While grabbing a coffee at the Food@Clifton cafe, just south of Invercargill, Carl Kirkbeck caught up with Wally Tiller, who was having a bit of late smoko, and his near-new K200 Kenworth.

Wally drives for Herberts Transport of Edendale and was on the job as part of a rotation of trucks emptying cement bags off the boat at the Bluff port, transporting them into dry storage back in town.

“Yeah, the truck has just over 20,000km on the clock now. I got it handed to me just before Christmas,” Wally says. “I love my Kenworths, and being offered one brand new … how could you say no?”

Wally says he has had a passion for trucks since childhood. “My cousins were into trucks when I was growing up, and I would go with them as much as possible. I have a brother that’s right into trucking as well. So, yeah, definitely passion there as well,” Wally explains.

“When I left school, I actually started on the tractors, in among contracting and harvesting. I did that for about 15 years, then moved to the trucks. I’m about to head across to the States for a working holiday – just to have a go at driving a Peterbilt or two doing the harvest season. It is something I have always wanted to do.”

We asked Wally where he saw issues in the transport industry. “The traffic just seems to be getting worse, and roadworks going on – which is good – but the disruptions are getting worse. The trouble is, it just makes people more impatient, and then they take stupid risks that put everyone in harm’s way. And what for? There is no point just to be a car or two ahead.”

Our vexing question for Wally was ‘North American or European gear?’ To which he replied, “The Europeans are definitely nice, but as I said, I love my Kenworths.”

Yes, Wally, we catch your drift.