58 | Rather than seeing rising costs as a setback, Murdoch Transport has focused on being transparent with customers and ensuring freight rates reflect the true cost of providing a dependable service. RURAL SERVICES » Murdoch Transport Careful planning and realistic pricing essential Kelly Deeks Rising fuel prices and increasing operating costs continue to challenge rural transport operators, but Murdoch Transport is focused on adapting while maintaining the reliable service farmers have come to expect. The Mangatainoka based business, owned by Brian Murdoch and his son Campbell, has spent more than two decades supporting the rural sector with livestock, fertiliser, wool, hay, and general freight, and Brian says careful planning and realistic pricing are essential to keeping trucks on the road. “We’ve got to keep putting our prices up. If you don’t, it’s going to catch you,” Brian says. Fuel remains one of the biggest expenses, but he says it is far from the only one. “It’s not only fuel. Lots of other costs are going up as well. Our tyres have gone up seven and a half percent. Fuel has a flow on effect everywhere and this is probably the new normal.” Murdoch Transport works with freezing companies that use fuel adjustment systems to help determine freight pricing. While different processors calculate increases differently, Brian says they provide a useful guide. “One says prices should go up by 48 percent and another says 36 percent, so we work somewhere in the middle.” The impact is clear on everyday jobs. A recent return trip carrying wool to Hawke’s Bay before bringing fertiliser back required around 250 litres of diesel. “That same trip now costs about $250 more than it used to. That’s another $10 per tonne on fertiliser.” Rather than seeing rising costs as a setback, Murdoch Transport has focused on being transparent with customers and ensuring freight rates reflect the true cost of providing a dependable service. Founded in 2004, Murdoch Transport built its reputation through dependable rural freight and livestock cartage across the lower North Island. Brian purchased his first truck just before severe flooding struck Manawatu, with the company’s earliest work helping transport gravel for road rebuilding and wind farm construction. “adding value to your business” Proudly Supporting Murdoch Transport Specialising in livestock cartage & general freight transport in the lower North Island region 61 Short Road, Pahiatua, New Zealand, 4982 brandfmurdoch@xtra.co.nz PH. 06 376 7181 MOB. 0274 778036 Since then, the business has grown into a trusted name in rural transport, with Brian and Campbell continuing to work alongside local transport operators to provide flexible support when demand increases. Brian says the company’s strength has always been its commitment to customers. “We try to offer the best service we can. We’re always on time, or early. Ten minutes early is on time.” Like many rural businesses, Murdoch Transport has seen significant changes across the farming landscape. Several long-standing sheep farming clients have converted land into forestry, reducing livestock numbers across parts of the Tararua region and changing freight patterns. Despite those shifts, Brian says agriculture will remain central to New Zealand’s economy and continued investment in productive farming and rural communities is essential for future generations. “It’s the jobs that make the money. We’ve got to keep creating opportunities for our kids and backing the industries that keep New Zealand moving.” He says Murdoch Transport will continue doing what it has done for more than 20 years by adapting to changing conditions, working closely with farming clients, and delivering the reliable service that has earned the company its reputation throughout rural New Zealand.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=