This issue, we see out the year with a story that pushes all the right buttons. It’s all here: trucking generations, a great team of people going hard to build something from the ground up, and a special truck that blends old and new in style. Crack open a cold one, put your feet up and enjoy.

Family, friends, hard work and cool trucks … it all sounds instantly familiar after November’s cover story on TA Arnold Transport and the latest, eye-catching addition to its rural transport fleet. And, as Tommy and Ryan Arnold proved – as have so many others in the business of trucking all over the country – that familial, generational link is often the underlying current that carries the drive to make a proper go of it and succeed. And not only for generations past or present, mind you. Sometimes, for generations future.

Melx Linehaul. The simple four-letter name of the Cromwell-based carrier owned and operated by Ricky and Ashley Rodgers, which quietly entered the scene towards the end of 2022, might not mean much to the casual observer. However, that underlying current is fully encapsulated in those four green letters.

Maisie, Lexie, Ellie: Melx. Nine, five and three-and-a-half years old Ricky and Ashley’s girls may be, but they’re as much about this company as their parents are. Anyone with a passing interest in Central Otago trucking companies will instantly recognise the shades of green that make up the logo proudly adoring their trucks. Ashley is the daughter of well-known South Island transport operators, Barbara and Ross ‘Smiley’ Millard, who owned and operated Summerland Transport for just under 30 years – the green, that’s in honour of them and the family business around which Ashley and her sister Jervase were raised, and which gave Ricky his start in the industry. Past, present, future.

It’s poetic, then, that the truck leading us to Melx’s Cromwell yard is the latest in a line of Heritage Kenworth models that pay homage to the success of generations past in a classic but present style, likely to be revered well into the future. Melx’s W900SAR Legend – or Legend SAR as it’s commonly known – named Freight Train Heart, is one of 27 confirmed for New Zealand and just four to go to work in the South Island.

Many will undoubtedly raise an eyebrow at a special-edition Kenworth going into a fleet that’s less than two years old. As it turns out, Freight Train Heart was an unexpected addition to the Melx fleet – but somewhat fitting, nonetheless. We’d also learn it’s ideally placed in the fleet and in the custodianship of driver Craig ‘Rocket’ Little – another name that will be instantly familiar to those in the South Island scene and who also has long-time connections to the Millards.

Family, friends, hard work and cool trucks … it’s the recipe for a good story.

Carving a niche

We first met Rocket on an early morning in late September at the Titus Transport yard in Christchurch, where he’d loaded his 14m Domett quad-semi with a couple of 20ft containers bound for Wānaka. Inside one was a septic tank to go to the Melx yard in Cromwell, where Rocket would load up some crashed cars for his return to Christchurch. In the corner of the Cromwell yard, we’d find some stacked swimming pools awaiting delivery – the latest weekly load to come south from the manufacturer in Hamilton.

“Anything ugly or exciting, we’ll give it a go. That side of things is good fun. The boys like it, too. They like the variety we get. We tend to stay away from the general freight,” Ricky says, adding that the bulk of Melx’s work comes from Hynds precast, generators and steel – mostly construction-related cargo.

Ashley might say, “We’re just winging it”, but anyone in transport knows you can’t ‘just wing it’ without knowing what you’re doing. Nor can you ‘wing it’ without the support of a bloody good team and some high-profile mentors to boot.

“We’ve got a really good team of drivers. That helps. And you’ve got to take your hat off to them, they are just as passionate about it as us,” Ashley says.

“We’d be lost without our guys. They’re real good. They’ve all helped build what we have going on,” Ricky concurs. “They all have each other’s backs. It’s a wee niche market we serve but with an old-school service. We want to keep it simple.”

A lot of that would come from Ricky and Ashley surrounding themselves with long-time personal friends.

