One of the arts of good truck driving is looking ahead of the game, beyond the bonnet or stoneguard, predicting what’s going to happen a little further up the road, and anticipating the actions of those around you. I guess not getting caught up in the moment would be another way to put it.

Interestingly, looking this week at things happening around the traps, it appears our industry carries that sentiment beyond the cab. We seem to be injecting the key economic ingredient to help kick our national butt out of the current gloom we find ourselves in – that ingredient being confidence.

It is, after all, the spoon of sugar that helps the economic medicine go down. As it is with individuals, economies live and die on confidence. Your reality will surely be a manifestation of your thoughts. That being the case, a self-check on transport reveals to me that we are indeed in the right industry.

Waikato’s Normans Transport and Storage has recently expanded its footprint to Mt Maunganui. The Garden City’s own TMC Trailers has taken the next step in its North Island growth with a new facility in Drury, South Auckland. Fruehauf NZ has acquired Adams & Currie in Christchurch, starting a new and exciting chapter in its journal and adding some real punch south of the Strait.

The week’s big news, though, is the Wareing Group opening their multi-modal Fairfield Freight Hub facility in Fairton just north of Ashburton. Wholly owned by the group, the facility is a tri-party commercial development with KiwiRail and the Ashburton District Council and will transform the movement and flow of freight in the region.

Believe it or not, I’ve only scratched the surface when you think of the new additions at the Ruakura Super Hub in Hamilton – Big Chill, Maersk, Refrigerfreighters, as well as the significant truck-service centre on site announced by Sime Darby.

Creating jobs, driving opportunities, and not only signalling to the nation to get off its arse and get going, but demonstrating we’re all ready when everyone else decides to stop hanging their head and standing on their shoelaces.

There’s never a day I’m not proud as punch to be part of this industry.

All the best

Dave McCoid
Editorial Director