The annual presentation of the John Murphy Memorial Top Truck Award is certainly one the highlights of our year. This one was a little bit more special, however. In keeping with the man after whom the award is named, we were flooded with messages from people who were thrilled that Rob and Tania Jeffery had won it – certainly a Top Truck, but top people to boot.

Just a lovely bloke.’ ‘A bloody good bugger!’ ‘Your classic Kiwi battlers’ The tributes came in from all over the nation, the South Island in particular. It’s not just RT Southern Line Haul’s Kenworth K200 2.8m Aerodyne tractor and 6-axle B-train Bad Habit that struck a chord with the voting public, it was also the truck’s owners: Rob and Tania Jeffery. Securing well over double the votes of its nearest competitor, the early signs were evident the couple’s K’dub, resplendent in the striking red and yellow livery of Bascik Transport, was going to be a tough rig to head off.

Although Timaru-based, the Kenworth and its TMC B-train is a regular in both the North and South islands, so is a true New Zealand Top Truck. That also meant we were able to rendezvous with Rob at Bascik’s Onehunga yard while he was on a recent interisland run. Bad Habit was treated to a bath on arrival in the City of Sails and was looking its best for the official proceedings.

On hand to effect the handover of the spoils were Power Retreads director Dave Leicester and Dave McCoid from New Zealand Trucking Media.

Once again, we assigned our man upstairs, John Murphy, the weather task for the presentation of the annual Top Truck Award named in his honour. He managed to put on two hours of consistent sunshine in Auckland … in spring. Now that really is a miracle.

“The truck is looking fantastic and Rob and Tania are such deserving winners,” said Dave Leicester.

Rob and Tania receive a full set of Vipal DV-RT4 retreaded drive tyres valued at $3200 plus GST, and a fantastic original painting of Bad Habit from the Andrew Geddes poster, painted by New Zealand’s first lady of auto art, Rochelle Thomas. That’s valued at $600.

“An awesome day all round, isn’t it?” said Rob Jeffery. “Thanks to Dave [Leicester] at Power Retreads for the tyres, Rochelle for the painting, New Zealand Trucking magazine, and Andrew Geddes for what he did to get us this far. If it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t be here today.”

“The award is named after one of life’s truly nice guys, and this year was so fitting in honouring that,” said New Zealand Trucking Media’s Dave McCoid. “Yes, Bad Habit is a worthy winner in every sense, but the calls we received from people thrilled at who had won this year… Rob and Tania are fantastic folk and people wanted that recognised.

“Speaking of fantastic people… Again, Dave Leicester and the Power Retreads team, and of course, Rochelle Thomas who really does have the pressure on her to get the winner’s painting completed at her busiest time of the year. Without those two stalwart supporters, the competition wouldn’t be what it is. We honestly can’t thank them enough.”