As they say, on the journey of life, if opportunity knocks and doors open, walk on through with purpose and make the most of what’s presented. Murray ‘Muzz’ Peake’s resume plays from this songbook, reading like a roadmap of strategic moves that have directed him towards the senior driver role he holds at C & R Developments today.
“Yeah, it’s funny. I ended up driving trucks by sheer accident, really,” Muzz reveals with a laugh. “When I left school, I started out operating machinery, excavators and bulldozers for Mullin Brothers and Waihi Earthmovers. From there, it was to Fletchers doing the same thing at the Golden Cross Mine at Waitakauri, just west of Waihī. With Fletchers, I was able to transfer to Australia and did a 12-month stint for them over there. But then, when I returned back home to Waihī and started back up at Golden Cross, we were all laid off.”
Back from Australia and in need of a job, Muzz started driving trucks for Regal Haulage out of Tamahere, where his career in road transport really got off the ground. It was relief work, though, and in need of full-time work, Muzz tried his hand as an owner-driver at Turua Transport with a TM Bedford. This arrangement lasted for about 18 months, when the loss of a contract had Muzz looking for gainful employment again.
“I called on my connections at Regal Haulage and ended up starting back there again, this time as a full-timer. I ended up doing nearly 12 years there with them. It was a great place; a good bunch to work with, and I got to drive some iconic trucks there as well. They first gave me an old day- cab K-model Kenworth bulk tipper unit. Then I was given an upgrade, No.27, again a K-model Kenworth bulk tipper combination, but this time a full sleeper-cab version with an 8V92 Detroit and a four-axle trailer. It was a real cool bit of gear to drive. I went everywhere in that as well as it was also set up for grape harvest, so I definitely saw a bit of the country in that one. Then it was onto a new T440 bulk unit.”
Looking for variety and a change of scenery, Muzz took up an offer to move across to the general freight side of the business, and again, he found himself wheeling another well-known truck in the fleet, the drop-sider 6×4 Mitsubishi FV415 that ran a turbocharger off a Mack Super- Liner. “Yeah, that one sure was a bit different, with the big single turbo hanging out the back of the cab. But, for what it was, it went well and again I covered a lot of both islands in it. From there, I got a Foden drop- sider and eventually moved on to a FLB Freightliner.”
The best part of 12 years cruising the country was wearing thin, and Muzz started looking for something different. A job with Phil Rouse out of Tokoroa operating a bulldozer got his attention.
“I drove that for a bit over a year, and it was all good, but a colleague that I worked with at Regals, Ian Scatchard, caught up with me and offered me the driver’s seat of his Mack CL Elite E9 575 – and that was it, pretty much – I moved back into the cab of a truck. It was an awesome truck to drive, back on the bulk tipper work, it had a cool look and sound. But, yeah, unfortunately, after only about a year and a half, a change of business direction had Ian putting it up for sale.
“From there, I saw an advert for machinery operators with Lance Magee at Magnum Contracting. It turned out to be a real good move, lots of interesting projects. I was with them for about 11 years and worked my way up to a supervisor role. The straightening of the infamous ice corners on the north side of Taihape was one of the bigger jobs for me, but we worked all over the place: the last 20km to Cape Reinga, the Kerikeri heritage bypass … yeah, some good projects that’s for sure.”
A dry spell of incoming work for Magnum had Muzz contracted out as a machine operator to C & R Developments. “I came here to simply drive machinery for a stint. I’d been here a couple of months and we got rained off a job, so I called into the office to have a coffee, and Andrew asked, ‘You couldn’t do us a favour, could you, and take the transporter out and go shift a 20-tonne digger?’ Because at the time, he was off driving with a crook knee. So, I said, ‘Yeah, no worries’, and that really was it. I have been there ever since, at the wheel of a transporter.
“I first started out on the old ex-B.R. Satherley Transport T950, then moved into the Aussie import T908. I have done a bit in the rebuilt C501, and now this new one, which in the scheme of things is funny really, because when I left the Regals work, I swore black and blue that I would never get back in the cab of a truck again, ever … and what, look at it now, 12 years later, I’m still at the wheel. WTF,” laughs Muzz.
