Scania’s very first New Generation truck in New Zealand has just become the first of its type in the world to clock up one million kilometres.
And it’s done it at the bottom of the world – in the deep South.
The Scania S620 hit the roads for Dunedin-based truckie Warren Good in late 2018 and has clocked up an average of 1200 kilometres a day since then on its linehaul run from Christchurch to Invercargill.
“It’s actually 1200 kilometres a night,” corrects Good, given the courier-parcel run is done during the hours of darkness.
“It’s also one of the longest daily runs in the country, so I guess there’s no surprises this was the one responsible for clocking up the big kilometres!”
Good says the average commercial truck would probably only cover about half the distance that his linehaul runs do each year.
The runs are so demanding that they’ve been used for testing by many Scania models because of the fast turnaround in receiving results.
Incredibly only three things have required attention over the million kilometres – A retarder fault, the clutch brake and the starter motor.  
“That’s pretty good for a truck hauling freight up and down the South Island daily,” says Good. “Even the leather seats haven’t started to wear out yet!
“It’s a real credit to Scania Assurance (Scania’s Service & Maintenance plan). Everything has been attended to and kept in check to help us reach this milestone in a very short time. The data updates we receive on fuel efficiency, mileage and driver technique really help us get the best out of the vehicle.”
It’s taken 56 tyre changes and a few career truckies, like recently retired driver Reg McCorkindale, to help the S620 reach the milestone over three and a half years, but the vehicle still drives like new and will remain in the fleet for years to come.
“I’ve had a few memorable moments in the ‘not so’ old girl,” recalls McCorkindale, “like experiencing Adaptive Cruise Control for the first time and a bit of a close shave where the Advanced Emergency Braking kicked in for the first time!
“The only complaint is that the truck really shows up the lack of hi-tech in my personal vehicle.  It takes a little adjustment to settle back into old driving habits on my commute home from work.”