frank Sinatra: I did it my way!” ....

Ray reckons this cattle beast “didn’t like me underarm deodorant” and jumped into the next pen....the Grange fleet soon after Ray joined the Molans - featuring two Inter T-Lines and “an old Dodge”

“I’d done a bit of part-time driving for Pete….then a bit more. Pete could see I wasn’t interested in the gardening, so I went permanent with Pete. We had a truck each.”

Again, the work was similar to what he’d already been doing: “We didn’t have to roam very far – we didn’t even know where the Feilding saleyards were in those days, because we had our own saleyards.

“We just did everything – anything anybody wanted carting, we’d go and do it. Didn’t matter what it was.”

Grange, which Peter had started about nine years earlier, had been running N Series Fords, an old cabover Dodge and International T-Lines over that period.

Ray and Peter, who’s about eight years older, have always got on well. Says Ray: “I wouldn’t think there’s ever have been a bad word.”

The work could be around the clock, ‘specially when the local

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Fordell stock sales were on – “it was before the days of logbooks” after all: “Oh yeah, we’d cart in the night before…and do another one in the morning. Then go somewhere else in the morning, then go and do stuff to the works….then back to the sale. They were long days.

“It was quite common for there to be 25,000 sheep or lambs at the sale… She was a big catchment area in those days.”

Back then, “every bloody little village had their own carrier didn’t they – so there’d have been four or five different carriers working the sales I suppose.”

Ray won’t be drawn into talking about the “social activities” that saw truckies gather at the local pub at the end of a sale day, beyond saying: “I’ve loved that camaraderie with the other drivers.”

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Ray with an unloved ‘96 FY Hino, about 25 years ago. He loved handling livestock as much as he loved driving.....reckons he was “a bit like a shepherd on four wheels” But Brendon’s not so shy – and as a kid he’d sometimes get to join Ray and Peter at the Fordell sales: “Dad and Ray would rehydrate at the Fordell pub after the last load – and I had to sit in the truck and wait. And I was told: ‘If your mother calls on the radio, we’re still loading!’”

He was there too when Ray pulled up outside the Aramoho pub one Friday afternoon – and accidentally pulled the trip instead of the handbrake, spilling some of the load of grain. He and Peter still got to have a drink – supervising Brendon as he manually reloaded it, using a borrowed bucket!

Brendon joined them on trips too, like the one he did with Ray when he was about 16 – taking a truck and trailer load of roses to Rotorua.

The music was an ordeal, he reckons: “All Ray had was an ELO tape. By the time we got to Rotorua I think I knew every song – as it played over and over. He still blames me for throwing it out on the way back. LOL!” En route to Rotorua, Ray saw an old mate unhooking his trailer, stopped for a chat…and was invited to stay the night at his home on the way back: “So we got to his place later that afternoon, had a couple of quiet ones. Then they decided to go to the local tavern.

“Not sure what happened….but Ray found me in the ash tray under the table, asleep (due to the beer intake).

“So I don’t remember too much about that night….but shit was Ray sick as a dog the next day! We still talk about it and have a good laugh.”

The driving hours could get crazy – like “when our local freezing works shut down for maintenance…we used to cart over to the Wairoa works.

“I remember one day I went over there in a 370hp Hino bloody thing. I think I started at six o’clock in the morning, went over there and unloaded. Then had to stop at the Stortford sale in

Hastings and pick up 900 lambs and take them right to the end of Waitotara Valley. I think I got home at two o’clock the next morning…”

Adding to his enjoyment of the job was the fact that Ray not only “always enjoyed driving, I also always enjoyed handling livestock. I dunno – they kept you on your toes, kept the brain ticking over. I was a bit like a shepherd on four wheels.”

Over the years he “didn’t actually have many dramas” with the livestock: “You’ve just gotta out-think them, that’s all. Stay one step ahead of them.

“To be honest, some of the toughest ones to load are the ones from these lifestyle blocks: They don’t want to leave home!

“Some of the easiest ones are the wildest buggers – ‘cos they just race into the crate and you slam the back door...and you’re gone.

“But I tell you what, you do soon learn, ‘cos if you don’t you’re mincemeat aren’t you.

“I don’t mind getting knocked over…but when you get to my age, the recovery period is a lot longer.”

Thinking ahead is also how he avoided any accidents – despite the tight, twisty, slip-prone roads in their home territory: “Well, you always drive to the conditions don’t you.

“You look at all these bloody accidents out on the roads these days, it’s people not driving to the conditions – it’s not the bloody roads…

“I always used to have the thought in the back of my head on these back-country roads that you know, coming around that corner could be Mum with two or three kids in the car…And so you drive accordingly.

“A lot of places we go to, you’re sitting on the edge of the seat wondering…you know. But you knew what you were up against, so…”

While Ray says he’s been “pretty much accident free,” there Truck & Driver | 65

Above left: When Ray delivered a truck and trailer load of native timber to a Paekakariki farm, he forded a stream on the way in....but the farmer told him to use the bridge on the way out. It collapsed under the T-Line, dropping it onto its front axle! Hours later, after Ray (left) and the cockey jacked the truck up and laid new planks, he could carry on home Above right: Current Grange owner Brendon Molan (right) has known Ray since he was just eight years old – regards him as a good mate

have been close calls – like one witnessed by Brendon, who was by then driving.

He and Ray had unloaded their truck and trailer loads of cows at a local dairy farm and were driving out. Brendon: “I was in front, going down a long driveway that followed the railway line. You had to do a hard left to cross the line – and there was a train coming!

“I had enough time to cross and call Ray on the radio and say: ‘Train coming!’ He thought I was having him on….until he got his cab on the lines and looked….and very quickly found Reverse!”

Ask Ray what he’s loved most about the job and he reckons, with a laugh: “Payday probably!” And he quickly adds: “Not that it was all that flash…and I wasn’t all that smart at using it….”

That may be a reference to his “unfortunately quite expensive” main interest outside work: “It’s called racehorses and pokie machines.”

Ray’s love is not so much for trucks themselves, but for driving and the trucking lifestyle: “I’ve met a lot of good people – well, I mean, I have met a lot of bloody rascals too!

“But no, I just enjoy going out and looking around the country. I get paid to see the central North Island, meeting the lovely clients that we’ve got. I always take a bag of chocolate fish with me and sweeten up the women,” he laughs.

And no that wasn’t just about trying to win himself a cuppa and a scone: “Oh well, those days are gone now, because you don’t have bloody time….you’re chasing that logbook all day.”

Truck-wise, he did like the old T-Line Inters – “a bit of a step up from the Japanese trucks. They had a bit of horsepower for a start – and a bit of stopping power.”

Later Grange got into Hinos – which he dismisses as “pretty underpowered rubbish.”

His favourite truck was probably the 380hp Nissan 4x2 that he drove in front of a four-axle trailer about six years back: “It could go like hell. It was a beauty.”

For the last few years he’s been driving a little Hino, “buzzing around picking up bits and pieces for the other trucks. Or going to lifestyle blocks (which, by the way, he reckons have “ruined the countryside…neither use nor ornament…”).

Grange Transport, at its biggest, ran 13 or 14 trucks, but has now eased back to 10 – because, Ray grumbles, “the bloody stock work’s not out there anymore. There’s too many pine trees, too many beehives and too many big farms being sold to overseas investors.”

Ask if his last truck had an automated manual transmission and he barks: “No! No bloody automatics around here! I like to be in charge of what’s gonna happen – not let some computer tell me what to do.”

Brendon says Ray’s “the last of the old-school. The knowledge he has – if you need to know something, you just call Ray. “He’s been fantastic – absolutely. He’s a book of knowledge.

We’ll never replace his knowledge.”

Brendon has tried to get Ray to pass on some of that knowledge to newcomers, but says: “He was never a man to go out with the younger drivers. You’d send someone with him and he’d moan and go off his tree.

“But as I said to these younger guys – ‘if you’re with him, listen! And just watch – you’ll learn by watching’.”

But in the end, he stopped trying – “’cos nah, he wasn’t having it.”

Ray shrugs off their attitude: “No I can’t be bothered. I’m like Frank Sinatra: I do it my way.

“They wouldn’t be able to keep up with me, for a start. I took a couple out – and all they do is sit in the cab and play on their cellphones. They don’t want to listen, so I give up.”

Brendon was delighted when, 14 years ago – after the Molans gave keen gardener Ray a cultivator for his retirement present – he was back at work just two days after his farewell party.

Same when they gave him a glasshouse at his second retirement do five years ago – “then he said ‘nah, I’m coming back!’”

Now there’s been another retirement party, another present – Ray chuffed with “the swipe card for the diesel tank at work, so I can fill up my ute free for the rest of my life!”

This time, Brendon says: “Hopefully he’ll come back and just do bits and pieces.”

First, Ray’s going whitebaiting: “I just sit there and enjoy the moment. I don’t care if I don’t come home with anything – I just enjoy talking to the people that are down there. On a nice day you couldn’t do anything better.”

Apart from that, he’s pretty sure that wife Trish is NOT looking forward to having him around home 24/7 – so “hopefully they’ll whistle me out and I’ll still be able to do half a day (driving for Grange) occasionally, when they need it.

“We’ll have to pick the weather though.”

66 | Truck & Driver

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FEATURE

… g n i d n e d a s a s Our story ha

h c u o t y p p a h a with Story: Wayne Munro

Alan Smith’s casket (with a copy of NZ Truck & Driver, containing the story on Smiths Transport) is tied down (securely!) on the back of a Mercedes-Benz 2224 – restored as a tribute to one of the company’s mainstay trucks LONGTIME NORTHLAND FAMILY TRUCKING COMPANY OWNER Alan Smith has died – and has been buried with a copy of New Zealand Truck & Driver’s July issue….which profiled Smiths Transport in its Fleet Focus feature.

