Double Coin Imaging Awards

His first job was driving a 4-wheeler for the Glaxo pharmaceutical company, picking up stuff they needed for the factory and dropping off orders to the freight and courier companies.

At the same time, in 1988, Matt’s love affair with the Mack breed began when he spotted an ASC Flowers R-Model Mack driven by Mark Shields which was dropping off containers at the Glaxo factory where Matthew worked.

Matt moved on from Glaxo and got a job at Toyota, where containers were also being delivered by an ASC Flowers R-Model Mack. This time the truck was driven by Robin Jago and Matt asked Robin what he had to do to get into the big gear.

Robin replied with; “Do you want to come for a ride and see what it’s all about?” 

Matt would continue to work during the day at Toyota and then jump in the passenger seat with Robin at night and do a swap in Tokoroa. Robin then started to let Matt drive and when his boss was away and Robin was in charge, Matt got the chance to fill in as a relief driver.

Fast forward a few years and Matt started working for Robin Jago and the two friends worked together for 17 years.

In the meantime, Matt and the late Bryan Menefy had become friends through trail riding, which led to Bryan asking Matt to come and work for him in 2009. By this stage though Matt aspired to be an owner-driver so Bryan created an owner-driver position and sold Matt the ex-Uhlenberg 575 CL Mack.

The Helenbak Haulage company name was derived from Matthew’s mother’s name, Helen, and his daughter Bailey, wife Anita and second daughter Kandus. The addition of the devil’s fork was added by Matthew’s signwriter so it can also be perceived as “Hell and Back.”

However, Matt parted ways with Bryan Menefy in 2012 and when Robin Jago sadly passed away in 2013 his family asked Matt if he was interested in acquiring the business. This set the wheels in motion for him to eventually purchase the container side of Robin’s fleet.

Matt wanted to work towards having a better work life balance and although it would take a lot of work, he could eventually make that happen. 

Matt has now been with Owens/ Mainfreight since July 2013 and his latest addition to the fleet is a tough looking 2026 Mack Trident named Heldog. It’s powered by the new MP8 Euro 6 engine that has AdBlue and partial EGR. The truck is one of the first running that combination with the smaller 535hp engine.

“Straight out of the box it’s performed better than the predecessor did,” says Matt.

“The Euro 6 spec is required by one of the customers that Helenbak Haulage delivers to, so when I replaced one of the container trucks it made sense to go with the Euro 6 engine.”

One distinctive feature of this truck is the King Bars Texan Bumper.

“Because my last one didn’t have any issues with clearance in the first couple of years of having it, I went another 40mm deeper, which you don’t really notice until you see the two trucks together, but I reckon it makes a real big difference to the look of it. It’s got a bit of a meaner look than the last one,” Matt says.

Advanced Panel and Paint Custom made the visor, and Matt had a fuel tank added, moved the batteries and added two toolboxes. He also had the mDrive gear stick moved to the side of the seat and the dash was hydro dipped by Mack and Capture Signs to give it a woodgrain wrap along with the steering wheel, just so the truck had a different look for the drivers.

The Trident runs 305/80s on the front and 275/70s on the rear.

Matt says, “When you run 275’s all-round it makes the truck look low and smaller. So, I run the 305’s on the front so the front of the truck is higher which makes the truck look bigger.”

It tows a 2022 TMC B-Train trailer built in Christchurch which is Matt’s second TMC curtain sider and his third B-Train from the company. He says he can’t fault them. 

Audie Murphy is one of the drivers on the Mack Trident. Audie is one of Matt’s old friends from back in the “Wairakei 500” days.

Matt explains; “The Wairakei 500 club stands for 500 horsepower, 500 dollars a week, 500kms and 500 litres of fuel.”

“I’m very pleased to have him working it and driving it and because he thinks it’s going to be his last truck he’s got his name on it.”

Matthew Sherlock’s Mack trucks have always set the bar extremely high and Heldog is no exception.