Alan De Penning had stopped in Foxton when Faye Lougher spotted his 2019 Volvo 460FM, a truck that hadn‘t been on the road that long. Driving for Rainbow Park Nurseries, Alan does a weekly run between Auckland and Wellington, carrying houseplants and trees. He was returning from Wellington, and planned to stop in Taupo for the night. Alan began his working life as a mechanic, and by the age of 18 he had his truck licence. He‘s been driving for Rainbow Park Nurseries for three years, but also did a stint driving on the Gold Coast in Australia.

“When I came back from Australia I started looking for a job and just fell into driving. The problem is that a lot of drivers are inexperienced. Because there is such a shortage of truck drivers here I was offered two jobs.” Alan says he really enjoys being out on the road. “I just love being by myself and not having anyone breathing down my neck. And the freedom.” As for the main thing he encounters, that would be “car drivers with a death wish”. “Everyone is so impatient. They overtake on double yellow lines or over brows of hills.” However, he was hard-pressed to pinpoint a problem with the industry. “They have got to regulate the industry to maintain safety and I don‘t really have a problem with that.” Alan says he finds the line-haul truck drivers he sees regularly are a good bunch and he enjoys the camaraderie. When faced with the vexing question of motel or camping, he went for motel.

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