Old School Trucks: Linfox—Part 1

By: Dean Middleton, Photography by: Dean Middleton

1 11 One of the iconic companies taken over by Linfox was Thames Freightlines. This RB Mack was shot at the Thames yard back in the late ’80s. 1 11
2 11 A Mack Ultraliner negotiating the busy Auckland traffic reversing into a premise on the blindside back in 1988 2 11
3 11 Another Mack Ultraliner, snapped at the Thames yard in 1989 3 11
4 11 A near-new Scania 124G sporting the updated livery, pictured in Auckland back in 2003 4 11
5 10 This Kenworth T401 was snapped in Palmerston North, also in 2003 5 10
6 10 Another iconic company lost to Linfox ownership was Taupo-based Total Transport, and while the Mack Cruiseliner was not in the traditional colours, it was a definite favourite of mine back in the day 6 10
7 10 FLB Freightliners became a staple in the Total fleet back in the ’90s, and this unit was a typical example 7 10
8 10 ‘Continental Cruiser’ was a Mercedes-Benz 2233 truck and trailer on general duties 8 10
9 10 A very cool E-Series ERF posed for a quick pic in Auckland back in 1989 9 10
10 10 The Kenworth brand began to replace the Freightliners in the early 2000s 10 10
11 10 This T904 Kenworth was arguably one the most iconic trucks in the fleet in the latter years before Total Transport was sold 11 10
12 10 Jones and Cornelius would be one of the less well-known companies that Linfox acquired, however, as they were Christchurch-based, I took an interest in their operation. This SS Hino made sure the groceries got delivered on time. 12 10
13 10 A CXH Isuzu 370 with an interesting Japanese-looking nudge bar 13 10
14 10 A brace of FL112 Freightliners were added to the fleet not long before the Linfox takeover 14 10
15 10 The other FL112 Freightliner shot in Nelson just months after Linfox took ownership and changed the signage 15 10
16 10 The last company to feature in this Linfox takeover theme is M & J Inglis. Hamilton- and Auckland-based, the Inglis fleet was diverse, but like Jones and Cornelius (who were a South Island operation), carted foodstuffs in the North Island. Their green and bronze livery was a common sight back in the ’80s. 16 10
17 10 A typical New Zealand combination back in the ’80s: a 6x4 tractor unit and four-axle B-train 17 10
18 10 Renamed Inglis Distribution, several T400 Kenworths joined the fleet 18 10
19 10 Linfox then took the reigns, and the Inglis fleet became another piece of New Zealand transport history 19 10

Deals on Wheels' Dean Middleton features of the iconic transport companies that were acquired by Linfox

I was looking through some of my truck photos a few months back and came across a few Linfox ones that I didn’t think a lot about at the time. A couple of days later, it occurred to me that Linfox had a presence in New Zealand since the early ’90s and that could possibly constitute an ‘Old School Trucks’ article.

I then had a realisation that there were some pretty iconic local transport companies that were acquired by the Australian-based juggernaut. So I decided to feature some of the truck pics I had photographed over the years from some of these iconic transport companies. 

The first company to come to mind was Thames Freightlines whose maroon-coloured trucks were a common sight throughout much of the North Island. Taupo-based Total Transport also had a huge presence throughout the North Island and, in my opinion, had one of the all-time classic New Zealand transport company liveries.

One of the lesser-known companies in this month’s feature (but still well worth a mention) is Jones and Cornelius Carriers, who specialised in the cartage of groceries for the Woolworths/Progressive Group in the South Island from their Christchurch base.

While Jones and Cornelius may have lacked an iconic livery, they opened the door for Linfox to obtain a stronghold in New Zealand after taking over their company and the Woolworths/Progressive work at the time. 

The last company to feature was the North Island counterparts to Jones and Cornelius who also had a major portion of the Woolworths/Progressive contract at the time. M & J Inglis was a Hamilton-based company with green and bronze livery, which became plain white.

They changed their name to Inglis Distribution before the inevitable red, yellow, and black colours were phased in with the Linfox takeover. Next month, we will take a look at some of the Linfox fleet from the ’90s until today.  

Find new and used trucks for sale in NZ 

Keep up to date in the industry by signing up to Deals on Wheels' free newsletter or liking us on Facebook. 

Related Listings For Sale

Related articles