Old School Trucks: St Andrews Transport

By: Dean Middleton, Photography by: Dean Middleton


1 1 The first photo I took of the fleet was of this LW Kenworth logger at a Timaru Truck Show back in the early ’80s 1 1
2 1 A Volvo G88 fresh out of the paint shop at another Timaru Truck Show a few years later 2 1
3 Most rural fleets had at least one token International in the ’80s. This S-Line was pictured as a dedicated bulk unit. 3
4 A Nissan Diesel CG 340 Shogun normally on livestock duties but pictured with the stock crate off it 4
5 1 Hino has long been a popular brand in the fleet. This FY model was a typical example. 5 1
6 1 An FY Hino on bulk tipper duties 6 1
7 1 This FY Hino is pictured with ‘spud’ bins on doing its seasonal duties 7 1
8 1 As expected for a rural transport company, spreaders make up part of the arsenal. This 1828 Mercedes-Benz Atego was pictured back in the late ’90s. 8 1
9 1 The trusty Foden Alpha, pictured still earning its keep back in 2020 9 1
10 1 A new-generation Hino 700 pictured when new back in 2004 10 1
11 1 The near-identical sister truck 11 1
12 1 Another Hino 700 Dropsider on bulk duties 12 1
13 1 A mighty FS Isuzu ‘mini spreader’ 13 1
14 1 Mercedes-Benz became one of the frontline brands in 2013, with the addition of this 3260 Actros 14 1
15 2 The first Actros was followed up by another 3260 Actros in 2015 15 2
16 1 A sharp Isuzu CYJ530 bulkie pictured at the 2019 Ashburton Truck Show 16 1
17 1 A partial fleet line-up pictured in late 2022 17 1
18 1 A pre-loved Mercedes-Benz 3253 Arocs on bulk duties and a livery change-up 18 1
19 1 The current flagship, a 2022 3263 Mercedes-Benz Arocs 19 1

One of the brightest liveries seen on the road in the late '80s and '90s was that of Cosgrove Transport, which in 1990, became St Andrews Transport

As a young fella back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Timaru had an annual truck show that was held down on the main wharf at the Timaru Port.

It was always a good time to check out the South Canterbury fleets at the time, and one of the brightest liveries was that of Cosgrove Transport, which in 1990 became St Andrews Transport.

The bright orange and brown certainly stood out among the crowd at the annual shows.

Head office for the company is the small town of St Andrews situated just 15km south of Timaru on State Highway One, with the yard and weekend fleet line-ups in full view when driving past on the main road. 

Rural work has always been the mainstay of St Andrews with livestock, bulk units, and spreaders making up most of the fleet. There was an LW Kenworth logger back in the ’80s that was my favourite back in that era and the G88 Volvos also looked the part.

There were many other makes and models preceding those classics, including a Scania and a couple of N-Series Fords and as with most rural companies back in the ’80s and ’90s, there was at least a mandatory truck in the fleet with an International badge on the front.

A Foden Alpha was another reliable workhorse, and the late ’90s and early 2000s saw a preference for the Hino brand, with Mercedes-Benz trucks making up the bulk of the spreader fleet.

Isuzus made an appearance in more recent years with a sharp CYJ530 Isuzu bulkie put on the road in late 2018. Mercedes-Benz trucks joined the frontline fleet with the addition of a 3260 Actros in 2013 and another in 2015.

Fast forwarding to today, there have been some pre-loved additions to the fleet, but the flagship is a 2022 3263 Mercedes-Benz Arocs dedicated to livestock duties looking every bit as good in the bright orange as its predecessors back in the ’80s.

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