Old School trucks: Rural Transport
While Rural Transport is a relatively new company, their history can be traced back to 1927 when Burnetts was founded
The company then became Owens Burnett’s and the green livery gave way to the light blue of Owens
It was then branded Owens Road Transport and another livery overhaul saw their livery change to red
In 2004, Rural Transport was born, maintaining the red but incorporating green on the livestock crates, which was a homage to the original Burnett’s green. This Volvo was a total repaint from the previous Owens blue and white.
For other trucks in the fleet, it was as simple as changing the signwriting and painting the green on the crates
It was not hard to guess the dominant brand of truck in the fleet in the late 2000s
Other Japanese brands wore the bright red and green colours
Owner-operators DN and SL Connolly contracted this tidy 2534 model Mercedes-Benz
A pair of classic light-weight International Navistars bathing in the late afternoon sun back in 2008
A partial fleet line-up at the old South Street yard back in 2010
Crane trucks are part of the Rural Transport armoury as seen here on an Isuzu CXH GIGA sporting a Hiab crane
A K104 Kenworth livestock unit taking park in the truck parade of the 2009 Timaru Truck Show
This Foden Alpha was converted to a tractor unit and is pictured here earning its keep on full-time work late in 2016
A smart and versatile Freightliner Colombia posing at the Ashburton Wheat and Wheels show loaded with a restored Burnetts’ Kenworth
Many CF 85 DAFs have found their way into the bulk division
CF DAFs have also found favour in the livestock division; this one is one of the more recent additions
An 85 CF DAF with stunning scenery of the Rakaia River and Southern Alps, which is an area this unit regularly services on a freight run
An outstanding line-up at the local Ashburton Truck Show back in 2016
The relatively flat terrain of the Canterbury plains means all-wheel drive fert spreaders are not always required, these 6x4 Isuzus attest to
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While Rural Transport is a relatively new company, their history can be traced back to 1927 when Burnetts was founded
|
|
|
|
The company then became Owens Burnett’s and the green livery gave way to the light blue of Owens
|
|
|
|
It was then branded Owens Road Transport and another livery overhaul saw their livery change to red
|
|
|
|
In 2004, Rural Transport was born, maintaining the red but incorporating green on the livestock crates, which was a homage to the original Burnett’s green. This Volvo was a total repaint from the previous Owens blue and white.
|
|
|
|
For other trucks in the fleet, it was as simple as changing the signwriting and painting the green on the crates
|
|
|
|
It was not hard to guess the dominant brand of truck in the fleet in the late 2000s
|
|
|
|
Other Japanese brands wore the bright red and green colours
|
|
|
|
Owner-operators DN and SL Connolly contracted this tidy 2534 model Mercedes-Benz
|
|
|
|
A pair of classic light-weight International Navistars bathing in the late afternoon sun back in 2008
|
|
|
|
A partial fleet line-up at the old South Street yard back in 2010
|
|
|
|
Crane trucks are part of the Rural Transport armoury as seen here on an Isuzu CXH GIGA sporting a Hiab crane
|
|
|
|
A K104 Kenworth livestock unit taking park in the truck parade of the 2009 Timaru Truck Show
|
|
|
|
This Foden Alpha was converted to a tractor unit and is pictured here earning its keep on full-time work late in 2016
|
|
|
|
A smart and versatile Freightliner Colombia posing at the Ashburton Wheat and Wheels show loaded with a restored Burnetts’ Kenworth
|
|
|
|
Many CF 85 DAFs have found their way into the bulk division
|
|
|
|
CF DAFs have also found favour in the livestock division; this one is one of the more recent additions
|
|
|
|
An 85 CF DAF with stunning scenery of the Rakaia River and Southern Alps, which is an area this unit regularly services on a freight run
|
|
|
|
An outstanding line-up at the local Ashburton Truck Show back in 2016
|
|
|
|
The relatively flat terrain of the Canterbury plains means all-wheel drive fert spreaders are not always required, these 6x4 Isuzus attest to
|
Although formed in 2004, Rural Transport, part of the Wareing Group of companies, traces its history back to 1927
Traditionally, the monthly Old School Trucks segments are pictorial articles of New Zealand fleets dating back to the early '80s when I first began photographing trucks. How then, does a company that formed in 2004 become the selection for this month?
The first reason is that Rural Transport is part of the Wareing Group of companies and we featured the Wareing fleet over the last couple of issues. The second reason is that Rural Transport can actually trace its history back to 1927 when Bob Burnett started a carrying company at Hinds, south of Ashburton. This became Burnett Transport and the green and white trucks became an iconic mid-Canterbury transport company for many decades.
Fast forwarding to the early '90s and with Burnetts under the ownership of Owens Road, the green and white livery gave way to the light blue Owens livery of the time. This, in turn, was replaced when Owens changed their livery to bright red.
When Rural Transport was formed in 2004, the base colour of red was retained, however, the rear half of the stock crates on the livestock units were painted dark green (or Burnett’s green), which was in direct correlation to the former company and its heritage.
For several decades, the old yard on the corner of South Street and State Highway 1 was a compulsory stop when travelling through Ashburton and the huge yard with well-spaced out trucks was always a mecca for truck enthusiasts and photographers alike. There were certainly no gates, fences, or Health and Safety rules to keep you from admiring the big gear up close with the camera in hand.
These days, a Countdown supermarket sits on the land where the yard used to be and Rural Transport has since moved to a new purpose-built yard and facility on the north side of town, which can no longer be seen from the main road.
Back in 2004, the Isuzu brand dominated the fleet and there were several owner-operators operating various other makes and models. In recent times, DAF trucks have taken a stronghold in the fleet with 85CF models finding favour across most applications, including livestock, bulk, and curtainsider units.
Rural Transport operates branches in Fairlie, Kurow, Waimate, and, of course, the Ashburton Mothership. The bright red Rural trucks are a common sight on Canterbury roads, however, they can be found much further afield, with a general freight unit doing a weekly South Island wide run up to Nelson and down to Invercargill via Central Otago before returning to base. A run that would not have been dreamed of by Bob Burnett back in 1927.
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