Alan, 75 – who’d long been retired after working in the Port Albert-based family business for about 50 years (and running it himself for 20 of them) – was pretty much bed-ridden as he battled terminal cancer when we interviewed him by phone in May. By the time the July magazine came out with the Smiths Transport feature story, he was beyond reading it himself….

So son Dave – the third-generation Smith to run the company – “took the magazine up to him and I showed him all the pictures and umm, read him the story and everything.”

Says Dave: “One thing he’d never have thought – that the company would ever have been in a magazine. He couldn’t believe that we actually made it.

“And, you know, he was really happy with it.”

Within a few weeks, Alan died – the family happy that Smiths Transport made it into print just in time, as Dave points out: “Thanks so much for that story – it was awesome.

“It was bloody nice mate – and we put a magazine in the casket with him!

“Bloody worked out well man. Just glad he saw it.”

Dave, who took over running the business in 2005, says Alan talked to him about his funeral wishes a few weeks before he died “He said: ‘Don’t be bloody sad. The time comes for everyone.’ ” Although he’d retired to Whangarei, Alan definitely wanted to be buried back at the 150-year-old Minniesdale Chapel and graveyard at Port Albert – in true Smith family tradition. Alongside his father, his grandparents and other forebears.

Dave suggested that he carry his Dad’s casket on the back of the V8-engined Mercedes-Benz 2224 truck he’d restored – as a tribute to the truck that was long the mainstay of Alan’s time running the business and that Dave also used to begin the company’s revival.

Dave concedes that Alan was “a bit worried” about the idea: “His main concern was if I didn’t have him strapped down tight enough!” he laughs.

“He really wanted to go on the truck – but he said: ‘Look I’m just not too sure: We might bloody rattle off the back of the truck!’ ” Dave reckons, laughing, that he sorted those misgivings: “I bought a couple of new straps – and that was him!

“Yep, I made sure that we had a minimum of about three-tonnerating straps,” he laughs uproariously.

A bigger issue for Dave was actually getting the restoration Truck & Driver | 69

project finished in time for the funeral: It was finished at 10pm the night before – Dave and his brother Michael and three good mates having “all pitched-in and got it done.

“We had to put the deck on, paint the deck, mount the hoist… put grass on the deck so it was nice, put the Ringfeder on it. It wasn’t all hooked up, but geez it looked the bloody part! Everyone commented on how great it looked.”

Over 200 mourners jammed into the Port Albert Hall for Alan’s funeral service, led by local Gordon Johnstone – who Dave says told the gathering that he clearly remembered Alan’s V10 Merc 2232 “coming down the road, sounding like thunder.

“And all he’d do is he’d see the dust and coming down the metal road – ‘cos that’s all we had around here…and he’d just pull over on the side of the road, let him go through…

“Because Dad was always on a mission, you know: Get the loads in, get the job done. ‘Get out the way! This guy’s trying to earn a dollar.’ ” The big turnout in the tiny settlement wasn’t a surprise 70 | Truck & Driver

considering that the Smiths were among the founders of Port Albert, 162 years ago…

And considering that Alan had been with the family business for around half a century.

Apart from the locals there were, says Dave, “a lot of truckies who’d worked with me or worked with Dad in the past.

“He was a real top driver in this area – known for doing a lot of hard stuff, steep sort of work: People would say ‘give Alan Smith a call – if he can’t get the metal up there, no-one else will be able to!’ ” Dave couldn’t bring himself to speak at the funeral – “like I probably should have. Now that I think about it, it would have been nice to have said some bits.

“Aw, I just appreciate the things that he taught me. With driving….oh, and growing up: You don’t sort of take it in so much when you’re a young fulla. It’s not till you get a bit older that you sort of respect what they’re trying to help you with – your parents.

And I thank him for that.”

Clockwise, from top left: The Merc 2224 restoration job was finished just in time for its duties as a funeral carriage – the night before the funeral!..

Alan and wife Carol owned Smiths Transport for 29 years – and Alan had been a co-owner with his parents for 16 years before that...Alan and his V10-engined Merc 2232, back in 1993...Alan in his ERF with son Dave (the current owner of Smiths Transport sitting on his lap....the company’s 1978 2224 Merc, which was the company’s No. 1 workhorse for many years

It was a silver lining that Alan’s last few months coincided with a lighter workload at Smiths Transport for Dave: “Yeah well, I had a bit of time to spend with him. It’s good because I get a bit of downtime with my own family too, you know.”

Dave agrees that he and Alan were similar in many ways – the old like father, like son scenario: “Hey, we’re tough buggers: No need to cry about it for too long. Yep, life goes on – you know what I mean.

“You’ve gotta respect them…. And then you’ve gotta do your own life, you know. That’s what he always said to me too – “don’t be f***in’ sad. Don’t be worrying for me too long. Because I’ll always be looking down at you anyway.’ ” At the end of the service, Dave drove Alan’s casket from the hall the four or five kilometres to the cemetery – with his son Hamish, brother Michael and his son Toby joining him in the cab of the Merc. The mourners followed in their vehicles, while Smith Transport’s three current trucks formed a guard of honour at intersections along the way.

Dave: “I just said to him ‘hey Dad, you didn’t get a ride in it (the restoration project V8) – but you’re hopping on the back…so… yeah.”

Though he’s been driving trucks for almost 20 years, Dave was nervous as he got started – not about losing the coffin off the back….but about the risk of graunching a gear in the Merc’s 15-speed Roadranger!

“You know what? I was actually quite worried about missing some gears…..with the old truck – no air-assist clutch or anything like that. No fancy stuff in that old thing.

“I just thought to myself. There’s a bit of pressure here – don’t go and make a mess of the gearbox, ‘cos he’d sort of taught me in that truck and I hadn’t driven it for bloody years and years and years….

And they’re a bit different to any of the newer trucks to drive.

“But yeah, I chucked it up a few cogs, and didn’t graunch…and everyone was like: ‘Oh yeah, your Dad would be happy then.’ ” It put the finishing touch to an appropriate farewell to his Dad: “I think he’d have been happy with the sendoff.”

Truck & Driver | 71

LEGENDS

Pride of the South for 35-years

M

IKE GILLESPIE STANDS OUT AS A legendary figure at Southpac Trucks.

With over 35 years of experience in the industry, his journey from starting out as a certified mechanic in Timaru to becoming their South Island Sales Manager is a testament to his dedication, expertise, and passion for trucking – that and him clocking up over 70,000km on the road each year.

Born and raised in Timaru, Mike’s fascination with trucks began at an early age.

After completing his training as a certified mechanic, he found himself working as a mechanic salesman for Leo Leonard motors back in the PDL Mustang days.

“I always wanted to get into trucks,” says Mike. “We were doing light trucks, and then the opportunity came for me to get into heavy trucks and that’s where I wanted to be.”

Mike’s career in trucks began in 1989 with Timaru Motors selling Hinos and Ford Louisville trucks. He recalls the first truck

72 | Truck & Driver

he ever sold was a N-Series Ford; “it was an eight-tonner, rebadged Hino.

“We were very, very successful at Timaru Motors in the South Island with Louisville, we were a big dealer and sold a lot of product in those days.”

Mike says that down the track, because they didn’t have a cabover, they were bought

by Colonial Motors and Maarten Durent, and they started a company called Timaru Trucks, who were the Kenworth and DAF dealer.

“I stayed with them for a few years and then started working for Southpac direct (rather than the distributor) about 2001, doing the whole South Island on my own,” says Mike.

According to Mike, things took a long time to grow. He says he took over from Mike Corliss, [who was shipped to Auckland with Southpac] and therefore had the whole island to himself and really clocked up the miles.

“I did about 70,000km on the road in those days,” says Mike. “It was [and still is] a matter

of just going around, knocking on doors and presenting your product to them, and getting the opportunity when they do come to the market to have a crack.”

He says that although brands like Kenworth and DAF stand up well, they still require selling, but honesty has been his underlying key to success.

“Honesty and being straight up,” he says.

“If there’s a problem, address it, but be straight up and always keep the customer informed if there’s a change or anything like that, keeping them up to speed. And I think that’s where you build the loyalty with customers. It’s a case of ‘what you say is what you do’.”

With 35-years of sales under his belt, it’s hard to get Mike to commit to any specific memorable deals, but he’s certainly sold on the brands he holds.

“We’ve done some great deals, and I think Kenworth is the key. They’re the best truck

in the world in my book. They’re not the cheapest, but they’re the best.”

He does have a favourite too. “I like those 909’s, I reckon they’re a great looking truck.”

Mike believes that there’s such loyalty and desire for the Kenworth brand and that it’s based around their durability and that they’re a truck built for whatever the client wants to use it for.

“Different territories require different specifications, logs and road trucks and building those trucks for those purposes is a great thing,” Mike says.

He may not have a standout deal, but he is quick to reel off a list of fleets he’s proud of.

“I really enjoy big companies like the Wareing Group, who have been very, very loyal. Also, Hilton Haulage, Waimea Contract Carriers, and T. Croft Limited on the coast – those sorts of companies. I love putting big fleet deals together, I really enjoy that.”

Mike may have spent a lot of time on the road selling trucks, but he also has a life outside of trucks too, choosing to shoot a few deer from time to time and is very heavily into building and showing old stationary engines, or ‘single bangers’ as he calls them.

“The old engines they used to have years ago, like

Andersons and things that were in old milking sheds and pumps and all that sort of thing.

