Fleet Focus

In its first year in business, log transport company Aztec shifted around 88,000 tonnes of logs.

That sounds impressive enough….until you hear that this year, the operation is aiming to cart two million tonnes! And that’s not some unrealistic flight of fantasy – not seeing as Aztec trucks shifted over 1.5m tonnes last year (and that’s even with the entire fleet parked up during the COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown period).

That’s a helluva growth, given that it’s just 23 years since then Carter Holt Harvey owner-drivers Steve Segetin, Peter Phillips and Ken Angus got together and formed Aztec.

It’s another measure of their success that the Aztec fleet, just four trucks stro... ... 

The way Gen 2 truckie Ethan Smith sees it, his family’s trucking and contracting business is “the last of the old-school contractors.”

What he means is that, in the 25 years since Allen and Sheree Smith (yep, his Mum and Dad) started NorthEnd Contractors, some things haven’t changed: The business is still run in much the same way as it was in the beginning.

Although he and “little bro” Axel largely run the show these days, it’s still a strictly-no-bullshit, down to earth kind of an outfit – run by hard-case, hardworking people….

With zero regard for political correctness (like Ethan says, “a spade’s a spade – you know what I mean”). No corporate glos... ... 

Elle the Golden Lab has seen nearly every change that has occurred at Glenn and Kerri Wylie’s Gore Freight & Storage. The 14-year-old moves around about a bit slower these days, but still keeps her nose in all of the business and happenings at the busy Southland operation.

“She’s getting on, but she’s seen all the changes we’ve ever made here,” says Glenn.

Gore Freight & Storage had just been established in September 2009 when Elle arrived as an energetic pup. A lot has changed in nearly 15 years with new buildings and a larger yard, plus new trucks and more staff as GFS has carved a foothold in the Southern transport scene based on its local general freight ... ...