Joe Borck pulled in to the BP in Levin while Faye Lougher was getting a coffee, so she nabbed him for a Just Truckin‘ Around.
Driving a 2014 Western Star FXC with an auto gearbox, Joe confessed he was more of a Roadranger man. He had come from Wellington that morning and was heading back to Palmerston North, carrying refrigerated freight. Joe‘s first job was at the sawmill in Foxton, initially after school driving around the yard. “I did 12 years with Foxpine Haulage, back when they only had one truck.” All up Joe has been driving for 44 years, including 20 in Australia driving everything from tippers to fuel tankers. “It‘s not me, being stuck in an office. I‘m a truck driver.”

Things have changed during Joe‘s time in the industry, and he doesn‘t think all the changes have been for the better. “Back in the days when I worked for Russell Oxnam at Foxpine you were part of the family. The days of the fella doing 30 to 40 years driving and then moving into dispatch are gone – they get someone with a diploma. The ones with the hands-on experience aren‘t there any more and the new drivers don‘t want to come in on a weekend to learn how to back a trailer.”
Joe also finds today people aren‘t always keen to help others, which may be a side effect of over-zealous health and safety laws. “Back in the mid-70s you‘d turn up to unload and everyone would pitch in and help you – but half the time now they just watch.” Joe didn‘t hesitate when asked to pick between V8 Supercars and Formula One – “V8 Supercars”.

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