PNW Carriage Masters is a family-run business, conceived in 2018 and operated by husband-and-wife team Andy and Paula White. It was created from a lifelong passion for trucks and a deep respect for the funeral profession.
Andy had owned a classic ERF truck for around fifteen years. It is one of the last ERFs built at Sandbach, Cheshire, and in its day was a top-of-the-range model with numerous factory extras. Known as the Black Cat because of its colour and its Caterpillar C12 engine, it is a rare example, with very few ERFs produced in this specification.
Alongside a long-standing interest in cars and trucks, Andy also held a genuine respect for the funeral profession. He shared with Paula his ambition to create a bespoke truck hearse that could offer families an alternative to the traditional car-based hearse.
With Paula’s encouragement and support, work began on converting the ERF, with the help of Andy’s best friend, Peter Lewis. Peter brought more than forty years of experience in the haulage industry and was an accomplished mechanic as well as a Class 1 driver.
Great care and attention were given to the design and detail of the hearse, with many subtle personal touches incorporated throughout. Andy, a lifelong Queen fan, felt that the closing line of Bohemian Rhapsody — “Anyway the wind blows” — perfectly summed up a trucker’s life. That sentiment now carries across the expanded fleet.
During the build, Peter was sadly diagnosed with cancer, but he encouraged Andy to continue the project. The truck was eventually completed and went on to win first prize at a truck show.
Peter remained closely involved and supportive until the end. After his passing, his family said there was only one way he would take his final journey — with Andy at the wheel.
That experience only deepened the purpose behind PNW Carriage Masters: to offer families a truly unique, personal and meaningful send-off for loved ones who would have wanted a genuine HGV farewell.
Today, PNW Carriage Masters provides specialist truck hearse and lorry hearse hire across the UK mainland, working with the funeral profession to help families create a final journey that feels fitting, individual and memorable.
Our vehicles are chosen not for novelty, but because they can reflect a lifetime connected to haulage, engineering, transport, recovery, mechanics or life on the road.
You can explore our gallery, view recent case studies, or read more about our Renault Magnum and ERF EC12 hearses.
