Hi, I’m Simon,

My passion for trucks started well before I can remember. My parents reminded me that as a four-year-old I doggedly dragged them, every Friday night, to the local stationers shop in Waimate to “show” them an articulated Funho truck I very much wanted. Well luckily for me “Santa” was very generous that year and that red and yellow truck did some pretty hard yards in the sandpit, even being converted to tow a (home made wooden) low loader for a time…

Fast forward to my early teens and the transition period from British trucks to the huge new modern and powerful American trucks. Who wouldn’t be captivated by these powerful highway colossus. In my hometown of Timaru several R Models and a number of MC Macks arrived in quick succession. Of course there were Internationals, 3070’s and later S and T Lines, the nearest Kenworths, were in nearby Waimate and Ashburton.

Every night it was “compulsory” to check out the local pub carparks to see which out of town RFL or other “foreign” trucks might be about. You can imagine the impact the first Mainfreight FR had on an impressionable young man. Model truck building crept in, but kits were expensive and supply was difficult. I often had to import them from America (and pay the substantial duty at the time… just as well I had an after school job!) Once I had a full time job and a car (and a VERY understanding girlfriend/wife), trips around the South Island ensued and these formed the basis of a lifelong passion for all things trucks and trucking.

Becoming directly involved in the industry in the 1990’s expanded my understanding of transport and its people – hard working, salt of the earth individuals trying to carve out a living in a cut throat game. However, it is those people, full of the passion, camaraderie, the innovation and the grit that set the trucking industry apart and they remain the life blood of the New Zealand economy.

My passion for the industry turned to action in 2003 following redundancy. TRUCK Journal was born and for 17 years we delivered remarkable stories about the trucking industry and its participants. The Covid lockdowns brought a swift and very painful end. However, the seeds of a new plan were planted and five years later (again following redundancy) I feel it is time to stop kicking the can down the road and resume delivering the stories that inspired, enthralled and entertained a market hugry for trucking stories.

This time, due to improved technology I can deliver engrossing yarns in may diffderent forms. These tales will delve into every corner of the trucking industry, from drivers’ day to day life to iconic trucks and drivers, and from historical content to modern truck show winners. We can do this without the crippling costs of printing and distribution and without worrying about declining advertising revenue.

The project, just like the TRUCK Journal, isn’t about me; it’s a collaborative community - an extension of the transport industry. Again, it is the members who are the most valuable part of the equation. By using modern communications we can offer easy interaction both here and on social media. It is your chance to share with us and suggest ideas to improve our future path. You are our stakeholders, not just customers.

This online offering is all about being on the road, sharing the stories of the hard working, down to earth participants who day in day out ensure the freight always gets through.

Join us on a fascinating journey of discovery as we bring other’s mesmerising stories to life. Enjoy.