Catching up with Eden Haulage Ltd
The gold Eden Haulage trucks from Invercargill in the deep south with their bright graphics will be familiar to many Little Trucker Down Under readers. Milly McCauley catches up with owner Phil Collinson to find out more.
Who owns Eden Haulage?
Phil: Eden Haulage is owned by me, Phil Collinson and my family.
How long has Eden Haulage been in business?
Phil: Eden Haulage commenced in 2005 with one truck, it then expanded in 2008 into four trucks. The company progressively got bigger from 2012, by adding a truck each year.
Where do you have trucks based?
Phil: 12 of the 13 trucks run by Eden Haulage are based at the Invercargill depot, and one truck is based in Canterbury.
How many trucks does Eden Haulage operate?
Phil: Eden Haulage operates 13 trucks. Of those, 12 work every day and one older truck helps do any local jobs. Two trucks in the fleet are double shifted (when two drivers share one truck at different times of the day, allowing it to run for up to 24 hours a day).
What makes of trucks do you have and how many of each?
Phil: Eden Haulage has two Internationals, two DAFs, two Freightliner Argosys, six Kenworths and one small Nissan Diesel delivery truck.
How many people does Eden Haulage employ?
Phil: The company has 16 staff all together.
What type of loads do you cart?
Phil: A large part of the company’s work is fresh produce (vegetables and fruit). The remainder is cardboard packaging, seafood, groceries, timber and some general freight.
Where are the main areas you operate in around New Zealand?
Phil: Eden Haulage trucks operate mainly between Invercargill, Central Otago and Christchurch, however some of our trucks travel each week to Nelson, Blenheim, Tauranga and Auckland.
What is your title at Eden Haulage and what are your responsibilities?
Phil: I am the director of Eden Haulage; I do everything from relief driving to dispatching. I try to do everything I can to support the business, from something as little as changing a light bulb, to meeting with customers to find out how we can assist them better.
Did you always think you would work in transport?
Phil: I always knew I would work in transport, all I dreamed of when I was young was to work for the rural transport company I happened to live next door to. The idea of a career in transport just made sense for me.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the industry?
Phil: The great people I meet.
What things would you like to see change for the transport industry over time?
Phil: I would like to see the industry be able to produce better money and better conditions to pass onto the people who drive the trucks.
Do you have a favourite truck in your fleet?
Phil: My favourite truck would be the C16 Caterpillar-powered Freightliner Argosy we bought secondhand in 2013. I thought it was a cool truck when its previous owners put it on the road.
What are the various positions in Eden Haulage?
Phil: We have an operations dispatcher, administration staff, metro deliverers/ loaders, relief drivers and a team of linehaul drivers.
What would be some advice you would give to any young people who want to start a career in transport?
Phil: I would advise anyone to listen to others, be a diligent worker and try to absorb all the information you can from people within the industry.
Can you tell me a fun or interesting fact about Eden Haulage?
Phil: Many of the trucks in the Eden Haulage fleet carry a Mr Potato Head picture and name on them, this theme is because of the large number of potatoes Eden Haulage carries.
Graeme Wright General Carriers
Milly McCauley has spent plenty of time in the passenger’s seat of trucks involved in rural cartage. In this issue of Little Trucker Down Under, she heads north to Puriri, a wee village in the Thames Valley, and chats with local trucking identity, Graeme Wright.
Who owns Graeme Wright General Carriers?
Graeme: The transport company is owned by me, Graeme Wright, although everyone knows me as ‘Gunner’.
How long has Graeme Wright General Carriers been in business?
Graeme: I’ve been in business since 1969, over 50 years now.
Where do you have trucks based?
Graeme: The main depot is here in Puriri, however some drivers do park their trucks at home in nearby towns.
How many trucks does Graeme Wright General Carriers operate?
Graeme: I have 20 trucks. A large amount of the company’s work is seasonal, so although not all of them work at the same time necessarily, we still need trucks ready for any service we may need to provide.
How many people does Graeme Wright General Carriers employ?
Graeme: The transport company has around 20 employees including drivers, workshop, and office staff.
What type of loads do you cart?
Graeme: Being rural carriers, it’s largely the farmers’ needs. This includes livestock, fertiliser, stockfeed, metal, farming equipment, and the occasional timber loads.
Where are the main areas you operate in around New Zealand?
Graeme: Aside from the Thames Valley and Coromandel Peninsula, we also cover much of the North Island when we need to, like the large cattle moves to Kaitaia yearly – helping cart over 2000 cattle.
What is your title at Graeme Wright General Carriers, and what are your responsibilities?
Graeme: Well, I’m the boss. I oversee everything, and help to keep the peace!
Did you always think you would work in transport?
Graeme: I have loved trucks since the day I was born. I still do. I was brought up around trucks and the rural environment. It was always going to be a career in transport.
What is the best truck in your fleet?
Graeme: Hmmm. The best truck I have ever owned, which is not the same as my favourite, is a Volvo FH520, which has done over 2 million kilometres, and still works around the Thames Valley and Coromandel every day.
Can you tell me a fun or interesting fact about Graeme Wright General Carriers?
Graeme: Graeme Wright General Carriers has managed to succeed in a small rural area and operate for many years. I’m really proud that I’ve been able to fulfill my dream.
What would be some advice you would give to any young people who want to start a career in transport?
Graeme: Look for opportunities and find your break and make connections with others. Those connections will last forever and help you get to wherever you want to go.
What makes of trucks do you have and how many of each?
Graeme: I guess you could say the fleet is a bit of a ‘fruit salad’. Kenworth, Mack, Volvo, Scania, Hino, Mercedes-Benz, and Iveco are all represented.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the industry?
