Trucking on the mainland has been Steve Martin‘s life. But the roads have not just been his workplace, they‘ve been the canvas on which he‘s demonstrated his love of big rigs. His latest addition proves that good looks and hard work are not mutually exclusive

No, that headline isn‘t just us indulging in a bit of adulation, that‘s a quote from the man who owns this month‘s Kenworth T610 top truck. A list of the South Island‘s significant trucking sons of the modern era would see Steve Martin near the top without a doubt.

A native of Dunedin, 59-year-old Steve grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s – the golden era of modern trucking – when the trucks were big and accessible to wide-eyed, enthusiastic youth.

He got his license at 18, kicking off his career with R A Little carting frozen goods from cool stores in the local freezing works back to PPCS (Primary Producers Co-operative Society) in Dunedin.

He transitioned to Samson Transport when they bought Little‘s and was moved onto one of the toughest gigs in trucking — a hanging-meat delivery round ex-Dunedin to butcher shops throughout Central Otago.

In the late 1980s, he was promoted to a full-on line haul job when Samsons won additional work in the wake of Transpac‘s collapse. That resulted in Steve regularly driving SH1 between Invercargill and Christchurch, roads that today he probably knows better than the back of his hand.

Twenty-five odd years ago, Steve took a position at Quality Bakers as an employed driver and a decade later, he snapped up the opportunity to become a contractor. Steve Martin Contracting was born.

Steve Martin: a life filled with a love of trucks and still happily walking toward the driver‘s door on a rainy Monday. And it shows in what he builds.

Keeping the Martin machines mobile requires a team. The T610‘s other helmsmen, Matt Brown (left), and Reece Martin.

The new Kenworth joins a Mercedes-Benz Actros on the front line of the operation. It replaces a loyal Freightliner Argosy that‘s amassed a trouble-free 750,000km servicing Steve‘s bulk flour and grain distribution contract with Quality Bakers parent Goodman Fielder. Asked why he went the way of the bug in the wake of the ‘Freighty‘, Steve says: “I looked at the new Cascadia, but the bonnet length didn‘t work with the big engine option. Also, the engine brake in the Actros is a bit light, and essentially, they‘re the same running gear.

The Kenworth addressed both those things. I‘ve had Kenworths before so it‘s nothing new, but this thing is so smooth, so beautiful to operate. You don‘t want to get out of it. It goes good, looks good, and it sounds good,” he says with a grin.

“I‘ll keep the Argosy, it‘s still a bloody good machine, and it‘s kitted up with all the equipment to jump back on the tanks if needed.”

Steve sourced the Kenworth through Southpac‘s Chris Gray and says Chris was great to deal with throughout.

The maestros at Timaru Signs applied the signwriting, and the fit-out and aesthetic embellishments came via Heavy Diesel Parts and Services (HDPS) in Christchurch.

“Matt at HDPS couldn‘t do enough for us. And look at the result. It‘s not bad, is it? The only thing we‘ve done since she hit the road is lift the lower side-light stainless strips, just to make it that little bit easier getting on the ferry.”

The truck and 6-axle Convair B-train is beautifully balanced visually, with the slick, smooth lines of the T610 complementing the trailer‘s curvaceous presence. Australian the T610 may be, but the lessis-more approach to the rig‘s visual splendour means it would be equally at home in California as in Canterbury. Big, impactful items such as the Superchrome wheels, Kentweld bumper and twinshooters are supported by the clever use of coded paint, stainless steel, lights, and even more subtle additions like the snazzy black monsoons. It all contributes to an impactful yet practical, custom rig.

And practical it has to be. One of the trademarks of a Steve Martin machine is uptime. The Actros Steve runs is just on two-and-a-quarter years old and has recently nudged past the 900,000km mark servicing its finished product distribution contract, again for Goodman Fielder. The T610 will likely rack up 1.5 million kilometres in just under 60 months plying the highways between Dunedin, Christchurch and Nelson, with a fortnightly hop over the Cook Strait to the Capital.

Uptime like that means there‘s little time for delays, so the unit is set up with SI-Lodec onboard scales for accuracy of loading.

These days, Steve floats between his trucks, covering holidays, sickness, and additional shifts as required, but he can rest easy because his new baby is in the best of hands. Nephew Reece Martin and Matt Brown man the Kenworth, both are truckers to the core.

Reece (31) rode with his uncle as a young fella and has 12 years under his belt having worked for Fulton Hogan Central, ATL, and Burnell & Son before coming on board three years ago.

Matt (38) has done 20 years at the wheel, beginning at Summerland Express Freight, moving onto Northern Southland Transport Holdings, before two stints at Halls split by a seven-year trucking OE in the big red land driving road and power trains. He‘s been with Steve just on two years.

You‘d have to say that‘s quite a team.