History

Mainfreight was founded by Bruce Plested, joined later by Neil Graham in 1978 with a 1969 Bedford JI Truck and $2,700 in paid up capital.

Mainfreight entered a highly regulated market which required all freight travelling over 150km to be moved on rail, and which was dominated by a virtual cartel of giant transport companies. When deregulation occurred in 1985 Mainfreight were hardened from this market environment, and was evolving a deep culture and a vision of what we could achieve.

Having formed Mainfreight International in 1984, Mainfreight established a beachhead in Australia in 1989, with an operation in Sydney, followed the next years by depots in Melbourne and Brisbane. Investment in Australia was driven by a vision to let our customers treat New Zealand and Australia as one market, with Mainfreight's spread of branches and services, along with the best technology and people providing a bridge across the water.

Mainfreight was publicly listed in June 1996 on the NZ Stock exchange (code MFT) and now has interests in the USA and Asia.