Southern Transport Co. Limited

We were front and centre at the Great South’s Girls in Trades event. What an awesome opportunity to meet the next generation and hopefully we inspired them too.

Back in 1987, Bill Richardson purchased a very special truck, the 1,000th Mack sold in New Zealand. It was only fitting that this iconic Mack joined the Southern Transport fleet. Bill was one of Ron Carpenter’s earliest and biggest Mack customers after assembly began in Palmerston North in 1972.

The Mack 1000 was driven from new by Bill “Billy Grump” Gilbert, who remained at the wheel right through to the truck’s sale. Billy Grump was famously the only driver ever trusted with the truck and now sits proudly on the back window.

During the 2025 inaugural Bill Richardson Truck Rally, the idea was raised to return the Mack 1000 to its original Southern livery in time for Southern’s 80th anniversary.

What followed was something truly special. With the help of Transport Engineering Southland, Bob Christie Auto Painters, and Vital signs, the truck was lovingly restored right here in Invercargill. This truck is widely considered one of the most iconic Macks in New Zealand now also serves as a tribute to Billy Grump a trucking icon in Southland and an important part of Southern Transport’s story.

We featured on HW Richardson Group Monday on the move this week. 🤩

Monday on the move!
Southern Transport Co. Limited in the spotlight this week with a beauty of shot!

We were pretty chuffed to see this beautifully crafted wooden replica of an old Southern livestock unit pop up in our feed.

A big hats off to Just Add Diesel Wooden Replica Trucks for capturing a piece of our history so well.