Chris Mack, owner of Mack Transport Ltd in Okaiawa, South Taranaki, has built an impressive transport operation since purchasing the business from his father, Peter, in 2004.

Following the purchase Chris renamed the company, formerly Peter Mack Transport Ltd, to Mack Transport Ltd, and set about restructuring. Part of the plan was to standardise all truck decks and trailers; his intention was to make the entire fleet totally interchangeable with trailers, crates, and bins. This would enable him to quickly change capability as demand changed. The company can now accommodate livestock, bulk agricultural product deliveries, and general bulk line haul.

Being a qualified panel beater has been a useful asset in the design aspects as well as maintenance.

There are no specialists or dedicated trucks in the eightstrong fleet. Even the small Isuzu can be converted to hauling almost any product.

The current fleet consists of two Isuzus, five Hinos, and an R model Mack. This Mack has been completely restored but is in no way a toy; it can do any work required of it.

When it came time to order a new truck recently, Chris did his homework and settled on an 8×4 CY J460 Isuzu. The truck is powered by an Isuzu 6WG1-TCC Euro 5 engine rated at 338kW (460hp) and 2254Nm (1663lb/ft) of torque. An 18-speed Roadranger manual gearbox, Isuzu‘s own FO66 front and 21,000kg RT210 rear axles, and front leaf with 4-bag rear air suspension complete the running gear.

Moller Johnson Ltd is one of Taranaki‘s longest serving truck sales, parts and service centres with facilities in both Bell Block and Hawera. The Mack Isuzu was supplied through the Hawera branch and the sales team said Mack Transport are a great company to deal with and there‘s always a demand for the gear they sell due to how well they take care of their equipment.

For ease of conversion, Chris chose Nickel Engineering in Normanby, just down the road from the Mack Transport depot, to construct all the crates and bins.

“We always use Bruce and BJ for any of our engineering that we cannot accommodate in our own workshops,” Chris said.

It takes just 30 minutes to convert a stock truck to a bulk truck to a flat deck.

Additions on this month‘s Top Truck include heated leather seats, a reversing camera, an Ali Arc front bumper, in-house fitted twin stacks, and plenty of stainless steel highlights.

Brendon (Hog) Kelsen is the dedicated driver and, as with all of the company‘s drivers, he takes tremendous pride in his third new truck in the fleet.

In keeping with the company image, Zodiac Signs designed and applied the striking graphics that makes this Top Truck a stand-out combination on the road.