With decades of experience in bulk petroleum transportation and their uncompromising attention to safety, Tranzliquid Logistics Ltd. Greg Pert and Jackie Carroll do more than enough to keep the NZ transport industry moving. But it’s their ‘we’re ruthless with our standards and gracious with our people’ mantra that makes them this month’s SouthPac legends.

It’s estimated that when it comes to freight, 93% by tonnes is moved by road in NZ and if Road Transport is the lifeblood of the economy, then with their fleet of Kenworth’s delivering fuel from most terminals in NZ, their family owned and operated business Tranzliquid are arguably a lifeblood behind the transport industry.

Greg says that his interest and passion for the trucking industry began while he was still at school. 

“I was living in Wellsford and friendly with the daughter of Rodney & Otamatea Transport. So, during school holidays, I used to drive a little J1 delivery truck, assist in loading stock, and do other general freight duties, anything I could do to help them in those early days. It got me interested in transport and it gave me some spending money.”

From there Greg did an OE stint overseas, before returning in ‘78 and taking up a position at Dales Freightways in Auckland.

“I thought I’d work there for 6 months and see how things went.”

To say he was a little green at the time would be an understatement and Greg himself says that when he came to Auckland, he ‘had no idea’.

“In those early Freightways days, being a farm boy from Kaiwaka I was nicknamed Farmer Brown,” he recalls with a smile. 

Greg was evidently a quick learner, and at 21-years old (normally you had to be 35 and married), he transferred to Freightways Bulk Services – and that’s where he learnt the tanker business.

“Back in those days I worked a lot under Alex Carpenter at Dales and Brian Mountjoy at Bulk Services and those companies were ahead of their time. They were very good at training, and I really relished that opportunity,” Greg remembers with fondness.

Tankers, “It was something that I liked, and it was more financially rewarding at the time.” 

The Freightways businesses undertook a period of change, and they offered up their equipment to potential independent operators, Greg jumped at the chance and he and his R Model Mack (Freightways #15 that was renumbered later #104 or Ten4) T/A Tranzliquid. However, not Tranzliquid Logistics Ltd just yet.

While this was all happening, Jackie Carroll started out doing safety and compliance as a Dangerous Goods inspector in the early 1980’s, before moving to Du Pont, at their hydrogen peroxide plant in Morrinsville. According to Jackie, Du Pont had a variety of programs back then and one of them was a Distribution Safety Program and that’s where her interest in the transport industry began. 

Jackie soon moved up the ranks in Du Pont. “And I got involved with the Asia Pacific distribution safety team and did some cross auditing, which meant that I got more involved with Asia Pacific and Transport Industry standards and what’s required with the legislation and compliance for dangerous goods transport” says Jackie.

As the years progressed Du Pont changed their NZ structure and Jackie started to do some hazardous substance and H&S advisory work.

In 1999, Greg says that he was still an independent operator but recalls that the industry was going through a fair amount of change, Fluidex then was owned by Freightways and was sold to Tony Galbraith and Ian Hobbs.

“I moved on and Jackie and I moved back to Auckland where Jackie was consulting. I did odd contracting at places like BP carting LPG, and Petroleum products. I took up a contract working with BOC gases as an independent operator and while I was there on a break in Fiji, met a couple who said there was an opportunity to cart for Gull,” says Greg.

That’s when things really changed, Tranzliquid Logistics Ltd was formed and their first two Kenworth’s were purchased (Greg believes he’s bought around 100 in total since).

“It all came about when the contract with Gull started,” says Jackie. “We had to source vehicles for that and SouthPac were the only ones able to provide the vehicles in the allotted time and we have continued with them because they looked after us.” 

Greg says that Tranzliquid believes in standardisation, as it’s the best way for productivity and efficiency in growing the business. 

“It’s a great risk management tool. The tankers and equipment are all the same. We’ve diversified a little bit here and there now, but it’s pretty standard across the board.”

Jackie agrees and adds “all your service providers get to know your fleet; it builds a great relationship”.

The business has evidently grown since that first Gull contract and now Tranzliquid delivers fuel from every terminal in NZ, but it’s the pair’s business ethos that is equally as impressive.

“We’re a family-owned business that competes at a high level. We have a value and culture driven business,” says Greg proudly. “We had to discover our strengths and cultivate those, to form our own DNA for our future direction.”

And it’s this focus that’s proving successful, despite the industry currently experiencing challenges when it comes to operators, not only has Tranzliquid been able to recruit good operators, but they also tend to stay too – with numerous 10-20+ year veterans being acknowledged. 

“We invest a lot in operator training processes including being buddied up with a trainer to reinforce operator behaviour and Tranzliquid’s standards. We call it the TLL Way, the Tranzliquid way.” says Jackie.

Now with a team of people that boasts around 60, both Greg and Jackie are proud and humbled at what they have achieved. 

“When I look back, Greg started off with one truck and we went into what we thought would be a small fleet (two) with the Gull contract. It took us a few years to reach ten and we thought that would be as much as we’d get. So, it’s kind of humbling when we look at the fleet in the yard now. It’s an achievement that’s greater than we initially thought. And we’ve diversified a lot,” says Jackie.

Greg concurs, “we’ve just changed as we’ve needed to. It’s been an interesting 25-plus years of changes and dynamics, some tough times and good times. It’s been quite something.”

“Luck is when planning meets opportunity. Our leadership is the ability to see around the corners that no-one else looks hard at.

“And we’re ruthless with our standards and gracious with our people.” Two sayings that Greg abides by and according to him, are statements that help them do what they do well.

Tranzliquid remains a family owned and operated business. Greg Pert, Jackie Carroll and Gareth Pert are actively involved in all aspects of the company with their combined skills and knowledge of the industry, logistics and business management. They ensure the culture, standards and core values remain an integral part of the business operations.

As for what the future holds in terms of fuel and seemingly overall push towards EVs, Greg seems pragmatic.

“You always must look at what the future holds, personally I don’t think NZ truly understands the benefits of Euro V and VI commercially, I’m sure that companies in the fuel selling space will be looking at Biofuels. But for now, long haul will be using diesel for some time yet and we’re there to use / move it.”

And it’s something that Jackie certainly agrees with, saying “fuel’s not going away in a hurry.”