The oldest one I got is 1915 and was built by Anderson in Christchurch. I’ve got about 14 of them now, and I attend a lot of shows and I’m the vice president of the Christchurch Historic Machinery Club, and that’s what I really enjoy, rebuilding those engines.”

He’s got a workshop at home too, for although the engines are very simple, he says that there’s a lot of stuff you have to make because some of the bits are not there anymore.

“It’s all the fun of rebuilding these engines.”

Mike says that he does spend a fair amount of time in his shed right now but jokingly says that his wife Pauline reminds him, mowing the lawn might need a bit more of his attention come spring! In fairness he points out that Pauline has been behind him and supportive all the way through.

With over three decades of service Mike has obviously shown his loyalty to Southpac Trucks but he doesn’t look at it that way.

“If it wasn’t a good company I wouldn’t be here. Being with Colonial Motor Company/ Southpac for 35 years, doesn’t feel like that,” says Mike.

“I’ve had some great trips away to the factories with Southpac, to Holland a few times, to Australia a lot of times, to the factories with customers, and it makes it all really worthwhile, Southpac has been very, very good to me, it’s been a great ride, and I thoroughly enjoy it.”

And it would appear that the devotion flows both ways with Southpac taking Mike out for dinner and giving him a trophy for the 35-year milestone.

Nowadays Mike has reduced his workload to a three-day week, but he still remains as hardworking and committed as ever, proudly treating his South Island key accounts/ friends to his decades of knowledge and experience.

Truck & Driver | 73

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FEATURE

Top truckies rewarded SOCIAL MEDIA RECOGNITION AND THE INCENTIVE OF SOME prizes recently put the safe driving and dedicated efforts of Kiwi truck drivers in the spotlight.

NZI ran its Top Truckie promotion on Facebook from early July through till the first week of August as a shout-out to all of New Zealand’s hard-working truckies.

The public was asked to nominate their favourite driver and share why they deserved to be recognised as a Top Truckie.

Five winners were chosen at random from more than 500 nominations. The winners received a $250 Prezzy Card for themselves and $250 for a team shout morning tea, as well as a NZI ‘Awesome Truck Driver’ coffee mug. NZI says the trucking community responded enthusiastically with many nominators writing at length about the attributes of their Top Truckie. Some common qualities that were highlighted included work ethic, reliability, support of other drivers and commitment to safety.

Amelia Briggs from Northern Rural Haulage of Whangarei pictured with NZI Fleet Risk Manager Sean Bartlett and business owner Doug Wilson.

Amelia was nominated by Gavin Trevathan Fletcher who wrote: ‘The Truckie I am happy to nominate as an outstanding Truckie is Amelia Briggs, whom I’ve known for a few years now. Has become a great, actually fantastic driver in all aspects of her job, being punctual, safe and reliable driver that gets the deliveries done with ease, communicates with the team and not afraid of getting her hands dirty or a bit of hard work. The company she drives for is Northern Rural Haulage.

The promotion supported a number of other NZI initiatives across the road transport industry. NZI’s Fleet Risk Managers work with transport operators to improve safety and performance via the NZI Fleet Fit programme and also raise awareness of driver fatigue at the NZI Truckie Rest Zone events, held along common transport routes around the country.

“With all the safety initiatives NZI runs in the fleet space, it was particularly heartening to read the many comments from New Zealanders commending truckies for their safe driving and safety awareness,” says NZI Executive General Manager, Garry Taylor.

“At the heart of our Fleet Fit programme is a commitment to driver safety, a value our Fleet Risk Management team live and breathe every day.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading the Top Truckie nominations, which unveiled some incredible stories of drivers from across the motu,” says Garry.

Matthew Goldsmith from Smith’s Transport, Pukekohe. Matthew was nominated by Jef Hirst who wrote: ‘Matthew Goldsmith best driver at Smith’s Transport always has full respect for other road users.’

Truck & Driver | 75

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Above: Morgan “Morgy” MacAllister-Robb, Kenworthy Transport Services [Cooltranz], Christchurch. Morgy was nominated by Lindsay Challis (and many more, but it was Lindsay’s nomination that was drawn). Lindsay wrote: ‘Morgan Morgy MacAllister-Robb from Kenworthy Transport Services [Cooltranz], for his selfless efforts for rescue dogs, the way he looks after his gear is also a real credit to him as well.

Morgy also looks after the company when the boss has time off or just needs a hand, he’s bloody awesome at that too and last but not least, he’s a good bugger all round!’

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Above: Barry Mehrtens from Taylor Bros. Transport, Katikati, pictured with NZI Fleet Risk Manager Andrea Waddell and Gallaghers Insurance broker Paul Bonthron. The Taylor Bros. team surprised Barry, presenting his award in front of whole team. Barry was nominated by Chris Ann who wrote: ‘A fantastic mentor for all the younger drivers, always happy to help them out and give them his advice if needed. A very experienced and dedicated driver.’

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Below: Angus Rainsford from Cavalier Transport, Albany pictured with NZI Fleet Risk Manager Michael Stirk. Angus was nominated by his grandfather Brian who wrote: ‘Angus 22, with class 5, truck and trailer, a big rig go anywhere, curtain sides, 9-axle, and works all hours for Cavalier Transport Albany. Non-drinker and believes in safety road manners, has worked hard to progress to this high level, quietly spoken with respect for his elders. Proud grandad, cheers.’

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Euclid R15 dump truck and International 495 motor scraper are on show at Twizel.

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JUST OFF THE ENTRANCE TO TWIZEL, DEEP IN THE HEART OF the South Island, is a collection of big machines that helped shape New Zealand’s hydro history.

These giant, brightly painted machines are a reminder of the glory days building some of New Zealand’s largest infrastructure projects, the central South Island’s hydroelectric power stations, in the 1960s and 70s.

The display of historic trucks and machines was created by the Twizel Heritage Machinery Group. Twizel was built 1966 as a residential base for workers on the Upper Waitaki hydro scheme and by 1977, its population ballooned to 6,000 and the primary school became the largest in the country with 1,000 pupils. Twizel’s population fell after the bulk of the Waitaki hydro development was completed in the mid-1980s, and now the community has a strong focus on tourism.

Among the machines on display are some iconic and rare examples of an International Harvester 495 motor scraper and Caterpillar D8 bulldozer.

The International Harvest 495 motor scraper in the Twizel collection is thought to be the only surviving example in the world.

Only 85 were ever built. It is displayed as it was used, push-loaded by the Caterpillar D8 bulldozer, when the first topsoil was stripped to commence construction of the town of Twizel in September 1968.

The 495 was International Harvester’s largest motor scraper, designed in 1958 for large motorway projects in the United States.

Powered by a 375HP six-cylinder turbocharged diesel through the an Allison Powershift transmission, they had a heaped capacity of 34 cubic yards, the largest in its class competing with Caterpillar and Euclid.

They were also fast for a 32 tons (unladen) piece of machinery –

over 50kph on flat ground. Of the 85 machines built, the Ministry of Works and Development purchased 15 from the 1960 production run for the Benmore earth dam construction.

The Caterpillar D8 also served at Benmore, Aviemore and Twizel before being put on display.

Also part of the display is a Euclid B6FTD which towed the first houses for Twizel from the Ministry of Works and Development house production line at Otematata. Manufactured in 1958, it was powered by 12,970cc diesel engine. It was brought up to Warrant of Fitness standard in the MOWD mechanical workshops and fitted with a heater for the comfort of the driver and towed a modified house trailer. It was road registered 1969 with a road going weight of 13 tonnes. Workers referred to it as the “Noddy Train”.

With the assistance of a grant from Meridian Energy, the Euclid was purchased and transported to Twizel free of charge by Paul Smith Earthmoving Ltd. It was renovated by a group of volunteers Construction of the Benmore hydo electric dam began in 1958 and it was commissioned in 1965. Photo Meridian Energy

Truck & Driver | 79

for display. Paint in the original Euclid “green” colour scheme was donated by Resene Paints (NZ).

The Euclid R-15 dump truck (model B3) represents the backbone of the Ministry of Works dump truck fleet from the 1940s into the 1970s. These simple, rugged hard-working trucks were designed specifically for tough conditions with a heavy “T” beam chassis tied at the front by the bumper bar and at the rear by specially designed drive with little suspension movement.

There was little comfort to the driver, and few instruments.

Power was from a range of engines including Rolls-Royce, Leyland, AEC, Cummins or GM and usually coupled to a five-speed Fuller gearbox. Top speed was around 40kph with an all up weight of 45 tons. The maximum load was 15 tons.

The New Zealand agent Clyde Engineering imported 124 Euclid R-15s and they served well until larger and heavy machines became available. The more modern dump trucks included Wabco 35C Caterpillar 769 and 772 and International four-wheel-drive Payhaulers.

The Euclids were then relegated to other duties, including water tankers to keep dust down on the haul roads during construction.

The R-15 displayed at Twizel was used at Benmore, Aviemore and Upper Waitaki hydroelectric projects.

80 | Truck & Driver

Above: The Euclid B6FTD was used to tow the first houses to Twizel from the Ministry of Works and Development house production line at Otematata.

Below: The Benmore dam is the largest earth-fill (zoned embankment dam) water-retaining structure in New Zealand. Photo Meridian Energy

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FEATURE

NZ Heavy Haulage Association Chairman Greig Running addresses the 60th annual conference in Wellington.

Heavy haul conference celebrates 60 years THE NEW ZEALAND HEAVY HAULAGE Association’s 60th annual conference was held in Wellington on August 29-30.

Rydges Hotel hosted the conference with more than 150 delegates and attendees – plus partners – making it one of the most successful conferences for a number of years.

