Features, Trucks

Old school trucks: Upper Clutha Transport

DOW checks out Upper Clutha Transport and their fleet of old school trucks

Luggate is a small town that lies between Cromwell and Wanaka in Central Otago. While the town pub is pretty famous in its own right, Luggate is probably better known for being the home of the fleet of light blue and white trucks from Upper Clutha Transport Limited (UCTL).

Upper Clutha Transport is a long established transport company that also has a depot in nearby Wanaka. The company can trace their roots back to the early 1900s when William Reid and his son William Reid Junior made the transition to motorised transport from the horse and cart days. In 1967, the Reid and McLeod families joined forces and Upper Clutha Transport was born specialising in rural cartage. One brand of truck that has been synonymous with UCTL since the 70s is the Swedish brand Volvo. Volvo’s F86 and G88 model proved their worth in both durability and reliability, and these were followed by N Series, F Series, FLs, FMs, and FHs right up to the present day models. This fleet was and still is one of the South Islands classic and iconic Volvo fleets.

In 2015, UCTL underwent a restructure in ownership and the Reid family were joined by the Harrington family and the HWR Group.

UCTL are still involved in rural transport as well as crane trucks, general cartage, and they also operate a large array of earthmoving equipment, making them an extremely versatile company taking advantage of the booming Central Otago and Southern lakes economy.

While in recent times, UD, Renault, and DAF trucks have made their way into the fleet, four frontline FH16 Volvo HPMV units have also been added, which ensures that the Volvo brand maintains its dominance in this impressive fleet.  

Photography: Dean Middleton

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