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There are plenty of trucks with a story to tell. But usually, they have to work for a few years and travel some big kilometres in order to deliver them.

This new Kenworth SAR Legend which becomes the flagship of the Gleeson & Cox fleet has been specially prepared to tell a story. And it even carries the historical photos to illustrate an important milestone for the Auckland company.

The new Legend has gone on the road in November to mark the passing of company founder Brian “Doc” Gleeson 30 years ago (on November 28, 1994).

The research for the livery of the truck has been completed by Brian’s son and company owner James Gleeson, and to establish a third generation connection it’s being driven by James’ 22-year-old son Blake.

“We ordered it a couple of years ago when we had the opportunity to get one of the 50th Anniversary Legends,” says James.

“At first, we put it in the shed and then we started thinking that we needed to have some sort of story to go with it.

“Dad was getting close to being 30 years gone. We thought we’d get it on the road for that [anniversary],” says James.

“It’s becomes our new flagship. We’ve had a number of flagships including three SARs that went on the road at the same time as we purchased the Stevenson quarry which is now the Gleeson Huntly Quarry.”

The sides of the Transport Trailers bin and 5-axle trailer carry photos celebrating Brian Gleeson’s life – at work and at play.

“We went back through all the family photos. What a mission that was. They were all boxed up, but it was a case of knowing what’s in the boxes. It took months,” says James.

The final selection of photos was then given to Onform Signs to turn into a graphic livery. They include family photos, some of Brian’s favourite cars and his early trucks, family trips to Karioitahi Beach, along with hunting and fishing adventures.

“We wanted a selection of photos from the years prior to his passing,” says James.

“So, there are photos of him as a teenager with his Mum and Dad right through his working life.

“Dad also loved his fishing and hunting. If he wasn’t working, he’d be out fishing or in the bush hunting down a pheasant.

“We got dragged along with that lifestyle, which was pretty cool as a kid being out in the outdoors all the time.”

James says he’s been impressed with how the photos have turned out when enlarged and reproduced.

“Some of the old black and white ones we thought were a bit marginal have come up really well with a bit of Photoshopping. It’s probably because they had less fading than some of the colour ones.”

The Legend was unveiled at a special Gleeson & Cox celebration on Saturday November 9.

The company is now 57 years old and runs a fleet of about 100 trucks, mainly working in the Auckland and Waikato regions.

It’s come a long way since Brian Gleeson began his business ventures as a teenager living near Waiuku.

“Dad’s story goes back a long way before Gleeson & Cox,” says James.

“He first got a contract from the borough doing weed control. He was spraying willows and gorse on the banks of the Waikato as a teenager.

“Then he got a backhoe tractor and was digging drains in Devonport as a contractor for Green & McCahill.

“A bit later he bought a Dodge truck from Bruce Buttimore with a cream contract for the Awhitu to Waipipi area, carting to the dairy company in Waiuku. When he was finished he would go to the Otahuhu fert works to bring back manure to the farmers at Awhitu.

“He also bought a grader and carted metal from the local quarries for roading jobs,” James says.

“He obtained a contract from the Franklin County to maintain the roads in the Awhitu Peninsula he asked Barry Lee to join him in this venture. Barry was the operator and partner for the next 12 years.

“His next venture started him in bulk work [which remains the core of the company business today]. He was carting lime from Redvale to some of the cow cockies, so he bought a D Series Ford from Ted Lees [Lees Bros. Ford] and went down the avenue of spreading.

“With his brother Danny, he did a bit of hay and had tractors and New Holland balers and he built a business around the rural community.”

Brian’s attention then shifted to work closer to Auckland. Gleeson & Cox was formed in 1967 by Brian and Don Cox, a family relative.

“Don was going to work a truck in Auckland and Dad was going to do his work in the Franklin area,” says James.

It’s that early history, from the formation of Gleeson & Cox in 1967 through to Brian’s passing in 1994, which the SAR Legend celebrates.

But the truck also pays tribute to a key member of the current staff at Gleeson & Cox. Across the bug shield above the grille the truck is named The Dragt.

“Paul Dragt is my workshop manager and right-hand-man who has been with me for more than 20 years,” says James.

“One day I said to Paul `we haven’t got your name on a truck’.  “And he said, `I don’t want one.’

“I thought about that and decided it’s not going to be like that and we’d better figure something out.

“So, we’ve called the truck The Dragt. It’s a good fitting name.”

The new Legend follows a typical Gleeson & Cox specification.

“It’s got a Cummins X15 with 600hp, a manual gearbox and 46s [Meritor 46-160 axles],” James says.

“The signwriting is done by Onform. They’ve done our work for about 15 years. They know what we want, and you don’t end up messing around.”

The SAR Legend is definitely something special for Blake Gleeson, who has recently been driving a Kenworth T409.

“It’s a cool truck and it has come up really nicely,” says Blake.

“I never got to meet my grandfather so it’s a special truck. It will mean a lot to me to go down the road in a truck with his name on it.”