First to join the team was Josh Peterson, stepson of the late Queenstown-based operator Tony ‘Stones’ Bennetts. Darfield-based, he mainly covers the southern runs. “Josh came from K&S Freighters and worked in the Summerland workshop when he was young, ending up in the freight division. I ran into him in the North Island, and I offered him a job driving my ex-Summerland K200 after Booth’s took over,” Ricky says.

Next to join the crew was Rocket, who as you’ll read later (see Lifetimes of experience), is a good mate from way back and someone who’s done it all. “He’s a good man to have when there’s two of you on a mission,” Ricky says with a smile.

Greg Morriss is the latest driver, joining the company in August on a second K200. He, too, has done various jobs in trucking from general to heavy haulage, and following a 10-year stint dairy farming, has come back to the driver’s seat as a contractor to Melx, based out of Christchurch and mainly running north.

Of course, there’s Ashley on books and office duties and Ricky in the cab of his C15 ACERT-powered K108, managing everything on the road. “It’s starting to change to where I need to jump out of the truck a bit more. But I don’t want to; I enjoy driving them. When it gets to that stage, I won’t be doing it anymore,” he quips.

“Our accountant reckons you get to a stage where all you do by getting big is add to your stress, not your earnings,” Ricky says. “Steve Murphy has always said the same.” A close family friend, Ashley is incredibly grateful for Steve’s guidance. “He’s amazing to talk to because he’s still in it. He still lives and breathes it; he tells you exactly what’s what. A great mentor,” she says.

So, that’s Melx in a nutshell – a close-knit group of mates dedicated to the cause with a neat little five-truck fleet (there’s an eight-wheeler K108E, too).

Less is more

Well, it’s five until the company takes delivery of the last K200 Fat Cab to be sold by Southpac…

“The next thing, Chris Gray [Southpac truck sales, South Island] goes round home when I’m out, and Ricky says, ‘Pay a deposit to Southpac’! I’m like, ‘What for?’ ‘Oh, I bought the last K200,’ he says! So now I’ve put my foot down, six trucks, is it!” recounts Ashley.

Ah, we know that expression … the one that’ll have many a husband-and-wife transport duo smiling wryly. So, we quickly change topic to the truck we really want to know about – Freight Train Heart.

Ashley softens immediately. “The SAR came up alright! I’m quite proud of that,” she says with a smile.

Ricky imparts the story of how it came to be: “The SAR was originally meant to go into Summerland. Smiley always wanted one and was meant to buy one with an 8V92 off Jim Dynes, but he bought a TM Bedford instead.

“When they released the Legend [at the Brisbane Truck Show in May 2021], he showed me the picture of it in the magazine. He said, ‘I’m going to get one of these,’ and I said, ‘Good luck getting that past Barb!’ Anyway, he ordered it and was going to keep it and park it in the shed, but he must’ve thought better about it and offered it to me. It’s a real cool truck, but it’ll be the one and only like that for us.”

The original order was for a 36in sleeper, but Ricky and Rocket changed this to the 50in option. “Yeah, it was more expensive,” says Rocket, “but when you add in the fridge, microwave and TV, and the level of finish like the fridge wrapped in matching upholstery so it all looks like it’s part of the cab, it made sense. We sleep in our trucks all the time … That’s why it’s got all the fittings – so I can live in it!”

The duo also decided on the slimmer Kentweld front bumper, and to ditch the extended cab side skirts. That last omission might have had something to do with the 50-incher’s near- 6m wheelbase and allowing clearance for the trailer over the fifth wheel … but it does wonders to enhance the period look.

“I wanted the truck to be modern, but still have the look it would have had in the 1980s. Keep it clean and period to what it would’ve been, and not wank it up a ton,” Rocket says with a laugh.

The look is cleaned up even further with the flat-cut 7in stacks and low air cleaners. “I thought, these came with 7in pipes – that’s the focal point when you’re looking straight on. I wanted them to stand out,” he says.

