While on his way to the Port of Tauranga with a load of logs, Glen Ireland stopped at the Caltex Truck Stop on Hull Road for a quick catch up with Alison and Mike Verran. Glen drives for Rossiter Log Haulage in an impressive and well-presented Western Star 4884 with a 525 Detroit under the hood. Every working day is spent carting logs around the central North Island. After unloading at the port, Glen was heading off to Acacia Bay near Taupo for his next load.

Glen was brought up around trucks. “My old man was a truck driver. I went for rides all of the time.” Glen completed his diesel mechanic apprenticeship after leaving school. A recession at the time forced the decision to go truck driving instead. Glen now has 14 years of experience behind the wheel.

He enjoys the freedom of being out on the road. “You don’t have to sit inside all day, and you get the best view in the world.” He notes one of the biggest disadvantages of trucking these days is not being able to take young ones with you out on the job.

“That’s the best way to learn. It’s the way we all learned.”

Pie or quiche was the vexing question of the day. Glen had no hesitation in expressing his love for pies. “I make my own pies every night. Today, I’ve got a cheeseburger pie, as well as a potato, gravy and popcorn chicken pie.”