In late 1946, Cyril Broadbridge traded his 1935 Ford sedan in on a brand new International KS-5 truck. This was the start of CD Broadbridge Limited. Cyril and his brother Noel began by servicing rural customers in Wairau Valley during the day, and headed to the West Coast to pick up a load of coal each night.

Cargo being transported consisted primarily of livestock, hay, wool and coal but other, more challenging, loads were also taken on (such as the vintage plane shown in this photo), along with lime and manure spreading.

In 1948 Cyril added a second hand Chevrolet to the business and in 1949 Cyril built the company's first Wooden double-decker sheep crate.

Additional trucks were added to the fleet - in 1950 a V8 Ford was purchased, followed by two new Austin Loadstars, and in 1956 Cyril purchased his first bulk spreader.

In 1953 the fleet moved from their base in Hillersden to a new depot in Wairau Valley. While Cyril drove, his wife Hazel managed the office.

The business then relocated to a depot in Renwick in 1971, next door to where the Renwick Community Hall now resides, followed by the present-day yard which was built in 1983 on the corner of State Highway 63 and Hawkesbury Road.