The exterior Gray Gun paintwork has a lot to thank for that, too. It’s almost the definition of ‘subtle’. Almost, because if you go to the word ‘subtle’ in a dictionary, you’ll see an image of the striping applied by Timaru Signs and Graphix maestro Andrew Geddes. Honestly, unless you are standing face to face with the truck, there’s every chance you’ll not even notice it. And that would be a real shame because it’s magnificent – with just the right amount of detail to accentuate the lines of the truck in shades of grey and black. It perfectly melds period and modern.

Andrew also ran with the name Freight Train Heart and added a personal touch in the way of the freight train and model number decal on the bonnet of the SAR. If you are unaware, Freight Trian Heart is a nod to Australian singer Jimmy Barnes’ 1987 studio album of the same name. The hero of the music video for the album’s second single, Driving Wheels, is a typical SAR of the era: great song, beautiful truck, perfect inspiration for a modern machine that recalls the period.

“We originally wanted to do a ghosted pic on the sleeper of the SAR from the Driving Wheels music video, where there’s a shot of the truck parked outside a diner [3:32 mins, in case you’re about to go looking – Lol]. But it was getting a bit awkward to incorporate it so that the picture didn’t take away from anything else, so we just went with the name,” says Rocket.

Of course, these spec choices are all a matter of taste, but in the metal, the overall look of this truck is clean, subtle. A real lesson in ‘less is more’.

Inside a Legend – The flat, old-school dash houses every conceivable gauge, complimented by a wooden gear knob with the original Eaton Fuller logo. Kenworth Parchment trim lines just about every other surface, and contrasts nicely with the exterior Gray Gun paint colour. The 50in sleeper offers heaps of room with all the necessary amenities.

Class acts

Subtle but eye-catching Freight Train Heart certainly is – that was obvious from the moment we first saw it at the Titus yard. The 14m quad semi is an older unit bought from TR Group and spruced up to make for a sharp combination. “It’s 19m overall, but with a short semi. We can do 18m pipe on it; it just comes in,” says Ricky, adding, “We still can’t go for an overlength permit with the longer wheelbase. But we can run a five-axle B-train on grandfather rules at 22m and 48 tonne.” As it happens, there’s one of those in the yard, too, but the flat-deck quad is ideal for most of Rocket’s work. Regardless of which trailer is hooked up, though, it’s like a picture straight from the annals of great truck combinations.

Speaking of which, we get the Canons snapping as Rocket makes his way through Hornby and onto SH1. It’s a 424km trip between the Christchurch and Cromwell depots; 120km-odd down SH1 and off at Orari Station Road to cross Geraldine Flat, join SH79 into the Mackenzie District to Fairlie, from which it’s SH8 up Burkes Pass to the lakes, over the Lindis, along Lake Dunstan, and you’re there!

In all honesty, today’s loads don’t present much challenge, and Rocket makes Wānaka in good time. But what we do get out of this first run is our first insight into how Rocket operates. He pulls up, jumps out of the cab and sets about offloading and placing the boxes. He’s unhurried and chatty, in a way that would have onlookers wondering when he’s going to get on with it, but all the while something’s happening. Next minute, he’s in the fork hoist, the boxes are quickly and smoothly deposited, and we’re making our way down SH6 to Cromwell.

In the yard, the show continues. The septic tank is quickly removed from the deck, and with the load of cars already stacked, all Rocket needs to do is put them on the deck and strap them down. Each set of cars is picked up and placed just once. No jumping out to see if it’s all lined up and sitting square, adjusting or shifting. In the air. On the deck. Next!

“Man, he makes the job look easy. An observer wouldn’t know what’s involved in making it look that smooth,” comments Dave McCoid as we watch on.

There’s more chatting as the straps are thrown and ratcheted, but at no point does he misstep or does the job stop. Once again, next minute, we’re ready to begin the journey back to Christchurch. We jump in for the first leg to Twizel, and with the cars not even adding 10 tonnes, the X-15 under that sloping bonnet is barely under pressure. Nonetheless, it’s the perfect opportunity to take in the ambience of a Legend SAR with 50in modular sleeper.

