When it comes to chasing down stories there are several different approaches I employ. I can get a heads up from salespeople or I can absorb one of my mate’s recommendations.
I can get called in for a photoshoot and then just morph that into a story, or I can make the most of that curse that is social media and hunt down an option from there. Then, on the rare occasion, I can just stumble across something really cool and unique.
That’s the category that Durres’ Iveco PowerStar falls into. It is a truck I have loved since the first time I saw it back in 2016. That was when this particular truck hit the road.
Its origin story lies with the king of king size rigs, Gary Athorn out at Cunnamulla, Queensland. Gary had customised the massive Iveco and thrown three stock trailers behind it. It was an absolute stunner.
Back when it hit the road, I was a full-time driver and not in the business of chasing stories. I was hopeful one day I would get an opportunity to photograph the Powerstar but that was as far as my lofty goals went back then.
Roll on May 2024 and I am back behind the wheel as a relief driver, taking a few days off the fulltime journalist gig, but I am still always on the hunt for cool, character-packed stories.
I’m on my way back into Brisbane from out west, bouncing along the back blocks of Dalby in Queensland, happily absorbing the latest Peter Fitzsimmons audio book when I see this massive looking grill off in the distance. As we both drew closer the heat haze started to solidify and the outline of a huge Iveco took shape.
Like any good truckie I turned down the stereo volume, as that somehow refines our eyesight, and I realised I was glimpsing a very rare Iveco Powerstar. Better yet I was glimpsing the Athorn’s Iveco Powerstar.
As we got to the point where the stereo was all the way off, in order to see with 20/20 vision, I noticed the Athorn was off the roof and Durre had replaced it, but it was definitely the same truck.
The same truck I had wanted to photograph eight years earlier and now I had a job that would permit me to track down and annoy the owners, pester them for some photos and find out what they do with one of the few remaining examples of Iveco’s flitter in the pool of heavy-spec road train trucks — the Iveco Powerstar 7800.
Unlike many of the other manufacturers Iveco has a relatively short history. The Italian multinational company first appeared in 1975 after a merger between Italian, French and German brands.
Since 1980, when Iveco developed their first turbo diesel engine and began making heavy vehicles, they have predominantly focused on the cabover market — it’s a European thing. As the company grew and manufacturing factories opened up around the world it started to diversify.
When Iveco opened a plant in Australia the cabover was available, but now they were also building an Australian developed bonneted version — the Iveco Powerstar.
This was a truck that combined the creature comforts and cab cosiness of a European lorry, with the running gear and wheelbase of an American truck. The first generation Powerstar proved to be extremely popular for that reason. Price was good, it was a comfortable ride and had a North American driveline.
The second generation wasn’t as big a hit, with the trucks originally only able to be specced with the Iveco Cursor Engine and the EuroTronic II transmission.
In 2010 Iveco went back to fitting the Cummins engines, as well as road ranger gearboxes and all was well again. There were several different models available, catering for single trailer work, B double work and as far as 90t road train rated Powerstars.
In 2014 though, Iveco took a stab at the real heavy-duty side of Australian transport and began production of Powerstar 7800, the top shelf big brother of the Iveco range. Dual rail, 140t rated, available with up to a 60-inch bunk, it really was a Power Star in the Powerstar range.
That is the condensed and extremely broad rundown on the Iveco history. I could go into more detail, but a lot of the words are in French or Italian and that just gets confusing. Instead, we shall just move on and get a bit of a rundown on this rare and mighty looking lorry.
I was able to catch up with the owner Tim Durre, and the current driver of the truck Ben Durkin as they were pulled up in a Darling Downs paddock loading a double road train with some top-notch nosh for a field full of future steaks.
As mentioned in the last paragraph, Tim Durre is the man paying the registration fees for the staunch looking 2016 Powerstar 7800 on the pages before you. Tim is top of the food chain at Durre Ag Pty Ltd.
The Toowoomba-based company owns three irrigation properties that supply hay to feedlots and farms around Queensland, NSW, Victoria and as far west as the South Australian border.
“We run three properties supplying hay. It’s basically like a paddock to plate in the meat game except we go from a pallet of seed to a crop, which we bail, then store and finally deliver when people need it,” Tim says.
“We’re doing about 27 to 28 thousand bails a year. So having our own trucks value-adds to the farm. We have three trucks now and about eight trailers.”
Hence Tim’s job is literally to make hay whilst the sun shines.
Farming and agriculture are the dominant aspects of Durre Ag but that’s not to say trucking hasn’t always played a part in Tim’s life. Realising the importance of a hard-working truck has even more so.
“I’ve grown up on properties, Nan and Pop had a dairy farm north of Dalby and I started out share farming myself,” explains Tim.
The share farming for Tim, who was 19 at the time he got into his first property, was seen as more of a hobby/sideline gig. He spent his time between that and driving trucks for Swalling Livestock in Toowoomba.
