Even in the world of heavy transport there are rare vehicles that transcend their fundamental use. They become more than just tools of the trade; they become symbols of heritage, personal milestones, and in some cases an unspoken bond between father and son.

For Mat Sheldrake, owner of the Tokoroa-based Sheldrake Haulage, one such vehicle encapsulates all of the above – a Kenworth SAR Legend, affectionately and significantly named 292 Uxbridge.

To understand the importance of this truck, you must first understand the road that led to it. The story of Sheldrake Haulage is a near half-century journey of resilience, adaptation, and a deep-seated loyalty for the Kenworth brand.

The foundation of the business began in 1980 by Mat’s father, Graham Sheldrake. Operating as G J Sheldrake Limited, Graham began his career as an owner-driver for New Zealand Forest Products. His first rig was a Kenworth SAR, a truck that would set the tone for the company’s future. “It came with a self-loader crane on the back,” Mat says.

Throughout the 1980s and 90s, the business grew alongside the forestry industry. As New Zealand Forest Products transitioned through various ownership changes (eventually becoming Carter Holt Harvey) Graham Sheldrake remained a constant, chosen as a key supplier. By 1984, the fleet had expanded, and the business began its steady climb.

Mat Sheldrake’s own path into the industry was forged through hands-on experience. After completing a welder apprenticeship at Total Transport Engineers in Mount Maunganui, where he learned the intricacies of building trucks and trailers, he joined the family business in 2007.

Following an OE between 2009 and 2011, Mat returned to work alongside his father. The transition of ownership was a gradual, deliberate process. By 2014, Mat began buying shares in the business, and by 2019, he had reached a 50-50 split. In November of that year, with Graham ready to retire, Mat purchased the remaining shares, taking the helm of the family business.

The Sheldrake fleet has seen significant shifts over the decades. In the mid-2000s, the company ventured into a partnership to form Timber Logistics Limited (TLL), a four-shareholder venture that saw the fleet grow to include eight or nine logging trucks and fifteen or sixteen curtain-siders.

However, as the industry evolved, so did the business strategy. Between 2016 and 2018, Mat oversaw a consolidation of the company, condensing the operation down to two freight trucks and nine or ten logging trucks – and this was the size of the business when Mat took 100% control.

Today, the business is thriving under Mat’s leadership. He has successfully grown the curtain-side fleet back up to five trucks, continuing the work they started in 2000, hauling paper and pulp products around the country. The logging trucks remain a core pillar, still serving the same clients they have worked with for over four decades.

This growth necessitated a change in infrastructure. For over 20 years, the company operated out of a workshop built by Graham in the 1990s. As trucks grew longer due to High Productivity Motor Vehicle (HPMV) regulations, the old facility (a skinny, single bay shed) became a bottleneck.

“It was facing north-south, so with a good south-western winter, with a southerly wind and rain, it was like a bloody wind tunnel,” Mat says.

In January 2024, the company moved into a new, purpose-built facility in Tokoroa. Developed on land owned by fellow logging contractors, the new workshop features five bays and is 30-metres long, allowing a full truck and trailer to fit inside with the doors closed. Needless to say, it’s not north-south facing now either!

Although the fleet includes a Scania, and a long-serving Freightliner Argosy, the heart of the operation remains firmly rooted in Kenworth. And among these, the SAR Legend is the crown jewel.

The SAR model holds a special place in the Sheldrake family history. As stated earlier, it was the model of Graham’s first truck, which was sold in 1984 when Mat was just a toddler. The sentimental value is so profound that in 2018, Mat and his father purchased a 1979 SAR from Adelaide, Australia, which they are currently restoring to match the exact specifications of Graham’s original rig.

With the above in mind, inevitably, when Kenworth announced the SAR Legend series, Mat knew he had to have one. “I thought, well, I need to figure out how this is going to work in the fleet to be able to have one,” he says.

