Hall of fame – Bert Watchorn

1 Minutes•By NZ Trucking magazine•September 26, 2016

At the age of 17, Bert Watchorn developed passion for trucks and started driving an old GMC logger for his older brother.

Around 1952 he began driving for Sarjant’s Transport, and in 1953, he bought a small transport company at Pongakawa, just out of Te Puke.

Having grown to a four-truck business, in 1963 he and five other operators formed Te Puke Transport. By 1977 he had acquired a three-truck business and a shingle pit, and eventually took over the total shareholding of Te Puke Transport.

In the early 1980s he bought two logging trucks with contracts, and the stock cartage was sold on and the logging side of the business grew, alongside general freight.

In 1997 what was now a 25-truck business was sold so Bert could enjoy his passion, collecting vintage commercial vehicles.