Faye Lougher spotted the Emmerson Transport truck pulling over in Shannon and stopped to chat with its driver, Hamish Lyttle.

Hamish had come from Levin and was heading to Hastings. The 2018 Kenworth K200 had an 18-speed Roadranger and some pretty stylish curtains. The truck mainly carries out farming-related work, transporting meat and skins.

The past eight years have been spent as a driver, but Hamish started in dispatch and was a branch manager for Super Freight in Wellington before taking the wheel.

He loves the freedom truck driving gives him.

“And the view – this is my TV screen,” he says, pointing to the front window of the truck.

A common refrain – not enough capable drivers – was the main problem Hamish thought the industry faced. “Not enough experienced drivers, and we need more female drivers too.

“I‘d like to see a lot more of them on the road.”

Hamish had his 15-year-old daughter Bizhahn in the cab with him. “She‘s been coming with me because she wants to be a driver too.”

Bizhahn says being a truck driver is her dream job, so hopefully, we‘ll also stop her for Just Truckin‘ Around one day in the not-too-distant future.

It was only fair to ask them both a vexing question, so Bizhahn got soup or stew and opted for stew. Hamish got wine, whiskey or beer, and said he‘d probably go for a nice glass of red wine.