New Zealand Trucking sat down and had a chat with senior vice president for Mack Trucks Australasia, Dean Bestwick. On the subject of the Super Liner 8×4, Dean said the components used in the build are all group components and the trucks are prepped here [Australia] to take them. The fit-up is done at MTD in New Zealand with components shipped with the truck. The end result is a fully warranted product delivering the security and quality the Mack name demands. He said the company is investigating options around offering the finished product ex the assembly line at the Wacol plant in Queensland, and opportunities inherent in the PBS space in both Australia and New Zealand make it a pretty compelling proposition. Very much a ‘watch this space.‘

“Murray and the team [MTD] have done an exceptional job demonstrating the engineering prowess that comes from over there.”

He also said that R&D work was also continuing regarding the introduction of crawler gears to the mDRIVE transmission. “We do have customers in ultra-heavy haul applications looking for the enhanced lift-off capability the crawlers bring.”