The first inductee to the Bridgestone Million Mile Club this month is this well-kept 2001 Mack CH Elite belonging to the team at Feary Group of Christchurch. AEQ588, proudly known as Unchained, has the best part of 2,300,000km on the clock now, and is still on frontline civil earthwork duties.

Chatting with permanent driver Teone Robinson, as well as a little research on the CarJam website, brings us up to speed with the truck’s history. There are conflicting reports, but apparently it was new into the TNL fleet with an owner- driver based in Nelson. It looks as though it was first built as a rigid bulk tipper, with an alloy bin and matching four-axle trailer. At some stage in its TNL life, the truck was cut down and reassigned to tractor unit duties, pulling all manner of trailers. From there, it appears at around 650,000km, it was traded in Nelson, and made its way to the Bay of Plenty. A stint with Smithbridge was next, eventually making its way into the HEB Construction fleet. Traded back to Motor Truck Distributors in 2012, AEQ588 found a new home with McWatt Roadhaul of Pōkeno, mostly pulling a bulk pneumatic cement tanker.

It was early 2023 when Feary Group managing director Charles Feary spotted the tractor unit for sale on Trade Me. “We purchased the CH for the right money and had it shipped and delivered to us here in Christchurch. It was in solid condition, needing a bit of TLC, but it was all there.

“Unfortunately we found after about four months, the 470 had an issue where it was leaking water from damage to the head as well as the block. We hunted around and tracked down a fully rebuilt 470 out of an ex-logger from Southland. It only had around 35,000km on it, and it had also been opened out a little to the 510hp mark. So that was purchased and fitted, and we were up and running again,” says Charles.

Apart from routine maintenance, AEQ588 has proven trouble-free and reliable. “Teone has done a fantastic job of bringing the truck up to scratch for us. He lives and breathes trucks and it shows. He really takes pride in it, and makes sure that it is always looking its best. And it’s funny, it is one of those trucks that acts like a rolling billboard for our business. We have newer trucks in the fleet, and they just don’t get noticed. The CH, however, is one of those trucks that turns people’s heads, and makes them take another look. Yeah, we are very happy with it, and in time as finance allows, we will keep it looking the part,” says Charles.

We certainly agree, the CH is a classic in its own right, and with a little bit of effort, they are definitely sharp-lookers.