My Account
Retiring Transcon founder Ian Ward, 69: “Would I do it all again? Hell, yeah! It’s been a privilege to do a job I’ve loved.”
A 45-year association with the trucking industry came to an end when the Mahurangi-based firm Transcon was sold last month.
Ian and Gail Ward have handed over the reins of the family-owned company to Blake and Louise Noble, of Northcote.
Ian still has the piece of paper, torn out of an old school exercise book, which marked the start of the company in 1970.
“I was driving a fertiliser spreader truck when my rugby coach Bill Postleweight told me that Bob Quintal was ready to retire and wanted to sell his truck that carted from a shingle pit on Takatu,” Ian says.
“Our son Rodger was just a baby and we didn’t have any money so I went and saw Stuart Campbell in Matakana. He agreed to back me and wrote out the agreement on that bit of torn paper. It basically said I’d repay the debt over two years.
“The truck was a 1954 Leyland Comet that cost $2000 and could carry five yards of metal.”
Ian, who was a qualified motor mechanic, started carrying metal but later expanded to include fertiliser, livestock and hay.
The company now has depots in Warkworth and Wellsford, employs about 16 staff and operates 15 trucks, ranging from vans to 44-tonne B trains.
In its heyday, when it was still involved in livestock transport, there were 20 trucks in the fleet but the livestock side of the business was sold a couple of years ago and the trucks now carry general freight and containers.
“There were around 120 family-owned farms in the Matakana, Leigh and Pakiri area when I started,” Ian recalls. “Now you could probably count on one hand how many are still there. Most of the land has gone into lifestyle blocks or pine trees in the case of the steeper country. It’s been a matter of changing our business with the times.”
Ian says his election to the NZ Road Transport Association (RTA) was one of the highlights of his working life. He served for seven years, two as chairman.
“It was very rewarding and I got to work with some very talented people.”
It was during his time on the RTA that trucks were allowed to go from 39 to 44-tonne, which effectively dropped the freight rate by 20 per cent.
“It had a big impact on NZ’s economy. Now we’re seeing trucks moving to 60-tonne.”
One of the biggest changes that Ian saw during his career was when the industry de-licensed in 1976. Up until then, trucks couldn’t carry freight beyond a 30-mile radius without special dispensation.
“Trucking is a tough business, driven on price. Most transport firms go broke because they don’t charge enough. It’s not made any easier by the huge costs involved in compliance. It’s got to the stage where you just about have to employ someone just to meet compliance, especially for health and safety. A whole industry has built up around making sure companies meet compliance.”
Ian spent his childhood in Leigh, on a 2.4 hectare property his mother Rona purchased at the head of the harbour, not far from the Jolly Fisherman.
“Dad was killed in a building accident in Auckland when I was five and Mum moved us north when I was seven. She made a little bit of money selling cream from the house cow and eggs. We never went hungry, but we were poor. We wore hand-me-down clothes and didn’t have any shoes, but then neither did our neighbours so it didn’t bother us. They were great times.”
The family moved to a farm on the top of Pakiri Hill when Rona married Noel Flay, the local drover. Ian learned to ride a horse and work the dogs, and would help take the stock through to sales in either Warkworth or Wellsford.
When the farm was sold, Noel worked as shepherd and manager for Lands & Survey throughout the North Island, but starting at Tapora.
“Before I started my mechanics apprenticeship in Wellsford I drove a bulldozer at Tapora. Coincidentally, the last job I did for Transcon was a freight delivery to Tapora, which brought my working life to a rather neat close.”
Although the retirement plans are still under discussion, Ian and Gail plan to travel and spend more time with their family.
“If I was giving business advice to anyone I’d say there are two rules that I’ve lived by. Firstly, if you make a decision, ask yourself ‘what would a judge say about that’. Secondly, make sure you know the full cost of any job. There are so many hidden operating costs and if you’re not aware of them, then you’re bound to fail.”
