Top of the pile

Bringing a personal touch to buying, lifting and shifting wooden logs around Marlborough is key for Steve Vanderley’s new log transport business.

Steve has launched The Log Man, a log cartage and purchase company with a self-loader log truck, a 32m² bin trailer and wheel loader for firewood cutters and log haulers.

Steve’s specialisation in independent jobs for private landowners and growers means he personally goes to each job site and works with buyers and sellers around what happens before, during and after harvest.

“I think the whole sale process works better by meeting people and talking about jobs in person, shake hands, and solving some of the world’s problems while working alongside customers,” Steve says.

“Buying, shifting and selling lots of gum trees for firewood sells very quickly – sometimes I’d rather sales go slower, because it means I’d have more stock in our Dillons Point Road depot ready for people to pick up – but it just means we’re kept busy.”

Steve says his experience working as a forestry and farm contractor, truck driver, engineer and septic tank cleaner since the 1980’s means he values the independence his new business allows him.

And while Steve has considered bringing on more workers to keep the firewood supply flowing, he says he finds the niche gap in the market to remain flexible around jobs has worked out well in his six months as The Log Man.

“Much of the growing land is now owned by large companies that have their contracts which makes it hard to get into those jobs.

“But that does leave many smaller timber growers that fall through the gaps wanting to get their logs to market and plenty of firewood suppliers.

“Just in the last six months I’ve had a huge variety of jobs which has been great - firewood is the most common from up the valleys and around the Sounds, but I’ve also supplied wharf piles around the region at short notice.

“Having just myself and a truck works just perfect for me, because if you have two trucks you may as well have twenty, but you lose the direct handling, flexibility and personal touch.

“It’s all about staying hands on, knowing what’s going on around the place in the markets and getting a job done right.”