As Gavin Myers was passing the Z Truck Stop on Great South Road, Pōkeno, Greg Biggs was parked up for his break. One look at Greg’s Mack CH613 and Gavin knew he had to stop for a yarn.

Greg is an owner-driver for Auckland-based Machinery Movers, a job he’s had for about the past four years. His job for the day was to shift some specialised concrete panels to Hamilton. “Our loads are quite often unusual shapes and sizes with this kind of work. We don’t often cart the same load more than once, which sometimes means we have to think about how we’re going to move it,” Greg says.

His career stretches 30 years, during which time he’s done “a few different things…”

“I’ve done a fair bit of refrigerated work, tipping, flatdeck and general, bulk liquids, flour … a variety,” says Greg.

Even with about 1,900,000km on the clock, Greg’s CH is in mint condition overall. He explains this is the second time he’s owned it.

“I’ve been driving it for the past five or six years. The guy I sold it to also had it about six years before I bought it back from him.

“It’s a good old truck. The Mack E-Tech 470 motor has been rebuilt, and it runs okay. It doesn’t keep up with all the new stuff, but it’s all right. A solid truck that does what it needs to do,” Greg says.

When asked about one thing in the industry Greg would change, he replies: “We need to be independent with our fuel supply. It’s urgent that we have a refinery so we can make our own fuel like we used to.”