Someone asked me if the Tui Truck Stop Show and Shine would get rescheduled in the event of rain and I said I had no idea – a rainy Tui Truck Stop hasn’t happened yet! Sunday 30 March was no exception, with another stunning day and the biggest lineup of trucks in the event’s history.

A total of 192 trucks registered for the Tui Truck Stop Show and Shine held at the end of March, a massive increase on last year’s 110 and a testament to how popular this show has become on the trucking calendar. Spectator numbers were also up, and families took advantage of the displays of radio-controlled trucks, face painting, food trucks and entertainment from singer and musician Sonny Tatana.

The Pahiatua Lions Club oversaw directing the trucks as they parked up, and a great job they did, too, with every bit of space utilised to fit them all in.

“It was our biggest-ever in terms of the number of trucks and it was awesome; an absolutely amazing day,” says The Experience Collective operations manager Jesse Robinson.

“There was a great turnout from the trucking community, and we had an incredible display of beautifully presented trucks. We’d like to thank everyone for the amazing effort they put into presenting them. We had so much support from our sponsors, too.”

Prizes included TVs, branded office chairs, speakers, prize packs from Volvo, Hino, Mack and Scania, a brazier and a painting of the Star of the Show truck. The number of prizes each winner received was so large that most of them needed to make two trips to take their haul away.

Half of the registration money will be reinvested into next year’s prize pool to increase the quality and quantity of prizes to attract entrants. About $3000 will also be spent on regular beneficiary, the Mangatainoka Reserve Restoration.

Jesse wanted to thank the sponsors: Total Truck Spray; Newbolds Masterton; Mitre 10 Pahiatua; Jackson Enterprises; Auto Art by Rochelle; Motor Truck Distributors; Keith Andrews Trucks; Penske Palmerston North; Scania Palmerston North; Truck Stops Palmerston North; Robertson Isuzu; Palmerston North Truck Alignment; Mainfreight; TR Group Palmerston North; The White Swan Hotel; CleanCo Truck Wash; Emmetts Service Centre Palmerston North and Southpac Trucks.

Special mention was made of the number of truck fleets represented, with organisers saying it represented a big commitment. AWE McNicol won Best Fleet, judged on uniformity, branding consistency, overall presentation and maintenance.

This year, Murray Sowerby and Brent Cooksley joined the judging panel. Murray was inducted into the New Zealand Road Transport Hall of Fame in 2019. In 1992, he assumed the general manager role for MTD, overseeing the Mack CKD assembly operations in Palmerston North – a position he held until his retirement.

Brent, affectionately known as ‘Cookie’, has dedicated 47 years to working with the Mack brand. Few possess as much knowledge about Mack Trucks in New Zealand as Cookie, making him a true brand legend.

For the second year, the immaculate 2005 Mack Super- Liner driven by Andy Maynard from Clive Taylor Haulage won the Star of the Show award. This is delivered to the most outstanding truck in the show based on overall presentation, uniqueness and public appeal. Consideration is also given to the level of detail, cleanliness, modifications and general wow factor. The judges say it was hard to look past the truck, and that despite its age, it is in immaculate condition and shows the artistry that goes into keeping it looking that good.

There’s an interesting story behind the 1966 White WC2264 owned by Richard Webb of Levin that won Best Other. The original certificate of registration lists Nihills Transport of Tokoroa as the first owner. Then, it went through various companies in Rotorua, Gisborne and Whangārei before ending up at Stratford.

About 30 years ago, Richard and his friend Johnny Robinson bought the truck to restore it. Once it was transported to Richard’s yard in Levin, it spent some time in the shed before being moved out to make way for other projects. Eventually, the pair decided if they weren’t going to do anything with it, they had to sell it.

Richard says he always regretted selling the White. A few years ago, he was alerted to a Trade Me listing for the truck – which by then had undergone some restoration – and decided to buy it back. It joined a stable of classic trucks – including several Bedfords and Kenworths – he already owned.

Judges comments: ¹The judges said it was ‘built like a Mack truck’. ² The judges commented that it was immaculate for a tip truck.