The road transport industry was in the news and in the hearts of a Hamilton family when truckers turned out in force to give a “truck mad” eight-year-old a birthday to remember.

Sixty-five trucks formed a surprise birthday convoy for Hamilton’s Oliver `Ollie’ Johnson that featured on Seven Sharp and multiple national news stories as well as reaching global audiences.

The story developed when Oliver’s mum Katherine Johnson made a social media post hoping a truck driver would accept her offer of $50 to take Ollie for a ride in a truck on his birthday.

“We reached out to say we’d love to help and didn’t want any money,” says Barry Hart of Hart Haulage.

“At the same time there must have been 10 or 12 others who did the same thing, so I said I’d help out and put it together.

“At first I thought we might have 10 or 15 trucks and it was mind blowing to end up at 65. I had 39 who actually registered, but the calls kept coming and I couldn’t say no.

“We took a couple of trucks around to Ollie’s house to pick him up and brought him back to our yard to see the other trucks and meet the drivers,” says Barry.

“I still can’t believe we managed to fit 52 trucks into our yard.”

With a smile as wide as a heavy haul trailer and wearing a Hi-Viz jacket carrying his name, Ollie’s special treat included a convoy along the Waikato Expressway to visit to the C & R Developments museum in Cambridge.

“To have C & R open up their incredible museum and for Service Foods to feed 200 plus people was amazing,” says Barry.

Barry says reading the Facebook post about Ollie resonated with him. Hart Haulage has been at the forefront of anti-bullying and mental health initiatives and Barry says the convoy showcased the strong sense of community within the trucking industry.

“This is something that is really important for us. Everyone knows our story and the work our son Josh has been involved with.

“I just saw this seven, soon to be eight year-old as a young version of Josh. I wanted him to know there was a community that had his back and where he could feel that he belonged.

“To see it all come together first hand, and to see Ollie’s reaction was very humbling.”

Barry says coverage of the birthday convoy has gone worldwide.

“I’ve had Fox News call me and it’s been on TV in the USA, Canada and in Europe.”