Jaymin McGuire has pursued photography for more than 10 years, recently getting into night photography. He combined this with his love for trucks to show the Northern Rural Haulage fleet from a different perspective.

Most of Northern Rural Haulage’s customers are farmers. After more than a decade in catering to farmers’ specific needs, owner Doug Wilson reckons he knows what farmers want better than anyone.

“They want to deal with a reliable company with longevity. When they need feed, fert or metal, they need a quick response. It’s important to us that our customers know when they order supplies or materials to be delivered on a certain day that we deliver,” he says.

Doug formed Northern Rural Haulage in 2009 when he saw a need for a Northland-wide rural- haulage service to supply farms and construction with the materials they need when they need them. The company has since expanded to include rural-haulage runs south to the Waikato and Tauranga.

Northern Rural Haulage is proudly family-owned and operated. Doug’s son Kyle started in the company as a driver and, more recently, has moved into the office full-time. Kyle focuses on the dispatching, while Doug is does the pricing and handles the customer side of things. The company has a 13-strong team. Doug says having a great, dedicated team is important as many of the company’s jobs are time-sensitive, and there’s a great deal of pride taken in responding to last-minute jobs if customers require them.

“Farmers like dealing with local companies,” says Doug, who was born and bred in Northland and has more than 40 years’ experience in the bulk-cartage industry. In Northland, where everything is about who you know, Doug has built a comprehensive network within the industry and related industries.

Northern Rural Haulage likewise likes supporting other local businesses. For example, the fleet’s repairs and maintenance are handled by Commercial Diesel in Whangarei. Northern Rural Haulage also has an onsite workshop where minor repairs and maintenance are carried out so that day-to- day running can continue smoothly.

“All vehicles are regularly inspected and maintained so customers can trust the trucks are always roadworthy. This keeps the fleet in tip- top condition and ensures that there are no unexpected delays for customers.”