This month we meet up with another T-Line grafter, earning a crust in Waipawa.

Our inductee into the Million Mile Club this month started out its working life within the Farmers Transport fleet back in 1981. Operating out of Feilding, from what we can determine, the truck worked across all facets of the rural sector during its 13-year stint at Farmers Transport as a drop-side/tipper. With a touch over 814,000km on the clock, the T-Line was sold via Geoff Brown Truck Sales of Papakura, Auckland. Who exactly bought it is a mystery, however we do know that it was in their care for about two years, and it had another 100,000km added to the records.

It was now around mid-1998, and Max Nathan of Waipawa was on the lookout for a replacement T-Line after his was involved in an accident while out on loan, and written off. “Yeah, I lent it out, and it got returned to me on its roof, not ideal … I was pretty pissed off to be honest. So, I got in touch with a good mate of mine, Darryl Egden, and asked him to keep an eye out for me. He found this one, which is actually the sister truck to the one I had, so the deal was done and it was straight back to work,” says Max.

“We have a lease on a local red metal quarry, so we process the metal, then deliver it throughout the Hawke’s Bay. It really is the perfect truck for what we need, and with the three-axle Micanta tipper trailer, we are good for a bit over 20 tonne, keeping it legal.”

Over the years, the mighty T-Line has been a trooper for Max on the business’ balance sheet as well. It really has been a case of normal routine maintenance, with the only bigger work being a new set of pistons and liners for the 350 Cummins a while back, and recently a new air-ride driver’s seat was fitted. “I have never had an issue with COFs. It just went in a few days ago actually, and again a clean sheet, so you can’t complain about that.

“It’s funny though, you get those questions with a truck like this. I had this guy say the other day, ‘Has that truck got air conditioning?’ I said, ‘Yes it does’, and he said ‘How does that work?’ I said, ‘You open the f…… window, simple’.” And that really is the secret of the T-Line’s success, its simplicity.

Max’s T-Line has put in an epic effort with more than 2,000,000km to its name. Now, as it heads for 45 years of age, and the best part of 26 years in Max’s care, with its Cummins, Roadranger, Rockwell driveline, it’s fair to say another 45 years is quite possibly on the cards for KE8689.