The meet and greet evening function on Wednesday August 28 was held in the banquet hall of the Beehive Building at Parliament House. Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey made the most of the opportunity to address the industry regarding government plans for further RoNS, reduction of frivolous traffic management on State Highway works and an acceptance of the oversize requirements for access during these works programmes.

The opening speaker was Davey Hughes, the founder of the “SWAZI” brand of outdoor clothing, who gave a very interesting dialogue of his travels in Africa and wildlife conservation efforts.

The first business session focused on Oversize/Heavy Haulage issues and was chaired by Bridget Tapper from Smith Cranes.

The session covered; Northern Gateway Toll Road NZHHA has been pressing NZTA and the Auckland Motorway Alliance for a General Explicit Approval to access the section of SH1 between Orewa and Puhoi.

This would be similar to the SH2 Tauranga Eastern Arterial toll road south of Papamoa.

Access to the Northern Gateway is currently only possible via permit from NZTA. They issued 102 oversize load exemptions in 2023, and 107 have been granted so far this year.

A request for the General Approval is now more than two years old and is a frustrating delay to industry.

Access for Overweights SH2 access north of Napier for overweight loads is problematic with a Bailey bridge restricting access to enable machinery to assist with repairs to roading and infrastructure through to Wairoa.

Meetings with NZTA Structures Division The lead person for Structures is now in constant dialogue with NZHHA on topics including permit addendums when new structures come into use. The updating of bridge designs, better modelling of current overweight loadings over longer span structures, improving capacity on a number of key bridges, a requirement to maintain 70kph on motorways, enhancements to portal permit applications from a user perspective and the use of consultants to issue overweight permits, are all things where there is a benefit of local specific knowledge and efficiency.

Additional discussion was held on the use of HPMV’s carrying over dimension loads, road closures for works on the state highway network, but with unsuitable detours for oversize loads on local roads. Better scoping of alternate routes is required in consultation with NZHHA. Local bridge capacity on various district council roads subject to permit travel also requires review, as recent activity has seen significantly reduced bridge capacity, where councils struggle to maintain access – particularly to forestry areas where large harvesting machinery is required.

Vegetation control for the movement of new houses requires ongoing scrutiny to avoid unnecessary damage to eves and spouting.

Maintenance requests for this matter is ongoing by house movers.

Auckland Transport Ongoing discussions are being held with AT, to enable travel on routes that are not included on current NZTA bypasses and the raising of gross weights from 100t max to 110t. This would reduce the necessity to apply for single trip permits up to this new max.

Bremner Road Overpass SH1 Drury As part of the Drury motorway interchange currently under construction, NZHHA is in discussion with AT and NZTA to determine a suitable oversize/OW detour while this work takes place (which will need to be in place for at least 12 months). Planning has identified a route with some issues to be resolved around trees and power lines, plus residential worries.

Road Design – Transporters NZTA projects currently under design need input from NZHHA to verify the suitability of access, for various configurations of multiaxle rows of eight transporters at various widths, to enable travel at roundabouts and major intersections, or the ability with Pilot escorts to travel “wrong side”. Early consultation enables design and construction to be completed, without additional rectification costs if done correctly from the start.

Bridge Engineering Self Supervision (BESS) Updating of NZTA requirements for transporter drivers operating on O/W permits is nearing completion and The NZ Certificate In Heavy Haulage (an NZQA qualification) will be put on hold pending the appointment of a suitable assessor as previous assessors have now retired. Robust discussion from the floor pushed back on proposed plans to allow a BESS approved passenger in the transporter, other than the driver holding this requirement.

Truck & Driver | 83

Left: The conference opening at The Beehive was hosted by Hon Matt Doocey.

Right: Association Board for the 2024-2025 Year: Paul Britton, Paul Running, Bridget Tapper, Greig Running, Mark McNeilly, Andy Silcock, David Scobie.

Oversize Matters A video is being launched promoting awareness around safety and oversize loads and the role of Pilot Vehicles in these matters. Three different videos are being completed with a TV commercial type of 30 seconds, a general road user informational of 2 minutes, plus a truckie’s version with helpful information, particularly around the use of CB channel 11.

These videos will be made available to media outlets (including social media), freight companies and trade associations, plus the general public.

Promotion of the Association will continue through the major 2025 truck shows at Bombay and Christchurch, to promote knowledge about the oversize sector and to encourage membership of NZHHA.

City Area Boundaries V-DAM defines city area boundaries, but these need clarification, as for example north of Auckland is defined as Albany, but there is no reference listed for West Auckland, such as Kumeu. CVST have also been requested to have input, as on the day their interpretation can be different to yours!

Permit Notifications Some oversize permits contain a large list of who needs to be notified of an oversize move, but differing wording for most clauses does not lead itself to ease of compliance. Some clause requirements are out of date, some are not removed when no longer relevant. Often there is no acknowledgement of a notification, or they are sent to people who don’t know

what to do with the advice. A simplified standard notification, by one email, to parties determined by NZTA would solve the problem and absolve permit holders of potential noncompliance. This is an ongoing matter raised with NZTA, but with no immediate answer.

Vehicle Dimension and Mass (V-DAM) Since the last rule change in 2016 and minor changes in 2019/2021, there are a number of changes that are required. Outstanding matters are still not addressed satisfactorily and the ability to keep the Rule up to date with city boundaries, any form of review around travel times for various category loads, including weekend travel, Category 3 travel times, plus various motorway travel exemptions and toll roads, all of these items

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including Schedule 8, are in dire need of updating.

Various Piloting requirements, for instance the Pilot class required on CAT.2 loads at night, Pilot Vehicle signage, including rear Piloting, the inclusion of LED warning lights and technology updates are all items needing to be included in updated rules.

Access Through Road Works Sites With an increasing number of total road closures, to reduce risk to workers, detour routes that suit general freight operators are often unsuitable for oversize movements.

Government has put pressure on NZTA to reduce the cost of traffic management and contractors see total closures as a way to achieve this while reducing the time to complete works. There needs to be suitable options for oversize detours, or alternatively access at specific times for oversize only and prearranged.

Contact details for personnel running the traffic management is sometimes hard to obtain, with companies citing privacy details.

Machinery is left overnight, parked obstructing thoroughfare, or cones and other traffic management devices set out in such a way, that access through the site results in a mess.

Transporters are often reluctant to reinstate signs and cones as required, as notification compliance was advised to the contractors. If works sites were left allowing oversize loads reasonable access, then this problem could be reduced.

Load Pilot Session This was chaired by Paul Running, the Pilot representative on the NZHHA board.

One of the first discussions was surrounding the need for freight companies who do the odd oversize load, to be able to provide training for their staff, including both Class 2 Pilots and truck drivers. These people with the very best of intentions, don’t always know the various requirements surrounding oversize movements.

Piloting requirements, travel times, load categories, or even the dispatchers being able to give correct information to staff doing the task, are tasks that NZHHA have intentions of being able to offer training courses for these people, away from the official Aspeq type of Pilot course. This will enable the increase of knowledge surrounding V-DAM rules and in particular load Categories 1 – 3 that are often carried out by general freight carriers.

This training will be conducted by

Clive Taylor Haulage Mack Super-Liner on display at the Brewtown dinner function. experienced NZHHA members, and would include Pilots or BESS assessors, working in their residing areas, that have knowledge and experience in this type of work. It will not be tied to a unit standard and is entirely an NZHHA promoted course, offering benefits to local operators. There would be a fee payable to the course deliverer, as approved by the NZHHA board. Details will soon be available through NZHHA office.

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Left: Zane Ryan from Mack Trucks NZ presenting Greig Running with plaque acknowledging the associtaion’s 60th Anniversary.

Centre: Nigel Hope receives the Gus Breen Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement from Greig Running.

Right: Paul Britton receives Life Membership of the Association from Greig Running. these barriers present difficulties re the width of loads passing through the area. Often loads, particularly houses, will overhang the barriers, creating intrusions into opposing travel lanes.

This presents Piloting difficulties, with travel sometimes required far ahead of the load to a suitable site to stop and warn oncoming traffic.

Piloting On Toll Roads Two traffic control scenarios have been developed and supplied to NZTA to show that with good Piloting, traffic can be safely managed to follow the load, or the ability for Pilots to allow following traffic to pass in a controlled manner, when the load is slowed or stopped.

These scenarios were developed following potential risk identified by NZTA, with following traffic speed, but are possible to eliminate safely, with good Piloting practice. NZHHA are awaiting NZTA’s approval of these scenarios, as part of an overall traffic management plan for travel on toll roads.

Despite NZHHA lobbying NZTA for approval for reverse colour Piloting Signage for nearly two years, this has not been forthcoming, so Pilots that were operating on specific permits to allow this, but these permits are now expired, and Pilots are reminded of the need to comply with signage details as per V-DAM. The Piloting session always provides good robust discussion, and this year was no exception. Discussion on Pilot licencing, recertifying, suspension for non-compliance issues, having a Pilot licence endorsed as a driver licence class, all attracted good discussion. Discussion around who should be responsible for permit notification requirements, when the permit is issued to the transporter operator, all created comment both serious and comical at times.

NZTA no longer issue the well-known Pilot certificate card, the same size as a rego label and normally displayed in a vehicle windscreen. Now there is just an A4 letter advice that you are certified and NZHHA are going to look at producing a Pilot licence card for members, as it did previously, prior to V-DAM, as the possibility of fraudulent licences 86 | Truck & Driver

being created is real. The A4 size PDF does not represent the professional role that NZHHA wishes to present on behalf of members. Police CVST would also be requested to accept this method of true and accurate Pilot certification.

Pilot member Gene Letford has also developed an app for data sharing around specific load movements. It is called “PILUKO” and will include compliance requirements, permit data, roadworks on the route, work sites details, info on the load being moved and by whom and lots of other data around oncoming loads on your route, lines company info.