Enter the traditional B-Series cab, with its flat and upright split windscreen, through the traditional-style doors, and step back in time. You are way off the mark if you’re picturing a contemporary SAR or even 9-0 look and feel. There’s no hint of a wrap to speak of, just a traditional flat-dash layout, a full suite of heritage-style gauges with white faces and chrome bezels (19 total – handmade, apparently), a panel of old-style, backlit toggle switches, and a whole lot of nostalgia.

Is it perfect? Depends on who you ask … Sure, some of the switch placement is a little odd. There’s no storage unless you toss your stuff on the bunk – but then you can’t reach it. And, the big one for Rocket, no central locking.

“I asked about it and was told, ‘They didn’t have that back in the day.’ So I said, ‘Yeah, but they didn’t have LED headlights or Bluetooth stereo systems either!’” Fair point, made in a very ‘Rocket’ way.

But really, that’s minor. I mean, airlift windows made the cut … epic!

The interior of Freight Trian Heart is finished in Kenworth’s Parchment diamond-pleat vinyl trim, which contrasts nicely with the exterior. The 50in Aero 1 modular sleeper offers plenty of space for a night in the cab with walk-though access (mind your step, watch your head) and includes a vertically integrated fridge, clothes space, TV, microwave, and plenty of space for bags and other bits and pieces.

Rocket reckons the bunk offers a great night’s sleep, and easily gets his six-foot-one frame all wrapped up and cosy, though a cab heater is on the cards for those extra-cold nights.

Freight train

The expansion in Central Otago never ceases to amaze, with a new subdivision seeming to have popped up every time we visit. “There’s plenty happening down here. Subdivisions opening up all around us,” says Ricky. “If you’re in Alex, it’s 100km to Wānaka or Queenstown. If you’re in Crowell, you’ve got 60km to Queenstown, 50km to Wānaka and 30km to Alex. It’s become an industrial hub for the region. You’ve really got to be here.”

Indeed, the following day, we meet Rocket at Metalcraft Roofing in Hornby, where he has the SAR backed into the loading dock to take on a load of purlins bound for the builders in Cromwell. The loading process takes much longer than a couple of containers or some crashed cars, but it’s done with exceptional precision and attention to detail. Every pack of purlins is bellied and strapped, with Rocket directing the crane operator regarding which ones he wants where and when. It’s a consistent, methodical, incredibly smooth process, and by the time the 22-odd tonne load is ready to go, there’s not a piece out of place and no risk of the load sliding. It’s another inspiring show for those watching on.

The most challenging section of the run to Cromwell is probably SH79 from Geraldine to Fairlie. The Lindis Pass might be more of a climb, but it’s flowing and graded for easy progress, whereas SH79 is a half-hour of undulating, tight, twisting ups and downs that require concentration and much shifting of gears.

The first thing we notice is that although you can feel the push of the semi with the purlins on, the Legend SAR is incredibly stable and rides amazingly well – adding to our initial feeling with far less weight on the back the day before. Indeed, it rides better than the 36in version with its shorter wheelbase, as we experienced when going for a ride with Neil Powell (New Zealand Trucking, October 2024).

It truly is smooth – a result of the cab and sleeper mounted to a singular long subframe on a long-wheelbase chassis, it almost sets the bar for ride in a bonneted truck. Apparently, when Ricky mooted the idea of shortening the wheelbase to accommodate a 23m B-train setup, Rocket showed no hesitation in nipping that idea in the bud…

On an even cruise, the sound meter peaked at 73db, about par with the average Euro, climbing to 76db when the X-15 clears its throat. “It’s working a bit harder today than yesterday, going through here!” Rocket comments as he smoothly shifts and splits his way ‘up hill and down dale’. “I find I need to keep this Cummins at 1500-1600rpm to get max boost, compared to others I’ve driven.” Indeed, he pushes past the X-15s max torque of 2508Nm (1850lb/ft) at 1200rpm and keeps the revs up when climbing to tap into its 458kW (615hp). We’re doing 40km/h at 1500 through the twisty climbs of Mt Michael.

