Old School Trucks: NZIG/BOC Gas

Deals on Wheels takes a look back at the NZIG/BOC Gas fleet from the early '80s

NZIG (New Zealand Industrial Gases) was formed in New Zealand back in 1911 and became a major supplier of compressed and bulk gases and equipment. In 1990, NZIG became a wholly-owned subsidiary of BOC gases whose history can be traced back to 1886 when two French brothers Arthur and Leon Brin formed Brin’s Oxygen Company Limited.

In 1906, The Brin Brothers renamed the company the British Oxygen Company, which conveniently had the same initials and became BOC Gases, which is the worldwide company we know today.

History of the multi-corporate company aside, regular readers will know that this thread is more about the trucks. When I was a kid growing up in Christchurch, one of my favourite local trucks was an impressive-looking G88 Volvo in the bright red NZIG livery.

This truck would have been one of the first that I had ever photographed back in the early ’80s when the trucks were predominantly company-owned. R-Model Macks were a favoured brand through the ’80s, and when contractors were introduced, the makes and models in the fleet became varied.

The NZIG red livery was also replaced with BOC’s own white and grey scheme, which many thought modernised the fleet and portrayed a more corporate multi-national image. Local Christchurch-based contractor Mike Brown ran several trucks in the then-new white and grey BOC livery, including Volvos, Western Stars, and a smart T400 Kenworth, all of which roamed throughout much of the South Island.

The Alexander Group then became a major national contractor to BOC Gases and Freightliner Century Class became commonplace delivering the various gas products. Alexanders remain a major contractor to BOC, and in more recent times, Scania has been the popular brand of choice for the company ensuring that bottled and bulk gases are distributed efficiently throughout New Zealand.

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Photography: Dean Middleton