NZHHA is hoping this app will lead to a regional trial of data sharing. Auckland Transport are very enthusiastic, as the app developers already do other work for AT and have a good reputation in this regard.

A recent meeting was also held with Auckland-based CVST management, with concern surrounding a lack of knowledge by staff of oversize matters. This came to a head following the issue of an offence notice to an operator for non-compliance. The matter was resolved following intervention by a senior Class 1 Pilot and NZHHA getting in touch with CVST management who had the offence notice withdrawn. Hats off to the CVST officer who instigated the offence notice, as he personally apologised to the driver and company concerned for his lack of knowledge. CVST have since advised that retraining of some staff has taken place and if there are any alleged aspects of non-compliance reported to them, they will investigate, if evidence is available ASAP after the event.

Rear Pilots reinstating infrastructure This is a thankless task, particularly in work sites with vast amounts of cones and signs to replace. However, it is the loads responsibility to replace/reinstate “stuff” to what it was when you accessed the site. Non-compliance is an offence. Responsible operators are to be commended for their staff’s attention to this task.

Awards Night Dinner The traditional end to the conference

saw members being recognised for their contribution and membership of the association. The presentation of certificates for length of membership was highlighted this year, with Meriana Richards, wife of the late Gordon Richards of Tokoroa, receiving a 55-year certificate of membership. Especially wonderful considering the association is 60 years old now.

Nigel Hope from BTR International Ltd. in Christchurch received the Gus Breen Memorial Award for “Outstanding Achievement” in our industry. Nigel has been instrumental in promoting the heavy vehicle recovery section of our association and holding training sessions for recovery operators.

Paul Running from Tranz Support Piloting, Papakura, received a Chairmans Award, for his work on the board, especially as the Pilot representative.

Mike Tennent from S.I. Lodec Ltd received a Chairmans Award as a long time trade sponsor of conferences.

Glen Allingham from Jak’s Trucks Ltd. from Waipu, received a Chairmans Award, also as a long time sponsor of conferences, especially the partners programme.

Paul Britton from Britton Housemovers Ltd. Wellington was awarded a Life Membership for his dedication to the house moving sector and the work he has done in supporting and promoting the NZHHA for more than 25 years.

Paul was chairman from 2010-2015 as well as the house mover representative on the board for many years.

Conference acknowledges the tremendous support again this year from Mack Trucks and Modern Transport Engineers as the Premier Sponsors.

Gold sponsors included Teletrac Navman, Rothbury Insurance Brokers and NZ Truck & Driver magazine.

Silver sponsors were Strait NZ – Bluebridge, Scania NZ, and Jak’s Trucks.

Bronze sponsors were Traxion Distribution, Manawatu Hydraulics, S.I. Lodec, MITO, Bigfoot Equipment and Mobil Oil with TRT Tidd Ross Todd completing the trade displays.

By Greg Sheehan – Pilot No.251A (retired)

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New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association

With tolling consultations on the roads soon-to-be-opened such as the Manawatu-Tararua Highway, the HHA is campaigning for oversize freight access.

Why oversize freight must have access on Toll Roads

By Jonathan Bhana-Thomson – Chief Executive, New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association

T

HE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT THAT they expect NZTA to consider collecting tolls on all new roads, including the new Roads of National Significance, gives the NZ Heavy Haulage Association concern about the use of these roads by oversize freight.

This is because in general Toll Roads are not legally permitted for use by anything other than the smallest overdimension loads, and in our view, this is illogical as these are the best and safest roads to transport large freight loads on.

The Association wrote to the Minister and Associate Minister of Transport in June this year to communicate our concerns that as the rules in the Vehicle Dimensions and Pass Rule state, any loads in excess of 3.1m in width and 4.8m in height cannot travel on Toll Roads. The answer that we received gave us no comfort as the Minister said that operators can apply for explicit approval for travel. In our view this is cumbersome and an administrative burden on both operators and the Agency to apply for and process these exemptions.

Back in 2019 we advocated for a blanket approval for the use of the Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road for oversize operators, and we were pleased that NZTA was able to issue this finally in 2020 – subject to operators complying with the specific travel conditions.

We have been seeking a similar approval for the Northern Gateway Toll Road for more than two years, but this still has not been produced as yet.

The case that we are making includes the fact that it will be far safer for oversize loads to travel on the four-lane divided Northern

Jonathan Bhana-Thomson

Gateway Toll Road, rather than the at times two-lane Hibiscus Coast Highway through the seaside suburb of Orewa. This area includes many vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists, which simply are not present on the Toll road that travels parallel to this.

Therefore, in our view the best solution is to remove the restriction on Toll Roads for oversize loads in the VDAM Rule, and we have written to NZTA to gain this change.

This is even more significant as the recent Government announcement also includes advice that there will be tolling consultations on the roads soon to be opened such as the Manawatu Tararua Highway, the Takitimu Link North, and the Otaki to north of Levin RoNS project that is starting construction soon. We believe that it is untenable that these roads will not be available ‘as of right’ to oversize freight as these will be far safer and more efficient for oversize to use.

In addition, we have been working with oversize industry professionals as well as the Transport Agency to ensure that there are suitable procedures undertaken by operators to ensure that other road users are kept safe, as well as notification processes to ensure that all relevant roading parties are notified.

In general, operators in the oversize industry are not averse to paying tolls to use good quality roads, and in addition, if this means that new roads get built sooner, then we support this approach.

On existing roads there are too many infrastructure restrictions on oversize loads that simply make it harder to transport these large loads efficiently. We need a right to use Toll roads to do this, and we will keep advocating with the authorities to gain this access.

Truck & Driver | 89

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The iconic colours of Taranaki’s Uhlenberg Haulage are being carried on a new Kenworth T610 SAR tipper. Justin Tito is at the wheel carting a variety stock feed and fertiliser as well as metal or aggregate for both roading and forestry track construction. The 6x4 has a 550.578hp Cummins X15, Eaton RTLO 20918B manual 18-speed Roadranger, Meritor 23-168GP rear axles with dual diff locks, and Hendrickson Primax rear suspension providing a 131t GCM rating. Features include an undermount exhaust raised for extra ground clearance, C509 single tow pin, blind spot camera system, and stainless visor. The alloy body and 5-axle trailer were built by Transfleet. Sold by Adam McIntosh.

August market holds steady THE NEW ZEALAND NEW TRUCK MARKET CONTINUES to track a little behind the record registration numbers from 2023.

August saw 487 trucks with a GVM of 4.5 tonnes or more registered while the year-to-date total grew to 3769 units, according to official NZ Transport Agency data. It’s a decrease from 539 recorded in August 2023 and the total of 4060 is a 7.16% decrease on Jan-Aug 2023 YTD registrations.

The trailer industry continues to show resilience with 114 new registrations in August and 1040 units YTD keeping the total 7 registrations ahead of the same point last year. The monthly benchmark for the trailer industry is 166 units in August 2018.

In the overall 4.5t to maximum GVM truck market the August leader was Fuso with 78 registrations, two ahead of Isuzu. That slightly trims Isuzu’s market leadership YTD with a total of 756 units ahead of Fuso with 653 YTD. Isuzu holds a market share of 20.1% YTD with Fuso achieving a share of 17.3% YTD. Scania holds third position with 66 registrations for the month of August and a YTD total of 441. It’s market share is up from 10.5% last year to 11.7% this year.

There were no surprises in the crossover 3.5-4.5t GVM segment, with Fiat (213/26) continuing to lead with 30.0% of the market share – which is above last year’s 25.8% but a long way behind 2022’s share of 50.9%.

LDV (161/20) continues to spectacularly grow its sales and remains in second place ahead of Ford (123/12), Mercedes-Benz (91/12) and

Volkswagen (56/8). This time last year LDV had only 9 registrations.

In the 4.5-7.5t GVM class, Isuzu (262/27) continues to be dominant with a 26.9% market share. However, Fuso (239/35) in second position and Mercedes-Benz (97/34) were the segment leaders in August with MercedesBenz moving ahead of Hino (87/12) and Iveco (85/11) into third position.

In the 7.5-15t GVM category Isuzu (310/39) continues to led Fuso (216/25) third placed Hino (111/14) well behind.

The 15-20.5t GVM division sees Hino (62/7) retaining the lead, ahead of Isuzu (48/1) and Fuso (47/8).

In the tiny 20.5-23t segment Scania is consolidating its top spot position with 3 August registrations taking its total to 8 units YTD and 44.4% market share ahead of Fuso (4/1). There were no other registrations for the month.

In the premium 23t to maximum GVM division, Scania (424/59) continues to lead enjoying a huge August with 59 registrations and 27.1% share for the month. Volvo (269/50) retains second ahead of DAF (196/18) in third. Kenworth (194/21) holds fourth place ahead of Fuso (147/9), Isuzu (134/9), Hino (127/16), UD (111/8), Mercedes-Benz (75/8) and Iveco (41/3) to round out the top 10.

In the trailer market, Fruehauf (147/19) continues to build its break on the rest. Domett (106/8), Roadmaster (90/9) Patchell (67/6) and Transport Trailers (66/6) are the top five trailer brands YTD. TMC (64/10), MTE (50/7) retain their positions while Fairfax (35/3) and Transfleet (35/5) are now tied for eighth and CWS (29/2) rounds out the top 10.

Truck & Driver | 91

23,001kg-max GVM A new International RH-R8 is being driven by Jimmy Tristram based from the Hastings depot of Knight Cartage. The 8x4 tipper is carting aggregate North Island-wide powered by a 615hp Cummins X15 with Eaton 20918B 18-speed manual, and Meritor 46-160 rear end. Features include an Ali Arc bumper, dual vertical exhausts, ECAS suspension, disc brakes, Premium interior package, 9-inch offset front rims, LED beacon, and CB. Sold by Hugh Green.

