Howard Shanks caught up with Ash Shanks, who drives for Western Australia trucking company Campbell Transport. Ash was in one of the company’s Kenworth T909 iron-ore quad road trains, parked up for a fatigue break in the parking bay north of Auski Roadhouse on the Great Northern Highway.

The iron ore was destined for Finucane Island in Port Hedland, about 250km north of the roadhouse.

Ash is impressed with the T909 and prefers Kenworth’s traditional gauges and cabin layout.

However, trucking aside for a minute, Ash is enjoying the more temperate weather in the northwest compared with his home state of Victoria – and the famous specular sunsets of Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Ash didn’t have much time to chat because he was keen to get to Port Hedland by midday. Then, he and his new Isuzu D-Max were heading out for a few days camping at Eighty Mile Beach, three hours further north of Port Hedland.