Think of iconic trucks, and it’s often the driver or paint scheme you recall. But a truck’s true measure starts at the spec sheet. Get this right, and the rig goes from iconic to legendary. This month, we look back at the life of a rig close to 20 years old and how whanau, friendships and business dealings nearly 40 years ago are today responsible for its front-line placement.

Part I

With a length of about 2000km, stretching from 34° South down to 47°, Aotearoa is, as the name describes, the Land of the Long White Cloud. Beneath those clouds is a landmass a touch under 270,000km2, with some of the world’s most diverse terrain. With valley floors through to alpine peaks, it’s fair to say our little slice of Eden is far from heaven for the vast and varied fleet of mechanical horses plying its roads.

Over the years, many marques have made their way to our fair shores as operators looked for a solid build that would survive all our unique topography could throw at it. We are now spoilt for choice, with probably the most interesting mixed bag of heavy-duty truck brands available in the world. Sure, some marques have fallen by the wayside over the years, but we still have an array of options, especially when you consider the modest size of each year’s new-truck market.

Covered with vast stands of exotic pine forests, from the Raukumara to the Ruahine Ranges, the North Island’s eastern flanks present a formidable trammel for both harvesters and truckers alike.

Any would-be log-truck operator attempting to conquer this natural fortress, may well find confusion reigns when determining the logtruck spec that fits best.

Ask locals for advice, and they’re likely to point you directly towards the longstanding silver, green, and white fleet of Pacific Haulage in Gisborne.

An early Pacific Haulage LW Kenworth loads trial stems from the Sunrise Logging skid site at Maungatu. Photo: Alan Paulson.

First to see the light

In 1985, a call was made for interested parties to transport logs from the Patunamu, Maungatu and Wharerata forests, deep in the interior of the East Cape. Answering this call were great mates – Graham Manson, Mike Treloar and Calvin Paddon.

The three worked as mechanics at the Rotorua branch of Caterpillar agent Gough Gough & Hamer. They were looking for a business opportunity and challenge, so they uprooted themselves and moved to Gisborne. This was the genesis of Pacific Haulage.

Realising the nature and severity of the terrain they were about to grapple with, they drew upon the knowledge they had gained working in and around local logging crews and operators in the central North Island. Kenworth appeared to be the vehicle of choice. So the decision was made to purchase an older LW and a handful of W-models, already rigged with log equipment, and head into the bush. These early units worked hard and proved themselves immediately. Basic but bulletproof.

A very youthful Fleet No.26 in her original Pacific Haulage livery. Sharp! Photo: Paddon collection.

As the trucks aged, the factory fitted Cummins 335 and 350hp engines became tired and needed rejuvenation. Calvin, Mike, and Graham revisited their Caterpillar roots. Instead of rebuilding the old Cummins diesels, they re-powered some of the ageing fleet with the more modern 3406A Cat engines, which offered more power and torque.

The marriage of the Kenworth and Caterpillar products in these early trucks demonstrated a mechanical synergy on task in the bush, cementing the brand combination as the staple spec for Pacific Haulage fleet replacement through the years.

Chatting with Calvin today, it becomes abundantly clear that for the three partners – and Warwick Wilshire, who became an instrumental partner in 2007 after purchasing Graham’s share of the business – there were a couple of factors at play. The first was establishing strong working relationships with their suppliers by showing brand loyalty. The second was maintenance and spare parts.

“If something went wrong, we knew a simple call to the dealers meant assistance was there,” says Calvin. “Being located at the extreme east of the North Island, availability and access to spare parts can quickly become an issue. By standardising the fleet, it simplified the maintenance and reduced the parts inventory the workshop needed to carry to effectively support the fleet.”

The same can be said for the logging equipment and trailing gear, with the lion’s share built by a longstanding friend, Graeme Kelly of Kraft Engineering in Rotorua. The connection to Kraft Engineering enabled Pacific Haulage to collaborate on the design of the equipment and trailers. This ensured the setup was easy to operate and strong enough to stand up to the demands placed on it.

In June 2018, when New Zealand Trucking magazine featured the Kenworth T900 Legend and Kraft log combination of Napier’s Satherley Logging, owner Bevan Satherley summed it up perfectly. “I’ve tried all the fancy stuff, drop chassis and all that, but I look at Pacific Haulage; I don’t actually know the owners personally, but you have to admire what they’ve achieved, in the toughest logging country in the country, I reckon.