4501kg-max GVM Brand ISUZU FUSO SCANIA HINO VOLVO DAF KENWORTH MERCEDES-BENZ IVECO UD FOTON HYUNDAI VOLKSWAGEN MAN SINOTRUK MACK INTERNATIONAL FIAT SHACMAN DENNIS EAGLE FREIGHTLINER BUSHMASTER JAC WESTERN STAR KAHU EV OTHER Total

Vol 756 653 441 388 271 198 194 185 163 143 101 57 40 39 32 24 18 16 10 7 6 6 5 5 1 10 3769

2024

% 20.1 17.3 11.7 10.3 7.2 5.3 5.1 4.9 4.3 3.8 2.7 1.5 1.1 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.3 100

3501-4500kg GVM Brand FIAT LDV FORD MERCEDES-BENZ VOLKSWAGEN IVECO RAM RENAULT CHEVROLET ISUZU OTHER Total 92 | Truck & Driver

Vol 213 161 123 91 56 29 25 7 3 1 1 710

2024

% 30.0 22.7 17.3 12.8 7.9 4.1 3.5 1.0 0.4 0.1 0.1 100

August Vol % 76 15.6 78 16.0 66 13.6 10.1 49 50 10.3 18 3.7 21 4.3 45 9.2 4.7 23 12 2.5 11 2.3 10 2.1 0.8 4 4 0.8 6 1.2 5 1.0 0 0.0 2 0.4 3 0.6 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.2 0 0.0 0.4 2 100 487

August Vol % 26 28.9 20 22.2 12 13.3 12 13.3 8 8.9 8 8.9 2 2.2 1 1.1 1 1.1 0 0.0 0 0.0 90 100

4501-7500kg GVM Brand ISUZU FUSO MERCEDES-BENZ HINO IVECO FOTON HYUNDAI VOLKSWAGEN CHEVROLET FIAT RAM Total

Vol 262 239 97 87 85 62 46 40 32 16 9 975

2024

% 26.9 24.5 9.9 8.9 8.7 6.4 4.7 4.1 3.3 1.6 0.9 100.0

August Vol % 18.8 27 24.3 35 34 23.6 8.3 12 7.6 11 7 4.9 4.2 6 2.8 4 2.8 4 1.4 2 1.4 2 100 144

7501-15,000kg GVM Brand ISUZU FUSO HINO FOTON IVECO HYUNDAI UD TRUCKS MERCEDES-BENZ MAN Total

Vol 310 216 111 39 25 11 6 5 1 724

2024

% 42.8 29.8 15.3 5.4 3.5 1.5 0.8 0.7 0.1 100

August Vol % 39 41.5 25 26.6 14 14.9 4 4.3 6 6.4 4 4.3 0 0.0 2 2.1 0 0.0 94 100

15,001-20,500kg GVM Brand HINO ISUZU FUSO UD IVECO SCANIA MERCEDES-BENZ BUSHMASTER VOLVO DAF MAN Total

Vol 62 48 47 26 11 9 8 6 2 2 1 222

2024

% 27.9 21.6 21.2 11.7 5.0 4.1 3.6 2.7 0.9 0.9 0.5 100

August Vol % 7 24.1 1 3.4 8 27.6 4 13.8 3 10.3 4 13.8 1 3.4 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 3.4 29 100

20,501-23,000kg GVM Brand SCANIA FUSO ISUZU SINOTRUK IVECO HINO Total

Vol 8 4 2 2 1 1 18

2024

% 44.4 22.2 11.1 11.1 5.6 5.6 100

August Vol % 75.0 3 1 25.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 4 100

Brand SCANIA VOLVO DAF KENWORTH FUSO ISUZU HINO UD MERCEDES-BENZ IVECO MAN SINOTRUK MACK INTERNATIONAL FREIGHTLINER WESTERN STAR SHACMAN OTHER Total

Vol 424 269 196 194 147 134 127 111 75 41 37 30 24 18 6 5 2 1 1841

2024

% 23.0 14.6 10.6 10.5 8.0 7.3 6.9 6.0 4.1 2.2 2.0 1.6 1.3 1.0 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 100

Trailers Vol Brand FRUEHAUF 147 DOMETT 106 ROADMASTER 90 67 PATCHELL TRANSPORT TRAILERS 66 TMC 64 M.T.E. 50 FAIRFAX 35 TRANSFLEET 35 29 CWS JACKSON 27 FREIGHTER 25 25 TES LOWES 20 HAMMAR 19 MILLS-TUI 14 TANKER 14 KRAFT 11 11 EVANS LUSK 10 MTC EQUIPMENT 9 STEELBRO 8 TRT 8 SEC 7 PTE 6 LOHR 5 FELDBINDER 5 5 WARREN MD ENGINEERING 5 COWAN 4 KOROMIKO 4 SDC 3 TEO 3 OTHER 103 Total 1040

2024

% 14.1 10.2 8.7 6.4 6.3 6.2 4.8 3.4 3.4 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.4 1.9 1.8 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 9.9 100

August Vol % 59 27.1 50 22.9 18 8.3 21 9.6 4.1 9 9 4.1 16 7.3 8 3.7 8 3.7 1.4 3 3 1.4 6 2.8 5 2.3 0 0.0 0.5 1 1 0.5 0.5 1 0 0.0 218 100

August Vol % 19 16.7 8 7.0 9 7.9 5.3 6 6 5.3 10 8.8 7 6.1 3 2.6 5 4.4 1.8 2 3 2.6 0 0.0 3 2.6 3 2.6 2 1.8 2 1.8 3 2.6 1 0.9 2 1.8 2 1.8 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 0.9 1 0.9 2 1.8 0 0.0 1 0.9 1 0.9 2 1.8 0 0.0 1 0.9 0 0.0 0 0.0 9 7.9 114 100

Kevin Wallace (Paterere Logging Ltd) is driving his new Mack Super-Liner 8x4 logger equipped with Mack 50 Year package. The drivetrain combines a 685hp Mack MP10 with 12-speed M-Drive transmission, Meritor RT46-160GP axles rated at 20.9t with a 4.30:1 ratio and AP460 rear air suspension.

Patchells built the log gear and 5-axle trailer. Features include a King Bars Texan alloy bumper, Dura-bright alloys, polished alloy fuel tanks, stainless sun visor and custom bug deflector. Kevin is contracted to Aztec Logging working in the BOP and Central North Island. Sold by Grant Moody.

A new MAN TGX 26.510 6x4 owned by Sant Boi and driven by Wayne Brunton is working in Foodstuffs yellow livery around the North Island. The 510hp tractor unit has the MAN TipMatic 12.28 OD transmission, 9.2t parabolic leaf spring front suspension, 13t hypoid tandem drive axle with air suspension, disc brakes and Alcoa alloys. Sold by Darren Salt.

Dave Hoskin Carriers in Whanganui has added a new DAF CF 530 FTT 6x4 to its general cartage fleet. The Space Cab has a 530hp Paccar MX13 (Euro 6) with 3-stage engine brake and TraXon 16-speed AMT and disc brakes. The 7.5t rated M163 front axle has 385/55 x 22.5 tyres with a SR264 tandem axle drive set-up with dual locks. Features include an under bunk fridge, overhead driving lights, Dura-bright alloys, Lux seats package, hands free phone with steering wheel controls, touchscreen audio with MP3 player, and climate air conditioning. The CF is towing a Fruehauf 6-axle B-train with alloy wheels and air suspension. The tractor rigging was done by MJ Custom Engineering in Palmerston North. Sold by Mark O’Hara.

Truck & Driver | 93

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A pair of Volvo FH16 700 6x4 tractor units have joined the IXOM fleet. Truck 02 is Mt Maunganui-based driven by Jeremy Thompson and Campbell Blennerhassett with Truck 11 working from Morrinsville driven by Jason Akoorie and Mike Charteris. The spec includes 700hp Volvo D16 developing 3150Nm of torque, 12-speed Volvo I-Shift AMT and single reduction tandem 23t rated drive axles. Eight airbag suspension, disc brakes, Holland no lube oscillating fifth wheel and Voith retarder are fitted along with the Volvo safety suite with passenger side view camera. Features include fridge, heated seats, stone guard and toolboxes. Signage by Marty’s Signs Mt Maunganui and sold by Mark Ellerington.

Stephenson Transport drivers Gordy Falcon (fleet number 56) and Layton White (Number 57) are at the wheel of new International 9870 R8 8x4 livestock units based at Waipawa. The 9870 duo is identically specced with 615hp Cummins X15 engines, Eaton 22918B manual shift, Meritor 46-160 axles and equipped with a custom interior and 9-inch offset front wheels. Sold by Hugh Green.

Truck & Driver | 95

Carley’s Transport of Te Kauwhata has a new Kenworth T909 factory ordered for carting bulk product in the central North Island. The high-spec 6x4 with Transfleet 5.0m alloy body and 7.7m alloy trailer is driven by Josh Van Den Broek, who steps out of his 3-year old T610 SAR. The T909 is powered by a 600.615hp Cummins X15 driving to an Eaton RTLO 20918B manual 18-speed transmission and Meritor 46-160 rear axles with full X- locks. Dura-bright rims, a stainless drop visor, lower grill trim and air cleaner marker lights are fitted along with a graphite grey interior. Stripes by Fleet Image and sold by Adam McIntosh.

