Double Coin Imaging Awards

When Waikato brothers Vaughan and Grayson Laurent – and their wives, Dani and Larissa – started their trucking business, there was never any question about what the company colour was going to be.

Simple: It would be the colour of the secondhand truck they’d bought to launch their business.

The brothers – both qualified mechanics, but with a love of trucks – were just 28 (Vaughan) and 24 (Grayson) when they started Laurent Contractors…

And, as Vaughan puts it, they were starting out with virtually nothing – except enthusiasm and determination.

They had no guaranteed work – and only enough money to buy a 14-year-old Foden Alpha. It was still in the red of origin... ... 

What happens when one iconic regional transport company is taken over by another – both of them with well-known names and standout colour schemes?

Does the new owner keep the name and the colour scheme of the company it’s purchased…

Or does it rationalise things – gradually phase out the acquired name and livery, absorbing the operation into its 

own business?

That question arises with Wairarapa Livestock Transport and its electric blue trucks, with their sharp red, silver and white stripes.

It’s a good-looking livery that’s been a common sight on roads and farms in the Wairarapa for 40 years – the colour scheme staying largely unchanged through a co... ... 

A T909 Kenworth is a staunch looking truck to begin with, but combined with the team at Klos Custom Trucks, this T909, which is called Talk Dirty, is now one of the coolest trucks in the country.

Owner, Austin Clements and driver Miles Jensen, have ticked all the boxes and then some when it comes to this truck.

Austin Clements began his transport journey in 1990 with a partnership in log transport which he later transitioned into a sole ownership in 1998. This led to the establishment of Austin Clements (1998) Ltd. After shifting away from log transport in 2010 to pursue civil construction, Austin successfully built a reputable civil works business, employ... ... 

Midlands Rural Transport is continuing to expand its modern Scania V8 fleet and now has five of the high-horsepower S 770 units on the road.

But rather than the familiar Midlands’ blue and red colour scheme, the latest S 770 B8x4NA livestock unit which went to work in early March is presented in the striking yellow and black colours of Jack Turner Ltd.

Midlands Rural purchased the Matiere-based Jack Turner Transport operation in late-2022 from Karl Adams. The new truck continues the history of the well-known King Country carrier.

“The yellow and black are iconic colours, and the Jack Turner name goes back more than 80 years around the King Country,” ... ...