Kiwi singing icons Split Enz loudly sang ‘History never repeats’, and maybe if you’re going to be a stickler for detail, there’s truth in that statement. But there are times when history is reinvented. This month’s Top Truck, Maher Transport’s Iveco, and the Maher fleet happily acknowledge the past with their company colour scheme. But what of the origins and the history of the original Taihape Transport Holdings, trucks and the men?

Taihape Transport Holdings officially came to be in 1977 and operated until 1993. The company’s vibrant cream, orange and brown colour scheme appeared on many standout units and was well entrenched in the road transport history of Rangitīkei.

Before 1977, the district was serviced by Mid Island Transport and Capills Transport (owned by Ron Capill and later by Rory Bell). John Remus, as mentioned in the Top Truck story by Barry Maher, had worked for Rory Bell for about three years as transport manager before moving north to pursue other opportunities.

As the story goes, during this time, Rory had heard rumours of another large competitor eyeing up the area with the view to taking business off the locals. Not wanting to lose customers, Rory, who had heard John was returning to the district, offered John a deal. Knowing John had numerous contacts and a good rapport with the local farming community, the deal proposed was two vehicle authorities (VAs) for $2000 each on a pay-when-you-can basis.

John started with one truck and trailer and offered Don Logan the second VA, together forming R & L (Remus and Logan) Transport. Both men purchased new International 2150s, complete with new trailers and stock crates, at about $71,000 per unit. At the same time, Scotty Baird – known for his involvement in the transport industry – was brought into the fold as R & L frontman and manager.

With the right men at the helm of the new transport company, the local farming community quickly embraced the venture. Work and money were plentiful. The demise of Mid Island Transport in Taihape only added more work to the ever-growing company and it became obvious more trucks would be needed to handle the workload. Local businessmen Ron Capill and Bill Gordon suggested that R & L Transport form a holding company to increase truck numbers by taking on owner-drivers. A practicality at the time later proved, in hindsight, to be the company’s downfall as the partners lost control over it.

Taihape Transport Holdings was created. John and Don were joined by Joe Chase, Natana ‘Paki’ Cribb, Neville Ericksen, Lyall Chase, Pere Nepe and Bill King – all formerly from Mid Island – and Johnny Whale from Capills, also known to most as ‘Johnny Mac’, who would operate as McTaggerts Transport. The calibre of the operators was well known within the community, and as a unit they did very well.

John and Don bought new trucks, the owner-drivers’ trucks from Mid Island and Capills, together with three Macks purchased from Motor Truck Distributors. The distinctive livery was created by a Tokoroa car painter. John was keen to see cream and orange, as previous local carriers had sported those colours. (Baird and Ryan was orange and cream; Byford’s red and cream). For good measure, the painter threw brown into the mix, and the now instantly recognisable colour scheme was born!

Life was good. Work was plentiful … livestock to the Manawatu, Wanganui, Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Hawke’s Bay, along with fertiliser, wool and general farm commodities.

Business was booming, and at the third anniversary of the new company, all the trucks had been paid off and new trucks added to the fleet. Don was the exception; he put on a second-hand White Road Boss.

All the owner drivers paid 10% (which was later increased to 15%) to cover administration costs. The group continued to prosper, but as the years rolled on, changes in the industry began to take their toll. In Taihape, AFFCO chose to go with Total Transport for its livestock transport requirements. Ironically, this then caused issues for Total, as an increase in timber cartage put unexpected pressure on its fleet. Local stock and station agent Grant Johnson and Total’s Matt Purvis approached John with the offer of three loads a week to AFFCO plants around the North Island.

Going again

John was happy to work outside the Taihape area, and in good faith, suggested the holding company also come on board. It seemed ideal; the team could do any additional stock work that came from the job plus the invoicing and, in theory, make finding additional work easier. In an unexpected blow, the group chose to turn down the offer, and John was asked to leave.

John was back where he had started with one truck and trailer unit. To accommodate the workload, drivers Mike O’Connor, Don Crow and Danny Downs were brought in to manage the long days. As with most owner-drivers, the help of a good partner is essential, and John’s wife Josie juggled motherhood while also manning the RT, phones and stock and station agents. Josie’s father, Scotty Baird, was on hand when things got stressful. As the workload grew, John brought in his brother-in-law, Ivan Baird. An old Atkinson was purchased from local truck dealer Jolly and Mills. It proved totally unsuitable for the job at hand, lacking power and any ability to handle the terrain. It was replaced with a Fuso.

John and Ivan worked on for about eight months, but increasing workloads saw them having to turn down work. Hoping to alleviate some of the pressure, they approached Don Logan, and after some ‘arm twisting’, he came on board. In reality, it did little to relieve the pressure. By this stage, the writing was on the wall for Taihape Transport Holdings.

John was subsequently approached by Bill Gordon, suggesting he take over the entire company. In hindsight, it proved not to be a wise move. Things within the group soon started to unravel with Lyall Chase, Neville Erickson and Paki Cribb parting company, and while the core group remained for several years, Bill King and Ivan Baird eventually also left to pursue their own projects. The unravelling continued, with Rere Nepe and Johnny Whale also later choosing to leave, leaving only Don Logan. He was later joined by Don Crow. John decided to rebuild the company back up to 10 trucks.

But in 1983, hard choices needed to be made. John and Josie had to decide whether to increase the size of the business by acquiring another local firm or sell up and move on. The couple chose to sell to Waipukurau transport company Foleys, which eventually sold it to Farmers Transport.

John Remus and Don Logan are now the only remaining original owner-drivers, all others having passed away. John believes, however, that Ivan Baird, Danny Downs and Don Crown are still going.

Don is still driving at almost 80. John says there would likely be no one who has driven the Gentle Annie road more than him. It’s been 60-odd years since Don started driving with Baird and Ryan in a petrol Commer with very poor brakes. Having to back up on several corners was a common necessity. As a true testament to men with grit, on the day I spoke with John, he believed Don was again making the trip in his truck and trailer unit with a load of posts to the Bay.

Despite the inherent problems, the holdings company had seen a group of dedicated and professional operators work together. Their legacy – the orange, cream and brown colours – forever entrenched in Taihape transport history.