The ordering process was a masterclass in adaptability. Initially, Mat worked with Adam McIntosh at Southpac to spec the truck as a six-wheeler day cab logger. However, as the nature of their work shifted, a six-wheeler logger no longer fit the fleet’s requirements.

In a move that was immensely nerve-wracking, Mat decided to pivot. “I was just lucky that it all changed before the truck was actually being built and that we still had the ability to get it changed at the factory,” he says.

The truck was converted into a tractor unit, complete with a sleeper cab, additional fuel tanks, and a suite of premium accessories. It immediately became the flagship of the fleet, not only because of its glorious road presence, and the fact that it was the most expensive truck the company has ever purchased, but because it’s one that carries immense emotional weight.

The name 292 Uxbridge is a departure from the fleet’s usual naming convention. While most of Mat’s trucks are named after songs by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, or Willie Nelson, 292 Uxbridge is more personal. It refers to the address where Mat lived during his time in London: 292 Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush.

When it came time to select a build number for the Legend, Mat saw an opportunity to cement this memory. “I said, ‘let’s put it in as 292 and see if we can get build number 292’,” he says. They were successful. The truck is build number 292, and thus named 292 Uxbridge, and it stands as the only vehicle in the fleet not named after a country music legend.

When customising a truck, Mat believes in restraint. “I always liken trucks and the trucks that I do to a pizza,” he says.

“The more toppings you have on a pizza, doesn’t necessarily make the pizza taste nicer. Usually, the nicer pizzas are a margarita or just a plain pepperoni with one or two toppings on it – so less is more.”

Despite this philosophy, 292 Uxbridge is undeniably a showstopper. It features stainless guards, extra fuel tanks, and a custom paint job. The cab was painted by Goose Haddock, while Southpac handled the fifth-wheel setup, guards, and lights. Evan at Wrapped Auto Signs completed the signwriting. The result is a truck that is dressed up but remains tasteful, a balance between a working vehicle and a piece of art.

Mat says that the truck’s debut was a bit of a celebration of the industry. After picking it up from Southpac in Auckland, Mat and Adam McIntosh drove it to Jackson Enterprises in Pahiatua to hook up the trailers. The following day, which happened to be Mat’s birthday, the truck was the guest of honour at a pub in Ohakune. With about 25 people from the industry in attendance, the truck was parked out front, beers were poured, and the new addition to the fleet was toasted in style.

Two years on, 292 Uxbridge has clocked up 260,000 kilometres. It is driven exclusively by Dave Adie, who has been with the truck since it was new.

“He takes extremely good care of it,” Mat says. “It is probably in better condition, looking wise, today than it was the day that went on the road.”

Mat has only driven the truck for one week himself, but that time was enough to confirm his admiration for the machine. He appreciates the blend of old-school charm and modern performance.

“What I like about it is it’s the old school with the new,” he says. “It’s got old air-operated windows, but they used to have the old dash, the white face gauges, the wood grain gear knob, the old door windows in it as it doesn’t have the newer daylight doors.”

The attention to detail extends to the engine, with the Cummins X15 painted beige, a nod to the Kenworths of the 1970s and 80s. It is these small touches that elevate the Legend from a mere vehicle to a collector’s item.

Mat’s long-term plan for 292 Uxbridge is clear. Once the truck has paid for itself and the economic climate allows, he intends to pull it off the road and retire it to the shed. It will join the restored 1979 SAR and the W924 as a permanent fixture of the Sheldrake legacy. “I don’t think I’ll ever want to sell it,” Mat admits.

For now, however, 292 Uxbridge remains a working truck, earning its keep on the roads of New Zealand. It is a flagship that grabs attention, sparks conversations, and serves as a rolling tribute to the history of Sheldrake Haulage. It represents the perfect intersection of business and passion, a truck that honours the past while driving the company toward the future.

292 Uxbridge is about a father’s first truck, a son’s dedication to his craft, and the power of a machine that carries the weight of a family’s history. Whether it is hauling anything all around the country or sitting polished in a shed, 292 Uxbridge is, and will always be, the heart of the Sheldrake fleet.