“Simple, gear with no frills, straight chassis on the trailers, no joins. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.”

Ben turns inland at the Tutira Store. (Best fried chicken on the coast.)

Over the years, most Kenworth models have been branded in Pacific Haulage’s distinctive livery of red chassis and silver cab with a two-tone green and white stripe.

Although W-models featured strongly, change was in the wind in the early 1990s, with the Kenworth plant at Bayswater re-jigging for the impending arrival of the new T-series cab, which itself instigated the development of the new T900 and the T950 models.

Like other fleets throughout New Zealand, Pacific Haulage eagerly awaited the new models, and as this next generation of bugs was released, their acceptance was immediate. Multiple purchases of the T900 and 950 variants made their way into the Gisborne fleet, spec’ed with big yellow blocks of iron from Peoria, Illinois, sitting between the chassis rails, of course.

In 2002, a new pair of identical T950s arrived at the yard, outfitted with Kraft 404 trailers and logging equipment, sporting fleet numbers 26 and 28. The new models went straight to work on all manner of East Coast operations and proved quickly to be worthy successors to the W-model. With its raised cab and sloping hood, the T950 dominanted at PHL. There were the obvious benefits of greater visibility and increased airflow assisting the cooling of major components, and come maintenance time the extra room simplified servicing, winning the mechanics over.

The workshops at Pacific Haulage, run by Calvin and Mike, always ensured the trucks were well maintained, with most of the fleet eventually being pensioned off at about the 1,000,000km mark. The boys presented the trucks in solid condition at sale, ready to work for their new owners, with the Pacific Haulage spec proving popular with prospective buyers. Many to this day are still at the coalface, working hard for their current owners, a true credit to the quality of their specification and upkeep.

Independent log contractor Bob Austin bought both T950 twins from his mate Mike Treloar at Pacific Haulage. He gave them their names, Angels Share, and Independence. When this photo was taken Angels Share (left) was sporting her new paint job, an adaption of one Bob had seen on a US truck and took a shine to. Photo: Austin collection.

Independent Angel

The seeds for Bob Austin’s deal were planted some 40 years ago via a friendship that had its own beginnings in mid-70s Rotorua. Bob was originally from Waiuku but moved to the Rotorua area to drive an old plastic cab Atkinson logging truck for Geoff Perfect. Through his dealings with Gough Gough & Hamer, Bob met Mike, Graham, and Calvin, and as Bob recalls, they spent many happy occasions at the old Homestead Tavern on Fairy Springs Road (also known as the ‘Home Breaker’), a popular watering hole with local lads.

From Rotorua, Bob moved to Western Australia for what would eventually be a 17-year stint in the mines, operating heavy machinery. Great times and good memories. However, in time, the call of New Zealand saw Bob shift back home to Waiuku. On his return, the opportunity of a job to clear a wood lot came his way, and like many small businesses starting out, one job well done leads to the next – in this instance bringing about the opening of Austin Logging in 1995.

Looking for a couple of log units to get the business underway, Bob called his good mate Mike Treloar in Gisborne to see what he had on offer. His thinking at the time was not too dissimilar to Bevan Satherley’s.

                                                                                            On the Bay View Expressway.

“If the Kenworth-Caterpillar- Kraft combination was good enough for his good mates on the East Cape, then it has got to be good for me,” he reasoned.

To start with, Bob purchased a couple of older W-model units from Mike. “They were great trucks. One was an early rig that was Cummins-powered, a 350 that had been uprated to 400, and the next one was powered with a 3406 Cat.”

In late 2014, Bob needed a new addition to his fleet, so he picked up the phone to call Mike once again. This time, something later model was on offer – No.28, one of the pair of twin 2002 T950 units. They discussed numbers, and Bob decided to purchase the truck. Three months later, Mike called Bob and told him No.26, the sister truck, was also available. Bob did not take a lot of convincing; No.28 was already proving itself. He was soon the proud new owner of the twin pair.

On its arrival, Bob decided that he would send No.26 to the paint shop for a spruceup, where it got a good media blasting and repaint of the chassis. The bonnet and cab were also sanded back and painted.

