A look back at the Opzeeland Transport fleet that can trace its roots back to 1956
Corr and Helen Van Opzeeland formed Hornby Coal and Carrying, which was later renamed Opzeeland Transport in 1964.
When I began photographing Opzeeland trucks back in the mid-80s as a 13-year-old, some serious legwork was required to get the trucks in front of the camera lens. I lived on the east side of town and the Opzeeland yard was in Hornby on the southwest side.
During school holidays, this meant a round trip of just under 40km, all done on the 10-speed bicycle. Back then, and to this day, the Scania Brand had been the dominant force in the Opzeeland fleet, although, other brands, including Nissan Diesel, Mitsubishi, and DAF, have also worn the clean and professional dark green, white, and yellow livery.
The company had long been known for having innovative ideas and I remember back in the ’80s when two flat deck truck and trailers would head into the deep south with loads of packaging, and as back loading was scarce at the time once unloaded, one of the units would be loaded on to the other and would be piggybacked, back to Christchurch with both drivers sharing the driving duties of the road-going truck.
Opzeeland was the first transport company in New Zealand to introduce 15-inch wheels on long-distance work and still uses them today throughout their trailer fleet. When curtainsiders were introduced, the curtain rails were extended past the truck body to enable the curtain to be opened clear of the body for ease of loading and unloading.
There were other interesting initiatives as well, including the use of 6×2 single-drive trucks on linehaul runs when 6×4 double drive units were the norm and European roof-mounted sleeper pods on several units were maximum cubic capacity was required.
Opzeeland Transport’s head office and depot remain in Christchurch, with other branches in Dunedin and Auckland. The fleet numbers more than 40 trucks, which can be seen travelling the length and breadth of both Islands.
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Photography: Dean Middleton