Southpac Legends

With a bespoke lunch room that features a 6ft truck hauling refrigerators, office walls adorned with photos of staff doing outdoor pursuits and a personnel development programme that enables both vocational and personal growth, you could say that TR’s head office in Penrose is more of a club than a well-oiled truck and trailer rental group - but it’s their ever evolving, empowering culture that founder Andrew Carpenter began twenty-eight years ago and what they give back to the industry that makes him a Southpac Truck Legend.

TR Group began back in 1992 when Andrew (supported by family resources and father Ron of Motor Truck Distributors / Truck Leasing fame) took on what wa... ... 

Philip Wareing sees himself as almost an accidental transport operator. He says it was just a stepping stone towards his primary goal of becoming a farmer, something he achieved around 30 years into his working life – but in the meantime that intermediate step has morphed into a significant player in the industry in Canterbury.

The Philip Wareing Ltd group now comprises five wholly-owned subsidiaries – the original PWL, based in the mid-Canterbury town of Methven, Wilson Bulk Transport in Tinwald, Rural Transport, which has headquarters in nearby Ashburton and branches in Fairlie, Kurow and Waimate, Greymouth’s Trans West Freighters, and container handling specialist NZ Expre... ... 

Over thirty years ago, ardent road transport industry advocate and NRC stalwart Paula Rogers was looking through the kitchen window of her family’s farmhouse when the image of a bright blue Kenworth changed her life’s direction forever.

“When I was about 17 I got into the farming sector and in my 20’s I ended up sharemilking at a farm in Whenuapai . We had a lot of truck coming onto the farm to tip off and I just happened to look out of the kitchen window at Mike Ross’s beautiful blue Kenworth W model (924), I’ll never forget that moment, I thought gosh that truck is stunning I’d really like to drive a truck. So, I decided then and there to go and get my HT.”

Of course, Pa... ... 

Celebrating over a half century in engineering and the last twenty-five years of that with Williams & Wilshier, you could say that Peter Withington has seen it all. However this modest engineer whose philosophy is to ‘always put back into the Industry’ has throughout all these years, managed to stay under the radar - that is until now thanks to Southpac Trucks Legend series..

Peter’s first real encounter with an engine came when he was still at school. His father was a hotel manager in Milford Sounds and one of the tractors that frequented the Milford track reported a faulty clutch. Peter says, “a guy, Bruce Hoffman was his name, came all the way from his shop in Invercargill t... ... 

WHEN IT COMES TO THE NEW ZEALAND Trailer-building industry, the Mear family name ranks up there as one of the best. However, 'second-generation' Jeff Mear is not only proud to be carrying on the family tradition but he is also continually seeking to advance and assist the industry in areas such as safety, understanding and productivity. And that's why he's been selected as our first in the series of Southpac Trucks - Legends 

Industry veteran, Jeff Mear is the Co-owner, Sales Manager and Director of Trailer Manufacturer Fruehauf NZ. Based in the head office in Wiri, his experience spans well over three decades but you could say that his passion for the industry extends... ...