Tauranga-based McAlpine Hussman Ltd has put a new UD Quon CW25-360AS to work for nationwide deliveries of its innovative commercial refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The 6x4 is equipped with the 8-litre GH8 engine, Escot VI 12-speed AMT and rides on 8-airbag electronic control rear suspension with disc brakes. MP Motorbodies built the 16-pallet body with StructurFlex curtains and signage by Speedy Signs, East Tamaki.

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96 | Truck & Driver

For more information contact Jenny Murray at jenny@transporting.nz

A new DAF XF FAD Space Cab is based from Whakatane for Bayrunner Transport owned by Gary Dunseath. The 8x4 works from the Mainfreight depot in Whakatane, operating locally in the BOP daily and Whakatane-Auckland return nightly. A 530hp Euro VI Paccar MX13 engine is paired with a TraXon 16TX2640 16-speed automated transmission and the XF features an under bunk fridge, CB radio, tinted door windows, back lit DAF Badge, Alcoa Dura-bright wheels, stone guard, and roof mounted LED light bar. Truck Signs Mount Maunganui took care of the cab signage and Tauranga Canvas supplied the curtains. Sold by Tim Finlay.

A new Iveco Eurocargo ML 150-280 provides a lightweight base for a new 4x4 spreader unit working for Lumsden-based Northern Southland Transport Holdings. The 7.5t Iveco powered by the 6.7-litre Tector 7 engine has live drive PTO and is fitted with a Southland-built McMaster Engineering bin for fertiliser application on crops and pasture.

A new Kenworth K200 6x4 tipper for McRobbie Bros in Pokeno is on earthmoving duties with a Transport Trailers 4-axle tipper. The K200 day cab has a 550hp Cummins X15, Eaton Roadranger 18-speed manual transmission, Meritor MT21-165GP rear axles complete with diff locks, inter-axle lock and Airglide 460 rear suspension. Features include twin air intakes with chrome air intake rams, stainless mesh headlight covers, chrome exhaust outlets, and front Kenworth mudflaps.

Truck & Driver | 97

Nathan and Tracy Anderson of Dunedin have just taken delivery of their new Kenworth K220 2.8 Aerodyne – the first K220 to hit the roads in the South Island. Powered by a 615hp Cummins X15 the K220 runs an Eaton RTLO22918B transmission, Meritor MT21-165GP rear axles, and Airglide 460 rear suspension. The Fusion integrated safety system includes adaptive cruise control, stationary vehicle braking, collision mitigation, lane departure warning, autonomous braking, and Bendix blind spot side object detection system. Extras include a Kentweld bumper, Armoury chrome rims, stainless visor, extra marker lights, stainless step infills, grille bars, and Narva light bar. Sign written by Truck Signs Mt Maunganui.

The expanding fleet at Swanson Transport in West Auckland now includes this new Scania G 560 8x4 tractor unit equipped with a Palfinger PK58002 Tec 7 Crane. The PJ150 fly jib delivers impressive performance to lift 640kg at 29 metres reach. A lot of thought and planning with the design and build by OTEL (Onehunga Transport Engineering) has gone into this unit to ensure its versatility. The removable deck, fifth wheel, and ring feeder provides a verity of configurations as either truck only, artic or truck and trailer.

The addition of a forward stabiliser allows the unit to lift at 100% and maintain stability, 360 degrees around the unit.

98 | Truck & Driver

Premium meat supplier Kintyre Meats is making Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki boxed meat deliveries from its Taupiri facility with a new Isuzu CYJ 530 8x4 reefer unit. Driven by Lemuel Canarif, the 520hp Isuzu Giga has a 16-speed AMT and Isuzu RT20 rear end with 4.10:1 ratio. The body swap and signage was done by Birkett Motorbodies in Hamilton.

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JAPANESE TORQUE JAPANESE TORQUE SPRING BRAKE ALL FULLER ROADRANGER NON EASY PEDAL 15” X 2” ROD BUSH ROD BUSH VALUELINECHAMBERS GENUINE 10SPL CERAMIC 1650 FT LBS SUIT CLUTCHES TRANSMISSION PARTS 2424 / 2430 / 3030 $30.00 EACH + GST WITH CLUTCH BOOSTER $30.00 EACH + GSTJAPANESE POA PARTS From $65.00 EACH + GST RECONDITIONED EXCHANGE OPTIONS AVAILABLE $1600+GST Auto Air Mechanical Auto Conditioning Service & Repairs Electrical JAPANESE TORQUE TDM DRIVELINE RANGE Available at our Penrose and Papakura locations ROD BUSH SELECTION OF YOKES, COMPANION FLANGES, UJ’S, STRAP KITS HI & LOW $30.00 EACH BASE + GST POA

Can’t find the parts you need? Call us we can helpBRAKE SPRING CHAMBERS www.tdm.co.nz GENUINE

Ph: 0800 501 133 PARTS

TRANSPORT, DIESEL & MARINE

100 100| Truck | Truck&&Driver Driver

2424 / 2430 / 3030 From $65.00 EACH + GST

8 Prescott Street, Penrose, Auckland  Email: ray@tdm.co.nz I john@tdm.co.nz JAPANESE TORQUE ROD BUSH $30.00 EACH + GST

EG34729

BASE

POA

SPRING BRAKE JAPANESE TORQUE CHAMBERS ALL FULLER ROADRANGER ALL FULLER ROADRANGER ROD BUSH 6109 AND 8209 GENUINE CLUTCHES TRANSMISSION PARTS TRANSMISSION PARTS CLUTCHES 2424 / 2430 / 3030 HUBO’S REMAN TRANSMISSIONS $30.00 EACH PARTS From $65.00 EACH++GST GST POA POA

DRANGER PARTS

S AVAILABLE

RANGE 6109 AND 8209 TDM DRIVELINE GENUINE SELECTION OF YOKES, COMPANION HUBO’S HUBO’S REMAN TRANSMISSIONS FLANGES, UJ’S, STRAP KITS PARTS AND PARTS AVAILABLE FIVE YEAR/500,000KM WARRANTY FIVE YEAR/500,000KM

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COMMERCIAL LENDING

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EG34731

ASSET FINANCE

0800 CREDIFLEX

crediflex.co.nz

CELEBRATING

YEARS

QUALITY ALL THE WAY

ZEPRO Z-20 2000KG TAIL LIFT PROMISES SAFETY, EFFICIENCY AND RELIABLE PERFORMANCE - EVERY TIME.

The Zepro Z-20 is designed to manage the busy and demanding operating needs for all lifting jobs, regardless of location or environment.

Built to the highest quality standards for absolute reliability and performance to support logistics and distributions with ease and reliability.

CALL US TODAY TO TALK WITH OUR PARTS TEAM

PH: 0800 452 155 www.trt.co.nz

TRT are the exclusive NZ agents for Zepro

CLASSIFIED

TRUCK & DRIVER

6860/875 PRO

6860/875

6860/870 NZ

6860/880

6500/517

OEM SEATS AND CERTIFIED BRACKETS AND HARDWARE TO WORK FOR ALL BRANDS!!

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FUSO - MITSUBISHI

K223-1073 6560 Lbs capacity T400, T440, T450, T470, T600, T660, T680, T800, T880

ISUZU CXH 1400mm LONG 3 LEAF

MITSUBISHI FM657 1400mm LONG 4 LEAF

$1159.41 + GST

$1398.93 + GST

$1167.88 +GST

MITSUBISHI FS, FV30K6, FV393K 1500mm LONG 3 LEAF

HEAVY DUTY FORD RANGER

$1150.31 + GST

$1120.70 + GST

HINO HINO FY1EPUA, FS450, FS700, 1500mm LONG 3 LEAF

$ 1150.31 + GST

FORD RANGER 2012 – 2022 HEAVY DUTY SUIT FLEET SERVICE TYPE VEHICLES INCLUDES 2 SPRINGS, UBOLTS AND BUSH KIT

HEAVY DUTY TOYOTA HILUX

$766.79 + GST

FORD RANGER 2023 ON NEW GEN HEAVY DUTY SUIT FLEET SERVICE TYPE VEHICLES INCLUDES 2 SPRINGS, UBOLTS AND BUSH KIT

$766.79 + GST

Rotorua:

35-37 Sunset Rd, Ph: (07) 348 0169

Auckland:

39 Tironui Rd, Takanini, Ph: (09) 298 4162

Hamilton: 116 Colombo St, Frankton, Ph: (07) 847 9343

TOYOTA HILUX GUN126R, GUN136R HEAVY DUTY SUIT FLEET SERVICE TYPE VEHICLES INCLUDES 2 SPRINGS, UBOLTS AND BUSH KIT

$884.76 + GST

EG34728

HK481102190 7200 Lbs capacity K104, K108, K200, T400A, T400B, T450, T450B T600A, T600B, T800, T800B

sales@autosprings.co.nz www.autosprings.co.nz Truck & Driver | 103

CLASSIFIED

TRUCK & DRIVER

GOT SURPLUS

EG31450

EQUIPMENT?

LET OUR PROVEN, FULL SERVICE SOLUTION TURN YOUR IDLE INVENTORY INTO CASH....

