Now in the care of Howell Transport Services of New Plymouth, the 9800i runs a nightly return run to Palmerston North.

Our first inductee to the Bridgestone Million Mile Club this month is a clean and tidy 2009 International 9800i TS63. First put to work new by Fitchett Linehaul, the 9800i is now Taranaki-based, residing in New Plymouth in the care of Howell Transport Services.

Built new with an ISX Cummins set at 391kW (525hp), with an Eaton 18-speed AutoShift and Meritor 46-160 differentials with IROS air suspension, the 9800i has a solid pedigree, delivering a strong performance so far. And by all accounts during its time within the Fitchett Linehaul fleet, the unit just got on and got its job done, working the Post Haste courier contract that it was built for and assigned to.

Andrew Howell of Howell Transport Services purchased the truck from Fitchett Linehaul in 2017 when it had just over 1,200,000km on the clock, and uses it to service his contract with PBT.

“It has been a good unit for us, no real issues apart from normal wear and tear and maintenance. Fitchett Linehaul had completed a full in-frame rebuild of the Cummins not long before we purchased it from them, so it has been a reliable truck,” he says.

The 9800i and matching four-axle trailer combination is kept busy these days, completing a New Plymouth to Palmerston North return general freight run nightly. The simplicity of the truck’s specification delivers a level of reliability that makes it perfect for these applications, just as we found with the pair of PTS-owned 9800i Internationals that appeared as the April 2024 Bridgestone Million Mile Club inductees. It is fair to say that now with a touch over 2,000,000km on the clock, there are many good turns of the wheel still left in this trusty 9800i.