“I had seen a Kenworth on the net in the States that had a classic-looking paint scheme I liked. It was bronze and cream, so we used the same layout but swapped the bronze for a candy apple red. We had already named No.28 Independence when it arrived in honour of our standing in the market as an independent forest harvesting operation, so now we needed a name for 26. We were up north working for a client, Alistair Cummings, who came straight out with Angels Share. We were like, ‘What does that mean?’ He explained that in Scotland, at the whiskey distilleries, when you walk into a barrel hall, the smell of the whiskey is thick in the air. This is because, over time, approximately 40% of it evaporates into the atmosphere. It has become known as the angels taking their share of the product. That was it – at that moment, No.26 was christened.”

“I was not disappointed. Both of the twin T950 rigs have been superb. We get into some real gnarly backof- nowhere woodlots, and we regularly have to pull out the loaded trucks. The Kenworth chassis is built to take a tonne of punishment,” says Bob.

About three years ago, after the best part of 25 years harvesting woodlots, Bob decided that it was time to think about slowing down and retiring from the industry. To start the process, he put Independence on the market. Enter prospective purchaser Storm Harrison and his company Ngati Haulage, of Bayview, Napier.

Unfortunately, Independence had been sold when Storm called, so Bob mentioned that Angels Share might also be for sale. Photos were exchanged, and they virtually completed the deal over the phone without a viewing or a test drive. With both rigs sold off, Bob continued cleaning up, slowly selling off the rest of his plant.

Task completed, it was surely time to settle down and enjoy a bit of peace? Wrong. After barely 12 months, Bob needed to get moving again.

“I was seeing good mates going downhill, and I thought, ‘I’ve got to stay two steps ahead of the box.’ So I called Storm to see if he would sell Angels Share back to me. Well, there was no chance of that, so it was back on the phone to the team at Pacific Haulage to see what was available. There was an 8×4 K108 that fitted my needs, so that was it. I purchased that and got back behind the wheel.

“In fact, I have been helping another good mate in the South Island, George Smith, with some work at Lake Tekapo, taking the burnt logs leftover from the bush fire on Moturiki Island a few years ago. They go to a chipping plant in Geraldine to make fuel for hospital boilers. It’s good work and keeping me busy, but it’s cold like I have never experienced before. At 3.30am in Tekapo, it’s minus- 10°C, and there I am, skidding around on my back under the trailer, trying to unfreeze brakes and not stick to the ground!” Then he laughs, “It’s just like ‘Mr Bean’ in the clip where he was at the iceskating rink.”

Left: Storm Harrison has much to be proud of, whether it be service to his nation, or his business endeavours. Top right: Joe Young was another huge influence on Stoirm’s early driving education. Bottom right: The Mack Titan Storm drove for the legendary Jamieson Transport out of Port Hedland. Storm did four years in the outback for Jamo. The environment was the perfect bridge between military and civilian life. Photos: Harrison collection.

Tours of duty

After its tour of duty with Austin Logging, returning to Hawke’s Bay in 2018 with Angels Share was a significant moment for Storm Harrison. He, too, had not too long returned home from his own tours for duty, one with the New Zealand Defence Force, followed by time spent at road-train operations in the red heart of outback Australia.

Storm’s journey to becoming an independent log transport operator started with him riding around with his Dad Ellie Harrison in the sleepercabbed ERF Ellie drove for Freightways out of Napier.

“My earliest memory would be sleeping in the back of that ERF while Dad drove along, shooting up to Auckland all the time, going as hard as they could until they got tired and then pulling over and having a ‘moe’ somewhere.”

Spending time with his dad was the backbone of Storm’s education in driving and operating a heavy vehicle. But, growing up in and around Napier in the 1980s saw Storm in the passenger seats of iconic trucks owned and operated by legends of the industry.

One such truck was the ‘Mighty Mutt’, a V8 Mack Super-Liner with a formidable reputation on the Napier-Taupo Road, owned and operated by Storm’s namesake, Storm Hema, Ellie’s best mate and affectionately known in the family as Uncle Storm.

“It was a favourite and was always a great day out. Uncle Storm, as he was known to us kids, was a big burly man with a real deep voice, and he always called me ‘boy’. He was really humble and a good laugh. I remember sitting in the cab of the Mutt and listening to the air starter when he fired it up, as well as looking out over that massive bonnet. Yeah, good times,” says Storm.

