Episode 3 - A history of Trucking - The New Zealand Experience

This three-part series explores the evolution of road transport - from the horse and cart, bullock and traction engine days in the early nineteen-hundreds - to the modern era of high-productivity trucking in New Zealand - over it's 120-year history. Ham-strung by governmental policies that favoured rail for most of the twentieth-century, it was a difficult gestation for an industry that now hauls 93% of the freight task. Having no sustained truck-manufacturing capability of its own, New Zealand relied almost solely on the importation of heavy-transport vehicles, and was able to source from Britain, Europe, Asia and North America in order to meet its needs, and this documentary showcases the broad range of truck brands that reached these shores. Created as a tool to explain to illustrate to the general public the importance, history and reliance as a society we have on the road transport industry - this documentary also celebrates an industry that we are justifiably proud of for its capabilities, presentation and professionalism under what are often trying operational circumstances. Part three looks at the impact of the deregulation of the road transport industry and the lifting of the many restrictions that impeded the ability of the industry to achieve its potential. As New Zealand weened itself from Mother Britain, and the requirement to have a 50% Commonwealth build or parts content on imported trucks, within a short space of time New Zealand had a modern fleet cheery-picked from the best manufacturers. Remember to Subscribe so that you are notified when new videos are posted on this channel.