Mitchell Lewis had only been driving for Austin Transport from Nelson for three months when Faye Lougher caught up with him in late December 2020. He was driving a 2017 Kenworth K200 with an 18-speed manual Eaton Roadranger. Mitchell is based in Christchurch and was on his way to Wellington and then on to Nelson and back to Christchurch. His job involves moving general freight countrywide. Mitchell is the third generation in his family to drive trucks, and it was going for rides with his father that made it easy for him to decide what he wanted to do when he left school. He‘s been driving for about nine years now and really enjoys the life. “I love being out on the road. I get to go all over the place, listening to the radio.” A lack of younger drivers coming through the ranks was one issue Mitchell raised. “It‘s also the number of overseas drivers coming in who are prepared to do the job for lower wages.” Ford or Holden was the vexing question, and it was met with an emphatic: “Holden!

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