While visiting the Brisbane area recently, Carl Kirkbeck met with Troy Rhodes fuelling up at the BP Truck Stop at Rocklea. A career truckie who has been driving in the industry since he was 19, Troy currently drives for Market Express out of the rural township of Leeton, not too far from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. Chatting to Troy, we find he had literally just received the keys to his new ride, the Kenworth T909 pictured here, now with only just a touch over 12,000km on the clock. “It‘s still got the new smell,” laughed Troy. Troy had arrived from Griffith in NSW with a load of fresh chicken on board that he had just delivered to the Coles distribution centre for the local supermarkets.

Being a regular run for Troy, he was now waiting for the produce markets to open in the morning so that he could collect his backload – which he reckoned would be ready around 7am – and then point the nose south and head straight back to NSW. The T909 runs an X15 Cummins set at 600hp, fitted with a manual 18-speed Roadranger. “There is no way you have a truck like this with an AMT in it,” was the comment from Troy. We would have to agree with that remark. The 4-axle, 22m FTE refrigerated semi-trailer, set up for 26 pallets, is near-new as well, with only 40,000km on it. It is a unique unit with its front axle in the quad set being a lift axle, allowing it to manage heavier applications when called upon. Asking Troy the vexing question Holden or Ford, the reply was “definitely Ford”. And, as for the sports team he supports, it is a big thumbs up for Collingwood in the AFL.

Brought to you by: