Hearing of our goal of being more visible at truck shows and out in front of our readers, supporters and the industry, the fantastic folk at IVECO New Zealand said, ‘By goodness, I think we can help!’ Introducing you all to our newest team member – our year-long IVECO Daily 35.180 loan vehicle, ‘Gus the bus’ … or as we’ve affectionately tagged him, ‘Gaspare’ (Italian for Gus)!
Do you remember the silver caravan New Zealand Trucking magazine had back in the day? You do? Wow, you’re old then. When the mag was the only industry publication back in the mid to late 1980s, the silver caravan was a must-visit at all the shows – it stood out, you looked for it, you paid a visit and caught up with the crew. We wanted something just like that … something that would identify our location, and make it easier to get around to all the events – the pack and unpack and all that. That’s how the Daily came about – and it was all too easy for the folk at IVECO New Zealand to get behind.
Of course, there’s a long-term review as part of it all, which is great. New Zealand’s only a pint-sized market and there’s rarely the opportunity in the commercial sector for a long-term review.
We said we would tell it how it was for us. If there was something that irritated us, we’d say. Erwin Stolze heads sales and marketing at IVECO New Zealand, and he was more than happy with that.
We picked up our new mechanical workmate on 20 February from the Auckland HQ, with a handover from sales exec Keagen Wilde … we were off!
The Daily will certainly stand out for us.
Here we go!
They didn’t hold back! A 16-cuber! The initial excitement was followed by a mild demoralisation when our ‘vast’ inventory of merchandise fitted comfortably in one corner. “Hmmm? Is that it?” But we quickly realised how little a station wagon and trailer actually held, and the lost potential! The opportunities Gaspare now gave us were endless. We could at last get the kid’s truck-themed photo board out! It does need a little work so it stands up properly first … What about a portable podcast studio? A mobile shop?
Our first target was the TMC Trucking Industry Show in Christchurch. It would be a learning event and we’d make a list of to-dos and ideas for setting it up – just primo.
Good memories
I think the first van event I ever attended as editor was the launch of the new Daily back in mid-2015. I remember saying to the late John Murphy, “That’s a bloody good wagon; it drives like a car.” The eight-speed Hi-Matic was silky smooth, it was comfortable, fully kitted out, and had the bulkhead cab option, meaning the freight can’t come through and ‘brain’ you in the event momentum needs arresting urgently. I loved so much about it.
A decade has passed, almost to the month, and when passing Dailys out and about doing their thing, they’ve always induced good thoughts and memories. Now, here I was again, in a Daily 35.180 Hi-Matic (3.5 tonne GVM and 180hp).
Like all of us, the Daily has been evolving in that 10 years, the machines for the better – me on the other hand? One of us was fatter and slower than we were 120 months ago … potentially more comfortable though. This was the latest incarnation Euro-6 and I wondered if we would still get on as well.
I’ll get into it all properly over the months ahead with numbers and thoughts; I’ll have put a couple of thousand ‘clicks’ on the clock by then. But I will say this to kick us off, by the time I got to the Bombay Hills, I knew it was going to be a great year … for all parties. And I had a suspension driver’s seat! Get outta here – I was truckin’.
Our first official event together – the TMC Trucking Industry Show. Now, that’s looking the part! We’ve got some neat ideas … it’s not like we don’t have the room!
Now you see me…
The Daily’s going to be a huge part of the family. We’ll park up as we roam around … stop for a yarn, I’ll buy a thermos and a packet of Milk Arrowroot. I’ll probably stop, set up my table and chair and do a bit of typing on the side of the road at times – the sights, sounds, and smells of the trucking industry passing by inspiring the next sentence!
We’ll also run competitions – where have you seen the Daily today? Oh, and I’ll always have a bit of merch and the latest mags in the back for you, too.
There’s no end of possibilities.
