Stephen McCormack and his father Niall McCormack, from Drumlish, County Longford in the Republic of Ireland, had just finished washing the Iveco S-Way 510 tractor unit that Stephen drives for Niall on domestic work within Ireland. The truck, which is only a few months old, features a 6×2 mid-lift twin-steer chassis, which is required to avoid overloading the drive axle when coupled to a walking floor trailer used to transport heavy loads of waste.

“Its sister truck is identical, but that one is a single drive 4×2 and always pulls a fridge trailer, as it’s never as heavily loaded on the drive axle,” Stephen said. 4×2 units are cheaper to buy and run, with the added advantage of carrying more fuel.

Niall bought the new Ivecos after good service from a pair of Stralis he traded against them. He also operates a 6×2 Stralis along with a 4×2 Scania R560 Topline bought in 2016.

Niall’s father Tommy began hauling milk churns from their home base in Keenagh with a Bedford TK. His brother Aidan lives in the United States but has a collection of classic trucks at home here in Ireland, including a TK with milk churns, restored in memory of their father. Aidan’s son has just passed the exam for his US truck licence, with the aim of hauling interstate, so it seems transport is written into the McCormack DNA.

Stephen has been driving for his father since he was 18, beginning with a DAF XF 480. He is full of praise for the new Iveco, which is undeniably one of the best-looking trucks on the road right now. Working long hours is his main dislike attached to the job, although the freedom it brings means there is no other job he would rather do.