In Part 2, Deals on Wheels' Dean Middleton take a look at how the Sollys Contracting fleet trended into the 2000s
Last month, we took a look at Sollys Contracting and some of the fleet dating from the 1980s through to the early 2000s.
Of the 16 Sollys trucks featured in the first edition, 13 of them sported either Isuzu or Nissan Diesel badges on the front grill and heading into the 2000s, the Japanese brand dominance continued.
In the mid-2000s, Nissan Diesel took the lead role in new purchases. CW and CG models were plentiful and were some of the smartest of the brand on South Island roads at the time. Moving forward to 2008 saw new 530 model Isuzus hitting the road with automatic factory gearboxes.
Meanwhile, Nissan Diesel’s head office in Japan officially re-branded their trucks as UDs in 2006, and the new-generation UD Quons arrived in New Zealand. Sollys were quick to introduce the new technology into the fleet, placing them in almost every application that the company engaged in at the time.
As with the previous Nissan Diesels, the Quons proved reliable in all operating conditions with the manufacturer’s own 470hp 13-litre engine and 18-speed Roadranger gearboxes and Hendrickson suspension made for a good fleet truck recipe.
Heading into the next decade, the fleet continued to increase in numbers and there were a couple of breaks in tradition, perhaps the most noticeable being a new Iveco Powerstar placed in bulk duties in 2013 and a new Hino 700 in 2015 to keep the UDs and Isuzus honest. The next Sollys acquisition that made a few waves was a new Scania R560 placed to work on livestock duties.
The unit was driven by long-term employee, Lawrence ‘Shiny’ Shadbolt, and was purchased because of its low chassis height.
Was this to be a subtle change to European gear for the Sollys fleet or were there plenty of Europeans about to infiltrate the fleet in the coming years?
Next month we take a look at what has transpired since, and we check out some of the fleet that graces our roads through to the present day.
Images by Dean Middleton