Graeme: Nothing beats the trucks themselves.
APL Direct
They are an impressive head-turing sight wherever they are spotted. Milly McCauley was lucky enough to spend some time with APL Direct’s general manager Jake Lambert and meet the man in charge of one of the country’s sharpest line-haul fleets.
LTDU: Who owns APL Direct?
Jake: APL direct is owned by the Plaw family.
LTDU: How long has APL Direct been in business?
Jake: APL Direct was established in 2003 and started out as a small aluminium joinery fabrication company. As APL grew, they faced problems and damages with third-party distributors, deciding therefore to take the distribution of their product into their own hands. APL Direct has now been operating for over 19 years.
LTDU: Where do you have trucks based?
Jake: APL Direct has four main depots; Hamilton, Hautapu, where the glass operations are based, Palmerston North where a smaller satellite depot is, and Christchurch where we service the South Island from.
LTDU: How many trucks does APL Direct operate?
Jake: APL has 38 trucks and 15 trailers in the fleet. This number is continually growing!
LTDU: What makes of trucks do you have and how many of each?
Jake: The APL Direct fleet is mainly Scania, however Hinos and DAFs are there also, used for smaller metro delivery services.
LTDU: How many people do APL Direct employ?
Jake: APL has more than 60 employees throughout their dispatching, management and transport divisions.
This number has grown substantially throughout the last years as APL Direct expanded with the growth of the glass business in particular.
LTDU: What type of loads do you cart?
Jake: APL predominately carts aluminium extrusion, hardware, rubber coils, sheet metal and glass.
LTDU: Where are the main areas you operate in around New Zealand?
Jake: APL delivers from Keri Keri in the north all the way down to Invercargill in the south, servicing a large expanse of fabricators throughout the country.
LTDU: What is your title at APL Direct and what are your responsibilities?
Jake: I am the general manager overseeing the whole operation at APL Direct.
LTDU: Did you always think you would work in transport? Jake: No, I never thought I would work in transport but when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance. It was something completely different.
LTDU: How long have you been involved with the business?
Jake: I have been working at APL Direct for five years, and in this role for just over three years.
LTDU: What’s your favourite thing about working in the industry?
Jake: Being able to provide people with opportunities, watch them grow in their work, and see their personal development.
LTDU: What things would you like to see change for the transport industry over time?
Jake: I would like to see more done towards alternative energy, actually trying to narrow down which way the industry will head is a big issue. I would like to see some proper direction as we work towards a more sustainable future of transport.
LTDU: Do you have a favourite truck in your fleet?
Jake: No, no favourites in particular, I just like that APL Direct trucks are quite unique, noticeable and well presented.
LTDU: What would be some advice you would give to any young people who want to start a career in transport?
Jake: Having a good work ethic and a good attitude will get you a long way especially in this industry. Spend some time around people in transport and put yourself out there, as there is always opportunity to grow and progress.
LTDU: Can you tell me a fun or interesting fact about APL Direct?
Jake: The fleet runs 95% Euro-5 or better, with 40% now Euro-6. We are working hard on increasing Euro-6 numbers. APL Direct focuses heavily on sustainability, and is working on a number of recycling initiatives throughout all products and packaging.
Stuart Drummond Transport
In our regular Meet My Fleet feature, Milly McCauley catches up with a transport operator to learn about their company and fleet of trucks. This month, she met up with Brodie Drummond of Stuart Drummond Transport from Richmond, near Nelson.
Who owns Stuart Drummond Transport?
Stuart Drummond Transport is a family-owned company, founded by Brodie’s dad Stuart, and today owned by the Drummond family.
What type of loads do you cart?
Stuart Drummond Transport is a solely log cartage company. They cart to sawmills, an MDF factory, and to the ports at both Nelson & Picton, where the logs are exported overseas.
How long has the transport company been in business?
The company has been in business for 36 years.
How many trucks are in the Stuart Drummond fleet and what brands do you have?
Stuart Drummond Transport operates 55 trucks, and their fleet consists of 18 Kenworths, 11 Freightliners, 2 Western Stars, 5 Scanias, 8 Hinos and 11 DAFs.
How many people does the company employ?
Stuart Drummond employs 70 people over their management, administration, workshop and driving fields.
Did you always think you would work in transport?
Brodie says growing up around his dad and trucks meant he always knew where he wanted to be. With his childhood involved in transport, it was an easy choice to make.
Where are the main areas you operate in around New Zealand?
Stuart Drummond Transport operates all over the top half of the South Island.
What is your title at Stuart Drummond Transport?
Brodie is the general manager of Stuart Drummond Transport.
How long have you been involved with the business?
Brodie has been involved with the company for 14 years. He started in 2007 and has worked his way up to general manager.
What’s your favourite thing about working in the industry?
The best thing would be meeting all different kinds of people.
What things would you like to see change for the transport industry over time?
Brodie says he would like to see more young people getting into the industry. He says succession within the industry is important, with many older, experienced drivers reaching retirement age in the next few years.
Do you have a favourite truck in your fleet?
The company’s Kenworth T900.
Can you tell me a fun or interesting fact about Stuart Drummond Transport?
The company is on track to travel 4.4 million km this year and cart more than a million tonnes of logs.
What would be some advice you would give to any young people who want to start a career in transport?
Start early with getting your licences, get the ball rolling. The transport industry is a great opportunity for young people to get ahead, as long as you are prepared to do the work.
Are all your trucks based in Richmond or are there other locations?
Stuart Drummond Transport has trucks based throughout the top of the South Island as well as on the West Coast and in Marlborough. Their main yard, workshop and headquarters are in Richmond.
