Advantage Tyres 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... ... 

Growing from a single truck in 2007 to 13 trucks working across Northland highways and beyond, Dan and Debbie Carter have remained loyal to Daimler product (Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz) since starting the company 19 years ago.

Prior to establishing Carters BulkHaul, Dan already had a few years of experience behind the wheel with local transport operators before going to work for Cyril Alexander.

“Cyril brought a Freightliner Argosy 6x4 which I drove for 18 months, then Debbie and I brought the truck off him – which became Truck 1,” says Dan.

Carters BulkH... ... 

That was the plan, but one that was diverted by consistent growth in the transport business. Four years on the vineyard was sold and the couple’s focus shifted to the trucking firm, which nowadays has 40 units and has extended its operations from the mid-Canterbury area to pretty much the whole South Island.

The company is still family-owned. Ross and Judith are quasi-retired, but sons Zac... ...