Renwick is a small town, 12km west of Blenheim, at the top of the South Island. Surrounded by an abundance of vineyards, it is the home to the white and blue trucks of Renwick Transport. Milly McCauley travelled to meet up with Jen Hall and Jax Smith, the owners of Renwick Transport, to hear all about the company.

Who owns Renwick Transport?

Jen: Renwick Transport is owned by myself, Jen, and my sister, Jax.

How long has Renwick Transport been in business?

Renwick has just passed 30 years in business; we have our 30th anniversary function coming up in November, which we are both very excited about.

Where do you have trucks based?

The trucks are predominantly based here at Renwick, however, we also have a depot in Christchurch.

How many trucks does Renwick Transport operate?

Renwick Transport operates 25 trucks, including little fertiliser spreaders and delivery trucks.

What makes of trucks do you have?

Our bulk and fertiliser spreading trucks include Isuzu, Hino, Mack, and MAN while our general freight fleet has a Volvo, Nissan Diesel and several DAFs.

How many people do Renwick Transport employ?

Renwick Transport employs 20 people.

What type of loads do you cart?

A large range of freight including timber, machinery, bricks, steel, concrete, hay and fertiliser are carried. The wine industry provides a large amount of our work; we cart harvested grapes to wineries, and grape marc (the skin and seeds of grapes left over after the juice is pressed out) out of the wineries. Wine bottles are transported to the wineries for filling, full wine bottles and containers of bulk wine are also common loads. Cartage of lime and fertiliser and spreading it on farms is also an important part of what we do.

Where are the main areas you operate in?

We service the upper half of the South Island, Marlborough, Nelson and Canterbury.

What are your titles and what are your responsibilities?

Jax: Jen and I are both managing directors and we are both actively involved in the day-to-day operations. Jen would drive trucks more than I do and I spend more time in the office, but we both do whatever needs to be done. Jen is involved in the New Zealand Groundspread Association, Nelson/Marlborough branch and on my side I’m a diversity champion for Transporting New Zealand, so we both have extra activities we like to be involved in.

Did you always think you would work in transport?

Jax: Neither of us did! We grew up living on a farm and then went on to our own things. I trained as a pharmacy technician, however our dad asked us to become involved with the business, so of course, I said yes, and I have been here for almost 19 years now.

Jen: I worked in hospitality and banking, as well as working overseas for a while. Then I also got the shoulder tap and have been working at Renwick Transport for 15 years now.

What’s your favourite thing about working in the industry?

Jax: We would have to say the people in the industry and the culture around transport. Even though Jen and I are the owners of Renwick Transport, we see ourselves as on the same level as all our employees, and they are an extension of our family.

What things would you like to see change for the transport industry over time?

Jax: We would love to see more women in the transport industry, as well as more young people, which is a big reason why I’m involved with the Transporting New Zealand Diversity programme to showcase how diverse the transport industry really is.

Do you have a favourite truck in your fleet?

Jen: While Jax doesn’t have a favourite, I love Macks, so our Mack Granite would have to be my favourite.

What would be some advice you would give to any young people who want to start a career in transport?

We encourage people to come along and go out in a truck for a day and see what it is all about. To experience what it is like inside the cab, the transport industry embraces diversity and encourages people to join in and it is filled with like-minded supportive people.

Can you tell me a fun or interesting fact about Renwick Transport?

Mum and Dad sold our brand-new family car, a Toyota Corolla, to buy the first truck in the Renwick Transport fleet. We remember how if Dad ever wanted to buy a new truck, he would write out a cheque from the back page of the chequebook so Mum couldn’t find out he bought it. However, as a month went by, he was able to justify the purchase…He never lived that down!