GVT Landline is a longstanding name in North Canterbury transport. Iveco is one of the newer truck brands in its fleet, and the new S-Way is taking a starring role thanks to its availability, value and driver appeal.

The great thing about the New Zealand Trucking magazine Top Truck is that any truck can be included. Those so flash you wouldn’t want to put them in operation, or the honest, down-to-earth hard workers that comprise so many fleets – they’re all Top Truck potential. When GVT Landline driver John Marr contacted us with news his new Iveco S-Way dropside unit was on order, we knew exactly what to expect – a truck that brings together all that’s encompassed in an authentic rural transport operation that has a rich history in the North Canterbury region.

From its base alongside SH1 at Glasnevin, GVT Landline operates a fleet of 21 trucks of various makes and models. Six of those are Ivecos, two of which are the new 570hp S-Way – one high-roof stock unit and John’s dropsider fitted with the 2.5m-wide Active Space Low-Roof (3300mm) cab.

“None of our bulk units can have high roofs or aero kits … This is the tallest flatdeck we have in the fleet, and it only just gets under the chutes at Ravensdown,” says John.

Regular readers of the magazine may recognise 29-year-old John from our article on Flat Point Station (Lucky Stars, February 2021), where he drove for three years. “I came back from my OE and was browsing Trade Me, and the job at Flat Point came up offering to pay for the class 5. I grew up on a farm and always had diesel in my veins, so I had my class 4 … It seemed pretty interesting, so I applied,” John explains.

“Eventually, I decided I’d rather be on this side of the Strait. I came back home to Canterbury with no intentions of what to do. So I rung up Marco [Woelders, director, GVT Landline] one day to see if he was looking for a driver … he had a spare truck in the yard, so that was that. I started in August 2022, and that Christmas, he asked if I’d be keen on a new unit – the Iveco. The only part of the deal was I had to put up with no money going into tidying up the old girl, which didn’t even have working aircon!

“But I love the variety and the anything-and-everything aptitude of dropsider work. Today, it’s Tīmaru for fert, tomorrow it could be bailage into Lake Sumner.”

The wait for the Iveco to arrive would be worth it, though. Fleet No.654 may appear outwardly simple, but it’s in fact perfectly equipped for the task at hand. The truck, riding on front leaf and rear air suspension, sits on Alcoa Dura-Brights and rides on large 295/80 R22.5 tyres all round, giving it a little extra ground clearance. The drive axles are fitted with TRT Traction Air.

“It’s great on traction,” John comments. “Off-road ability is huge for us. The trucks need to be able to handle the gravel roads in the high country. We go all the way up to Lake Sumner. A lot of people think we’re nuts for that, when they hear we take truck and trailers in there …”

The trailer is a new 9.7m five-axle TES unit riding on polished 19.5in wheels and underpinned by Wabco’s height-adjustable OptiLevel electronically controlled air suspension, with a rear lift axle. It is fitted with Wabco SmartBoard, and John can control its functions from the Wabco OptiLink mobile app. Again, this all hints at the thinking behind the unit’s ability to tackle the toughest high-country roads. Tauranga canvas tarps finish the trailer.

“We’re happy with it; TES builds a good trailer,” says John. “With a five-axle, I now have to be careful where I go. There’s one station I won’t even attempt with this. But it tracks very well, better than I was expecting on some of these roads.”

As for the truck deck, it’s an old Guy Norris deck that was fitted to the old Hino 700 John drove previously. “It’s been modified a number of times over the years; this is the third truck it’s been on!” John says. The truck features factory scales on the rear axle, allowing John to keep an eye on loadings.

With the truck coming in at 13,300kg and the trailer at 7200kg, the decision was to run the unit at 50MAX, but application for a 54-tonne permit is in the works.

“When the truck was ordered, Marco hummed and hawed about putting a five-axle trailer on it, but we worked out that it would be quite advantageous to have the bigger trailer given the unit’s tare weight,” John explains.

As for the rest of the truck, it’s pretty much standard S-Way. John benefits from the likes of LED headlamps, adaptive cruise, lane keeping assist and full autonomous emergency braking. The cab is hard-wearing and practical, featuring a fridge/ freezer under the bunk and plenty of storage.

“It’s a great truck to drive,” says John. “The auto in this is superior to anything I’ve driven before, and it’s amazingly quiet. It wasn’t until I got this that I realised how much my old trailer rattled, towing it before the new one arrived.”

Marco is complimentary, too, explaining that he enjoys a good relationship with Straun Syme (South Island sales), and Iveco has been able to supply the trucks as GVT needed them.

“At the moment, they’re all good – comfortable for the drivers and with good standard features, which helps with driver retention. Unfortunately, that’s just the game we play … though bells and whistles can be a pain in the arse on the terrain we drive.

“I see them as not a top-of-the-line Euro truck, but they’re less cost [than other Euros], and in the work we do, that’s a big difference,” Marco says.

Spoken just as you’d expect from the man behind a good, honest rural contracting operation.