Invercargill showcased an impressive truck parade and exhibition during Labour Weekend in October, offering an insightful cross-section of the dynamic transport industry.

One hundred and fifteen trucks assembled to vie for the coveted title of King Rig at this year’s Southland Truck Show, an award ultimately clinched by a King House Removals truck. Reagan Brown prepared and entered the 2013 Mack Titan, along with another new King House Removals Mack and an older International. It wasn’t easy to gauge which of the Macks were new and which was a decade old.

The winning Mack has an MP10 engine, driving through an 18-speed Mack gearbox and auxiliary four-speed box. It was built as a transporter in-house to meet King’s specifications and requirements.

Neither Brown nor King House Removals are strangers to truck-show competition.

Reagan and Kings won the King Rig title more than 30 years ago, and it was inevitable their names would feature high on the honours list.

After parking up for judging and public scrutineering, the ensemble and a further 25 trucks travelled in convoy through the streets of Invercargill to the Newfield Tavern, where the prizegiving ceremony took place.

As in the past, thousands of people lined the streets and centre plots along the route to view the annual procession.

The competition was very close, with King Rig and Best Fleet awards closely swayed by the individual brand and distance awards. This made the final big decisions a tight contest between Eden Haulage, King House Removals and Mainfreight entrants.

Organiser Mark Purdue is grateful to the entrants for the hundreds of hours spent preparing their rigs for the public to enjoy. He also highlighted the commitment from the owners and loyal sponsors, without whom the event wouldn’t happen. There was 100% support from franchise companies and acknowledgement of backing from New Zealand Trucking magazine and the Invercargill Licencing Trust.

Invercargill Truck Show 2023 – RESULTS