“I loved the driving. I started just doing single trailer work for Gavin in a Heritage Western Star and he helped me get my MC licence so I could do the bigger stuff for him as well.”
For several years Tim balanced his life between driving trucks and share farming.
“Yea, there weren’t a lot of weekends, there was always something to be done,” admits Tim. “But it’s not really a job when you’re having fun is it. I was driving, meeting people and working the farm.”
As the farming work increased, the driving decreased a bit until Tim bought his first property.
“I’d gotten into a couple of feedlots which was year-round, and I started looking at having to get my own truck to cart the hay,” says Tim.
“I bought a CH Mack, it was a local truck, and I knew it was well looked after. I got the truck and single trailer. I’d cart my own hay and when I wasn’t doing that, I was subbing to Swallings.”
After that first truck things kind of snowballed. The Mack got sold and replaced with a Freightliner. A Western Star 4900 Constellation then joined the fleet to make it two trucks.
“As far as the trucks go, I probably haven’t had to do as much as I’ve done, but I do it because I like it.”
The Western Star then got sold and replaced with a Kenworth T409SAR and in 2018 the Freightliner got sold and Tim got his hands on the big Iveco.
“It’s a great truck, so comfortable and huge to live in. Honestly you could drive from here to Birdsville with no air in the seat, it’s that smooth.
“You put your wallet on the dash, and it will still be there when you get there.”
Tim likes to point out that he can easily get in and walk around the gearstick with room to spare. Sitting in the seat he can’t touch the roof, emphasising the incredible amount of space. For the record, Tim is one of those 6ft giants as well which adds more gravitas to his claims. Just to add some perspective.
Aside from the comfort of the truck one of the other contributing factors in its purchase was the previous owner; Gary Athorn of Cunnamulla.
“Gary normally turns his over every couple of years and he always looks after his gear. When this one came up, I grabbed it. I knew it was a solid truck, we needed one capable of pulling two and three trailers, and I knew it had been well maintained,” Tim says.
“Gary had set it up a bit different to the others, This one has the double bed and no cupboards up the back. The other ones I think just had the single bed, with cupboards and a little bar fridge. It’s perfect for living away in.”
When Tim picked up the Powerstar it had clocked up just over 300,000 kilometres, pretty much all of it with three, and occasionally two stock trailers in tow.
“It’s a real workhorse, it has the Cummins EGR motor in it, but we haven’t had any issues. We stay on top of all the maintenance and look after all the gear.”
Since it went to work with “Durre” on the roof kit, the truck has clocked up a further half a million kilometres, most of those with Tim behind the wheel, although at the start of last year he handed the keys over to his driver Ben Durkin, who himself is no stranger to the Powerstar badge.
“This is actually the second Powerstar I’ve driven,” Ben says. “I had one in my previous job, then got a T659 and now I’m back in the Iveco.”
Whilst Tim copped a few comments when he originally purchased a truck sporting the infamous EGR motors, both he and Ben have had a pretty good run, especially considering the motor is closing in on a million kilometres, with pretty high engine hours.
Ben has noticed that if they are just poking around locally the Cummins tends to do a lot of shorter burn offs, but once you put two or three trailers behind it, it just cowboys up and loves it.
“It is a working motor for sure,” says Ben. “It loves it, with the big radiator as well I never have issues with it getting hot, even out west. You would send yourself broke refilling the coolant though, I think it takes about 120 litres.”
Having the capacity for 2000 litres of fuel also makes the truck perfect for the role into which it slots at Durre Ag. Ben does get home most weekends; but he still spends a fair bit of time out in far flung areas, where fuelling up every 1000km isn’t always feasible.
The six-metre wheelbase means carting hay into paddocks is fine, but you won’t be seeing the Iveco backing onto finger docks or doing local Bunnings deliveries. Again that is fine with Tim as the truck is designed for the hard heavy work and that is exactly what it does, and does very well.
“I really can’t understand why Iveco didn’t make more,” Tim says. “They are a heavy truck, full of fuel – its about 14t, so they aren’t any good for tippers of grain. But as a stock truck, and for what we do, it is great.”
Whilst Iveco mass-produced many of the Powerstar range, the 7800 was a customer specific request. Although I have struggled to get confirmation, the word is only around 20 were ever made. It is kind of sad – they are a damn cool looking truck.
Doing photos with Tim’s Powerstar out in the paddock, loading in the mud and maize, there was very little glistening stainless, with the exception of the old school spiders. The painted tanks and minimal stainless don’t detract at all, if anything it adds to the toughness of the Iveco’s look and is a lot more job applicable.
The Powerstar 7800 looks every bit at home offroad with two trailers hanging off the back. It is a truck that holistically parallels its owner Tim. For Tim has spent his life just working hard and never backing off. Exactly what the Powerstar has done and continues to do.
I am very thankful I happened to pass the big Iveco on one of those outback goat-tracks we call highways earlier this year and extremely thankful I had the opportunity to finally snap some shots of the larger than life, and twice as elusive Iveco Powerstar 7800.
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