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Nupin Transport driver Brendon D’Ath thought he was going out for Sunday morning brunch with his father-in-law when he, wife Christa and their two daughters arrived at Tauranga’s Sulphur Point Marina on July 28.

Then he set eyes on the new Scania R 620 8x4 tractor unit with Nupin Transport owners Barry and Glen Raymond ready to greet him in the carpark.

The element of surprise in the handover was carefully planned.

“We’ve tried hard to keep it all under wraps,” says Glen Raymond.

“We even drove it back from Otorohanga late at night after it had been painted.”

The Sunday morning outing to the marina was a surprise handover for Brendon, who has been driving a Kenworth K108 for the company. The Scania is the first new truck in Brendon’s driving career.

 “Wow. I came out for brunch, and I’ve ended up with new wheels – shiny ones too,” says Brendon.

“I knew something was happening, but I thought it was still a few weeks away at least. They [Barry and Glen] had been teasing me for a while with a few pictures that only showed a small part of the signwriting.”

Even more excited were Brendon and Christa’s two young girls Kylah,10, and 8-year-old Abbie. They wasted no time climbing into the cab to discover the comforts and features of the Scania while Brendon was talked through the handover details by Scania NZ Account Manager Damon Smith.

Brendon has driven for Nupin Transport since the company was started in October 2021 by Barry and Glen Raymond, the sons of Colin Raymond who co-owned the original Nupin Holdings with Keith Nicholson. The company was sold to Jim Barker’s Freight Lines operation in 1995 and the brothers started Nupin Transport almost three years ago. 

“Brendon has been with us since day one when we started the company again. He’s our lead driver,” says Glen.

The company was well known for its standout colours and high-spec trucks during the 1980s and 1990s, and the brothers wanted to pay tribute to that era and the well-known branding.

Step one was to put the original colours on a 2018 Kenworth K200 called The Legacy. The Scania, christened The Matriarch, becomes the first new truck in the signature Nupin colours.

Barry Raymond says the blue livery is a faithful modern version of the original Nupin Holdings’ colours.

“It’s virtually the same or as close as we’ve been able to get it working from some old photos,” he says.

“As we roll out any new units, they will all go in these colours.”

With addition of the R 620 the Nupin Transport fleet now totals 10 trucks plus a varying number of sub-contractors.

Barry says the choice of a Scania was down to several factors.

“We went with Scania because of the driver comfort is so good and for the fuel efficiency. They’re also competitively priced and the service support around the country is excellent.”

The Scania works with a new 4-axle Domett sliding skelly and Brendon will be carting containers throughout the North Island from his Te Puke base.

Features of the  R620 include full air suspension, Scania G33CM transmission with Opticruise and 4700D retarder  with extras including a fridge/freezer, a microwave and TV.

“Butch at Spray & Bake in Otorohanga painted it for us and Clint at Headcase Designs did the signs,” says Barry.

“The visors are Go In Style from Broshmik Trucks. Some of the other people involved have been Brandon Hay from Diesel Auto Electrix in Pukekohe who has done the lights and electrical work, and Shane Taylor from Central Group Finance also helped us a lot.”

Damon Smith from Scania was on hand to give Brendon an initial run down on the features of the truck.

Along with the name The Matriarch, the Scania also carries Brendon’s nickname on the driver’s door.

“We call him `Jump the Gun’,” says Glen.

“Brendon is one of those guys who, as soon as you start talking about a new idea, he’s straight into it and he’s probably finished before you’ve started. And I mean that in a good way,” Glen says.

The rapid pace at which his girls climbed aboard and began checking out the features of the Scania’s interior suggests that trait may run in the family.