The brightest three-pointed star in the Clutha Valley Transport (CVT) fleet makes South Otago its home, but it gets the chance to shine across a big chunk of the Mainland.

The 8x4 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3258L/52 configured as a 9-axle livestock unit went on the road in August 2024. When we caught up with the truck during the last days of the unusually mild autumn, it had already been hard at work clocking up 65,000km in about nine months.

The detail of the model designation is Daimler Truck short-hand for a 32t GVM rating, 580hp engine output, rear air suspension (L meaning luft, or air) and a 5200mm wheelbase measurement – key specifications for a modern livestock mover.

There’s already a Sleeper cab 580 Arocs in the CVT fleet and this new unit is the 2.3m M-cab Classic Space configuration, a choice that foregoes some interior cab height and bunk depth for improved accessibility around the top steps.

The Mercedes-Benz Arocs isn’t a new truck model in New Zealand, but you don’t see very many at work in the livestock sector. A trip down to the deep south provides a great opportunity to put one to the test.

The Clutha Valley Transport 8x4 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3258L/52 we are testing is driven by Conrad Williams, part of the third-generation of the Williams family who founded the South Otago company more than 50 years ago and have a long history in rural transport.

We meet Conrad and the truck at the Balclutha yard early on a chilly morning. He has nosed the Merc into the workshop for some final cleaning before sunrise and the day ahead.

Our first pickup is only a short distance up the Clutha Valley and Conrad is loading cattle just as daylight arrives. After a second stop at CVT’s Clydevale yard I take the wheel and begin the run south to Gore with Conrad in the passenger seat.