BACK DOWN THE ROAD A BIT
THE SNOWMAN If the world were filled with Darrin Murcotts, there’d be no war, crime, violence, or moaning. Everyone would work their butts off and enjoy their family, work, and life to the max. Not only is he one of the genuine nice guys, but he’s also a first-rate truck operator with a vast experience. Oh, and a great cameraman, too. If you see the PTS Mack Super-Liner hydrogen peroxide tanker in your travels, be sure to give it a huge wave. I’ve been a bit naughty this month. Darrin sent in plenty of pics but I’ve only given him four slots. The reason is, he sent in one of my all-time favourite pictures ever, and I wanted to give it a decent amount of space. You’ll be able to see why already. – Ed
“Spending half of my childhood in National Park certainly sparked the truck thing along. When on the old-school buses, everyone would try and name the approaching trucks and their company. We were all really good at it. To tell the truth, I don’t think my childhood ever ended. I just started photographing them through the years along life’s path.”
After the Kodak Brownie, I moved up to a Pentax compact camera (my first 35mm film camera). As such, photo quality went up another level. As winter is my favourite time of the year, this image of two W-Model Kenworths belonging to Direct Transport, taken in the snow at National Park during the mid1980s, always makes me look forward to the winter months.
The Provincial Freightlines Mack Super-Liner, which
TD Haulage loading at Tongariro
As a truck photographer/enthusiast, your camera
I operated for a couple of years, is still at the top of
Timber, National Park, with Mt
must be with you all the time as you never know
the list of trucks I’ve driven. Interestingly, it’s the
Ruapehu in the background. The
what you may come across – like this MAN of the
ex-Storm Hema ‘Mighty Mutt’.
sound of that Detroit would echo
New Zealand Defence Force on the Desert Road,
through the village as they rolled in
again with Mt Ruapehu in the background.
and then again as they left.
72
New Zealand Trucking
Dec 2021 / Jan 2022