In 1998, at 17, Storm enlisted with the army and completed his basic training. From there, it was straight into the infantry battalion and on to active duty in the likes of East Timor, Sinai, Israel, and Egypt. The Antarctic also features in Storm’s deployment resume.

After active service, Storm spent a little time back at home. But the call for more adventure soon grew too strong to ignore, and he headed for the Australian outback.

“I thought I’d have a crack at the mines and ended up there for four years, working for Jamieson Transport out of Port Hedland. They were awesome to work for. It was all pretty much whanau, too – 99% Kiwis. The boss, Jamo, himself an Aussie, was just like, ‘I want Kiwis. If you’re an Aussie and ya can’t get a job, then you shouldn’t be living here.’ He is a good man, Jamo.

“I drove an old Mack Titan, a 2007 one, big sleeper on it, 620 Cummins-powered tri-drive. That was a good truck. I ended up running the show for a year, and that is where the networking came in. I’d ring up the boys back over here and say, ‘Do you want to come over here and have a go on the road trains? Quads, 175-tonne, fly in, fly out… good money?’ That’s how we networked. We had heaps of army boys over, too, people in the same boat as me, struggling, who didn’t know where they fitted in with civilian life after active service. Being in the mines was like where we’d been. You were in a camp, so it was like a military environment. Like on a mini deployment. You were flying out to an isolated place, so for them it was like going back to Afghanistan or East Timor. It was similar; we sort of fitted in alright over there. Even now, loads of the brothers are still over there working for Jamo.”

Returning to New Zealand was all about settling down and being closer to whanau for Storm.

In the time he’s owned it, Storm’s been intent on ensuring Angels Share continues to honour her past. The brake valves, undercarriage, and tow-eye evidence a proud work history, and he’s left the faint Pacific Haulage name on the trailer chassis.

“It’s a good thing for me having these trucks now. I’m busy all the time, so I can start phasing out the military side of things because it’s been 20 years now. I can start focussing on the next chapter – on the family. It’s good being home every night, and after every first round, now I drop in at home for breakfast with the kids and help Mummy get them ready for school. I could never do that before.”

The connection to the Kenworth and Caterpillar combination for Storm came from many experiences growing up in and around the Pan Pac brethren. Ellie and Storm Hema worked for Pan Pac – Ellie on fleet No.91, an LW Kenworth working the port run, and Storm as a contract owner-driver, initially on his old W-model Kenworth ‘Pink Panther’ before the famous Mack Super-Liners.

Long-time family friend Joe Young also had a new-flat roof Kenworth K100G. “Uncle Joe took me under his wing, teaching me how to drive,” says Storm. “It was a Cat fitted with BrakeSaver, and the cab interior was that dark brown with the buttons, and I remember thinking ‘Is that real leather?’ As you get older, you know that it’s not leather, but it was a cool look.

“Then, there were the times where Dad was off the Pan Pac work, and he would drive for the likes of Cliff Hair in his W-model and Grant Robbie’s T900. For me, that’s the oldschool look of the brown interior and big bonnet, and with Angels Share, that’s what she’s got – Kenworth, Cat, and BrakeSaver, with the brown interior and a bonnet.

“It was funny when I bought the Angels Share. I told Dad, and he was like, ‘Ya silly fool! You should’ve got a Freightliner.’ But when he saw it and sat in it for the first time, he was like, ‘Too much, my boy. This is just like Uncle Storm’s old one.’ So yeah, it really fits what is special to me, and brings back all the memories.”

As important as memories were in the Angels Share purchase and inclusion in the Ngati Haulage fleet, she still must reliably go out and earn a crust. Twenty years later, and three owners deep, the thought Mike, Calvin, and Graham put into the trucks’ spec all those years ago is still paying dividends today.

Storm immediately knew it was the perfect machine for his application. Based on his experience at Jamieson Transport back in WA, the fact the unit was the age it was did not deter him one bit.

“Yeah, what I learnt at Jamo’s was that one of their trucks had, like, more than 6,000,000km on the clock. It was an old Mack Titan. It had been to the moon and back three or four times. But what they did was strip it down to chassis and cab, new diffs, new engine and gearbox, and get it back out there for another million. That made me think, ‘You know? Angels Share is not that old really, and if anything goes wrong, I’ll just keep doing it up. Oh, and never sell her’,” Storm says with a laugh. And seriously? Why would you?

>>>> READ TO PART TWO