Double Coin Imaging Awards

Canterbury company CWT Ltd have been operating under the radar for nearly 30 years. But, with the addition of a striking new Kenworth K220 they’ve definitely stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

Growing up on a farm, Shane Brown had always wanted to drive trucks but his father told him; “You can’t go and drive trucks straight away until you get a trade.”

So, after completing a diesel mechanics apprenticeship in Ashburton, Shane began his driving career at Porter Hire, driving a transporter part-time.

It wasn’t until Shane got a job at Ellesmere Transport that he realised his dream of becoming a livestock truck driver, just like his uncles before him.

Fast forward to 1998, Shane and his wife Leanne decided to purchase a trucking business from Tony Long which included three trucks, one of which was sold soon after.

Anywhere from two to three unit loads a day would head over to the West Coast and return with back loads of coal, wood or anything they could find at the time.

With family connections in Rotomanu, near Lake Brunner in the West Coast region of the South Island, Shane and Leanne set up a secondary yard carting anything and everything livestock related.

In 2008 a new K104B Kenworth was purchased and along with an ex-Tuapeka Transport K108 the pair have been going strong ever since.

However, as Shane says; “Farmers leave and share milkers move on and I’ve always wanted to grow the business a bit further. With the industrial area growing around the yard in Rolleston I started thinking of what we could do to hop on board.

“Livestock has always been my passion but as a small company it was hard to break into it and keep it going.”

This is where Shane and Leanne’s son Jason comes into the fold. Jason, who has an engineering degree, convinced his dad not to sell the business. He moved back to Canterbury and joined the business towards the end of the Covid lockdowns.

“The opportunity came up to devan a few containers and do the machinery assembly work and it’s grown from there,” Shane says.

In fact, CWT Ltd gained MPI certification in 2014 and now provides a container devanning service as a transitional facility for imported containers from Lyttelton Port.

The company is currently transitioning from Canterbury Westland Transport to CWT Ltd. 

“We find that people think we only cart between Canterbury and the West Coast, which for the majority of our existence is true, however, we will in fact cart anywhere and everywhere in the country,” Jason says.

The new Kenworth K220 is a welcome addition to the CWT Ltd fleet as it features the new CWT Ltd logo designed by Timaru Signs & Graphix alongside the signage which was applied by James Hogan at Auto Graphic NZ.

Powered by the Cummins X15 Euro V Engine producing 600-horsepower with 1850 lb-ft of torque at 1200rpm, the Kenworth K220 has an Eaton Fuller 18-speed manual transmission that driver Hamish Brown (Jason’s younger brother) can use to it’s full potential travelling the length of the country.

“I joined CWT a couple of years after Jason having worked for a local contractor for ten years and doing a couple of stints in Australia driving combines and tractors,” Hamish says.

The K220 is set up to do pretty much anything agricultural. It has a 7.2 metre deck matched nicely with a 11.5m 5-axle trailer made by MD Engineering in Balclutha. Both are fitted with 1300mm high sides for bulk work which can be removed so the unit can cart other types of loads.

An underbody ram was chosen this time around to get extra deck length and to allow for extra height when carting machinery. The company’s  older 11m Domett 5-axle ramp trailer can also be used.

Other features on the Kenworth K220 include a folding upper bunk in the sleeper, ISRI seats, an audio visual navigation screen which includes six speakers and two tweeters, a two-piece curved windscreen that is protected by a stone guard and driver visibility is helped big time by the dual seven-inch round LED headlights with an integrated turn indicator. Finally, the dual Hella 7000 series LED beacon lights adorn the cab roof for those oversize loads.

“Even though the two of us boys have had different career paths we have always shared a common goal of wanting to work with the old man,” Jason says.

“Our two sisters Christina and Amylee, who have their own careers, grew up helping out whenever it was needed and still lend a hand during the busy harvest seasons.”

This 100% family owned and operated business is proof that hard work and going the extra mile for your clients can pay off in the long run.