Southland may harbour more UD (formerly Nissan Diesel) trucks per capita than any other New Zealand province. Much of the marque’s success in the Deep South lies with the brand’s reputation of being a strong, reliable truck, supported by an established local dealer.

Headquartered at Waimatua, 10km east of Invercargill, Hughes Contracting has evolved into one of Southland’s larger agricultural contracting operations.

Today Chris Hughes manages the business begun by his father, Brian, supplying a myriad of services to the agricultural sector including baling, silage, ground preparation, planting and excavation.

Brian kicked off the business in 1986 and the company’s first foray in trucks was a Bedford TK, which supported a largely tractor-centric operation.

In the early 1990s, land use in Southland began a massive transition from sheep and beef to dairy. Chris says dairy was a big driver in the business. “By the mid 1990s, things had really cranked up [workwise].”

As the business expanded, additional trucks were added. UD has been the firm’s go-to for more than a decade and currently Hughes’ truck fleet numbers six, all originating from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Three 6x4s (a GW26-420 tractor unit and two CW385s) are supported by a trio of eight-wheelers (one CG450 and a pair of Quons), the newest of which is New Zealand Trucking magazine’s Top Truck for November 2024.

David Crosbie drives the CG31-460 Quon, which went on the road in 2022. The UD undertakes a variety of short to medium haul work around Southland and Otago.

Depending on the time of year, the UD is fitted with high-capacity bins for carting grass from the forage harvester to farm silage stacks, operating as truck only, or with a trailer as the travelling distance dictates.

Other assignments include flat-deck work moving hay, balage and farm machinery, and following the fitment of aluminium sides, the Quon becomes a versatile bulk tipper.

Hughes has stock crates for the UD. Each year at the start of winter, the crates go on and the truck works in with other local operators on the dairy cow herd shift.

David enjoys the variety of work offered by the truck’s setup, and the chance to operate various machinery involved in the loading or unloading process.

In comparing the new 460 with his previous Quon, (the company’s 470), he remarks the addition of full cross-locks was particularly good, given the amount of time spent in paddocks.

The 460 runs UD’s ESCOT-VI 12-speed AMT while the 470 has an Eaton-Fuller 18-speed. David explains that off-road the AMT isn’t bad once you get used to how it operates.

Local businesses, with oversight from the Hughes’ team, were involved in the truck’s build.

Engineer Driven Solutions built the truck deck and preformed an ‘as-new-plus’ refurbishment to a second-hand MD Engineering five-axle trailer.

Bob Christie Ltd applied Hughes’ unique metallic blue and charcoal colour scheme to both truck and trailer, while Sign Solutions Invercargill looked after the graphics. Their combined efforts give the Hughes Contracting fleet its own very crisp, individual look.

UD Trucks, and the Nissan Diesel brand before them, have found vast acceptance in Southland as versatile vehicles suited to most applications.

The Hughes Contracting CG31- 460 Quon looks set to carry this tradition into the future.