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Talk to our team today 0800 856 700 (09) 8186 287 sales@hoisthydraulics.net

EG30643

WHEN YOU NEED A REPLACEMENT HOIST it pays to ring Hoist Hydraulics

HAYDEN WOOLSTON M: 027 448 8768 E: HAYDEN@TRUCKER.CO.NZ

TD34610

M

104 | Truck & Driver

WHEEL SEALS WHEEL WHEEL WHEELSEALS SEALS SEALS Four outside diameter seal points to ensure Four Four outside Four outside outside diameter diameter diameter sealseal points seal points points to ensure to ensure to ensure Four outside diameter seal points to ensure Unique multi-zone labyrinth design provides theUnique best protection andlabyrinth thedesign lowest friction Unique Unique multi-zone multi-zone multi-zone labyrinth labyrinth design design provides provides provides multi-zone design provides theUnique the best the best protection best protection protection andlabyrinth and the and the lowest the lowest lowest friction friction friction the best protection and the lowest friction

Roadranger Rebuilt and or Factory New + Spicer Clutch to suit – $POA Rubber front face protects from brake heat Rubber Rubber Rubber front front face front face protects face protects protects from from brake from brake brake heat heat heat Rubber front face protects from brake heat reduces run-in period, reduces required torque andreduces keeps the seal cool from therequired outset reduces reduces run-in run-in run-in period, period, period, reduces reduces reduces required required torque torque torque run-in period, reduces required torque andreduces and keeps and keeps keeps the the seal the seal cool seal cool from cool from the from the outset the outset outset and the seal cool from theprevents outset Largekeeps crumple zone/safety gap internal damage Large Large Large crumple crumple crumple zone/safety zone/safety zone/safety gapgap prevents gap prevents prevents Large crumple zone/safety gap prevents internal internal damage damage damage 2ND HAND internal internal damage Wide inside diameter with three rubber-ribbed points toinside ensure proper sealing capability Rebuilt Wide Wide inside Wide inside diameter diameter diameter with with three with three rubber-ribbed three rubber-ribbed rubber-ribbed Wide diameter with three rubber-ribbed points points toinside ensure to ensure to ensure proper proper proper sealing sealing sealing capability capability capability Rebuilt points points to ensure proper sealing capability

Core Change may apply RTLO14918 RTLO16919 RTLO18918 RTLO20918

Rebuilt RTLO18918AS3 FO-18E318BMXP Rebuilt FO-20E318BMSP Rebuilt Factory New & RebuiltSEAL RANGE MERITOR WHEEL MERITOR MERITOR MERITOR WHEEL WHEEL WHEEL SEAL SEAL RANGE RANGE RANGE RTLO22918 RebuiltSEAL MERITOR WHEEL SEAL RANGE SKF Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER RTLO18918AS3 Rebuilt CLASSIC SKF SKF SKF Part Part No. Part No.No. INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY CODE CODE CODEE-BARRIER E-BARRIER E-BARRIER Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER

MER0113 MER0113 MER0113 MER0113 MER0113 MER0123 MER0123 MER0123 MER0123 MER0123 MER0136 MER0136 MER0136 MER0136 MER0136 MER0143 MER0143 MER0143 MER0143 MER0143 MER0164 MER0164 MER0164 MER0164 MER0164 MER0173 MER0173 MER0173 MER0173 MER0173

40136 40136 40136 40136 40136 42623 42623 42623 42623 42623 35066 35066 35066 35066 35066 46305 46305 46305 46305 46305 43764 43764 43764 43764 43764 47697 47697 47697 47697 47697

708 708708708 708 701 701701701 701 704 704704704 704 702 702702702 702 705 705705705 705 709 709709709 709

MER0213 MER0213 MER0213 MER0213 MER0213 MER0223 MER0223 MER0223 MER0223 MER0223 MER0236 MER0236 MER0236 MER0236 MER0236 MER0264 MER0264 MER0264 MER0264 MER0264 MER0273 MER0273 MER0273 MER0273 MER0273

40129 40129 40129 40129 40129 42627 42627 42627 42627 42627 35058 35058 35058 35058 35058 43761 43761 43761 43761 43761 47692 47692 47692 47692 47692

808 808808808 808 801 801801801 801 804 804804804 804 805 805805805 805 809 809809809 809

Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER Part Part No. Part No.No. INDUSTRY INDUSTRY INDUSTRY CODE CODE CODEE-BARRIER E-BARRIER E-BARRIER Part No. INDUSTRY CODE E-BARRIER

EASY-FIT & TOUGH DESIGN FOR SUPERIOR EASY-FIT EASY-FIT EASY-FIT && &TOUGH TOUGH DESIGN DESIGN DESIGN FOR FOR FOR SUPERIOR SUPERIOR SUPERIOR PROTECTION & OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE. EASY-FIT &TOUGH TOUGH DESIGN FOR SUPERIOR PROTECTION PROTECTION PROTECTION & & OPTIMUM & OPTIMUM OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE. PERFORMANCE. PROTECTION & OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE.

STEMCO NATIONAL 37 VOYAGER STEMCO STEMCO STEMCO NATIONAL NATIONAL 373737 VOYAGER SKF STEMCO CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC NATIONAL VOYAGER VOYAGER NATIONAL 37 CLASSIC VOYAGER 40136 370036A 373-0113 40136 40136 40136 40136 42623 42623 42623 42623 42623 35066 35066 35066 35066 35066 46305 46305 46305 46305 46305 437643 437643 437643 437643 437643 47697 47697 47697 47697 47697 SKF

370036A 370036A 370036A 370036A 370065A 370065A 370065A 370065A 370065A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370025A 370025A 370025A 370025A 370025A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370048A 370003A 370003A 370003A 370003A 370003A NATIONAL

373-0113 373-0113 373-0113 373-0113 373-0123 373-0123 373-0123 373-0123 373-0123 383-0136 383-0136 383-0136 383-0136 383-0136 373-0143 373-0143 373-0143 373-0143 373-0143 383-0164 383-0164 383-0164 383-0164 383-0164 393-0173 393-0173 393-0173 393-0173 393-0173 STEMCO

APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION

TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - STANDARD - STANDARD - STANDARD FORGE, FORGE, FORGE, DANA DANA DANA TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA TRAILER - FRUEHAUF PROPAR TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF PROPAR PROPAR PROPAR TRAILER PROPAR STEER -- FRUEHAUF MERITOR, EATON STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, EATON EATON EATON - MERITOR, EATON TRAILERSTEER - MERITOR GENERAL PURPOSE TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - MERITOR - MERITOR - MERITOR GENERAL GENERAL GENERAL PURPOSE PURPOSE PURPOSE TRAILER MERITOR GENERAL STEER - MERITOR FL941 -PURPOSE MFS STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR - MERITOR - MERITOR FL941 FL941 FL941 - MFS - MFS - MFS STEER - MERITOR FL941 - MFS DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, DANA DANA DANA DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA

APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION APPLICATION

Factory New EATON FS-8309A Transmission – ONE ONLY. Needs to be moved, Priced to sell.

PLUS XL SKF SKF SKF SKF PLUS PLUS PLUS XLXLXL PLUS XL 40129 40129 40129 40129 40129 42627 42627 42627 42627 42627 35058 35058 35058 35058 35058 43761 43761 43761 43761 43761 47692 47692 47692 47692 47692

5NATIONAL STAR NATIONAL NATIONAL 5NATIONAL STAR 5 STAR 5 STAR 5 STAR 380036A 380036A 380036A 380036A 380036A 380065A 380065A 380065A 380065A 380065A 380001A 380001A 380001A 380001A 380001A 380048A 380048A 380048A 380048A 380048A 380003A 380003A 380003A 380003A 380003A

DISCOVER STEMCO STEMCO STEMCO STEMCO DISCOVER DISCOVER DISCOVER DISCOVER 373-0213

TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA 373-0213 373-0213 373-0213 TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - STANDARD - STANDARD - STANDARD FORGE, FORGE, FORGE, DANA DANA DANA 373-0213 TRAILER - STANDARD FORGE, DANA 373-0223 TRAILER - FRUEHAUF PROPAR 373-0223 373-0223 373-0223 TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF - FRUEHAUF PROPAR PROPAR PROPAR 373-0223 TRAILER PROPAR 383-0236 STEER -- FRUEHAUF MERITOR, EATON 383-0236 383-0236 383-0236 STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, EATON EATON EATON 383-0236 STEER - MERITOR, EATON 383-0264 STEER - MERITOR FL941 - MFS 383-0264 383-0264 383-0264 STEER STEER STEER - MERITOR - MERITOR - MERITOR FL941 FL941 FL941 - MFS - MFS - MFS 383-0264 STEER - MERITOR FL941 -UNITISED MFS 393-0273 DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA, K-HITCH AXLE 393-0273 393-0273 393-0273 DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE - MERITOR, - MERITOR, - MERITOR, DANA, DANA, DANA, K-HITCH K-HITCH K-HITCH UNITISED UNITISED UNITISED AXLE AXLE AXLE 393-0273 DRIVE - MERITOR, DANA, K-HITCH UNITISED AXLE

DEALS ON ALL AGED PARTS STOCK!! INQUIRE NOW...

Contact Transport Repairs for more details and to order: Contact Contact Contact Transport Transport Transport Repairs Repairs Repairs forfor more more more details details details and and and toto toorder: order: Contact Transport Repairs forfor more details and toorder: order:

TRUCK AND TRAILER PARTS FOR ALL MAKES AND MODELS TRUCK TRUCK TRUCK AND AND AND TRAILER TRAILER TRAILER PARTS PARTS PARTS FOR FOR FOR ALL ALL ALL MAKES MAKES MAKES AND AND AND MODELS MODELS TRUCK AND TRAILER PARTS FOR ALL MAKES AND MODELS MODELS

TD34616

www.transportrepairs.co.nz www.transportrepairs.co.nz www.transportrepairs.co.nz www.transportrepairs.co.nz www.transportrepairs.co.nz

mills-tui.co.nz

Mills-Tui Limited 16–38 Pururu Street, Mangakakahi, Rotorua 3015 P 07 348 8039 T 0800 MILLS -TUI (645 578) SALES Garth Paton 027 289 0300

Mills Tui Full Range Ad 2024-01.indd 1

8/02/24 15:54