This month’s Top Truck is a revisit to a well-known and long-established Canterbury transport company – Ellesmere Transport.

In February 1989, New Zealand Trucking featured a Volvo F12 kicking up dust on a dry Canterbury summer’s day. A lot has changed in the years between then and today; equally much has remained similar, including the work and the brand of truck, that echoes some 36 years on.

The size of the trucks, payload and horsepower have increased. The job of transporting stock remains pretty much unchanged, still requiring dedicated operators with an affinity for the welfare of their cargo. It’s not a job for everyone; those who undertake the role seem to be a special breed and seldom venture away from stock in their years behind the wheel.

Ellesmere Transport can trace its roots back to the late 1930s; today owned and run by the Righton family. It operates from two depots, Leeston, just south of Lake Ellesmere, and Dunsandel, 30km south of Christchurch on SH1. Whether you’re coming from north or south, it’s hard not to spot the brightly painted blue and yellow cabs and bright red stock crates lined up on the south end of the town.

As in so many small rural communities, local transport companies hold an important place, moving local goods and providing employment for locals. Stock, bulk, spreader, town freight and crane units mean the Ellesmere fleet is well set up to provide for the rural location. The company’s wider responsibilities also encompass Cheviot Transport to the north of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula Transport to the east.

Recent decades have seen fleet purchases trending firmly in Euro brands: Volvo and Mercedes-Benz dominate the yards. In the past few years, Mercedes-Benz has taken a slight lead in numbers.

When long-time Ellesmere driver Mike Hislop was due a new unit, Volvo was really the only brand in the running. Since his new FH arrived, a second has joined the fleet. The Cheviot operation is known as a Volvo stronghold.

Mike’s firmly in the Volvo camp and his preference is pretty clear cut, having piloted five in his time with the company. Mark Righton, managing director at Ellesmere, also speaks positively about the role the Volvo brand has played in the company’s ongoing success.

“We continue to see Volvo Trucks as a strong investment in our business. The combination of driver comfort, performance and long-term reliability makes them a cornerstone of our fleet operations,” says Mark.

Mike says his introduction to the transport industry, and the Volvo brand, was heavily influenced by his father, who drove a G88 Volvo for Service Transport at Hawarden. Being from a farming background, transporting stock seemed a natural progression. Apart from a stint on inter-island curtainsider work in the off-seasons, and a spell away from trucks working for a spraying contractor, Mike has been with Ellesmere Transport most of his working life.

Working with the animals is special and driving a stock truck encompasses skills other forms of transport don’t require. “Stockmanship is much more than pushing a load of lambs on at one end, and off at the other,” says Mike.

There’s a responsibility and pride in ensuring the stock is treated humanely. It’s also a job that sees drivers venture into some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, including facing the challenges that such remote country can bring. Mike and the Globetrotter go South Island-wide, carting sheep and cattle from Nelson/Marlborough to Invercargill and everywhere in between. Th          e occasional trip across the Cook Strait is also not unknown.

Mike’s first truck with Ellesmere as a 19-year-old was an Isuzu ‘flea’, and while he has also been behind the wheel of two Mercedes-Benz stock units, Volvo is clearly his preferred brand. His first experience was on a 1988 16-speed 320hp F10, which was followed by a 12-speed FL10. “It was an honest-enough truck,” says Mike of the FL10, “but having the smaller cab and, in particular, only a 12-speed box, at the time, felt like a bit of a come down,” he says, laughing.

A 2008 440 FM followed, then the first of two FH 540s, 2014/16 models. The FHs were a step up again on his previous units, and he quips he sometimes wishes he had stayed on the original unit and taken it through to 1,000,000km – but also acknowledges the later truck being much improved, certainly in ride quality.

Roll forward to Mike’s latest Volvo, which went on the road in June last year. The 2024 FH16 600 is a fine example of the brand and stock trucks in general. As you would expect with the latest generation of the model, Mike rates the comfort, driveability, build quality, traction and power highly. You could always have more power, Mike said, but the D16 600hp mated to Volvo’s much-respected 12-speed I-Shift is never left wanting and always up for the job. Mike is also appreciative he was given a degree of freedom in the setup of his unit.

Ellesmere’s own workshops and engineers at the Leeston yard built the truck deck in-house, also fitting toolboxes and relevant accessories. The five-axle trailer is by Dommet. Stock crates are Nationwide units from Mt Maunganui, running a 25ft truck/34ft trailer split. Mike rates the Nationwide product for ease of daily use. He says a lot of thought goes into the product, and communication on any required detail was excellent. Timaru Signs was tasked with completing the graphics.

Other extras on the unit include full stainless-steel side boxes, Alcoa Dura-Brite rims, fridge/freezer and TV. On-road safety for driver and other road users is enhanced with a full suite of Volvo safety systems. Sleeping in the truck is the norm so a diesel night heater has also been specced, which Mike rates highly. “Particularly on those minus five degree mornings,” he quips. Setting it on a comfortable 15°C makes for a far more pleasurable way to wake up.

After 23 years of service with Ellesmere, the majority behind the wheel of a Volvo, at 49 Mike’s still got a few years driving in him. Maybe even another example of the brand? It’s all familiar territory. It’s a job he still loves – the scenery, working with stock, the challenges. Really, isn’t that all anyone could wish for as they turn the key on a new day?