Top Truck – X-WAY in the bush
Log truck driver Graeme Dempsey is no stranger to New Zealand Trucking magazine nor the yearly Top Truck award. This month, our Top Truck is his latest machine, a new Iveco X-WAY 570.
The year was 1991 and at the movies everyone was wowed by the special effects in the year’s top movie Terminator 2 – Judgement Day. Young lovers were looking into each other’s eyes while listening to Bryan Adams’ hit Everything I Do (I Do it for you) on CD. And the New
Zealand Trucking magazine team was up in Ashley Forest in North Canterbury photographing a stunning silver 3235 MercedesBenz log truck owned by McCarthy and Wilshire Transport (MWT) of Rangiora for the monthly Top Truck award.
The Mercedes-Benz was driven by Graeme Dempsey, who at the time already had a formidable career in the logging Industry in North Canterbury.
Fast-forward 30 years to 2021 and the movie special effects are better, the music is worse, and the New Zealand Trucking magazine team is back in the Ashley Forest photographing another stunning log truck driven by Graeme
Dempsey, again for the monthly Top Truck slot. This time it’s an Iveco X-Way in the well-known livery of Steve Murphy Ltd (SML).
After leaving school, Graeme started his career at Transport North Canterbury (TNC) as an offsider. He worked on general freight and furniture trucks, such as TK Bedfords, and drove lime sowers for the Rangiorabased company. Eventually he got into the logging arm of the business, driving a flat-deck six-wheeler Isuzu fitted with a front-mounted crane mainly delivering posts, progressing to an 8x4 unit with a rear-mounted selfloader set-up.
Graeme has pretty much had one job his whole life. From when he started at
TNC, he has carried on his employment with various owners as the companies he worked for have been bought. TNC was taken over by Transpac and eventually the log division of that illfated company was taken over by newly formed company, MWT in 1988.
At the time that happened, Graeme was driving an International T-Line, before climbing into the MercedesBenz 3235 that not only won the monthly Top Truck but also went on to win him the Top Truck of the Year title in 1991.
Graeme continued driving the Mercedes until about 1993 when he switched from driving to the role of dispatcher, a job he held until 2008 when MWT was bought by SML. All MWT staff were offered jobs with SML, at which time Graeme came back to driving a log truck.
SML has a long history in the Canterbury logging scene, starting with owner Steve Murphy driving for various companies before branching out on his own in 1980 as an owner-driver in an FR Mack contracted to Odlins. Today owners Steve and Chris Murphy run an immaculate operation based in Kaiapoi.
The company runs more than 45 trucks of various makes servicing the forestry industry throughout Canterbury. SML trucks are no strangers to the Top Truck pages, having three previous winners, including the prestigious Top Truck of the Year title.
The new Iveco X-WAY, selected as this month’s Top Truck is the latest addition in the SML fleet. It is powered by a Cursor 13 Euro-6 engine, which produces 419kW (570hp) at 1900rpm and maximum torque of
“the New Zealand Trucking magazine team is once again back in the Ashley Forest photographing another stunning log truck driven by Graeme Dempsey.”
2500Nm (1844lb/ft), which runs through a 12-speed Iveco Hi-Tronix 12TX2420 two-pedal automated transmission. Under the rear end are Meritor MT23150/D diffs fitted with drivercontrolled diff locks riding on Iveco 8-bag air suspension.
The new X-WAY is fitted with Patchell lay-over bolsters and was set up by the team in SML’s own workshop. It tows a Patchell five-axle drop-chassis multibolster trailer, which runs on Hendrickson drum brake axles and air suspension.
The Iveco is fitted with Alcoa Dura-Bright alloys rims, and extras include an Ali-Arc front bumper, TractionAir
C.T.I, SI-Lodec scales, leather seats, and plenty of extra lights to help Graeme on those early morning starts. It was sold by Dale Greaves at Star Trucks in Nelson, which continues a relationship with SML that started more than 25 years ago.
Graeme and his X-WAY can be seen anywhere in the Canterbury region, carting from any number of forests or farm blocks into the local mills or the wharf at Lyttelton. We’re sure they will both be a familiar sight on Canterbury’s roads and forest tracks for many more years to come.