Aeolus Truck & Driver News

Travel through the centre of the North Island requires some advance planning at present as a series of overnight road closures are in place for State Highway 1 (SH1) Desert Road until Monday March 9.

The closures began on February 15 and are in place Sunday to Thursday nights, between 7pm and 6am.

NZTA says the overnight-only closures, between Tūrangi and Waiouru, have been carefully programmed to enable the last phase of the Tīrau to Waiouru Accelerated Maintenance project (T2W), while avoiding long-term disruption.

Closures on this section of SH1 are needed to complete final surfacing in the area known as the 3 Sisters because the narrow, winding road can’t safely accommo...

NASCAR has a new look on American highways with a fleet of the latest Mack Pioneer models transporting critical race equipment from track to track.

During February’s Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway, Mack Trucks and NASCAR announced a multi-year extension of their partnership, continuing the designation of Mack as the “Official Hauler of NASCAR.”

The partnership will see 11 all-new Mack Pioneer 76-inch High-Roof Sleeper models added to the NASCAR fleet.

The addition of the Pioneer models marks the latest evolution of NASCAR’s Mack fleet, which began with Pinnacle models in 2016 before transitioning to Anthem models in 2018. Six Mack Anthem models will remain in ...

Construction of the major roading project designed to improve northern access in and out of Tauranga and Mt Maunganui via State Highway 2 continues to make strong progress.

With four years of construction work already completed, Stage 1 of the Takitimu North Link (TNL) project now sees all major structures, earthworks, and environmental works well advanced.

The project focus now shifts to pavement construction along with associated drainage and stormwater treatments ahead of a scheduled 2028 opening.

NZTA reports that an estimated 2.5 million cubic metres of earth (of the 3 million m³ total planned) has already been moved.

There is also 8.84km of piling complete (100%...

Upgraded Fuso Canter models just launched in New Zealand complete Euro 6 compliance across the entire Fuso New Zealand light-, medium- and heavy-duty truck and bus line-up.

The updated Canter range comprising 26 model variants features 3.0-litre diesel engines in 129kW/430Nm and remapped 110kW/400Nm Euro 6 output levels is now available to order in New Zealand.

The Euro 6 Canter models bring the complete Fuso range in line with current New Zealand emissions regulations, which require new vehicle imports to meet Euro 6 or equivalent standards. The new models also offer further safety and comfort enhancements across the range.

“Fuso New Zealand is proud to play a leading role...

Construction work to replace the Ōmanawa Bridge on State Highway 29 near Tauranga is set to begin during October.

The bridge replacement is a $42 million component of the overall $92m SH29 Tauriko West Road of National Significance (RoNS) project.

The contract to deliver the first phase, which includes replacement of the narrow bridge, has been awarded to HEB Construction.

“Since endorsing the SH29 Tauriko West investment case in April, and a phased delivery approach, I’m pleased to see NZTA is continuing to work hard on this important project to improve safety, resilience, and freight efficiency along SH29, a critical corridor within the Auckland-Hamilton-Tauranga triangle...