Transpac Mack Ultraliner eight-wheeler ND8843

The name Transpac won’t mean much to most drivers under 50 these days, but when a bunch of the biggest transport companies in New Zealand – Freight Haulage (Invercargill), Transport North Canterbury (Rangiora), Child Freighters (Palmerston North) and TNL (Nelson) were acquired by Southern Cross Enterprises to form Trans Pacific Ltd (Transpac) in 1986, it rocked the industry, which was much transformed by firstly, Tranpac’s cheque-book approach to doing business, and then it’s chaotic demise.

Trucks in their livery may have had three paint-jobs within a few years, as they went from their original company’s colours to the red and white of Transpac, and after Transpac went belly up, many a truck around the country found themselves back  in the paint-shop yet again being repainted in a new owner’s livery.

This truck was based in Dunedin and showcases some damn fine tarping technique, which along with the formidable presence the Ultraliner had, made for a great study. 

Tarping is an art that thankfully isn’t as much required as it once was, and anyone who hasn’t wrestled with tarps on a wet day in a high wind can consider themselves lucky.

Until the advent of the curtainsider – tarping was part and parcel of the job and once rigs reached the size of this combination – tarping was physically demanding and dangerous. Many a driver found themselves lying in the dirt after a big fall…