Fleet Focus

Standing at the highest point on this rural Waimauku property, Iydden Wood is clearly proud of the place.

Below the 40-year-old is his company’s work of the past eight years – work that makes this part of his Dirtworks operation look to me kind of like a landscaper…..but on an enormous scale.

There’s a least a kilometre of wide, sweeping, heavy-duty concrete roads (almost 200-millimetre-thick). And, directly in front, a whole valley now being given a massive makeover. 

And, whereas your typical landscape company might run a ute or light truck, a little digger and maybe a Bobcat mini excavator, the property below us is crawling with 20 to 30-tonn... ... 

Whether at work or at play, the tools and the toys are always heavy-duty for the Easy Moves crew.

When the West Auckland operation owned by the Etting family isn’t at work on house and building relocations, they are fielding a two-truck effort in the NAPA Auto Parts New Zealand Super Truck Championship.

And with the 2024-25 championship set to begin at Manfeild over Labour weekend, New Zealand Truck & Driver thought it was timely to learn more of the story behind the team with two bright yellow race trucks – the Kenworth raced by Troy Etting and the Volvo by his son Connor.

Troy Etting says he’s approaching 40 years of working in the house removal a... ... 

Loggers, Gods and soldiers are awake early to get the day started.

Which begins the explanation for why New Zealand Truck & Driver is waiting in the carpark of the Pan Pac mill, just north of Napier, at 3.30am on a chilly Monday.

We’re meeting Platoon Sergeant Storm Harrison from the 5/7 Battalion NZ Infantry Regiment Army Reserve. And his two stand-out log trucks named Tāne Mahuta [God of the Forest] and Tūmatauenga [God of War].

The military and logging trucks have been dual career paths for Napier-based Storm. And it’s a combination he continues to be busy with approaching 26 years of service with the NZ Army.

Storm has made the early star... ...