Distinctive white and green livery with the Scania name prominent in capitals below the windscreen is the standard visual for an Open Country Dairy milk tanker.

But take a closer look at this month’s New Zealand Truck & Driver feature truck and a few subtle differences become apparent. The roofline of this truck is a little lower than its fleet buddies and you might notice the door handles are slightly below shoulder height. And it’s only two steps to climb into the cab.

This Waharoa-based Scania P 460 is the only P Cab in the Open Country fleet. It’s among a handful of 6x4s (rather than the more common 8x4) milk collection units and also the least powerful milk tanker in the fleet with 460hp.

With the launch of the new Fuso Shogun coinciding with this test, it may seem odd to evaluate a model that will soon undergo changes.

However, this review, like many others, extends beyond the truck itself; it’s about the brand’s adaptability in New Zealand and the collaborative efforts of engineers – locally and overseas – who tailor the unit to meet the evolving needs of the freight sector.

As mentioned in the main article, the automotive landscape in New Zealand has transformed significantly, with growing passenger vehicle dimensions prompting carriers to innovate in order to optimise their trucks and trailers for transportation.

Our test drive kicks off the 2026 year with the Shogun 400hp FS 2640 Super Low model, which is rated for 36 tonnes by Fuso in the Japanese market where it’s sold as a rigid model.