When Faye Lougher saw a gold Kenworth turn down a side road in Levin, she figured it probably wasn‘t heading for SH1 and followed it.

Driver Allan Hull said he would be leaving for Auckland later that day as part of a regular run between there and Wellington, hauling general freight for John Lockley Transport of Waihi. The 425hp truck he drives is a 1992 Kenworth T900 with an 3406E Caterpillar fully mechanical engine and an 18-speed manual transmission.

A self-motivated individual, Allan had undertaken a number of different jobs before paying for his own training to gain the licences he needed to become a truck driver. He says his wife Tiffany is supportive of his job, despite the fact she only sees him on weekends.

“I always wanted to do it when I was a kid, told myself one day I would. I‘ve been driving for four years – I applied for the job with Lockley‘s four years ago and got it.”

Allan says he loves the enjoyment of his job on the road.

“Because I didn‘t do as well at school, it feels like I am doing my part to help society – delivering freight is like being the modern-day Santa Claus!”

A bit of a thinker, Allan says there are a couple of things that concern him about the industry, one being the need for more education on how the industry works.

“The other thing is safety in depots – if everyone is walking around wearing hi-vis clothing all the time, people get used to it and it‘s no longer safe. It should be used only when you need it, so the forklift driver will always be looking for it rather than it being something he sees all the time.”

As for the vexing question of whether Elvis is alive or dead:

“Of course he‘s dead. He died 40 years ago so if he‘s alive, that would make me 12BC – Before Conception!”