The March 2026 issue of New Zealand Truck & Driver – on sale this week – showcases the highest horsepower new truck to ever feature on the magazine cover and as the subject of the Giti Tyres Big Test.

Our Big Test team spent a day with the new Self Loader Logging Volvo FH16 780 to get a taste of Volvo’s new 17-litre flagship engine and the latest refinements to the FH range. The truck is doing a mix of 58t on-highway and 68t off-highway log cartage in the Taupo and central plateau region.

This month’s Advantage Tyre Solutions Fleet Focus takes a look at another close-knit family transport company. Plimmerton-based M.E. Transport operates with a slightly different family dynamic as Brittany McLachlan gradually takes on more of the day-to-day responsibility from her father Mitch.

The March News section outlines the final push to complete the Desert Road maintenance project and takes a look at the impressive new service facility which has just opened at CAL Isuzu in Hamilton. 

The latest truck technology news includes another phase of Euro NCAP safety ratings for European trucks, and we preview an Australian developed hybrid trailer system. There’s also a look at rail crossing safety initiatives and the Truck category of the Dakar Rally crowns a first-time winner in 2026.

Transporting New Zealand’s March focus is balancing the benefits of toll roads with the need for viable alternative routes and a look at rising tax debt and business liquidations in the transport sector.

The monthly Southpac Legend feature profiles long-time Hawke’s Bay timber transport operator Bevan Satherley and the pride of the fleet – his Kenworth T900 Legend.

There’s another Hawke’s Bay connection as the Bygone Days history series by Rod Simmonds looks at the early days of Foleys Transport.

The March feature content also reports from round two of the NAPA Auto Parts NZ Super Truck Championship raced at Timaru, and we have coverage from the popular Nelson Kids N Rigs day in early February. We also look at two hydrogen trials which are underway in Europe.

National Road Carriers Association CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers takes a look at the important economic fundamentals that will define 2026 and James Smith says election year is an ideal time to focus of infrastructure plans.

The market might have made hesitant start to 2026 with low registration numbers for January, but CrediFlex Recently Registered provides a full gallery of new rigs on the roads throughout the country.