Ken Bell caught up with Keiran Craig at Woodlands on a cold Southland morning just after he had taken an early load of ewes to the weekly Lorneville livestock market, winter providing a little more time for such duties. Keiran was about to flush out and clean the Mercedes-Benz Arocs 3258 he drives for Phillips Transport at Woodlands, 17km east of Invercargill.

Southland-born Keiran lives in Wyndham and has worked for Phillips Transport for 18 months. Before that, he worked for nearby Herberts Transport, piloting a Kenworth K200. The Arocs is a dedicated truck carrying Valley Crates stock crates with a matching trailer. It can be seen on the southern roads as far north as Christchurch.

When asked his preference of red or blue, he replied with a sideways grin: “Blue all day long.”