A consequence of the long wheelbase would seem to be a wider turning circle, with Rocket commenting he needs two goes to turn it on a ferry, for example. However, through the tight turns on the run, Rocket easily keeps the combination in the extremes of the white lines.

“I spent a year back in a cabover, so it took me some time to get used to having a bonnet again. Even though you can’t see much of it… ” he quips. With just the swan hood ornament sticking up, Rocket recalls the T-bar on Ryan Pullan’s Peterbilt 379, which he drove – a head-turner in its time (see, Lifetimes of experience). With a smile, he draws a parallel.

“I thought I’d hit the peak of my career when I got to drive that Peterbilt. In my eyes, you couldn’t get to drive any better of a premium truck in NZ. No matter where you went, it got people’s interest. Having this now, it’s the same attention as that truck 17 years ago. There’s a lot of comment on this truck.

“I always remember that Ryan said to me, ‘It’s a very attention-seeking vehicle, don’t let it go to your head. You’re just driving a truck.’ I’ve stuck by that and don’t let what I drive go to my head. At the end of the day, it’s just a truck. We don’t mind letting someone take it for a drive … like the young fella who washes for us, we let him move the tractor unit around and back it in front of the trailer on his own.

“The first day, he was like, ‘No, no’, and I said, ‘Well, I can’t be here every weekend holding your hand.’ That’s how you learn – doesn’t matter what truck it is.”

The makings of great

The awesome thing about starting a business from the ground up is that you can build exactly what you want; a business that’s uniquely yours. Yes, that comes with its challenges, but the right attitudes – carried by that generational current – and the right people, make it so much easier.

For Ricky and Ashley Rodgers, years of being around Smiley and Barbara and the likes of Steve Murphy helped lay the foundation. Their girls Maisie, Lexie and Ellie keep them focused on the future. And their drivers, customers and local community are their supporting pillars.

“There was a great quote said at Jim Dynes’ funeral,” Ashley says. “It was along the lines of, ‘Success doesn’t just come to you. You have to work for it, and if you do, you still have to be genuine.’ You need to hear those things often, especially from people who have been on the same journey.

“We’re just getting started … But everything we have here is because of Ricky’s knowledge and his hard work building relationships,” she says.

It’s a challenge Ricky clearly loves; he’s tireless, full of enthusiasm. Maybe it’s less of a challenge, more of an adventure. Ashley keeps things in line (surprise Kenworth orders aside) and humming behind the scenes, and ‘the Melx girls’ also clearly have it in the blood. We’re told a ride in a truck is always a fun time, especially for five-year-old Lexie.

Then, there’s Rocket and Freight Train Heart – two incredible ambassadors for this young company. Yes, it’s a very limited, very special truck. But, like any other, it’s made to work – and who wouldn’t want to work a W900SAR Legend? Quite the duo.

“A lot of people have helped to get us going along the way. We’ve made a lot of good relationships,” says Ricky. “I guess, as long as everyone’s happy, you’re winning.”

Family, friends, hard work and cool trucks … it’s all there at Melx Linehaul.

SPECIFICATIONS
Kenworth W900SAR Legend No.654 – 50in Aero 1 sleeper

Special thanks

What a fantastic few days in the company of inspirational people and a wonderful truck. Our sincere thanks go to Ashley, Ricky and Rocket for all your time and for allowing us to tell your story. It’s early days, but Maisie, Lexie and Ellie have lots to look forward to in the coming years.

A kind thanks to the team at Metalcraft Christchurch for letting us hang around your yard and being so accommodating.

Last but not least, to Chris Gray, Richard Smart and the Southpac team for supplying all the info on the Legend SAR and, as ever, for your support of our publication.